Sex on an Adjustable Bed

Some disturbing observations plucked from the Internet to amuse, bemuse and confuse. According to a recent search on my part, I came across some interesting findings. The search was about adjustable beds and sex. Why, you may ask, am I looking up sex and adjustable beds? Because I can! Also, out of curiosity, I wanted to see for myself if sex in an adjustable bed is better, just as good, or worse than sex in a regular bed. To my surprise, there is practically nothing written about the subject.

Could it be that sex and adjustable beds do not mix … severely … no pun intended. I only received about one million hits on Google for the combination of "adjustable bed + sex". A Yahoo search returned even more flimsy results. Of the total hits, finding any information at all other than the odd promotional blurb from an anonymous manufacturer or two trumpet a snippet of "better sex" thrown in the middle of an ad. Here is an example of one very racy ad "It's an investment in good sleep, good rest, and good health, and good sex!". Hardly an endorsement you can take to the bank … or should I say, bedroom.

Based on a worldwide population of billions and an Internet community of hundreds of millions, I must admit I was something taken aback by such meager results. I was hoping to see research results from major medical institutions providing the most up to date statistical data on the pros and cons of sexual physical interaction on a movable platform. I was then going to proudly present those findings to the world and confidently proclaim …. "Sex on an adjustable bed is better than sex on a regular flat bed!" I would receive the Kinsey award for sexual research! I could see the sale of adjustable beds and matching satin sheets and pillows skyrocket! Alas, poor moi, it was not to be.

There might be some secret association of adjustable bed owners that have sworn a blood oath to never dislose the true bliss achieved by having sex on an electric adjustable bed. It is the ultimate conspiracy, propagated by elitists to deny access of information to the rest of us. Obviously Google and Yahoo play a huge role in this cover-up. I would not be surprised if I was blacklisted by all major search engines for unverting these disturbing finding.

Sorry, I got transported away a little … well, actually quite a lot. In reality, I suppose, good sex is just plain good sex, regardless of where it is being performed. An adjustable bed may add a certain variety, position-wise, and I am sure that it can help some people with certain physical conditions feel more comfortable during sex, but, alas, it is still just a bed, not a sex toy .. .less of course, you want to make it one. Good luck.

Source by Emmanuel DeFreitas

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/sex-on-an-adjustable-bed/

Weight Loss Diets – Based On Your Metabolic Type Work

If you're wondering where that double chin came from, the high fructose corn syrup used in some of your favorite processed foods may be partially to blame. This ingredient has been getting a lot of press lately because it is believed to be a major player in the rising obesity epidemic.

Sugar contains nothing but empty calories. When you eat this stuff, a large portion of it gets stored in the body as fat. If your goal is to slim down, being heavy-handed with the sugar is not going to help. This is not even the worst of it. Sugar can also depress the immune system, feed cancer cells, contribute to heart disease, raise your risk of osteoporosis and make you look decrepit.

Give Artificial Sweeteners the Boot

Foods that should be staples in your healthy meal plans include fresh fish, naturally raised meats, organic poultry, organic whole eggs, raw nuts, fresh herbs, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Natural foods are better for you because they are low in calories and filled with plenty of nutrients your body can use.

Also, natural foods are not loaded with a laundry list of additives that contribute to weight gain, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and other health problems.

Experiment with Recipes, Flavors and Cooking Methods

Unlike processed junk, healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, legumes, beans typically raised meats, organic poultry, raw nuts, seeds and organic eggs are naturally low in calories. When you eat reasonable portions of these foods, you automatically reduce your caloric intake and lose weight without feeling hungry, deprived or bitter.

There is so much nonsense in processed foods. When you eat them, your body does not have a clue what to do with the calories; So they just get stored as fat. When you eat nutritious foods instead of processed junk, your body actually benefits from the calories so they are less likely to get stored as blubber.

Proper Nutrition Helps Fuel Your Body

All nutritious (and I mean truly nutritious) eating plans will allow plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits and beans in the diet. These foods provide the healthy carbohydrates you need to fuel your body and keep your metabolism functioning properly.

If you come across a diet that tells you not to eat healthy carbohydrates, run away from it as fast as you can. Your body absolutely has to have healthy carbohydrates (healthy being the operative word) to survive.

Eating Healthy to Burn Fat …

Here's some great news. Healthy diets that include protein can help you build lean muscle tissue, which can kick your metabolism into high gear. This is definitely a plus if you want to send that double chin packing.

When you eat protein rich foods, your body releases a hormone that helps you burn fat. Protein also helps make meals more satiating so you eat less (bringing on the protein, baby). Some nutritious protein sources include naturally raised lean meats, organic poultry, beans, raw nuts and whole organic eggs.

Why put yourself through the drama of dieting just to be disappointed with the end results? Healthy eating is a much better option for dropping unwanted pounds. Remember though, nutritious eating is just one part of the weight loss puzzle. If you want to keep those results coming, get plenty of exercise and drink lots of water.

Natural foods include fresh produce, whole eggs, free-range poultry and lean meats. These foods are not processed and they do not contain trans-fats, preservatives or any of the other chemical additives that make them dangerous for human consumption.

Use Organic Fruits, Veggies and Meats Whenever Possible

Are calories good or bad? The less food you eat, the more weight you'll lose, right?

Sorry, but it just does not work this way.

If your idea of ​​the perfect diet plan for weight loss is popping crackers and diuretics, you're headed for disaster. Besides being downright miserable, a starvation diet can thwart your weight loss efforts and do some serious damage to your health.

If you really want "The TRUTH" when it comes to losing fat … no fads, no pills, no starvation … see my bio below for more information on these subjects.

Here are some of the great topics I recommend concerning your diet:

* How to determine the exact types of foods that are most suitable for your specific body and metabolism type. After all, we are all different, so 1 specific diet is NEVER right for everyone.

* The dangers of eating certain types of soy products … which types are OK in moderation, and which types should not be eat at all, unless you WANT more belly fat!

* What you need to know about dairy before ever buying another dairy product again

* Why "whole grains" are not always as healthy as the label claims, but there is an "other type" of grain that is a contender for the superfood lists

* Is organic food worth the price?

* The honest truth about carbohydrates and how much you really need

* The major misconceptions about diet fat that you need to know about

* Ideal protein-carb-fat ratios based on your specific metabolism and body type

* Everything you need to know about salt, sweeteners, alcohol, and more

In my opinion, this kind of info is a MUST-SEE for everyone that cares about their health and that of their loved ones, and wants to finally fully understand nutrition and how to get a lean body for life.

If you want much more information for a better and healthier life and a weight loss diet based on your "Metabolic Typing", see my bio below for access to more information in detail.

Source by Don O Emmons

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/weight-loss-diets-based-on-your-metabolic-type-work/

What is a Normal Sex Life?

The statistics I am using are from the October 2008 SEX UNCOVERED survey conducted by The Observer newspaper. This survey is not the truth of sexual activity in Britain but it is a useful way in to talk about common questions that I get asked.

SEXUAL EXPERIENCE – how many sexual partners have you had?

The average person has had 9 sexual partners, although averages are pretty meaningless figures in themselves. More interesting is the fact that only 20% of the population have had more than 10 sexual partners. People often tell me that their lack of experience makes them feel sexually unadventurous and this impinges upon their confidence. There seems to be an assumption that the more partners you have, the better lover you are or the more ‘sexual’ you are as a person. Neither of these is true and most people imagine that other people have way more partners than they actually do. Quality counts, not quantity. I don’t think it is difficult to build up a pretty large number of partners. Much more tricky to actually focus on having a mutually enjoyable sexual encounter.

SEXUAL CONFIDENCE – how would you rate your sexual performance?

One of the things that undermines people’s belief in the inheherent ‘rightness’ of their own sexuality is assuming that other people are more skilled and better lovers than we are . 24% rate their sexual performance as very good . This means that three-quarters of us think that we are, at best good and at worst, very poor in bed. Many people are anxious about sex, forgetting that the identity of our partner impacts upon sexual performance. Performance is really all about confidence and having a partner who supports your belief in your desirability makes you a good lover with that person. Sex shouldn’t be a performance. If it is, your beliefs about sex could benefit from some self-reflection and examination. Focusing on your own performance makes you want to please your partner in order to uphold your own self-esteem rather than wanting to give pleasure for the sake of it.

