Happiness is not elusive. In fact, it’s pretty easy to attain. Follow the steps below to happiness.
- Take time to just breathe. In this crazy world, we are trying cram 1,000 things into our lives. The one thing we really need to do is take 15-20 minutes out of your day and just sit and meditate and breathe.
- Sitting down all day. It’s no secret that sitting down all the time isn’t healthy. It restricts blood flow, doesn’t burn any or very little calories, and increases your chance of cardiovascular disease.
- Be a social butterfly. People with strong social connections tend to be much happier. That’s what life is all about, so get connected.
- Join a spiritual community. Religion has played a huge role in a person’s happiness by offering a place to share their struggles and joys. Not holding onto life’s stressors and giving them over to a higher power releases stress and anxiety.
- Feed your creativity. Take time out and paint a picture, write a story, enjoy an art museum, whatever feeds your creative soul.
- Get outside! Not getting fresh air can make a person grumpy. Just ask any of the kids today that never leave their X-Box. They are cramped, unhappy and need to get out and play.
- Love your job or quit. When you have a job that you love, you’ll be happier. Considering you have to spend 8 hours of your day at your vocation.
- The more the merrier! Italians love to eat together and they know that eating together makes people happy.
- Believe in yourself! You deserve happiness, yes, it’s for you. Believe that you are entitled to be happy. Because you are entitled to have joy in your life.
So go on and choose to be happy!
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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Beaches are an inexpensive way to get away (well if you stay local) and have some R&R. You can bring your entire family (yes, even a family reunion), break out the barbecue and let the kids go wild in the water.
Here are a few tips to make your trip to the beach more enjoyable.
- Protect the skin. Grab the sunscreen, that cute little umbrella, and relax knowing that you and your family are protected by the sun’s harsh rays.
- Pack the camera. Film and click away your fun filled beach day.
- Tidal pools anyone? These are fun ways to get up close and personal with some really cool creatures from the sea.
- The world is your sandbox. Well, at least for the day. Bring your shovel and pail and have some sandcastle fun with the kids.
- Go fly a kite. Literally.
- Bring the volleyball or badminton set and play a couple of games.
- Collect the seashells. These are great souvenirs and don’t cost anything. When you clean them you can add them to your fish tank or even make shell jewelry.
This summer have a blast at the beach!
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
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The third consecutive year of drought plaguing California has encouraged unprecedented legislative and regulatory efforts to conserve what limited water the state has in its supply.
Come Tuesday, state officials from the State Water Resources Control Board will meet to discuss plans to impose emergency and temporary water conservation rules and regulations on outdoor water usage, an area state officials view as posing great potential for preserving the coveted liquid.
If passed, the new rules could include a $500 daily maximum fine for “water hogs” and violators, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
Prohibited activities could include using water to wash down hard surfaces such a driveways and sidewalks; using landscaping water to the point where it would result in runoff, and the washing of vehicles unless the hose has a shut-off nozzle which controls water output.
Flushable toilets at popular state parks such as D.L. Bliss State Park at Lake Tahoe, the Hearst Castle Visitor’s Center, and Hearst San Simeon State Park have been shut down and replaced with portable toilets, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, showers at D.L. Bliss, San Simeon and Portola Redwoods State Parks have also been shut down in an effort to conserve water.
The AP notes that the officials have said the remaining water supply must be preserved for portable water at”This is not about aesthetics,” Gordon said, “as much as public health.” campsites and firefighting.
In San Francisco, city officials have raised concerns over the need to use water to wash off human fecal matter and urine from sidewalks. “We give very high priority to responding to the pee and poop requests,” said Public Works Department spokeswoman Rachel Gordon. This past year alone, San Francisco had 16,164 reports of streets and sidewalks in need of cleaning, the bulk of which concerned human waste, reports the Chronicle.
“This is not about aesthetics…as much as public health,” Gordon said, expressing that city officials have said they will continue giving priority to ensuring human waste is removed from their streets and seek necessary exemptions to use water to carry out the cleaning process.
Content provided by http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/13/California-Drought-Creates-Unprecedented-Temporary-Legislation-Fines
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The jingle “hold the pickles, hold the lettuce, special orders don’t upset us” may need to include hold the hamburgers too, as drought-related costs have spiked the prices of hamburgers at favorite fast-food restaurants like In-N-Out Burger.
