1. Get Plenty of Rest

In order for your body to properly heal itself, you need to get regular sleep and rest. After an accident, you will probably be stressed and your sleep could be disrupted. It’s important to maintain a healthy sleep schedule and take it easy while you’re recovering.

2. Avoid Strenuous Activity

During a car crash, your body gets banged up and bruised. Many times the injuries aren’t seen or felt for days, weeks, or even months. Be sure to avoid any activities that might cause further damage to your body or slow the healing process.

3. Gentle Stretches and Movement

Because you’re not moving around as much, your body could get stiff and lose mobility. It’s helpful to do some very light stretching if you’re able to keep your muscles limber and the blood flowing. The benefits of stretching include providing relaxation when you’re feeling a lot of stress. 

4. Stay Hydrated and Nourished

Drinking lots of fluids and eating a healthy diet is good for your mind and body. Water and fresh fruits and vegetables will provide the hydration and nutrients your body will need to properly heal. Plus, dehydration can make you feel terrible. So, don’t forget to consume at least 8 glasses a day.

5. Seek Medical Attention

Even if you think your injuries aren’t that bad, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. They can rule out any hidden injuries, give a proper diagnosis, and provide medication that will lessen pain and help you recover faster. Following your doctor’s advice is one of the most important steps in the process. 

6. Get Quality Legal Representation

On top of all the physical and emotional ailments after an injury, you have to deal with the financial burdens of missing work and costly repairs. If you’ve been in an accident you’ll want the help of a reliable car accident injury lawyer bay area to get you the compensation you deserve.

7. Don’t Neglect Your Mental Health

Even as you heal physically, you may experience overwhelming emotions after an accident. Feelings of guilt, depression, or even flashbacks from such a traumatic event could slow the healing process. It’s not uncommon for people to seek the help of a therapist or mental health professional after a crash. 

8. Be Patient as You Recover

Added stress and feeling physically lousy could have you on edge, but it’s important to try to stay calm and kind to yourself and your loved ones. A positive mindset does wonders when you’re healing from an injury. 

“More and more firms are therefore cutting their costs and are reshoring their production to the US…According to industry organization Reshoring Initiative, some 1,800 US firms are intending to reshore their whole business or at least parts of it this year. Some 220,000 new jobs are to be created in the US this way. Over a decade ago, only 6,000 new jobs were created in the country as a result of reshoring activities.”

And that steady progress could be getting further enhanced by the integration of co-robots, or “cobots” into many industrial and manufacturing environments. Collaborative robots, as they are known in full, are increasing in popularity and providing a way for manufacturing and industrial businesses to reduce “busywork” for their employees and increase the amount of time said employees can spend on higher-order tasks. They come with some key benefits:

• Cobots serve as a source of on-demand aid: Two attractive characteristics of cobots are the fact that they are easy to program for specific tasks and they are capable of wielding a wide range of tools. Because of this, cobots are great at providing on-the-spot backup for a workforce, filling in when humans might be in short supply.
• Cobots improve flexibility: Building upon the above point, cobots also allow for businesses to quickly adapt when conditions are changing throughout the pandemic. It could be that several more waves of the Coronavirus cause ebbs and flows in the available workforce. Cobots will allow businesses to weather those downturns.
• Cobots can help boost production: Due to their ability to implement partial automation to certain processes, cobots can help a workforce produce more than they would be able to otherwise. Improved accuracy, precision, and speed all go a long way to getting things done, as does the offloading of repetitive tasks that can slow down a workforce.

In addition to all this, it seems cobots are also making those aforementioned reshoring efforts that much more appealing. Specifically, cobots work to reduce the amount that manufacturing businesses need to spend on labor costs. This negates the traditional advantage that many offshored jobs held in the past, and provides further incentive for industries and manufacturing to consider reshoring much of their workforce. As noted in Cobots as a Catalyst for Reshoring:

“Cobots enable companies of all sizes, located anywhere in the world, to significantly boost

their levels of output, quality capabilities and commercial survivability…By producing small-footprint, easy-to-program, flexible and affordable cobots, Universal Robots plays a vital role in democratizing robots so that virtually any business of any size anywhere can gain from the greater competitiveness that robotic automation allows.”

