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A nice evening by the glow and heat of a fire can be one of the most enjoyable parts of camping. Whether you’re gathering with friends, making s’mores, or just basking in the warmth, there are many reasons campfires are a long-standing tradition. That being said, creating a fire comes with a lot of responsibility. In the United States, people start nearly nine out of ten wildfires. 1 So the next time you get ready to light that match, keep these safety tips in mind.
Check fire regulations.
Make sure you know the rules of the campground or area where you’re planning the fire. There may be a temporary ban when the risk of wildfires is higher.
Want a long and healthy life? New research shows that focusing on this one behavior, may help a lot more than losing weight.
By Catherine Pearson | 10/13/2021 8:58 am EDT | Updated October 14, 2021 | Huffpost.com | Fit and Fat
Health experts have increasingly embraced the idea that people can absolutely be “fit and fat” — and that the body mass index is deeply flawed and does not provide a very good picture of a person’s health.
A recent scientific review strengthens these points. The research, published in the journal iScience, showed that overall wellness and longevity cannot be predicted by a number on a scale, and that exercise is more important than weight loss when it comes to heart health and living a long life.
“We would like people to know that fat can be fit, and that fit and healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes,” study researcher Glenn Gaesser, of the College of Health Solutions at Arizona State University, said in a statement.
How focusing too much on weight loss misses the point
The team behind the new review aimed their research at a glaring problem: Obesity has grown significantly in the United States and the world over the past several decades, as have the number of people dying from conditions like heart disease that are often closely linked with diet and exercise.
At the same time, the prevalence of people trying to lose weight has also increased. Since the 1980s, at least 40% of women in this country and 25% of men have been dieting to shed pounds. Whatever we’re collectively doing right now isn’t working, and it’s not necessarily making people healthier.
“The intense focus on weight loss has not prevented excessive weight gain in recent decades,” the new review states. “Moreover, repeated weight loss efforts may contribute to weight gain, and is undoubtedly associated with the high prevalence of weight cycling, which is associated with significant health risks.”
Due to the tourism slowdown at the height of the pandemic, many airlines, hotels, restaurants, and attractions cut back operations, laid-off employees, or closed altogether. Now, as travel has begun to rebound, many of those businesses find themselves short of staff and resources. Travelers are feeling the pinch — both in the pocketbook and in the planning process — with lower inventory for accommodations (sometimes due to a shortage of housekeeping staff), longer wait times for services, limited opening hours at restaurants, and higher prices in many popular destinations.
It can be a dirty job, but someone’s got to do it.
It’s finally time to clean your oven. Yay.
Look, we understand the inherent lack of fun in such a laborious activity, but to clean an oven means a cleaner household with fewer harmful fumes infiltrating your kitchen and food. With little more than baking soda and vinegar, you can give your oven the kind of makeover that’ll eviscerate grease, dirt, and burned-on odor. Here’s how it’s done.
Even though you have a valid driving license, driving your car off the dealership won’t happen until you purchase auto insurance. While Michigan laws require every driver to purchase car insurance, there are plenty of other reasons to consider auto insurance coverage. Buying this coverage from Shield Insurance Agency protects you in the following areas.
Liability protection
Despite how keen you are on the road, accidents can still happen. Unfortunately, when deemed liable for an accident, you are likely to face bodily injury and property damage claims from third parties. Worse yet, you could face expensive lawsuits that could severely dent your pocket.
The good news is that auto insurance shields you from such nightmarish costs. Car insurance compensates you for liability claims up to your policy’s limit.
Asset protection
Whether you use your car to commute, for fun, or run personal errands, your vehicle is precious to you. And just like any other valuable asset, you would do everything to shield it from any harm. While installing car alarms and tracking devices is superb, car insurance protects your vehicle beyond theft and vandalism. It covers your vehicle from other perils, including fire, falling objects, accidents, and natural disasters.
Uninsured motorist protection
Did you know that about 25.5 % of motorists in Michigan are uninsured? Given this startling statistic of uninsured motorists, you are likely to be involved with a motorist carrying no insurance. Fortunately, you can purchase uninsured motorist coverage to compensate for bodily injuries and property damage when you collide with a motorist with no insurance. Besides, this coverage comes to your rescue in hit-and-run scenarios.
Medical coverage
When your purchase MedPay or PIP coverage, it pays for medical costs for you and your passengers following a vehicular accident. Besides, PIP coverage covers partial loss of income and funeral expenses for the injured.
Car insurance in Michigan
If you are shopping or looking to renew your auto insurance in Michigan, your search has ended. At Shield Insurance Agency, we have long-standing experience in auto insurance. Contact us today, and we will provide you with a car insurance policy that meets your needs.
Check out more blogs from Shield Insurance Agency!
This article first appeared in The Business Journals.
Small businesses could see more Restaurant Revitalization Fund money and other grants for hard-hit industries — but only after Congress finishes its work on a pair of infrastructure bills.
Right now, Congress is occupied trying to pass both a $1 trillion “hard infrastructure” bill with funding for roads and bridges, as well as another $3.5 trillion bill including tax credits for families with children through a process called reconciliation allowing just 50 votes in the Senate. That political wrangling is happening both between Democrats and Republicans and within the Democratic Party itself over how big the bill should be and how it should be passed.
It goes by many names — yard sale, garage sale, rummage sale, estate sale — and its purposes are many. Looking to rid your house of all that junk you’ve got in the attic? Sell it outside. Got an open weekend you’d like to fill? Set a couch, a blender, and some booties on your lawn and watch the cars line up.