The San Bernadino Sun reports that, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this year beef prices are going to rise 5.5 to 6.5 percent, and poultry should increase 3 to 4 percent. Moreover, fruit, vegetables, and eggs will also increase in price by 3 to 4 percent. Significantly, California grows half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables, but because of the record-setting drought, now in its third year, 500,000 acres of farmland remain uncultivated.
“We make every effort to keep our menu prices as low as possible,” claims In-N-Out’s executive vice president of development Carl Van Fleet. “Unfortunately, we have seen some pretty significant cost increases over the last year, and we had to take a small price increase in order to maintain our quality standards.”
All this boils down to higher prices for the consumer and, for those who are already feeling pinched by the lagging economic recovery, choosing what to order is being reconsidered. Giovanni Benitez, who recently had lunch at an In-N-Out Burger in Pasadena said, “I usually always get a combo, but now I might start buying just the hamburger.”
In-N-Out is not the only retail food chain raising prices. Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks are also increasing the prices on their menus. Both stores are increasing the price of items in the 4 to 10 percent range.
Notably, consumers aren’t the only ones being affected by the fallout of increased water costs due to the drought. A U.C. Davis Center for Watershed Sciences study indicates that the drought could cost California’s agricultural and farm communities $1.7 billion and predicts that 14,500 full-time and seasonal workers will lose their jobs.
Consequently, farmers have started to invest in expensive water drilling equipment to locate underground water sources. CBS5 KPIX reports that independent well drilling companies are booming as a result of farmers looking for alternate sources of water.
Steve Arthur, who has been in the drilling-for-water business since 1974, said that he is booked through March of 2015 for drilling new wells. Steve says, “If farmers are not able to drill a well to keep their crops growing, then they are going to have to quit… The effects of that is going to be devastating. They are going to go into the market one day and a gallon of milk is going to cost ten dollars.”
Content provided by http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-California/2014/07/08/In-N-Out-Burgers-and-Chipotle-Tacos-Prices-Rising-As-Ca-Drought-Persists
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Medical losses paid for California workers compensation claims remained relatively flat from 2012 to 2013, but payments for Medicare reimbursement and medical cost containment programs saw an uptick during that period, according to a new analysis.
California workers comp insurers and self-insured employers paid $5.2 billion in medical losses in 2013, up from $4.8 billion in 2012, the San Francisco-based Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau of California said Thursday in a statement. Of those losses, payers placed $129 million into Medicare set-aside accounts in 2013, up from $92 million in 2012.
The Medicare Secondary Payer Act requires self-insured employers and insurers to act as primary payers for workers comp and liability claims involving Medicare beneficiaries. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services advises workers comp payers to set up Medicare set-aside accounts to pay for future medical costs for a beneficiary’s injury.
California comp payers also reimbursed $6 million to Medicare in 2013 for treatment that had been already provided to workers comp claimants for their occupational injuries, up from $3 million for such reimbursements in 2012, according to the WCIRB report.
The bureau noted that insurers and employers paid $446 million in 2013 for medical cost containment programs related to California workers comp claims, up from $414 million in 2012. Costs for such programs have increased every year in California since 2009, the report showed.
Content provided by http://www.businessinsurance.com/article/20140627/NEWS08/140629851?tags=|59|338|70|329|74|339|304|92
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Every year, the city of Watsonville puts on a special parade, called the Spirit of Watsonville for the 4th of July. The parade is filled with tractors, fire engines, classic car clubs, antique cars, and non-profit organizations.
The parade encompasses the spirit and pride of Watsonville. Nothing short of a wonderful display of our community getting together to celebrate our independence.
The parade begins at 2:00 pm in Downtown Watsonville. We hope to see you there!
From all of us here at Scurich Insurance Services, we wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July!
Our office will be closed Friday, July 4th.
Content provided by Transformer Marketing.
Sources: http://cityofwatsonville.org/visitors/spirit-of-watsonville
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Happiness is not elusive. In fact, it’s pretty easy to attain. Follow the steps below to happiness.