SEXUAL SATISFACTION – are you currently satisfied with your sex life?

76% said yes, 24% said no. A quarter of people cannot find a way to create the kind of sexual connections and experiences that they would like to be having. This result is unusual as typically most surveys report over 50% dissatisfaction rates. Those aged 65 and over were more satisfied than those aged 16-24. People in long-term relationships/marriage are more satisfied than single people, although single people report having sex more often. Again, frequency is no guarantee of good sex. Nor is youth and beauty. Of course, we don’t know what satisfied means to the people who answered the questions. No sex can be satisfactory for some people. In fact , 36% of 16-24 year olds believe that it is possible to have a happy relationship/marriage without sex.

SEXUAL FREQUENCY – how often do you have sex?

I think this is THE most common worry that people have. Am I having sex often enough? Is my level of desire normal? 25% do not have any sex in an average month . Not everybody is having a lot of sex and it is likely that many of those are perfectly happy with their situation. Another 25% have sex between 6-10 times a month. Most people do not, except maybe at the beginning of a relationship, have vast amounts of sex all the time. A lot of people believe that everyone has more sex than they do. And they worry about this. Frequency needs to be looked at in relation to satisfaction before people start getting concerned about how much or how little they have sex. If you’re happy and your partner is satisfied, then you’re lucky – regardless of how little or often you are actually having sex.

SEXUAL DESIRE – how do you rate your sex drive?

Levels of desire is another area that people get hung up about. People worry, should I want to have sex more than I actually do? In the survey 32% rate their sex drive as average , 24% describe their libido as low or very low. Most people do not see themselves as possessing a high sex drive. Only 1 in 5 rate their sex drive as very high. Desire ebbs and flows and this is normal and to be expected.

Sexual honesty and deep conversation about sex with a range of people is not something that many of us are lucky enough to experience. We rely on our assumptions, insecurities and fears to ‘imagine’ that other people’s sexual experiences are more frequent, enjoyable and adventurous than our own. Whilst surveys give us averages and the ordinary, they can also reveal that sexuality is diverse and normality is difficult – and rather pointless – to define.

WHO WANTS TO BE NORMAL?

What makes us so afraid to stand up and stand out when it comes to our sexuality? Most people play safe and so do not enable their sexual potential to be explored and attained. The crucial question to ask yourself is:

If I am NOT sexually normal, what does it mean?

Each of us will have our own reasons as to what it means if we feel that our sexual desires, tastes and experiences are not the same as most other people’s. We are free to choose what our sexuality means and not to be dictated to by cultural standards of acceptability. One size does not fit all when it comes to the magnificent variety of preferences, needs, desires, beliefs and opinions that we hold.

It doesn’t mean that we all worry that we are too sexually outrageous. Some may feel that if they don’t want sex ‘enough’ then they are just not very sexual people, which can soon become a belief that one is not desirable and so does not deserve anything else. We forget that sexuality changes over years and from day to day and so defining ones sexuality is not a fixed and final process.

As well as reassuring people that ‘normal’ sexuality is impossible to define, I also discuss the what it means to them to be normal. Why do they seem to want their sexuality to be sanctioned by its apparent ordinariness? This gets to the root of fears about sex and what sex represents. Addressing such concerns contributes to a big increase in people’s confidence, authenticity and self-acceptance.

Source by Tara Few

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/what-is-a-normal-sex-life-5/

Primer on Payday Loans and Other Unsecured Personal Loans

At present, the interest on an unsecured personal loan is currently over 15% per year, says BankRate.com, assuming you can get this type of loan at all in today's credit-starved environment. And that's about your best such rate. Attempt to borrow against a credit card, for example, and it could have a good deal more. It's obvious that personal loans can get very expensive nowdays.

In many situations, though, a personal loan can be just about unavoidable for many of us. What if the car will not start and you need an expensive engine repair to get it up and running again? Or your daughter needs braces? Or the washing machine breaks down?

Situations like these force many Americans to resort to personal loans, including high-cost payday loans. These loans now make up over 22% of the total non-mortgage install loans at US banks, up from only 11% in 1998.

However before you sign up for your next personal loan, consider the following alternative possibilities –

– Consider a home equity loan. If you own a house with equity in it, you can probably borrow against the equity at a fairly low interest rate and at the same time get a tax deduction. Check out LendingTree.com for a list of lenders.

– Selling stocks, Treasury bonds, etc., can be a fast way to drum up some hard cash – just be sure you understand you'll have to pay taxes on any gains or interest.

– What about borrowing against your cash value life insurance policy.? This is a low-interest alternative if you have this type of policy, and it's the most common type.

– Try borrowing against your retirement account. Ask your employer's benefits department if this option is available. If so, it's another low-interest alternative.

– Family or friends. Maybe your dad can fork over some cash. Just make sure you pay him back.

– Ask your creditors – particularly local merchants who may be more flexible – if they might be willing to extend your payments a month. If they are, make sure you're not getting charged extra for the privilege of paying your bill late – or if you do get charged, find out how much.

– How about asking your employer for a pay advance – assuming of course you have an understanding employer.

Good vs Bad Debt

You need to recognize a simple fact of personal finance: Never borrow money for consumption. That's bad debt. Only borrow for investments that will increase in value (and increase by more than the cost of the loan). Borrowing money just in order to spend it is a terrible idea, a royal road to bankruptcy or other financial land mines. As Eric Tyson says in his book, PERSONAL FINANCE:

If you spend, say $ 2,500 [which you've borrowed] on a European vacation, the money is gone. Poof! You may have good memories and even some Kodak moments, but you'll have no financial value to show for it … I'm not saying that you can not take a vacation. Definitely, take one, two, three, or as many as you can afford annually. But that's the point – what you can afford. If you need to borrow money … [then you can not afford the vacation] …

And strictly the same advice applies to almost any consumer purchase: home computers, expensive meals, clothes ,, yes, even a new car – anything that decreases in value and eventually becomes financially worthless. If you have to borrow to buy it, you probably can not afford it. According to Tyson "The finitely correct amount of bad debt [you should have] is zero."

But this does not apply to things that "retain and hopefully increase in value over the long term, such as an real estate, education or your own business." For these uses, debt is acceptable, up to a limit – the limit being the point at which making payments causes you to be no longer able to save adequately to accomplish your financial goals.

All that is excellent advice, but the fact is that, at times, you simply may not be able to avoid adding to your debt load – an emergency or other urgent situation forces you to seek a personal loan. In those kinds of situations, what are your best options?

Personal Loan Essentials

Here are a few basics to keep in mind whenever shopping for an unsecured personal loan:

First, never borrow more than you need. Given the high interest rates in today's credit environment, you'll want to keep the amount to an absolute minimum.

Second, compare terms from several lenders. Never look at just the monthly payments – consider the total cost of the loan, including any hidden charges like credit insurance or other fees. Do not skip the small print on the loan agreement. Do not assume what you're being told by a loan officer is binding. It's what's in writing in the contract that counts.

Third, begin by trying your credit union before a bank. Credit unions usually have more favorable terms than banks and are often willing to make small unsecured personal loans to their members.

Fourth, do not pledge valuable personal assets when you take out a small loan – it's almost never worth the risk. And avoid using credit cards or payday loans if at all possible – the interest rates, especially on the latter, can be prohibitive.

Fifth, be aware that the interest you pay on unsecured personal loans is not tax deductible.

Understanding Subprime Loans

If you find yourself in the subprime lending category, things get even more complicated. As you know, subprime lending has tightened up greatly over the past months (and is now almost nonexistent in the mortgage market). However, if you are employed, you can still find cash in an emergency – you just have to be prepared to pay a steep interest rate for it.

But what exactly does the term "subprime" mean? The definition varies by lender, but in general subprime means a FICO score of 650 or below. Among the other criteria commonly used are: a bankruptcy within the past five years, a foreclosure within the past 24 months, or a debt-to-income ratio of 50% or higher. Some ultra-conservative lenders will even brand you as subprime if you've been late on one or one or two credit card payments over the past 12 months.

There are some important factors to bear in mind if you're considered subprime and yet need to take out an emergency personal loan. One is to recognize that you will not be viewed the same by all lenders – so you do not have to jump at the first offer you receive. Shop around. As said, be sure to try your credit union first – and also one or more banks that have departments providing subprime lending. Try using one of the online services that allow you to apply at several lenders simultaneously, like Lending Tree

Here are a few important points for subprime borrowers to bear in mind:

Never risk valuable assets in order to make a small loan.