Going forward, it will be up to businesses to maximize their technological advantages if they want to adapt to the post-COVID landscape. Incorporating cobots and using them to help fuel reshoring efforts stands to control costs and improve productivity in ways that will maximize the odds of survival.

It might seem unlikely, but a recent string of deadly crashes in rural areas has prompted officials to push for new safety efforts. They face steep challenges and require immense funding, but something needs to be done to stop the number of fatalities taking place each year.

The Statistics

After analyzing accidents from 2019, researchers found that 16,000 people had died in crashes on rural roads in the United States. That’s twice as high as the number of urban accidents. Highway safety and transportation experts, along with the families of those now deceased, are now advocating for change.

Families like those of Henry Zietlow, an 18-year-old violinist who was tragically killed on a rural road when a pickup carrying a flatbed veered into the wrong lane, are joining the call to make these roads safer. It’s going to take a lot of work, though.

The Challenge Ahead

Lighting these roads at night, creating better protection built into the road, and other aspects cost a lot of money. Thankfully, the recent infrastructure bill passed by the U.S. Senate allocates some of its $1.2 trillion to those efforts.

Funds totaling $300 million are heading to a high-risk rural road safety program, which split into multiple groups across the nation to help tackle the issue. The first step, however, is a thorough analysis of what causes these fatal accidents and what measures would be best at preventing them.

States have begun to tackle this challenge independently. Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, and South Carolina are already well underway, upgrading their safety infrastructure in ways that can limit that annual 16,000 death toll.

Their efforts include major engineering changes ranging from rumble strips to median barriers and pavement markings (something many rural roads lack). Better lighting is also a top concern among these states and advocates alike.

Localities in Action

Education and enforcement can only go so far, according to local governments and advocates. Without fixing the underlying causes of these fatal accidents, nothing is going to change. With ample money on the way and the possibility of an additional $600 million from a bipartisan bill in the House, it looks like things could be taking a turn for the better.

Unfortunately, advocates are worried about how local governments will spend that money. All too many see the money come in but fail to be used with a safety-first mindset. They see a lack of accountability, standards, and have often wondered where this type of money goes in the past.

Instead, people are looking for a more transparent and joint effort between local governments and the agencies that require or work on these changes. That includes engineers, EMS, law enforcement, and more. Critical insight from these groups can help in the analyzation process, leading to long-lasting improvements that create real change.Families, advocacy groups and others speaking out are pushing for lawmakers to ensure these funds are used in the best, most effective way possible. Only time will tell how the allocated money will be implemented, but in the meantime there’s hope to limit the 16,000 fatal accidents on rural roads each year.

Today, we’ll be taking a quick look at the social and psychological effects that cyber crime exerts, as it undeniably influences many aspects of our lives, even if we don’t notice.

How Cyber Crime and Society Intersect

Cyber crimes come in many forms — hacking, denial of service, malware infections, etc. — and such attacks have become a common sight when venturing about online. Regardless of the specific type of attack, however, for the public at large, the real fears arise from the after effects.

In many cases, computer crimes leave individuals vulnerable — to identity theft, financial ruin, or maybe even threats to their physical safety. Combined, these fears can have immense repercussions on the psyche of individuals and their perceived levels of safety.

Indeed, because of the existence of cyber crime, individuals who use the internet may feel susceptible to the risks, and develop increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression from simply being online. Those who actually fall victim to cyber crimes often feel even more intense levels of emotional distress. Because of the prevalence of illicit activities online, the number of users who have experienced at least ID theft may be more than 50 percent.

Of course, it’s more than these individual emotional impacts that occur. Cyber crime also results in after effects that ripple through other aspects of society, including:

• Increased costs for security: Because cybercrime presents such a serious threat, businesses and individuals alike must take steps to safeguard themselves on the internet. This means spending money on various countermeasures, which do not always come cheap. Because criminals are constantly devising new ways to circumvent these measures, upgrades are also necessary to keep pace, and the cycle continues.
• Money lost by businesses and consumers: When cyber criminals are successful at breaching systems, stealing credentials, etc., people and businesses often lose money in the process. Oftentimes this direct theft, but may be lost in other means as well.
• Businesses undercut due to piracy: When piracy occurs, businesses take a direct hit to their bottom line. Money that would have been spent on their digital goods no longer is, and the effects can ripple and cause further disruptions.

