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Client Base Building: 8 Great Ways for Your Business to Find New Customers

Dana R
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Client Base Building: 8 Great Ways for Your Business to Find New Customers

You’ve opened your dream business, you’ve got tasteful, stylish signage outside, and you’re ready for customers. However, on opening those double doors, not a soul can be found.

You’re stumped – you did everything right, and your idea is foolproof. So why hasn’t anyone stumbled upon your genius yet? Is your business not good enough?

Slow down – the problem probably isn’t with your business. The truth is, it can be challenging to get new customers, especially if you’re starting with very few leads.

That’s why we’ve created this handy list of 8 innovative ways to quickly gain new, loyal customers for your business. 

Ready? Let’s jump in.

Hand pressing a new customers business button on blurred city lights background

8 Genius Ways to Hook New Customers

We’ve broken down our list into the 8 best ideas for you to start building your business’ client base.

While some of these strategies rely on existing customers, we’ve also made sure to include some tips for entirely new businesses as well.

1. Use Customer Loyalty

If you’re an existing business, you probably have some customers who love your service. In the case of building a base of new customers, any current customers become a valuable resource.

With this in mind, try a few of these techniques to leverage your existing customers:

  • Get them to give referrals (consider giving out some freebies in response)
  • Offer prizes (discounts, coupons, gift cards) for reviews or bringing in new people
  • Personalize touches for customers (homemade notes)

It’s no secret that customers are willing to bring people to businesses that they love – show your customers you value their business and their friends will follow.

2. Mingle with Contemporaries

In the age of the internet, it’s more important than ever for companies to have an active social media footprint. But more than just connecting with your regular customers, social media allows you to mingle with potential clients, even people not within your current industry.

In particular, Twitter and LinkedIn are great places to do this, as it’s easy to reach out to people and create a connection.

Social media isn’t the only place to link with new customers, either – try attending physical events and discussing your business with potential clients. That’s right, good old-fashioned footwork isn’t quite dead yet.

3. Give Out Promo Items

If there’s one thing we know about people, it’s that they love free stuff. So why not take advantage of that “take everything free” mentality?

Promotional items might seem cheesy at first glance, but they’re actually an effective (and cheap) way of marketing a business.

Plus, if you can figure out an innovative way to make the item useful (branded bottle openers, anyone?), the people who receive them will actually use them, putting your business in their head every time they do.

4. Hold Some Events

Events work nicely because they serve two purposes: people get to try out a new business, and they get to mingle with their friends. It’s a win-win, and a great way of generating new customers.

Here are some great ideas for events you could hold:

  • Reach out to groups looking for meeting/event spaces
  • Wine & cheese nights for food-based businesses or restaurants
  • Partner with another complementary business to hold a joint event

There’s also a hidden third benefit here – when people come to an event or hold their meetings at your business, they come to associate those good memories with your space. Triple whammy.

5. Improve Your SEO

SEO is just as important (or arguably more important) than your day-to-day foot traffic. While only a handful of people might walk past your business, many more will discover it via Google, Yelp, or other search services.

With that in mind, you can improve your business’ SEO in tons of fairly easy ways to gain new customers:

  • Create a blog full of common search topics in your industry (and update it often)
  • Cultivate your online presence, so you’re everywhere
  • Engage with a community by commenting and linking to other companies/businesses

It’s not enough to just have a website set up – you’ve got to put in the work to rank your website as well. You should also look into hiring an experienced team that can provide SEO services to help guide you in the right direction and provide ideas on how to take your business’ SEO to the next level. 

6. Offer New Customer Specials

How many times have you seen a “new customers get 25% off” sign and been tempted to take a step in, even if the business isn’t somewhere, you’d typically go? After all, we all know the fear of missing out (FOMO). 

Just like with free stuff, it’s possible to catch new customers with deals and steals, especially if they feel like those deals are going to go away soon.

With this in mind, try running some new customer-exclusive deals to get foot traffic into your business. Ultimately, the amount of money lost on discounts will be more than made up for if you can get some loyal new customers.

7. Use Available Resources

You no longer need to take stabs in the dark to estimate what kinds of clients want your products. In fact, there are tons of new software and partner companies that can help you generate leads and figure out who your target market should be (read more here).