Avoid personal loans which involve "fancy" terms such as balloon payments. Avoid adjustable rate loans (these have proven disastrous for thousands of subprime mortgage borrowers and can be almost as disastrous for personal loan borrowers).

Always read the fine print. Be sure you understand the terms of the loan clearly. You will be held to what is in the contract, no matter how much eye-strain it takes to read it.

Do not allow several lenders to access your credit report at the same time. Several inquiries on your credit report within a short period can further lower your credit score.

Source by Joseph L Ryan

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/primer-on-payday-loans-and-other-unsecured-personal-loans/

DOJ’s Asset Forfeiture Decision Illustrates Bitcoin’s Usefulness

Asset forfeiture is a controversial policy that allows local and state police departments to seize money and property from those suspected of committing a crime, even in cases where the alleged criminals are not convicted of wrongdoing. While many activists have been pushing for reform in the area of asset forfeiture for years, the US Department of Justice revived a federal program that allows law enforcement to engage in the practice of asset forfeiture in local and state jurisdictions where it has been outlawed.

Back in 2015, the Department of Justice limited the situations where local police can use a federal version of asset forfeiture to seize someone’s property without evidence of a crime under Attorney General Eric Holder.

Putting the politics of asset forfeiture aside, this is the sort of situation where bitcoin shines. When used properly, bitcoin is a digital bearer asset that cannot be moved or seized by anyone without the private key attached to a specific bitcoin address.

If law enforcement doesn’t know about an asset, they cannot seize it. And there may not be an asset easier to hide large amounts of value in than bitcoin. With the recent announcement from the DOJ, more criminals (and those who are generally more paranoid) may take a closer look at the cryptocurrency.

Hiding Money with Bitcoin

While many different use cases for bitcoin have been touted by venture capitalists in Silicon Valley over the years, the main value proposition of this digital asset continues to be censorship-resistant transactions and value storage. As long as you’re the only one with access to your private keys, no one else can tell you what to do with your money.

There are many different ways to store those private keys, and some choose to do so by simply memorizing a passphrase in their head, which is known as a brain wallet.

Whether a brain wallet or some other form of discrete key storage is used, it’s clear that there may be some advantages to storing value earned by illicit means in a digital form with no trust third party.

In fact, bitcoin is recommended as the best store of value for drug dealers on NeverGetBusted.com, which is a website set up by a former narcotics police officer in Texas who had a change of heart and now seeks to help those facing drug-related charges. Barry Cooper, who is the former cop behind the site, was part of a Vice documentary on the topic of asset forfeiture in the United States.

Cooper is somewhat notorious on the Internet for his videos showing drug dealers how to avoid police detection.

A Swiss Bank Account in Your Pocket

During an appearance at South by Southwest in early 2016, then US President Barack Obama talked about how everyone would be “walking around with a Swiss bank account in their pocket” if governments were not allowed to access the data stored on smartphones. This turned out to be the perfect slogan for bitcoin and was quickly adopted by cryptocurrency enthusiasts.

Not only does bitcoin allow criminals to digitize value and store it with limited counterparty risk, but it also potentially achieves this goal with the simplicity of a smartphone app.

In terms of the potential privacy risks of mobile bitcoin wallets, the developers behind Samourai Wallet are doing everything they can to make the “Swiss bank account in your pocket” meme a reality.

Irony of Specifically Targeting Drug Dealers

As a side note to the recent decision from the DOJ, it should be pointed out that US Attorney General Jeff Sessions specifically mentioned drug dealers as an example of the type of criminal he would like to see targeted with asset forfeiture. These are the same drug dealers that are already using bitcoin and the darknet markets to move an estimated $300 million worth of contraband per year.

Drug dealers are already adopting bitcoin. Many in the mainstream are still turned off by bitcoin’s price volatility, but for some parts of society, it’s already a useful form of value storage.

While the DOJ also recently announced the seizures of two of the biggest darknet markets in existence, law enforcement officials discussed their understanding that many more such markets are likely to appear in the future.

Source link

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/dojs-asset-forfeiture-decision-illustrates-bitcoins-usefulness/

How Safe is Your Child’s School Environment?

We send our children to school hoping that they will be safe. But an alarming statistic is being noted that more violence, aggression, and sexual assaults are occurring on the school ground. A new game is also making its way into high schools, middle schools, and elementary schools that you should be aware of. It involves the use of a video camera phone, or video camera, the random selection of innocent victim and a bully making a video name for him or herself by smacking, beating, punching, harassing, or sexually bullying an innocent victim while the game is being filmed. Later that video makes its way around the social networking sites, or by instant message to the chagrin and harm of the victim and to the intense amusement of the student body. Not to mention the intense physical and emotional harm it can cause to the hapless child.

Schools are overcrowded and more and more schools are joining different levels of children from elementary, middle schools and sometimes high schools in the same complex. The age difference of children, from much older children to much younger sets up an environment that puts the younger children at risk.

If you read the newspaper, or watch TV, the news media are filled with incidents of older children bullying, harassing, attacking, and sexually molesting younger children. There has been too many of these incidents lately including a few cases of sexually active boys assaulting a mentally incapacitated female because they can. They were not expelled from school but only received a suspension. No criminal charges were filed.

The younger children are often unaccompanied to the bathroom and other out to the way areas, and they can become easy targets of the harassment of older boys. I was watching Montel Williams and a mother of a seven year old boy, described her son being jumped in the bathroom by four older boys under the age of twelve, who raped her son, and tried to force a stick up his rectum. She didn’t know of the assault for 30 days, even though she noticed something drastically wrong with her son’s behavior she couldn’t get him to communicate what was wrong because he was shut down. She also learned that another seven year old boy with her son in the bathroom ran for help and found a school monitor and asked for help for his friend. The school monitor told the boy that it was just bullies and to leave them alone. No help was given to the boy alone on the floor in the bathroom. After finding out, she confronted the school board, about the attack and then she went back numerous times to get the school and school board to take action against the boys. How frustrating for her to know that the other boys were not even expelled from school. Since that day, in a follow up show that aired the school still did not expel the students who have also attacked and harassed several other boys to date.

Another dangerous trend is that more and more school age children are bringing all sorts of weapons to school. Here are some of weapons that children brought to school, that I remember recently from the news: They include steak knives, box cutter, duct tape, real hand cuffs, handguns and rifles. Of course many dire consequences are possible including a discharge of a loaded gun, or one child using a weapon brought from home against other children or teachers.

I’m informing you of this new trend because only with awareness can you make changes to our present school system. Unfortunately school and boards do not make any changes to policy until too many incidents of violence have been registered. More than likely schools tend to deny that serious in nature incidents are occurring on school grounds. They will push things underground until more and more parents take actions to change the rules that govern schools.

My suggestions to parents would be to take a look at the board policy of children bringing weapons to school, or harassing or bullying other children, or acting in a violent or sexual aggressive fashion to other classmates.

Inquire what is the result of that action? If you don’t like what you are being told, speak up, vote to change the board rules, also listen to your child’s complaints of others being rough with him or her at school, ride with him or her on any school bus or transportation he or she is riding on to see how the atmosphere is, how the monitor reacts or what is going on? Is it possible for any cameras to be mounted to view what is going on the bus? These are all things to consider in an effort to keep your children safe. They trust us and their teachers to keep them safe? Are school staffers doing what is needed to do that? Are we?

Have a discussion with your children when they get older that they are not allowed to bring any weapons of any kind to schools and these household items are not for fun. Also make them aware how you feel about other children bringing those items to school.

Instruct your children to tell their teacher and you about it if they see another child with something sharp from home, or anything that is not allowed and doesn’t belong in school.

One more thing to take notice of and that is how do you children get to school? Do you know where your children are walking? Or who they may be encountering on that walk? Children tend to take short cuts to school if they may walk. You don’t know how many children I see taking short cuts on bridge over passes, desolate underpasses, across the playground, or empty fields, and on bikes, or on roller blades near major highway. I know we don’t have a lot of time with children in the morning but ask them how they walk to school? Become aware of any short cuts they are taking. Take a walk around your neighborhood, and educate children how desolate and remote these areas are and that you prefer that they don’t take short cuts through remote areas.