Because of these potential impacts, individuals and brands alike should be aware of how cyber crime might take its toll and what they should do to safeguard themselves from those effects. Be sure to continue your research, and arm yourself with the knowledge you need to stay safe.

It’s, unfortunately, not uncommon for vacation goers to need a Bay Area wrongful death lawyer or emergency medical attention. Dealing with an injury is difficult enough when you’re close to home, but when you’re traveling things can get a bit more complicated.

Not only are you away from your usual doctor, but if an injury is no fault of your own, filing an out-of-state lawsuit can make things even harder. There are some helpful ways to cope. Start by learning about what to do if you are hurt while traveling.

1. Before You Travel, Check With Your Insurance Provider On What Is Covered

In some cases, your insurance could decline an injury case if it happened out of the state of your residence. Before you plan to do any potentially dangerous or risky activities such as rock-climbing, bungee-jumping, skydiving, or boating, be sure to check on exactly what your insurance covers and what it doesn’t.

Of course, there are accidents that couldn’t have been avoided or are of no fault of your own. In these cases, there are not too many steps you can take to be prepared for the unexpected. However, you should always have your health provider card and phone number when traveling, as well as your vehicle insurance information in case of a car accident.

2. Immediate Steps to Take If You’re Injured While Traveling

Many of the steps you should take are similar to what you would do if you were at home. If it’s necessary, call 911 immediately, especially if the injury requires medical treatment or is life-threatening. If you’re involved in a vehicle collision, be sure to collect information from everyone involved, including driver’s license and insurance information.

If law enforcement or EMTs arrive on the scene, make sure you listen to and follow their instructions. Make sure you seek medical attention right away, rather than waiting to return home. Keep track of and save all documentation from the accident or medical visits. If you were involved in a car accident, report it to your insurance company as soon as possible.

3. After You Return Home

First things first, always follow the advice of the medical doctor. If they’ve given you any instructions, be sure to follow them. This includes when to return to work, as well as any follow-up visits. Following your doctor’s instructions and keeping all documentation will help you if you have to file an out-of-state accident case.

If you do need to file a personal injury case, you’ll want to get in contact with a qualified attorney that specializes in these types of issues. An attorney will help you decide exactly where to sue, particularly in out-of-state injury cases. Also, there might be multiple parties and locations involved. A personal injury attorney will help steer you in the best possible direction.

How to File Properly

When filing for a divorce, most couples only have one place of residence to worry about. Where they file depends on where that home is. Servicemembers, however, tend to have multiple places of residency. The home they share is one, but the place where the military spouse is stationed is another. 

Often times, these two locations are in different states or countries. Divorce has to be filed in a specific region and the individuals must have lived in that region for at least six months in order to file there. So, what should you do?

Courts want these proceedings filed in the domicile home, or the place in which the real home resides. Determining that can be difficult during deployment or if one spouse is stationed elsewhere, but the law usually looks to where the children of the couple have a permanent home for at least six months. 

This is where custody jurisdiction will take place. When there are no children involved, the permanent residence is usually where the non-military spouse resides or where both military spouses have lived the longest. If you’ve held a residence for six months in Nebraska but both are stationed elsewhere, then that Nebraskan home becomes the place where you’ll file. 

Custody and Active Service

Custody is never an easy situation, just ask these divorce attorneys at Stange Law Firm, but active service severely complicates things. How can someone deployed possibly spend time with their kids or retain visitation rights? 

As it turns out, active service does not hinder a parent’s right to custody. It does, however, change how that custody arrangement looks. While there are various outcomes for this scenario, the most common is a Family Care Plan that dictates how children will be cared for in the event that one parent is deployed. 

The Benefits

Each partner has a legal right to shared finances, assets, and wealth. That includes military benefits. Under the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act (USFSPA), the non-military partner has legal rights to retirement benefits. Courts can also divide pensions, healthcare, commissary, and exchange. 

This can change drastically depending on individual situations and circumstances, making it important that your read over the information provided by the military for the USFSPA. Keep in mind that any VA disability benefits are exempt from division by the courts, as well. 