While it might seem scary to bring in outside influence, don’t be afraid to consult these companies. They just might be the missing link to getting your business the recognition it deserves.

8. Carve out a Niche

The sheer amount of new businesses that crop up yearly can make starting a business seem impossible, especially regarding gaining new customers.

It’s not impossible; it’s just a bit different, as businesses need to find their “thing” to be successful. For instance, if you are a health food company, try to think of an angle that allows you to be unique in that space. Maybe you offer health food specifically for people who do watersports, or people who come from military training backgrounds.

Whatever it is, it’s critical to find a specific, unique space to occupy to build a base of new customers.

Now What?

Now you’re an expert on gaining new customers, so building a loyal base should be a breeze.

Hungry for more? Check out some of our other business articles for more tips on building a following, and contact us if you have questions or concerns.

Ringworm: How it Spreads & How to Deal With It

Kathryn R. Bown
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Ringworm: How it Spreads & How to Deal With It

This fungal infection is such a nuisance but there are effective ways to deal with it.

You may think that ringworm is caused by a worm but that is not the case. It is actually caused by a fungus and it gets the name ringworm from the shape it forms when it develops on the skin. Ringworm is characterized by a circular rash on the skin that has distinct edges. It looks like a worm that has its ends joined to form a ring and as such, the infection has come to be identified as ringworm.

It is common in school going children but it can also be found in adults who don’t uphold the best hygiene practices. It is spread through contact with an infected surface and it appears on different parts of the body. Clothes and surfaces such as locker rooms and bathrooms harbour the fungus and one can easily catch it after coming into contact with the infected surfaces.

It is common in people who have compromised immune systems. It spreads easily among groups of people who spend a lot of time together and such as families and athletes since there is a long of skin to skin contact.

A mother can easily get it from her child when she is breastfeeding and an athlete can get it from another when they share clothing in the changing room.

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

Treatment for Ringworm

Ring worm is quite irritating but the good thing is that it doesn’t come with harsh complications. The ringworm rash can be treated with topical creams and it will gradually disappear. However, when the ringworm develops on the scalp, topical treatments will not be ideal as such treatments do not penetrate the scalp properly for effective treatment.

In such a case, you will require oral antifungal medications that are more intensive than topical creams. The treatment will take approximately 6 weeks but it will help clear the infection once and for all.

Transmission from Animals

Ringworm is one of the diseases that humans share with animals and as such, one can get it from coming into contact with an infected animal. Pets such as cats and dogs are known to suffer ringworm infections and the fungus will get to you when you pet or play with them. Cows also bear the infection and you can get infected with ringworm when you come into contact with an infected cow.

How to Prevent Ringworm

The best way to prevent the spread of ringworm is by observing high levels of hygiene. You should also avoid sharing your clothing and personal items with others as this is the easiest way to get the infection transferred to you.

Parents should make sure that kids don’t share caps with their friends as they can easily get the fungus transferred to their scalps.

You should also avoid contact with infected animals. Monitor your pets for signs of ringworm and get them treated so as to prevent the infection from spreading in your home.

When you or any other member in your home gets ringworm, seek medical attention immediately so as to prevent its spread.

Blind Ambition – A Guide To Choosing Seasonal Window Dressings

Dana R
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Blind Ambition – A Guide To Choosing Seasonal Window Dressings

Australia’s seasonal climate is one that can leave residents wondering as to how to best warm and cool their home. Finding a way to comfortably cool and heat a home, regardless of the season, takes a multi-pronged approach to both decorating your home and managing energy costs. In fact, homeowners might find the perfect way to stay warm in the winter while enjoying the cool air in the summer is by investing in some clever additions to their home.

Installing roof ventilation units and skylights are just two great ways that homeowners can make their home feel comfortable as the seasons change. While not all homeowners have the budget to invest in large home improvement projects, it is possible to keep your home comfortable in another much more affordable way. Considering your window dressings, not only allows you to beautify the space but these improvements can also help you through the most extreme months, especially the Australian summers.

Let’s take a closer look at how changing your window dressings can help with controlling indoor heat and cooling as the seasons change.