Lastly, don’t brush off your child’s words. Listen to his or her concerns, talk to a teacher if you think someone is bullying your child. Look out for older children or adults that may be intimidating him or her. You have to let your child know that you are really there and that you will protect him or her and listen to her, and if something does occur, take immediate action to change the situation so that your child will once again be safe. That action could include counseling for him or her, a request to change of class or school, and request for harsher action against school bullies.

Source by Katheryn Hoban

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/how-safe-is-your-childs-school-environment/

I Strained My Neck Shoveling!

Yep, you read that correct. Not a lower back injury but a neck injury. The mechanism is the same but I wanted to address neck pain in this article. The fact of the matter is: you can strain any muscle or joint doing just about any activity.

In this example a patient of ours was shoveling snow and he turned his head while lifting the shovel to toss some snow off to the side. He mentioned he was careful with his back – bending his knees, using his thigh as a fulcrum, not picking up too heavy of a load, etc. But when he turned his head to the right he immediately felt his muscles on the right side of his neck, from the back and side of the head to the upper back, seize up. He said it felt like a major spasm or cramp.

We’ve seen this many times before, this same thing can happen in the lower back, or leg as well. People sometimes may describe it as a “Charlie horse” sensation. So why can this happen doing an activity you wouldn’t think would cause it?

The answer is this: Sometimes a muscle or a joint is on the verge of getting irritated. Let’s say for example the night before the snow storm you were on the computer for hours; your neck was tight after but it seemed to go away. Then you went to bed and got up early to shovel. Half asleep, while everyone was still in bed, you put your jacket and hat and gloves on, braved the cold, and started shoveling.

From the above example you can see how the shoveler’s neck was probably still irritated from the night before (it may have gotten worse while sleeping too), then without getting the muscles warmed up a bit (taking a shower, or stretching a bit would have made a huge difference), or even drinking some water (this helps hydrate the body obviously, in this case muscles and joints, helping to prevent injury). In this case the individual probably shocks the body a bit, going out in the cold and starts to do a good amount of physical activity.

Now I’m not saying doing this nor something similar will cause a neck or back injury, and I know that most of us have been guilty of it in the past. However if one makes a habit of doing these kinds of things often you can and will eventually hurt yourself. I’m going to give you some tips you can use to heal the neck once you do strain it, but keep in mind the real goal is to prevent it from happening. Believe me, I’ve seen people that have strained it so bad or have strained and restrained over and over, that their neck is to the point where it doesn’t heal so easy or fast. So as you can probably guess my first step to healing a strained neck is to prevent it in the first place.

Healing a neck sprain/strain:

1. Try to avoid and prevent it from happening. This especially goes for those of us who have injured their neck before and have an idea of what causes it.

2. Improve or correct spinal alignment. To do this, see a chiropractor, osteopath, or someone that does this professionally. A massage often helps because a good massage can help relax the muscles and ligaments, allowing the spine to shift back in place.

3. Use natural therapies first. Heat and Ice are easy to do, don’t cost a thing, and you can use them anytime. It’s actually rare that a prescription muscle relaxer is needed.

4. Start doing gentle neck stretches once you start feeling better. This will help elongate the muscles, breaking up muscle adhesions and preventing future strains. The most commonly needed stretch is the lateral head tilt. Slowly bring one ear toward your shoulder until a stretch is felt; hold for 10-20 seconds, relax and repeat.

5. Home muscle massage. Use you finger tips to find those tight spots to massage out. You’ll find it’s often a “good hurt” type sensation. Once you get a massage or spinal alignment you’ll have a better idea of what it feels like.

6. Use a cervical pillow for sleeping. This also helps relax the muscles by helping to align the spine. It can and should be used a one of your neck pain prevention methods also.

There you have it! Next time you strain your neck or feel a neck spasm about to start, use the tips above. My best recommendation is to use the above list above for prevention or neck spine maintenance if you will. We’ve all heard it before but I’ll say it again: An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth A Pound of Cure!

Source by Matthew Bellinger

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/i-strained-my-neck-shoveling-3/

SEC declares DAO Tokens are securities subject to federal regulation

In a move that brings cryptocurrencies one step closer to official regulation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has declared DAO Tokens to be securities, and thus subject to federal securities laws. The SEC has also stated that issuers of ICOs must register and provide necessary disclosures. This declaration is in response to an investigation into last year’s sale of DAO Tokens, which raised $150 million in Ether from 11,000 investors.

The SEC has concluded that, as an unregistered sale of securities, the DAO Token sale violated federal law. However, no legal action will be taken. Rather, this ruling is designed to establish guidelines for for future initial coin offerings. SEC Chairman Jay Clayton stressed the importance of protecting consumers, stating:

“Investors need the essential facts behind any investment opportunity so they can make fully informed decisions, and today’s Report confirms that sponsors of offerings conducted through the use of distributed ledger or blockchain technology must comply with securities laws.”

As cryptocurrencies become more integrated into mainstream financial markets, pressure has been mounting on the SEC to regulate them. This current action is welcomed by traditional financial institutions seeking to add cryptos to their business models. Cryptocurrency hedge funds, ETFs, and other investment vehicles have emerged this year, and many more are likely to follow. In fact, the SEC began the DAO token investigation in response to a petition filed by a New York-based financial broker, Ouisa Capital.

Despite this ruling, the legal and regulatory status of cryptocurrencies is still far from resolved. Many cryptos, such as Ethereum, have uses that are not financial in nature, and thus should fall outside the purview of financial regulators. Likewise, most cryptocurrencies are decentralized by design, and using them cannot be prevented or managed by a single state entity. Even the SEC acknowledges that not all ICOs fit its definition of a security, and that each would depend on “facts and circumstances, including the economic realities of the transaction.”

This move by the SEC comes as other nations are taking similar steps to legally define cryptos. Japan now recognizes Bitcoin as a source of payment. China, India, and Russia are all moving very quickly toward defining and regulating blockchain technology, and the European Parliament is debating a number of new regulations. It can be assumed that, as adoption of cryptocurrencies continues unabated, international agreements regarding cryptos will soon be adopted.

This SEC ruling will no doubt have an impact on the value, and success, of future ICOs. It will also affect which cryptocurrencies are embraced by the public. Although SEC compliance is by no means a requirement for an ICO, without it, investors will likely be hard to find, as it could prompt legal action against any American parties involved. Also, not all cryptocurrency advocates are pleased with this current move, as many consider independence from government oversight to be a core element of the cryptocurrency movement.

The SEC has also declared that exchanges that trade ICO tokens are subject to oversight, as are all other participants involved in the sale. Such a broad definition will certainly require clarification. It is likely that the SEC will soon issue further guidelines to help navigate the rapidly developing ICO market. 

Source link

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/sec-declares-dao-tokens-are-securities-subject-to-federal-regulation/

Food Safety FAQ Tips and Tricks for a Safe, Clean Kitchen

Food Safety – FAQ Tips and Tricks

Food Safety is very important and knowing about it can help keep you and your family healthy. Here are some answers, tips, and tricks, to frequently asked questions that you may have about food safety.

"What is the safe holding temperature for foods that are already cooked?"

If you have any potentially hazardous foods which are not served immediately after you are done cooking them, then they must be either cooled down to a temperature of less than 40 degrees, or held at 140 degrees or higher.

Food safety is all about keeping the foods you cook at the right temperatures, and not in the danger zone.

"What Happens if I do not hold the food at temperatures under 40 degrees or above 140 degrees?"

Foods that are held at a temperature that's either under 40 or over 140, it is in what is called the Danger Zone.

This is not a good thing because if the food does not get take care of in less than 2 hours, you run the risk of causing a food borne illness outbreak.

The amount of time spent in the danger zone does not reset if you decide to take it out again and return it to the danger zone.

This is because when it is in the danger zone it is growing bacteria and refrigerating your food does not kill them, it just slows them down.

"What are foods that are considered to be potentially hazardous?"

This would include high protein food items such as poultry, milk, milk products, gravy, fish, shellfish, etc. These will all gladly support the growth of harmful bacteria causing a food borne illness.

"What is the difference between a food borne toxox and a food borne infection?"