Proceeding by Default

Unlike a civilian divorce, a military divorce can include the right to a court appointed attorney. This happens when the servicemember is deployed in active duty and cannot appear in court. The Soldier’s and Sailor’s Relief Act provides them with an attorney to appear in court on their behalf so that the proceedings may continue in a timely manner. 

What Isn’t Covered

The majority of basic warranties on the market exclude regular maintenance. That means oil changes, brake linings, windshield wipers, etc. Anything that counts as regular wear and tear is usually off the table, too. Keep in mind that you’re still covered in the event of manufacturer defects, like with these lemon law cases in California, though. 

Always check to see what a manufacturer’s warranty covers, too. Some brands include regular maintenance as a selling point. While these are primarily luxury brands, it never hurts to doublecheck just in case. 

Getting into an accident is also outside the realm of coverage. Warranties are designed to help you save money on service charges, providing coverage when things need tuning up or repaired. Damages from a wreck need to be covered by legal aid, like these car accident lawyers in Sacramento. Warranties won’t help if you’re at fault or not, but insurance can. 

What Is Covered

Basic warranties, also known as bumper-to-bumper, cover just about everything from your air conditioning to the audio system and (of course) the bumpers. Most stop their coverage at three years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. 

The second part of these warranties is known as powertrain coverage. This includes your engine, transmission, and the other parts of your car that make it operate. Federal law requires a period of eight years or 80,000 miles for emissions control systems, as well, which includes your catalytic converter. 

Roadside assistance, usually for a set number of years or amount of times used, is also becoming a more regular feature. Not all brands offer this in their warranties, however. Most do include rust coverage, as well, even though rusting has become rarer in recent cars. 

What to Know

Before pulling the lever on your new purchase, speak with the seller in-depth about what a manufacturer’s warranty does and does not cover. Going over all of the fine details is in your best interest. Plus, it can help you decide which new car works best for you. 

As time goes by, you’ll probably forget what all is covered. When repairs do pop up, check your owner’s manual. This is especially true is a dealership says a specific part isn’t covered. When in doubt, consult the manual again and call the auto company number for verification. 

Hybrid Models

Finally, there are new hybrid warranties for gas/electric vehicles. The difference is in the battery-style engine, which comes with special coverage. Toyota and Ford offer an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty for their hybrid components, for instance. Each manufacturer offers something a little different for these, as well, so make sure to doublecheck what parts of your hybrid are covered. 

It’s true, just ask these San Jose estate planning lawyers. When life insurance pays out, it’s often used to cover estate taxes and any gift tax laws. No two policies are the same, though. Here are the types of life insurance that can fit your estate planning needs.

Pure Estate Tax Liquidity – Universal

In this case, you would little estate and primarily need to focus on inflation as well as interest rates. Say you owned a fraction of a large apartment complex, or instance, and wanted to pass that on to your child. You would want to ensure your life insurance policy covers the estate taxes associated with the property you own.

You could also pick up a current assumption universal life policy, which would help protect against inflation while helping to provide a decent cash value. Simply go over your policy each year to account for changing interest rates or if your health changes, and your estate planning is financially covered. 

Larger Liquid Estate – Whole and Irrevocable Trust

If you own a large estate, possibly including marketable assets, then life insurance can become a wealth transfer asset. Pick up a participating whole life policy with increasing death benefits, set the premiums based on annual gift tax exclusions, and possibly roll some of the credit into the policy.

While you might not need life insurance in this scenario, it can help you from a tax-advantage standpoint while ensuring there’s money left behind for your oved ones. Life insurance benefits are income tax free, and aren’t included in an estate if their held in an irrevocable trust. 

Enormous Liquid Estate – Whole and Irrevocable Trust

The larger your estate becomes, the more tax you can expect to pay in the end. Like the larger estate, a participating whole life policy as well as an irrevocable trust will help counteract the tax while providing cash and assets for your children. 

There’s also a misconception at this level that individuals should save their gift tax credits. Imagine the gift was $5 million, for instance. Using it sooner than later, through purchasing life insurance premiums over the years, allows it to increase in value.

If the final value is $8 million, that additional $3 million is not counted with the estate. The initial gift of $5 million is, however. Also keep in mind that depreciated gifts are still counted at their original value. So, choose wisely when selecting the type of asset you whish to gift. 

What About Term Insurance?

