by California Casualty | News |
So I went out to start the car this morning and the ice was so thick I couldn’t scrape it off the windshield. When I tried opening the door to start the car and get the heater and defroster working, the lock was frozen. Has this happened to you? I thought I’d look up some essential tips for anyone who lives where ice and snow are common so you won’t be late for work or school. And for those of you living in more temperate climates, keep these handy if Mother Nature throws one of her occasional frozen curve balls and you’re stuck in a personal scene from the movie Frozen.
These 15 winter hacks come from the Weather Channel:
- Coat snow shovels with non-stick cooking sprays – the snow will slide off easier (this also worked on the plastic sleds my daughter and I used for sliding down hills faster)
- Riding your bicycle? Use thick plastic zip-ties around tires for more traction (it can also work on the bottom of shoes and boots)
- Eliminate wet socks; slip sandwich bags over them before putting on shoes
- Use closet shoe organizers for gloves and scarves
- Battle dry skin by taking shorter, lukewarm showers
- Place tin foil on walls behind radiators and space heaters to reflect more of the heat back into the room
- Leave the oven door open after cooking – the residual heat will add warmth to the house
- Run ceiling fans clockwise to push warm air down to living areas
- Open curtains and blinds on sunny days to let the sun warm your home
- Park your vehicle with the windshield facing east to help defrost it when the sun rises
- Use kitty litter or car mats to provide traction if you get stuck
- Thaw frozen car door locks and handles with hand sanitizer
- Spray WD 40 in frozen key holes
- Put hot water bottles or warm pans on cold sheets to warm them before you hop in bed
- Place a tray with pebbles inside the doorway to drain icy, wet shoes and boots to keep floors cleaner and drier
What winter weather hacks do you use? Share them with us so we can pass them along too.
This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters and nurses. Get a quote at 1.800.800.9410 or www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | News |
If you are doing a last minute scramble for the perfect holiday gift, maybe you should pay attention to social media. After analyzing data from millions of online conversations from Twitter, Facebook and other platforms about holiday presents, Prime Visibility deduced the top gifts people wanted this year:
- Cash
- Gift Cards
- iPhone
- Drone
- Shoes
Here’s how 2014 desires compared to those of 2013:
Here are some other top gift requests from the report:
- Guardians of the Galaxy was tops for movies
- Xbox 360 the most sought after game console
- Nike was the most requested apparel
- Visa led the list for gift cards
No matter what gift you give or get, here’s a holiday wish for all the best for you and your family from California Casualty. If you should need us, we are ready to help with claims support, customer service or a policy review at 1.800.800.9410 or visit www.calcas.com.
by California Casualty | News |
Our Kansas office recently took apart in the fun of the Ugly Sweater Craze. Check out the Sweater Contenders Below.
by California Casualty | News |
By Mark Goldberg, California Casualty
I have a terrible admission to make: my daughter was bullied and I failed to recognize it. She is now a freshman in college and has used her experience to write her college admissions essay. While she is succeeding at school and in life, the scars of the insults, name calling and ostracizing still occasionally eat at her confidence and sense of self-worth.
She told me kids had been picking on her back in elementary school. The verbal, occasional physical assaults (pushing, hair pulling, etc.) and false rumors apparently increased in middle school and freshman and sophomore years in high school. I was fairly oblivious because she seemed well adjusted, getting good grades and active in school activities. She has since told me that she felt alone and that my advice that, “these things will pass” and “toughen up” made her feel even more isolated.
If it can happen to us, it can happen to any family. That’s why it is so important that parents, educators and others are aware of National Bullying Month.
October is National Bullying Month. The campaign began with a one week observation and informational campaign in 2006 by the nonprofit PACER Resource Center, created by parents of children and youth with disabilities, to help other parents and families facing similar challenges. Their statistics show more than 13 million American Children are bullied each year – one out of every three students – and bullying significantly impacts the emotional and physical well-being of those involved.
With the explosion of social media, cell phones and portable computers, bullying has been elevated to new levels through “cyber-bullying.”
PACER is encouraging individuals, schools, businesses and organizations around the country to show their support for National Bullying Prevention Month this year, by raising awareness and offering bullying prevention resources.
A highlight every year is Unity Day, where participants are urged to wear orange. The first Unity Day in 2011 was promoted by Ellen DeGeneres, and the day has gone viral via Facebook.
The National Education Association (NEA) is also a major proponent of ending bullying. They cite a report by Joel Haber, Ph.D., and author of Bullyproof Your Child for Life: Protect Your Child from Teasing, Taunting and Bullying for Good, that nearly one out of four children report experiences with bullying and 80 percent of high school students say they witness bullying at least once a week. Eliminating bullying takes the efforts of everybody and as the NEA aptly put it, “Students cannot learn if they are living in fear.”
For more information and resources on National Bullying Prevention Month, visit PACER at https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/, or learn more about the NEA’s myriad anti-bullying resources at https://www.nea.org/home/42485.htm.
There are also a number of valuable resources including the government’s national bullying prevention website and the Stomp Out Bullying webpage.