Certain bacteria under certain conditions produce chemicals and toxins in food which when ingested by a person, will cause a food intoxication.

A food borne infection is caused by the ingestion of food containing a bacteria, virus, or parasite that must multiply within the gastrointestinal tract before causing symptoms and problems.

This is why food safety is so important!

"What causes a food borne illness?"

Most of the time, the majority of food borne illnesses can be traced back to one or more of the following:

Food that has been cooked too far in advance to serving.
Food had poor refrigeration.
Food was not held at the correct temperature.
There was a lack of adherence to personal hygiene standards.
The person responsible was careless in the preparation of the product and the application of what was recommended to them.

"What is the best way to thaw frozen foods?"

If you have frozen food you are trying to thaw do not use methods such as exposure to excess heat, hot air, or hot water. Instead, thaw the frozen foods in the refrigerator.

This will take a little more time, but you will have a much better final product. For perfect thawing, 36-38 degrees is perfect.

You can even use their original wrappers and packaging to enhance uniform thawing and also reduce moisture loss.

"Is there a problem with pastries?"

Yes, cream puffs, custard filled pies and cakes, eclairs, and all products similar to those must be prepared and cooked under sanitary conditions, covered, cooled quickly, and refrigerated until they are served. They also must remain under refrigeration when serving.

"How should ice be handled when used as part of the meal being served?"

Ice that is intended to be served for human consumption in food or drinks must be made from potable drinking water only.

Ice should definitely be handled carefully like anything else and should be protected from contamination.

"Why are pastries so important to keep refrigerated?"

Pastries filled with dairy products and / or eggs, are highly perishable and provide ideal culture platform for pathogenic organisms to grow on. Only the quantity of food that will be consumed for the day should be prepared.

"What is the best method of freezing cooking foods for serving at a later date?"

Before you start freezing food that you've cooked, it's important to cool it down quickly and as fast as you can so bacteria do not grow.

Food Safety

A great way to do this is to place the containers of warm food into an ice bath, or another container filled with ice cubes and water. Wedge the containers into the ice and keep stirring the food occasionally.

Stirring ensures that the center of the food cools as well. As the mixture cools, a great way to find out the temperature is to use a thermometer.

This is the best way you know exactly when it gets to the right temperature to be wrapped labeled and placed in a freezer.

Source by Robert Montgomery

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/food-safety-faq-tips-and-tricks-for-a-safe-clean-kitchen/

July 2017 Summary – allcoinsnews.com

Here are the bitcoin, ethereum, and altcoin reports that made market news in the last 31 days.

Tap or click title to read report:

Bitcoin

2017-07-30 17:25:36

The United States Department of Justice in disrepute for its shady Democratic Party affiliations, politically motivated policies, uneven handed justice, as well as other USA federal bodies – including those with legally incarcerated federal staff and who have stolen bitcoins – have apparently seized the domain name btc-e.com. This was the homepage of btc-e.com on July 29 2017:

2017-07-30 16:07:02

Bitcoin’s price is strong as a new alt looms. Bitcoin is down -4.38% on the day, down -6.39% on the week and up 7.71% on the month on a last price of $2662.80. $BTC/USD is trading between a 24hr high of $2734.90 and a 24hr low of $2582.90 on a 24hr volume of 18,437k. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-27 19:56:06

One of the long running major bitcoin exchanges – BTC-e.com – went offline on July 25 2017. On that date a tweet posted to the BTC-e twitter account @btcecom indicated “Unplanned maintenance in data center, possible problems with access to btc-e #btce
4:26 AM – Jul 25, 2017”.

2017-07-20 17:00:00

The approaching lock in of the BIP91 protocol ignites the bitcoin market. Bitcoin is up 14.90% on the day, up 15.40% on the week and up 4.67% on the month on a last price of $2654.19. $BTC/USDT is trading between a 24hr high of $2672.00 and a 24hr low of $2210.00 on a 24hr volume of 30,411 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-15 18:29:37

Bitcoin price sinks as potential fork nears. Bitcoin is down -11.31% on the day, down -9.58% on the week and down -13.65% on the month on a last price of $2066.60. $BTC/USD is trading between a 24hr high of $2210.10 and a 24hr low of $1975.70 on a 24hr volume of 28.536k. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-03 19:06:59

$XBC gains from $BTC market jitters. Bitcoin Plus is up 40.62% on the day, down -27.42% on the week and up 103.69% on the month on a last price of 0.06314441 or about $160.99. $XBC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.06965000 and a 24hr low of 0.04075947 on a 24hr volume of 1674 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

Ethereum

2017-07-29 18:18:24

Ether is trending lower. The monthly trend since mid June is down. Ethereum is down -13.71% on the day, down -15.25% on the week and down -43.34% on the month on a last price of 0.06782695 or about $183.74. $ETH/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.07119365 and a 24hr low of 0.06620000 on a 24hr volume of 14,275 BTC. The weekly trend is down.

2017-07-15 21:06:07

Ether is deflating and nears a monthly low. Ethereum is down -0.38% on the day, down -9.23% on the week and down -38.77% on the month on a last price of 0.08680597 or about $180.09. $ETH/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.09146884 and a 24hr low of 0.08648282 on a 24hr volume of 25,935 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-12 17:25:44

$ETC is up a whopping 32% on the day and climbing. Ethereum Classic is up on the day, up 20.30% on the week and up 10.22% on the month on a last price of 0.00809000 or about $19.22. $ETC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00808545 and a 24hr low of 0.00579548 on a 24hr volume of 9004 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

Cryptocurrency

2017-07-29 17:12:41

$HUC is today’s top mover on Poloniex but on low volume. HunterCoin is up 21.89% on the day, down -11.21% on the week and down -55.92% on the month on a last price of 0.00003747 or about ten cents. $HUC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00005179 and a 24hr low of 0.00002902 on a 24hr volume of 237 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-28 01:09:25

$XEM leads Poloniex daily movers being up over 7% in the last twenty-four hours. NEM is up 7.67% on the day, up 16.68% on the week and up 6.13% on the month on a last price of 0.00006668 or about $0.17036578. $XEM/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00006670 and a 24hr low of 0.00006123 on a 24hr volume of 864 BTC. The weekly trend is up.

2017-07-25 18:23:23

$SC volume is up and price is down. SiaCoin is down -14.61% on the day, up 1.50% on the week and down -48.32% on the month on a last price of 0.00000339 or about eight tenths of one cent. $SC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00000417 and a 24hr low of 0.00000323 on a 24hr volume of 4,917 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-24 18:42:21

$DGB price has risen sharply amid a massive volume of over ten thousand bitcoin. DigiByte is up 9.78% on the day, up 65.35% on the week and down -25.02% on the month on a last price of 0.00000797 or about two cents. $DGB/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00000839 and a 24hr low of 0.00000633 on a 24hr volume of 10,816 BTC. The weekly trend is up.

2017-07-22 18:24:40

The bitcoin price recovery is pushing up the price of $SYS. SysCoin is up 28.30% on the day, up 58.99% on the week and down -38.70% on the month on a last price of 0.00005331 or about $00.15. $SYS/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00005478 and a 24hr low of 0.00004017 on a 24hr volume of 539 BTC. The weekly trend is up.

2017-07-21 16:30:47

Storjcoin X is the top BTC paired mover on Poloniex.com today. Storjcoin X is up 22.73% on the day, up 6.30% on the week and down -56.50% on the month on a last price of 0.00021400 or about $00.58. $SJCX/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00024751 and a 24hr low of 0.00017316 on a 24hr volume of 209 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-19 17:08:13

$LTC is down more than five percent in twenty-four hours. LiteCoin is down -5.51% on the day, down -9.77% on the week and up 6.54% on the month on a last price of 0.01802735 or about $41.87. $LTC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.01922673 and a 24hr low of 0.01709858 on a 24hr volume of 12,108 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-18 17:43:27

$STRAT is boosted over 24% higher by a climbing bitcoin. Stratis is up 24.74% on the day, up 53.34% on the week and down -38.06% on the month on a last price of 0.00193977 or about $4.56. $STRAT/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00209969 and a 24hr low of 0.00155574 on a 24hr volume of 4417 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-18 00:09:40

LiteCoin is up 15.69% since launch today on QuadrigaCX. LiteCoin launched on July 17 2017 with an opening price of $51.00 $LTC/CAD. The LiteCoin all time high (over less than 24 hours) is $90.00 with an all time low of $52.00. Today’s QuadrigaCX $LTC/CAD volume is approximately 3074 LTC and the last price is $59.00. In light volume trading the short term trend is mixed.