Made In The Shade

If you are looking for ways to provide your home with some much-needed shade in the warmer months, consider awnings that can provide coverage for your patio, lawn and pool. Today’s awnings come in a variety of styles and colours with an option to suit every taste and budget. For an extra level of sophistication, homeowners can install awnings that provide adequate coverage and are also versatile enough to retract if you want to let the sun into your space. These folding arm awnings are great for families who love to spend time outdoors and want to be able to move in and out of the sunshine as they choose. These awnings can also help with controlling how much direct sunlight gets into the home, which can help to reduce your cooling costs.

Retractable Screens

Retractable screens are another way in which homeowners can avoid the heat during the summer. These screens are great for sliding glass doors because they allow homeowners to enjoy the fresh air while not having to worry about the problems that come with standard screens, such as bugs and other pests. Finally, many of these screens can be operated by remote control, making them easy to control. Plus, they can really add a sense of style to your place, giving it a chicness that is not often seen with standard screens.

Blinds

Blinds are a fantastic way to change up your home’s appearance while taking the changing seasons into account. The benefit of blinds is that they are easy to clean, and they allow homeowners to better regulate the amount of light that gets into the home. If you think blinds would be a good choice for your home, there is a huge range of choices available. They come in remote control options, solar options, and battery-powered versions. Vertical and horizontal blinds come in wood-coloured, wooden, and plastic and there are also fabric blinds, such as Roman and roller blinds, to choose from.  

Soft Window Treatments

Soft window treatments include drapes and curtains. While drapes and curtains require more work, they can give your room an elegant and sophisticated look, that for many homeowners is difficult to beat. Their major benefit is that they serve as insulation in the winter months when it is cooler while keeping the light out in the warmer months. For a more effective solution to keeping sunlight out of your home, consider blackout curtains that are specifically designed to stop the light from getting into your space.

A Dressing For Each Season

With so many options available to homeowners, finding the right window dressing to keep your home comfortable throughout the year should not be difficult. Modern window dressings have come a long way in providing functionality while also adding to the overall aesthetics of your home. Whether choosing awnings, blinds, or soft window treatments, there is something available to match every style, theme and look. Whatever your needs are, be sure to take some time to understand your requirements first. Knowing exactly what you expect from your new window dressings will allow you to make the right decision for your home both in terms of how they function and how they look in your home.

Sunlit Solutions – An Illuminating Guide To Skylights

Dana R
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Sunlit Solutions – An Illuminating Guide To Skylights

Natural light brings illumination to a space that cannot be replicated by other types of lights. In addition to brightening the space, natural light can also provide our bodies with a healthy dose of Vitamin D. For homeowners who love natural light, there are a million and one ways to bring it into their living spaces.

One common way to take advantage of natural light is to install skylights. Skylights are great for rooms that are dim and excellent for hallways and foyers, which typically get little light. However, for those new to shopping for skylights, finding one that fits your budget and is perfect for your space can be time-consuming.

Let’s take a closer look at the different types of skylights available so that you can make the right choice for your home.

Skylight Models

Each one comes in a different shape – flat, arched, domed, and pyramid. They are usually made from plastic or glass and come with glazing either plastic or glass. Plastic glazing is more affordable and sturdy, but glass glazing lasts a long time.

Then, there are the different types of light that come into the home. Flared light, straight light, and shaft-less light are a few of the types available with each one working best for the shape and style of the room. The right choice will depend on whether there are obstructions in the way and the shape of the ceiling.  

Homeowners have a few choices in skylights styles from which to choose. Fixed skylights can be installed in any room and are great for out-of-reach places. They come with plastic domes but do not provide any ventilation. Tubular skylights are great for hallways, pantries, foyers, closets, and other typically dimly lit spaces. Of the three types, these are supposed to be the easiest to install. It contains an adjustable reflective tube and fits into tight spaces.

Finally, there are the skylights that open up and provide ventilation. These work well in places where moisture collects in rooms, i.e. bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms. This particular style also works with cathedral ceilings. The benefits to this style of skylight are that they can come with a remote control, and they are easier to clean.

Energy-Efficiency

The one feature of skylights that make them very attractive to consumers is that they are not only great ways to brighten spaces, but they are very energy efficient. When shopping for skylights, buyers should be aware of a few factors. If deciding to install a skylight, keep in mind that skylights that face north can provide much illumination without taking in or releasing too much heat.