Just want a little extra cash? Yard it up.
“Yard sale” is a siren call for bargain hunters, antique seekers, and lovers of all things kitsch, and there are people who wait all year for the warmer weather that turns neighborhoods into giant, cardboard-signed clearance sales. Whether you’re looking to score some bucks, fill some time or clear the clutter (or all of the above), you may find a yard sale is a perfect way to spend a Saturday at home — as long as you do it right.
It may seem simple, and it pretty much is. But as with most things worth doing, a yard sale does require some knowledge and effort to be a success. Here, what you need to know, do and plan for in order to pull off a great event, including some of the little extras that can make it a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
Let’s begin with the basics because a brush-up never hurts …
Freedom of speech at school: 4 steps to creating a policy that safeguards students and faculty
In June 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in Mahoney Area School District v. B.L. that a female student could not be suspended from her cheerleading squad for criticizing her school on social media. As Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in his majority opinion: “While public schools may have a special interest in regulating some off-campus student speech…the school itself has an interest in protecting the student’s unpopular expression… because America’s public schools are the nurseries of democracy.”
Surgery puts enormous stress on the body. It puts patients at risk for complications, which can slow recovery. But taking time to get into optimal shape before elective surgery can vastly improve a patient’s chances for a speedy recovery from surgery, says Katie Starr, Vivo chief scientific officer with the VA POSH (Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health) at the Durham VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.
Essentially, the healthier a person is before surgery, the better equipped their bodies are to overcome the stress responses produced during surgery. But many people have compromised immune systems due to advanced age or a medical condition, making it more difficult for them to bounce back after surgery.
From cybersecurity exposures and ransomware attacks to M&A volatility and securities litigation, a variety of evolving professional lines risks are affecting the management and professional liability market as the economy adapts in response to COVID-19.
The Professional Lines Risk Matrix featuring 10 potential exposures affecting the professional lines market.
The Risk Matrix, produced by the editorial team at Risk & Insurance®, plots 10 areas that businesses should address to mitigate professional lines-related risks, based on frequency and severity.
One pandemic-era risk trend that continues to affect markets is the rise of mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Morgan Stanley reported that last quarter saw 1,250 M&A deals globally, totaling more than $1 trillion. Contributing to the economic landscape are special purpose acquisition companies (SPACs), businesses expressly created to take other companies public and avoid the traditional IPO process. With SPACs, there can be a conflict of interest, with one party trying to close the deal quickly and the other party focused on price. This conflict is leading to more litigation under federal security laws.
Severe weather events can push systems to their limit. When those systems fail, businesses and municipalities may be liable for claims relating to property damage, business interruption, and even loss of life. Directors and officers could be held liable if they fail to prepare for severe weather, much like we saw when historic Winter Storm Uri left portions of Texas without heat or power for a week. Government and municipalities can mitigate potential directors and officers’ (D&O) exposures by conducting their due diligence. Taking actions like staying up to date on climate data, evaluating and upgrading their current capacities against system failure, and having a continuity plan for emergencies can help organizations reduce their risk and keep the public safe.
Ransomware
The threat of ransomware attacks is becoming more common—in 2021 so far, 68.5 percent of businesses have already been victimized by some type of attack. Digital connectivity is unavoidable for businesses as more turn to computers and online systems to get the job done. The inability to protect sensitive data could leave organizations in both legal and financial jeopardy and goes beyond just cyber exposure. For example, when a ransomware attack occurs at a healthcare facility, both patients and hospital operations can be impacted, resulting in medical malpractice, product liability, and billing errors, and other regulatory liability concerns.
Proper due diligence
For more than a year, businesses across sectors pivoted to new functions and capabilities to keep up with the rapidly evolving economic landscape. While many pandemic-related restrictions are being lifted, the post-COVID-19 world poses a new set of risks that organizations will need to address. Whether companies are welcoming employees back to the office, entering into new vendor partnerships, or evaluating their geographic footprints, they need to do their due diligence and assess the potential exposures.
Social responsibility
Businesses are committing to environmental and social governance (ESG) more than ever before because consumers are looking to engage with corporations that take into account their impact on society at large. How a company treats its employees, addresses top-tier societal issues, and responds to current events can have a significant effect on overall performance. But if a company fails to follow through on its promises, it can expose itself to a variety of risks—loss of shareholders, employees, reputation and revenue can stem from poor ESG performance.
Bankruptcy-related claims
With 2020 going down in history as the “year of COVID-19,” D&O inquiries and related claims continue to be at the forefront of many organizations’ minds. Pandemic-driven macro-economic conditions have disrupted revenue and cash flow, resulting in debt covenant triggers and bankruptcy filings. Boards should be prepared for potential litigation arising out of such actions, and claims made against management alleging misconduct and/or negligence in the performance of fiduciary duties are predicted to rise.
Audits of PPP loans
In response to economic instability caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. A key part of that act was the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, a low-interest loan backed by the Small Business Association (SBA) that would help businesses cover payroll and other operational expenses. As of May 31, 2021, the SBA has given out more than $800 billion in PPP loans. And while most PPP recipients used their loans to stay afloat and support their workforce, some business owners used that money inappropriately. Now, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is beginning to look more closely at how these funds were being used. A business under investigation may look to its D&O insurance policy for support—but it doesn’t necessarily provide coverage in fraud-related government investigations.