2017-07-17 23:09:32

$GAME is one of the top daily BTC paired movers with over 14% increase. GameCredits is up 14.94% on the day, down -9.75% on the week and down -49.68% on the month on a last price of 0.00072199 or about $1.56. $GAME/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00073542 and a 24hr low of 0.00061701 on a 24hr volume of 292 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-16 18:26:04

Santiment is up 5.93% on the day, down -22.18% since launch on Bitfinex. Santiment launched on July 12 2017 3 p.m. with an opening price of 0.00010100 $SAN/BTC or about nineteen cents. The Santiment all time high is 0.00030000 with an all time low of 0.00007011. Today’s volume is $435,530 and the last price is 0.00007860 BTC or about fifteen cents. In light volume trading the short term trend is down.

2017-07-13 16:50:57

Ripple remains on a downtrend despite up 5.54% on the day. Ripple is down -14.66% on the week and down -10.33% on the month on a last price of 0.00008232 or about $00.19. $XRP/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00009129 and a 24hr low of 0.00007730 on a 24hr volume of 9768 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-11 16:13:50

$NXC falls to a monthly low of 0.00004714 BTC or about eleven cents. Nexium is down -9.21% on the day, down -41.78% on the week and down -50.56% on the month on a last price of 0.00006083 or about $00.14. $NXC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00007163 and a 24hr low of 0.00004714 on a 24hr volume of 61 BTC. The weekly trend is down.

2017-07-10 18:48:16

Stratis drops over twenty percent on a falling bitcoin. Stratis is down -20.31% on the day, down -39.76% on the week and down -55.89% on the month on a last price of 0.00141139 or about $3.39. $STRAT/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00177500 and a 24hr low of 0.00129880 on a 24hr volume of 3558 BTC. The weekly trend is down.

2017-07-09 23:22:16

Waves is down -1.64% on the day, up 25.78% since launch on EXMO. Waves launched on Thursday June 22 2017 with an opening price of 0.00120000 WAVES/BTC. The Waves all time high is 0.00200000 with an all time low of 0.00120000. Today’s volume is 42,815 WAVES and the last price is 0.00150940. In light volume trading the short term trend is down.

2017-07-09 19:05:04

Demand has pushed the price of NXT up by over 6% plus in the last twenty-four hours. NXT is up on the day, down -19.46% on the week and up 33.84% on the month on a last price of 0.00004386 or about $00.11. $NXT/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00005200 and a 24hr low of 0.00004112 on a 24hr volume of 1254 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-08 22:41:58

Decred is one of the top daily movers up 15.42% in 24 hours. Decred is up 19.15% on the week and up 12.99% on the month on a last price of 0.01420762 or about $36.06. $DCR/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.01505050 and a 24hr low of 0.01187402 on a 24hr volume of 768 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-08 15:33:21

$NEOS is today’s highest percentage BTC paired day to day loser. NeosCoin has lost over 23% value overnight. NeosCoin is down -18.20% on the day, down -27.93% on the week and up 55.76% on the month on a last price of 0.00169000 or about $4.25. $NEOS/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00234500 and a 24hr low of 0.00140000 on a 24hr volume of 178 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-07 15:42:03

Vericoin is the only BTC based digital asset with a daily positive change on Poloniex. VeriCoin is up 11.28% on the day, down -39.85% on the week and up 41.43% on the month on a last price of 0.00017201 or about $00.43. $VRC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00017521 and a 24hr low of 0.00014889 on a 24hr volume of 98 BTC. The weekly trend is sideways.

2017-07-06 22:11:00

$SC plummets to a monthly low. Siacoin is down -1.81% on the day, down -17.29% on the week and down -16.30% on the month on a last price of 0.00000488 or about $0.01268698. $SC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00000504 and a 24hr low of 0.00000466 on a 24hr volume of 1622 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-05 19:51:21

Dash edges higher beginning in May through to July. DASH is up 7.64% on the day, up 5.60% on the week and up 34.61% on the month on a last price of 0.07626278 or about $197.54. $DASH/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.07800000 and a 24hr low of 0.06981398 on a 24hr volume of 3749 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

2017-07-04 20:09:57

LiteCoin is rallying. LiteCoin is up 10.67% on the day, up 27.36% on the week and up 84.56% on the month on a last price of 0.01992000 or about $51.44. $LTC/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.02054100 and a 24hr low of 0.01760000 on a 24hr volume of 30787 BTC. The weekly trend is up.

2017-07-03 20:35:19

EOS is up 8.06% since launch on Kraken. EOS launched on July 01 2017 with an opening price of 3.760 $EOS/EUR. The Kraken EOS all time high is EUR 4.550 with an all time low of EUR 3.300. Today’s volume is 4.6 million and the last price is EUR 4.063. In medium volume trading the short term trend is mixed.

2017-07-02 17:49:49

NautilusCoin has had three large spikes in two weeks. NautilusCoin is up 16.13% on the day, down -8.90% on the week and up 72.29% on the month on a last price of 0.00017858 or about $00.43. $NAUT/BTC is trading between a 24hr high of 0.00019482 and a 24hr low of 0.00013400 on a 24hr volume of 583 BTC. The weekly trend is mixed.

Tags

digital, asset, market, reports, coin, summary, Bitcoin, $BTC, Ethereum, $ETH, Ethereum Classic, $ETC, Bitcoin Plus, $XBC, HunterCoin, $HUC, NEM, $XEM, SiaCoin, $SC, DigiByte, $DGB, SysCoin, $SYS, Storjcoin X, $SJCX, LiteCoin, $LTC, Stratis, $STRAT, GameCredits, $GAME, Santiment, $SAN, Ripple, $XRP, Nexium, $NXC, Waves, $WAVES, NXT, $NXT, Decred, $DCR, NeosCoin, $NEOS, Vericoin, $VRC, Dash, $DASH, EOS, $EOS, NautilusCoin ($NAUT)

Thanks for reading!

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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/july-2017-summary-allcoinsnews-com/

LAToken Implements Blockchain to Sell Fractions of Any Assets – From Real Estate to Art Objects – The Merkle

Through the creation of digital tokens, any asset can be bought, sold, or traded in fractional shares on a secondary market, enabling asset owners to more effectively leverage the value of their previously illiquid holdings.

London, July 31, 2017 – LAToken (Liquid Asset Token, LAT) announces it will issue 1 000 000 000 LATokens at a Public Token Sale on August 22.

​LAToken is a platform that tokenizes assets and makes them tradable. It enables anyone to unlock the value of illiquid assets, including real estate, bank loans, and works of art. An investor needs LATokens to buy asset tokens created on the platform and pay fees for the creation of asset token and transactions.

The platform is based on an existing home equity marketplace, founded by the CEO of LAToken, that has facilitated 12,000 mortgage offers and more than 1,000 deals for 7 banks and 25 investors in the past year. Our advisory board is joined by Anish Mohammed, advisor to Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, David Drake, Chairman of LDJ Capital, and Ismail Malik, Executive Chairman of Blockchain Lab.

“My dream is to make NASDAQ on Blockchain with a wider range of tradable assets and a dramatic reduction of listing costs, settlement time, and transaction costs,” says Valentin Preobrazhenskiy, CEO of LAToken, former portfolio manager at Avega Capital, and creator of a back office for hedge funds.

The LAToken platform gives asset owners a new way to gain liquidity by making fractional asset ownership possible and tradable with minimal transaction costs. Asset owners can quickly get cash by issuing LATokens and selling fractional shares via the LAT marketplace, while keeping the actual asset for their use instead of borrowing money and paying interest or renting.

“The secondary and primary markets of fractional ownership of home equity and mortgages are now on the verge of a breakthrough, thanks to cryptocurrency Blockchain smart contracts,” says David Drake, chair of LDJ Real Estate Fund and member of LAToken’s Advisory Board.