Those that face south can provide your home extra warmth in the winter, but unfortunately, can cause your home to retain heat in the summer. Skylights that face east can provide more light and heat in the morning, while those that face west do the same thing in the afternoon. While ultimately the home’s floor plan will dictate where to place the skylight, homeowners should keep this in mind.

When looking for a skylight, shoppers should pay attention to a few things. First, skylights with the Energy Star label maximise efficiency to lower your utility bills. Features to look out for include heat-absorbing units, UV protection, and low-emissivity coatings, as these provide homeowners with energy efficiency while reducing the fading effect of the light let in on carpeting and other surfaces. A few models have motorised blinds to offset the glare at the brightest time of the day.

Guiding Light To The Right Skylight

Installing a skylight has to be one of the best ways to improve the look and value of your home. Natural light that enters into the space can really change the appearance of a room. More importantly, it can make your home more energy efficient while letting the light shine in.

Preparation and Implementation of Clinical Trials – A Guide

Dana R
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Preparation and Implementation of Clinical Trials – A Guide

Research is one of the ways that scientists, scholars, and researchers generate conclusions regarding a range of subjects. More than making a name for themselves, this group of professionals have a vested interest in making sure that not only research protocols are followed rigidly but also making sure that long before the trials are implemented much preparation has taken place. The preparation and implementation guidelines in a clinical trial pretty much govern the entire project, and when organised, can result in well-founded, valid research results.

When preparing to conduct clinical trials, some of the more obvious activities like choosing subjects and material eclipse other more important details like obtaining the right clinical trial insurance. Safety is also a major concern when organising clinical trials, regardless of whether these trials are human or non-human. Australia’s governing body on research, The Department of Health and Ageing, gives prospective clinical trial holders a guide to use in preparing and implementing research.

Continue reading to learn what is expected of researchers when holding clinical trials.

Preparation Activities

In its initial stages, clinical trial facilitators have two tasks to complete before actually going about the research. Coming up with questions related to the research itself and then actually doing the prep work are major tasks that need to be tackled. These questions are designed to give the study focus, and the prep work is related to making sure that participants and staff are safe.

Questions that researchers should ask themselves include: questions related to the outcome or what question the trial intends to address, questions related to the structure of the trial design, questions related to the number of subjects or participants, questions related to insurance coverage, questions related to the treatment of participants after the trial has been completed, questions related to the packaging of trial products, and questions related to the patient consent forms. According to the Department of Health, these are the major questions researchers should answer in the preparation process.

Doing the prep work involves the orchestration of many tasks. One of the first tasks relates to gathering the essentials, which can include a Trial Master of Files containing an Investigator’s Brochure (IB) regarding the product. The IB should include a table of contents, a summary of the contents (chemical, pharmacological, pharmaceutical, metabolic, and clinical information about the product), a brief summary of the product as outlined by the Department of Health, and a description of the structural formulas of the product.

Another major task relates to any business that should be taken care of sometime before the trials begin. Making sure that patients are informed and have given their consent to participate in trials, providing documentation of agreements between sponsors and investigators, and providing an insurance statement are all important. Getting the requisite signatures to the appropriate offices is important, and making sure information related to the curriculum vitae of all investigators is up-to-date is important.   

Implementation

Once finished with the prep work, investigators should make sure to provide updates of brochures, provide dates revisions of brochures, provide investigational product’s accountability documents, provide a curriculum vitae for new investigators, and provide informed consent forms. Throughout the trials, investigators should monitor trials and provide reports of progress. Investigators should also provide notification to governing authorities regarding serious events or emergencies that occur on site. At the close of the trial, researchers should provide governing bodies with investigation product accountability, closeout monitoring report, and a clinical study report.

Preparation And Implementation Insurance

Ultimately, clinical trial preparation and implementation are the insurance that ensures that the trials are completed with the most integrity. While it requires a lot of documentation and patience, those looking toward clinical trials will find this structured agenda a great guide. For a full explanation of conducting clinical trials, see Australia’s Department of Health And Ageing Guide on clinical trials.

What Makes Them Tick – How To Protect Indoor Pets From Ticks

Dana R
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What Makes Them Tick – How To Protect Indoor Pets From Ticks

Regardless of the season, the tick problem can be a major hassle for pet owners. Pets become miserable with the constant scratching and itching, and then there are issues related to the various diseases that are carried by these pests, including Lyme disease. As the weather cools down, pet owners will have the opportunity to regroup and reset in preparation of the warmer weather much later in the year.