Term insurance is an excellent option if you only need it for a specific period. Heading back to the apartment real estate investment, imagine that the plan of the investment was to buy you back out in 10 years for a profit. 

A term policy of ten years ensures your taxes are handled in the event of your death between that time period. You can choose a buy sell life insurance agreement, as well, which details how your assets should be handled in death and disability. Either way, these options keep you ahead of estate tax costs. 

How can you prove that your business can provide that value to your customers, though? It takes more than just saying it in an ad, but it’s also a lot easier than you might think. These four tried and proven methods are guaranteed to help boost your CVM efforts. 

Start with Customer Service

One of the largest parts of any buying or brand experience is customer service. Surveys and studies show that over 75% of customers believe their customer service experiences determine whether or not a company values their business. However, it isn’t all about resolving disputes through CS. 

Interactions with employees, quality of products, ease of the buying process, and fair prices are all rolled into this consumer experience. So, proving value starts with organizational changes that place the customer first. All four of these tips stem from upping this critical element of your CVM model. 

Make CS a Company Priority

It’s easy to leave CS to the employees that handle that end of the business. However, there’s far more to a customer’s experience than simply returning an item or presenting a complaint for your business to handle. So, take a tip from the individuals who know how to handle your customers best and apply that to the rest of your efforts.

Make sure the same tone appears in your marketing, messaging, and even general emails. Ensure that each customer-facing employee provides the same level of care your CS team does, creating positive experiences with every customer. When you remodel your culture from a CS approach, consumers are bound to feel appreciated. 

Give Your Employees Ample Information

This tip is simple but critical. The more insights you share with employees from your CVM data analyses, the better equipped they’ll be to provide value to your customers. Using vital tools designed for customer value management in the digital age, you can ensure that anyone in any position is ready to prove your brand’s value to the consumer. 

Get in the Sharing Mood

Which would you prefer, being greeted by an employee (online or in-person) who uses their name or one who simple states the company’s name? When they give their name, it makes the experience more personal. Now, take that fact and apply it to every aspect of your business. Make information valuable to your customers readily and easily accessible, showing that you value their inquiries. 

Never Stop Improving

Just like a relationship or sports training, you can’t simply stop once you feel you’ve achieved your goal. You need to keep trying at things to make them work, and that goes for CVM as well. By showing continual improvement and the willingness to care about what your customers value, you’re proving your value to them time and time again. 

While you might enjoy some much-needed time off at first, the realization of thwarted income and a feeling of cabin fever are sure to set in. Everyone has different coping mechanisms when this fear and doubt enter their minds, but many turn to less-than-helpful means. Instead of going stir crazy, check out these top ways to be productive. 

Keep Up with Your Industry

Just because the job market is tough right now doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. So, choose to substitute your working hours by keeping yourself a viable employee within your industry. Take the time to keep up with industry trends and advancements.

You can do so by reading publications, following influencers on social media, or taking in some research into your job market. This is also an excellent time to take a class or two as you educate yourself further, effectively advancing your career capabilities while unemployed. 

Update Your Resume

Speaking of landing a new and even better job, why not update your resume? You probably have achievements, accomplishments, and experience you can add since you were hired at your previous job. Bringing your resume up to date ensures you’re ready to look for work the minute you’re ready. 

Pursue a Passion

Maybe you were sick of your dead-end job to begin with. If that’s the case, now is an excellent time to pursue your passions and dreams. That could include anything from a hobby to switching careers or even activism. 

For instance, you might have known about sexual harassment in your workplace or at the job of a friend and wished there was something you could do about this prevalent issue. Start by educating yourself through online articles on sexual harassment, then move onto real-life stories and practical steps you can take towards legislation and awareness. That’s just one example, though. 

Online Profiles and Networking

In addition to your resume, don’t forget to keep up on your online professional profiles. Now is an excellent time to create a more professional online presence if you haven’t already as well as network with other professional within your industry. All of this builds you up for a stronger chance at landing a better job. 

Change Careers 

If you’ve decided that (other than financially) this separation from your current line of work was in your best interest, then it’s high time you found a new career. It’s never too late to earn a new degree in a new industry or field. 

Maybe you want to join the ranks of harassment lawyers in SF, become a social media marketing whiz, or finally graduate to your MBA. Whatever the case may be, there’s no time like the present to pursue your dream job.