An exciting case of real-world Blockchain implementation

Blockchain technology enables selling fractions of assets by issuing tokens backed by assets. Owners of artwork or houses don’t need to wait for a buyer to purchase their house or piece of art. They don’t need a major auction house, which might take a 20% cut, and they don’t need a real estate agent who takes 2-3%. They also don’t need to wait months or even years to sell their asset. The owner of the asset simply completes application forms via the site, signs token sale and asset sale agreements, and creates a token on the platform. After an audit, the token is listed on the LAT marketplace and the sale date is announced. After the sale, the funds are delivered to the asset owner.

By purchasing liquid asset-backed tokens (LABT) at the LAT marketplace, investors get a small piece of an asset. An independent custodian owns a piece of this asset and delivers cash proceeds from the asset sale to token holders. Token investors know that on a certain date in the future, this custodian will sell this share of the asset back to its primary owner. If the owner doesn’t buy the share back, the custodian will sell the entire asset to the market and distribute the proceeds to the principal owner and the token owners.

Investors get the appreciated asset price on their fraction of the asset.

The LAT platform includes a Wallet for purchasing and managing asset token transactions and a TestNet. Investors can trade and manage asset portfolios via the LAT investment terminal, which provides trading functions, access to credible assets’ data stored on Blockchain, and asset portfolio analysis tools.

LAToken has opened access to the platform wallet that allows tokenizing assets and listing for trading at the LAT marketplace. You can list your assets via latoken.com.

LAT Foundation

tel: +44 7509 764697
email: [email protected]

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored press release and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of any The Merkle employees. This is not investment or trading advice, always do your own independent research.

Source link

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/latoken-implements-blockchain-to-sell-fractions-of-any-assets-from-real-estate-to-art-objects-the-merkle/

Coinbase Customers Suffer from Delays as Withdrawal Period Ends

Exchange Rate Determinants

Financial managers of Multinational companies constantly monitor exchange rates because their cash flows are highly reliant on currency rates. As economic conditions change, exchange rates can change substantially and adversely affect company’s value. Here we will review some factors that influence exchange rates.

The first factor is inflation rate. Changes in inflation rates can affect international trade activity, which influences the demand for and supply of currencies and therefore influences exchange rates. For example a higher inflation rate in the UK compared to other countries will tend to reduce the value of pound because prices of goods and services in the UK are increasing at a comparatively quicker pace. These goods and services then appear more expensive in the eyes of foreigners, which in turn decreases demand for UK exports. Therefore there will be less demand for Pound Sterling. Also, UK consumers will find it more attractive to buy European imports. Therefore they will supply pounds to be able to buy Euros and the Euro imports. This increase in the supply of pounds decreases value of Pound Sterling.

The second factor is interest rates. Changes in relative interest rates affect investment in foreign securities, which influences the demand for and supply of currencies and therefore influences exchange rates. Investors will invest their funds where, for a given level of risk, the returns are highest. Thus, when a difference in interest rates exists between countries whose risk of default is equal, investors would likely lend to the country that was offering the higher interest rate. In order to invest in or lend to another country, one must first obtain that nation’s currency. This increases demand for that nation’s currency, and causes it to appreciate in value.

A third factor affecting exchange rates is relative income levels. Because income can affect the amount of imports demanded, it can affect exchange rates. Assume that the U.S. income level rises substantially while the British income level remains unchanged. In this scenario the demand for pounds will increase, reflecting the increase in U.S. income and therefore increased demand for British goods. Second, the supply of pounds for sale is not expected to change. Therefore, the exchange rate of the pound is expected to rise.

A fourth factor affecting exchange rates is government controls. The governments of foreign countries can influence the equilibrium exchange rate in many ways, including:

(1) imposing foreign exchange barriers,

(2) imposing foreign trade barriers,

(3) intervening (buying and selling currencies) in the foreign exchange markets, and

(4) affecting macro variables such as inflation, interest rates, and income levels.

The other important factors are political and economic factors. Most investors are risk-averse. They will invest their funds where there is a certain level of certainty. They tend to avoid investing in countries that are typified by governmental instability and/or economic stagnation. In contrast, they will invest capital in stable countries that exhibit strong signs of economic growth. A nation whose government and economy are perennially stable will attract the most investment. This, in turn, creates demand for that nation’s currency and causes its currency to appreciate in value.

Source by Charos Aslonovna

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/exchange-rate-determinants-4/

Disadvantages of Some News Media

News media are the tools that are used in order for us to acquire knowledge about everything that happens around us everyday. These may be political news, insurance news or even sports, but all of these play a very important role upon completing our day. They are pieces of information that equips us with a complete knowledge in order to help us cope up with our daily tasks and duties. However, these tools for dispersing news have their own set of disadvantages and here they are.

1. Newspapers – Despite the fact that this is the most popular source of news, it has the largest disadvantage. The information that was reported earlier could possibly be different from the news in the evening. Also, even though newspaper is the most convenient medium, you have to stack them away after you read it which may possibly be a cause of fire because newspapers are one of those things that could attract fire very easily. Another thing is, posting advertisements in these papers requires a big amount of money therefore the advertiser needs to cut the message as short as it could be. Cutting the message short could sometimes lead to misconception of the readers.

   
   

2. Magazines – These glossy newspaper-like mediums are expensive and cannot be afforded by everyone and like the newspaper, all of the information posted there costs a lot that is why almost all the news in it are summarized and cut short.

   
   

3. Television – Although the television is considered the most preferred news medium by everybody, they still create an impact to our society especially to children. Televising violent actions, robbery, criminal acts and many more may pollute the minds of children and make them think that violence is a normal thing in our world. That is why parents should always accompany their children when watching these programs so that they could explain to them what is really happening around them. Another disadvantage is we can never be sure whether the news that they are reporting are pure facts. Always keep in mind that these news programs belong to certain channels that protect specific parties. That is why they have all the power to manipulate and reverse what really happened if they want. This fact can lead to the total confusion of the viewers that may even lead to war.

   
   

4. Internet – We can get all sorts of things from the World Wide Web and like the television, we can never be sure of the information that we are getting. Leaving the children alone in front of a computer is like leaving them outside the open world where violence and evil deeds are continuously done.

Source by Daryl De La Cruz

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/disadvantages-of-some-news-media/

Baby Strollers – Frequently Asked Questions

Baby Strollers are one of the major purchases you will make for your baby. There are different types of strollers and in each category there are a variety of models. This may leave you with a variety of questions. Some frequent questions along with their respective answers are listed below. They deal with everything from the handlebars to the wheels and what is appropriate for newborns to older children. Your needs, how and where you will use the stroller as well as your budget will determine the strollers you will have to choose from.

Q. What are the different types of baby strollers available?

There are single, double, and triple strollers. Jogging strollers also have single and multi-seating strollers. Strollers with multiple seats come in Tandem where one seat is directly behind the other. Stadium baby strollers have the rear seat slightly higher than the front enabling both children a view of the scenery. Some strollers actually allow you to place your children in different positions such as facing one another. Another Tandem stroller is the double-decker where the rear seat is significantly higher than the front seat.

Q. What is a height adjustable handle bar?

A height adjustable handlebar on the stroller is one that can be adjusted to the height of the parent or caregiver. This helps prevent bending while pushing the stroller and as a result there are fewer issues with your lower back.

Q. Is this stroller appropriate for a newborn?

When choosing a stroller specifically for newborns, you have to be certain that it is appropriate for your baby. The seat must recline enough to allow your baby to lie flat. A stroller that connects from a stroller, to an infant carrier, to an infant car seat might be an option. It would at least provide you with the knowledge it is good for your newborn.

Q. Are the restraint straps and buckles safe?

When purchasing your stroller make sure the straps are secure. The buckles or fasteners should be easily manipulated but not so easy that your baby could open them and risk injury.

Q. Is a second hand stroller acceptable for my baby?

For the most part yes, a second-hand stroller is acceptable for use. Before you purchase the stroller be sure to inspect all belts, straps, and fasteners. There should be no fraying or tears in the belts or straps and they should be securely in place. All fasteners should be free of cracks and still be easily used. Be sure though your baby will not be able open it. Check the seat and make sure that the back is stable and that it will not collapse under his weight. The reclining positions should also hold your baby's weight. Make sure there are no sharp edges or places where little fingers can be pinched.

Q. Does this stroller come with a parent organizer?

Many newer model strollers come with a detachable tray that has a cup holder, and spaces to hold your keys, your cell phone, and a wallet.

Q, Is this a convertible stroller?

