The Supreme Court, Google Software, Viagra and Mortgages?
Often a seemingly irrelevant activity can have a profound impact
on an apparently unrelated and disjointed event. While some of
these may affect your life, other activities can impact your web
site, or even your mortgage business.
What do the following have in common?
- A Supreme Court decision and crime rates.
- The male ego and endangered animals.
- Free Google software and archaeology.
- Globalization and mortgages.
A Supreme Court Decision and Crime Rates
What factors have led to an overall decrease in crime? We often
hear that better crime-fighting techniques, a stronger economy,
a morally - adjusted society and increased spending to fight
crime all lead to a drop in the crime rate.
In his book "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden
Side of Everything," authors Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J.
Dubner draw an interesting conclusion as to why there has been a
drop in violent crime rates. While many people still speculate
that crime decreases under improved economic conditions or more
success by law enforcement agencies,
Levitt concludes that there has actually been a decrease in the
number of violent criminals: that is, there are less crooks
among us.
Upon further analysis, Levitt determines that the Roe v. Wade
decision is the genesis lower crime rates. He speculates that by
allowing women to have the legal option of determining whether
or not to have a child has resulted in decreasing the number of
people who would otherwise be born into poverty and hardship.
The result: a lower number of criminals being born.
The Male Ego and Endangered Animals Can the demand for male impotence drugs result in less risk for
endangered animals?
Traditional Chinese medicine utilizes many elements and
compounds found in nature, such as dried seaweed, powdered bark
and various animal parts. And, in a seemingly unrelated event,
scientists from around the world have pleasantly discovered that
endangered species are not vanishing quite as rapidly as before.
Two scientists, Alaskan brothers Bill and Frank von Hippel,
speculate that the growing popularity of prescription impotence
drugs has had a positive correlation to threatened or endangered
species by reducing the demand for these animals' body parts.
Their journal "Environmental Conservation," essentially states
that people who were using traditional Chinese medicine remedies
such as deer antler felt or sea lion and tiger genitalia are now
turning to Western-created treatments and drugs that are more
effective. This shift to Western medicine has allowed endangered
animals to have a greater chance at thriving.
Free Google Software and Archaeology How has the search for ancient ruins become easier due to a new
free Google technology?
Google recently implemented a free service called Google Earth.
Essentially the software allows people to view parts of the
earth using satellite photos.
An Italian computer programmer recently made an archaeological
discovery when he used the Google Earth geographic imaging
program to look at satellite photos of his home in Sorbolo. As
he located his home and then zoomed in, he noticed an odd
oval-shaded form about 1,500 feet long plus strange rectangular
shadows.
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He contacted archaeologists who examined the site more closely
and found ceramic pieces that showed it was a Roman villa built some
time just before the birth of Christ.
The Supreme Court, Google Software, Viagra and Mortgages?
Now you may be wondering what Google Software, Viagra and the
Supreme Court decision have to do with your mortgage site...
Your ability to survive financially is based upon not only your
ability to recognize both direct and tangential changes in your
world; but also to correctly adjust to these factors. Let's start
with an easy example.
The Internet and Online Mortgage Sites - Phase 1: The Internet was a
source of information first. Later the net became a conduit for
conducting online business transactions. Before too long mortgage
web sites were scrambling to create an Internet presence.
The Internet and Online Mortgage Sites - Phase 2 - Computer Gaming
And Mortgages: As the Internet continues to evolve, so must the
sophistication of a mortgage web site. When I was growing up, all
the "smart" kids could get good summer jobs working on cars because
they understood carburetors and transmissions.
The rest of us were fortunate to find jobs picking strawberries,
working at construction sites or if we were real lucky -- we were
able to get a job at Dairy Queen. Nowadays, the smart kids are doing
HTML, PHP and Perl programming... and, for the most part, the
not-so-smart kids are the ones working on cars.
Because this generation is so computer literate, there will be an
increasingly higher percentage of business conducted online. Your
company will have to adapt to accommodate this changing marketplace.
By the way, if you're reading this and you're not online, you might
want to start exploring vocational colleges to see if they offer
auto repair classes.
Ephedra & 8-Tracks
Another trick to understanding what can impact your mortgage
business is learning how to recognize short-term fads versus
long-term trends. You can look at a wide range of products that were
once popular, but now are either on the way out or have been
entirely replaced by a better product. Examples of this include
Ephedra, 8-track cartridges, Thalidomide, buggy whips and VHS tapes.
(If you don't think VHS tapes are dead, then you might have a
problem anticipating future trends).
Globalization and Mortgages
One area that should be of concern to mortgage company owners of is
that of continued globalization of the world's economy. The same way
that call centers are outsourced to India for the Philippines, that
furniture and automobile manufacturing now occurs in Mexico and
toys, clothes and electronics are now made in China should be an
alert that financial services, such as mortgages, might soon follow
suit.
If the globalization of mortgages comes to pass that old adage, "If
you can't beat 'em, join 'em," should become part of your strategy.
Mortgage companies should be alert to the possibility of potential
relationships with European and Asian financial institutions. Of
course, this may be early in the game, but by remaining aware of
changes in the marketplace you can ensure that your mortgage company
won't become an endangered species.
Web site: www.mortgagepromote.com
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