Sources for this article:
https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/
https://www.nea.org/home/42485.htm
https://www.stopbullying.gov/
https://www.stompoutbullying.org/index.php/campaigns/national-bullying-prevention-awareness-month/
by California Casualty | News |
There’s excitement and anticipation associated with relocating to a new place to live; you get to pick the paint colors you love, maybe there is a new yard to plan and that extra room you always wanted. If you are preparing for a new home or apartment, you are not alone; the U.S. Census Bureau finds almost 36 million people moved to a new residence between 2012 and 2013. The reason for most was to find a new place to live, followed by relocation for a new job. No matter the reason, preparing for a moving adventure can be a stressful experience.
Here are some helpful packing tips that will make the move easier, from the article 17 Packing Hacks that Will Transform Your Next Move:
- Open all lotions, sprays and gels, place a layer of plastic wrap over the opening before putting the cap back on to prevent messy and costly spills
- Use a garbage bag liner in a box with numerous small items that could break; it will make clean up much easier
- Put necessities in a small suitcase or tote so they will be easy to find when you arrive at the new place
- Keep clothes on hangers, zip tie them together and wrap them in plastic for easier transition into a new closet
- Put fitted sheets on both sides of a mattress to protect it
- Plastic foam plates between breakable dinnerware is better protection than newspaper
- Potholders can be used as knife holders
- Pack bottles of wine in kids pool floaties to keep them from breaking
- Label your cords with duct tape with the name of the corresponding appliance for hassle free matching
- Pack books in suitcases
The time of year you move can save you money. In 2008, July passed June as the most popular month to move. November was the slowest time, meaning more room for price negotiation.
Mayflower.com has a list of 10 essentials most often forgotten in a move. Did you remember?
- To get copies of your family’s medical records and veterinary records for your pets, as well as copies of prescriptions you may need to transfer
- An official copy of your child’s school records (needed to enroll them into a new school)
- Valuables you had hidden around the house (jewelry, stamps, coins)
- Important phone numbers and email addresses
- The items you may have taken to the cleaners but hadn’t picked up yet (or the watch at the repair shop)
- A copy of your new address
- To leave some cleaning supplies for the after move clean up
- To leave the garage door opener – many people forget to take the out of their vehicles
- To open a checking account in your new city a month prior to the move
- To gather all the keys to the house you have hidden or given to neighbors and friends
Keep in mind there are other expenses to consider: hotels, meals out and establishing utilities, internet and cable or satellite TV at your new location. Moving.com calculated that people spend more money during the three months around the time of their move than non-movers spend in five years. When all is said and done, relocating homeowners spent as much as $10,000 on furniture and accessories, apartment dwellers around $4,000.
Insurance is also an essential part of your move! While most renters and home insurance will cover your items during a move, very few provide coverage while your goods are in transit. It’s recommended that you purchase insurance from a moving company to protect your items from point A to point B.
You will also need to contact your California Casualty representative BEFORE-hand to get the appropriate coverage on your new dwelling.
Make sure you get the best value in protecting your home and the valuables inside. Contact a California Casualty advisor for a homeowner or renter policy review at 1.800.800.9410.
Sources for this article:
https://www.mymovingreviews.com/move/moving-statistics
https://www.moving.com/about-us/index.asp
https://www.hampdenmoving.com/forgotten-items.html
by California Casualty | News |
Ever wonder what life is like for our CEO outside of work? Here we will give you the inside scoop on all of Beau Brown’s likes, dislikes, hobbies and habits.
*A Special Post Written by Thomas Brown, son of CEO Beau Brown
Photo: (Left) Thomas Brown and Beau Brown
- Beau is the 4th Generation Brown family CEO at California Casualty. He follows in the footsteps of Carl G. Brown Sr., Carl G. Brown Jr., and Thomas R. Brown.
- Beau has been with the company for almost 26 years, starting officially in 1988. He has been CEO of California Casualty for 7 years, starting in 2007.
- Beau’s first summer job, long before coming to California Casualty, was as a construction worker. He remembers that he used to pour concrete and once almost chopped off a finger while riding a forklift.
- Beau went to college at Dartmouth, where he played football.
- Beau enjoys fly-fishing. He goes to Wyoming every year to fish with his family.
- Beau’s favorite sports teams are the Golden State Warriors, San Francisco Giants, and San Francisco 49ers.
- Although football was his main sport throughout his childhood, Beau managed to coach his kids’ basketball teams until they each turned 10 when he realized that instructional books could only go so far and passed the job onto professional coaches.
- Beau’s favorite ice cream flavor is peppermint. Unfortunately this flavor is only available at Christmas, so during other times of the year he enjoys cookies and cream.
- Beau drives the spacious Buick Enclave which helps him drive his son and lots of his teammates to their basketball games.
- Beau enjoys taking long 2 hour walks around Stanford. According to his kids, he seems to never be without the giant straw hat that he takes along with him on his walks.
- Beau consistently goes to bed before 8:30 so he can wake up early to get to work. He believes that sleep is very important and is constantly trying to convert his family to the “getting to bed early” schedule.