You may want to consider a stroller that has a detachable seat that becomes an infant carrier and / or a baby car seat. This would reduce the continuous removal from the car seat to the stroller or to a carrier. This is a travel system and comes with a base that remains in the car.

Q. Will this stroller maneuver on any terrain?

Most strollers are made for the street or for mall walking. There are some models that have different kinds of wheels for different terrain. If you are going to use it hiking, you will want to look for a specific type of wheel. For general walking while in the street or a mall, a simple stroller like the inexpensive umbrella types strollers.

Q. What kind of brakes does the stroller have?

The preferred type of brake is the brake that is attached to both rear wheels with a bar. This type of brake is preferred because it can be applied or released with one foot reducing the chance that one brake would not be applied and causes the stroller to roll or tip over. Some strollers come with a strap that is called a wrist brake which is worn by the parent to prevent the stroller from rolling when you are stopped for a long period of time.

Q. Where can I find out about recalls on my stroller?

The store where you purchased your stroller should have recall information. You can contact the manufacturer or search the Internet for information. You can contact the Consumer Protection Safety Commission or check consumer magazines dedicated to informing consumers on the ratings of many products.

Q. Are replacement or extra parts available for the model of baby stroller I have chosen?

When you purchase your stroller you might want to ask specifically if the stroller you have chosen has extra parts (ie wheels) or replacement parts. This could be helpful if you need to replace the seat liner or an extra stay in the car base for your stroller. The best source for this information would probably be the manufacturer. Check the owner's manual to see if there is information in there on replacement parts and where you can get them.

Q. What can I do to keep my stroller in good condition?

Some of the things you can do to maintain your stroller in good condition includes not leaving it outside in bad weather. Keep the wheels in good shape, check all the belts and fasteners periodically to be sure they are not worn or broken. It is important to keep the seat cover clean. Apply the brake and make sure it holding when fully applied.

In Conclusion

Buying a stroller is very important and must be appropriate for you and your baby. Keeping your baby safe is of the utmost importance and to that end be sure that your baby never exceeds the maximum weight it is meant to hold. The manufacturer is a good source for any questions or concerns you might have about choosing a baby stroller.

Source by Martin Smith

source http://bitcoinswiz.com/baby-strollers-frequently-asked-questions/

Alleged Mirai Botnet Creator Receives Suspended Sentence from German Court – The Merkle

The world was surprised to learn that a massive botnet had shut down multiple popular online services earlier this year. During this attack, platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, and plenty of others suffered from extended outages. These attacks were caused by the Mirai botnet, which quickly became synonymous with insecure Internet of Things devices. The botnet’s operator, Daniel Kaye, was arrested, but his sentence has now been suspended.

The Story of Daniel Kaye and Mirai

It is always difficult to prove who is behind a nefarious scheme on the internet. Even though the Mirai botnet caused a lot of havoc — and still remains somewhat of a threat — the official mastermind behind this project has never been identified. Law enforcement officials claim to have substantial proof of UK citizen Daniel Kaye being the one responsible for this attack. However, the investigation is still ongoing and Kaye has not been sentenced to time in jail just yet.

Daniel Kaye allegedly used a botnet built on Mirai to successfully infiltrate unsecured Internet of Things devices and then used them for major DDoS attacks on a global scale. Whether or not that is the case remains to be seen, and Kaye has yet to be officially sentenced for cybercrime. This week, Kaye stood in front of a German court, which issued a suspended sentence for his alleged involvement in the botnet campaign. He will still face cybercrime charges in the United Kingdom.

Kaye was arrested in February of 2017 and charged as the person responsible for kicking 900,000 Germans offline in a botnet attack in November of 2016. Meanwhile, an unknown person with the nickname “Bestbuy” claimed responsibility for the attack and apologized for the inconvenience caused. Reaching out to media outlets to issue this public apology may not have been Bestbuy’s best idea, though, as it immediately put him or her on the radar of law enforcement agencies.

The German court confirmed Kaye’s identity earlier this week, even though European prosecutors had done everything they could to keep the information classified. The suspended sentence is a direct result of his failed attacks using the Mirai botnet. Even though those unsuccessful attacks caused some major ISP issues in Europe and Liberia throughout 2016, they were not viewed as severe enough to warrant an official sentencing. This is a strange decision by the German court, but it will certainly have its reasons.

It seems Daniel Kaye is also connected to GovRAT, a remote access Trojan which has caused massive damage throughout the past twelve months. According to reports, that Trojan was developed and deployed by an individual named Spiderman. However, it appears that Spiderman and Bestbuy are the same person, which could indicate that Daniel Kaye was responsible for both acts of cybercrime.

Kaye pleaded guilty to launching the attacks against Deutsche Telekom customers in 2016 using the Mirai botnet. It is uncommon to see cyber criminals plead guilty to an attack that neither governments nor intelligence agencies could prove. Kaye also stated that he sold access to his Mirai botnet as a DDoS-as-a-service scheme. It is possible most of the attacks originating from this botnet were not executed by Kaye himself, but that remains to be determined by investigators.

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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/alleged-mirai-botnet-creator-receives-suspended-sentence-from-german-court-the-merkle/

Bloq Outlines Blockchain Solutions for Trade Finance and Supply Chain Management

Bloq, a Chicago-based blockchain developer and software startup, is now developing blockchain platforms and best practices for one of the most promising use cases for blockchain technology: trade finance and supply chain management.

Interest in the use of blockchain for trade is growing rapidly as companies and organizations like IBM, Microsoft, Hyperledger, JP Morgan and Walmart recognize that antiquated trade systems are long overdue for a complete restructuring and that blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionize the systems that make up global trade.

A common problem with current trade systems is fraud. The trip from farm or factory to store shelves involves numerous opportunities to falsify shipping documents and alter shipping container records or contents with little accountability.

“Global supply chain management has drastically changed in the last 10-15 years,” William Nieusma, Vice President, Government Strategy at Bloq told Bitcoin Magazine: “Regulatory mandates, operational complexity and data security concerns have ramped up the pressure to overhaul these outdated systems.”

Nieusma is one of the authors of Bloq’s recently released white paper, “Accelerating Global Trade Processes with Blockchain,” designed to introduce their new project to develop a model blockchain network for companies involved in trade.

“But it’s not all doom-and-gloom; adopters of blockchain-based systems can cut costs, improve customer service and find new, verified business partners,” added Nieusma.

Alan Cohn, attorney and consultant and advisor to Bloq told us:

“Global trade is an area where blockchain can play a transformative role, not just for industry but also for government.”

Nieusma noted that Bloq believes that in the future, the most significant and valuable business systems, including trade, will run on blockchains.

IBM has recognized the potential of blockchain and trade. In partnership with seven European banks, it is building a pilot blockchain trade program with Hyperledger to enable companies like Walmart and Maersk to use blockchain technology to better track the movement of farm and factory products to the store shelves.

Microsoft is also building a model trade program using the Ethereum blockchain in a pilot project with JPMorgan.

Blockchain Tech and Trade Are a Perfect Fit

Trade finance and supply management lend themselves well to the particular advantages of blockchain technology. The Bloq white paper states:

Blockchain technology holds considerable promise to substantially improve supply chain security and transparency. Blockchain’s inherent architectural attributes solve several weaknesses in current trade IT systems and processes to ensure information immutability and transaction auditing, thereby increasing trade value capture and value creation.

Bloq’s model trade platform promises companies high levels of cybersecurity, reduced waiting times, transparency, ease of revenue payments, low infrastructure investment, easily auditable transactions, efficient accommodation for additional participants, immutability and automatic bonding and payments through smart contracts.

Bloq plans to build a “permissioned, federated network” built on the Bitcoin blockchain that, depending on the client’s needs, will also support Ethereum and Hyperledger. Nieusma said:

“Bloq believes that the future is a multi-chain, multi-network world and that interoperability is a guiding principle in network buildout.”

The Bloq program will connect all parties involved in a trade including buyers, banks, sellers and transporters so that information about a shipment is distributed among all involved parties at the same time.

As the white paper states:

“Trade can be safer, more secure, and more profitable with less human error. We hope this discussion leads to an evolution in trade that benefits all stakeholders.”

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source http://bitcoinswiz.com/bloq-outlines-blockchain-solutions-for-trade-finance-and-supply-chain-management/