In the meantime, pet owners can get the jump on how to protect their family pets from ticks. Both residential and commercial pest control companies provide consumers a wealth of information related to ridding their pets and homes of pests indigenous to Australia. Pet owners will be pleasantly surprised to find that many of these remedies can be done right at home.

Continue reading to learn how you can keep your indoor pets protected from ticks.

Daily Check-Ups

The first way you can help your pet is by being aware of the problem. Checking your pets for fleas daily can be a way to assess the problems. When diagnosing your pet for a tick problem, there are certain areas where ticks gravitate. Most ticks can be found behind the ears, around the eyelids, under the collar (if they wear one), under the front legs, between the back legs, around the tail, and between the toes. If you do find ticks in any of these areas, it is very important to remove them because your pets can become susceptible not only to tick bites but also to a number of diseases.

Reduce Habitat

Check your pet’s house or hangout areas for ticks. Ticks come into the home through a variety of methods, and while removing ticks from your pet daily can help, keeping the area and home very clean can reduce the incidence of ticks. Also, consider spraying around the pet’s space and the home to prevent pests from taking root in the home. Wash all bed linen, and if your home is carpeted, make sure to vacuum regularly.

Use Treatments

There are a number of treatments, topical and oral, that pet owners can purchase. Tick repellents can be applied on the coat and absorbed in the skin. Flea and tick collars also act as repellents as well, and with dogs, the best ones come in direct contact with the skin. There are also shampoos and dips that can effectively reduce ticks, and while shampoos are good, dips last a little bit longer. With cats, you want to consult with your vet before applying anything to their coat. Finally, if the problem gets out-of-control, take your pet to the vet to get a prescription for oral treatments.

Avoid Tick Hot Spots

While it would be easy to prevent your pet from being plagued by ticks by keeping them indoors, the reality is that pets like to get out in the sunshine and play, especially cats who are known for wandering the neighbourhood on their own. When taking Fido out for a stroll, pay attention to heavily wooded areas or areas with a lot of brush because these are areas where ticks breed. A simple remedy is to keep dogs on a leash.

Be Aware Of Carriers

Rodents and other pets are possible carriers of ticks, and if trying to squash a tick problem, pet owners have to monitor both. Rats and mice are indigenous to Australia, so pet owners can again reduce the tick traffic simply by ridding themselves of these pests. If you own other pets, keeping them tick-free can reduce the problem as well.

Ticked-Off Solutions

Next summer you won’t have to find yourself and your pet plagued with tick problems. By identifying and avoiding tick hot spots and carriers, your pets will not become vulnerable to a pest that can potentially cause problems. Daily check-ups, treatments, and cleanliness can be a factor in completely eliminating ticks from your pet’s life once and for all.

Raising the Bar – How to Maintain Workflow While Growing Your Business

Dana R
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Raising the Bar – How to Maintain Workflow While Growing Your Business

Growing a business requires long hours and steadfast determination. However, it can be difficult to strategize and make plans towards business expansion, whilst still trying to juggle the day to day tasks of running a business. Fortunately, there are a few simple solutions to help you step away from your daily tasks and focus on future expansion. Read on to find our tips and tricks for maintaining workflow while growing your business.

Small Business Accounting Software

Accounting processes and financial reporting are among the most time-consuming tasks for business owners to perform. Payroll, raising invoices, inventory tracking and bank reconciliation, are all tasks which greatly restrict the amount of hours a business owner can spend working towards expansion.

Small business accounting software is the simple and cost-effective solution to a business’ accounting woes. Leading financial and accounting software is capable of automating many of the tasks which take hours for small business owners to manually perform. Some of the time-consuming tasks that accounting software can expediently perform are:

Invoice Generation: Proper invoice management is essential to the success and growth of any small business. Without invoice management processes in place, small businesses suffer from depleted cash flow. This is a significant impediment to any business growth goals you may have in place.

Accounting software is capable of streamlining and automating the entire invoicing process. The software is able to email professional invoices to your clients immediately after a sale has been made. These online invoices provide your clients with an easy and safe online link for payment, enabling them to use all major payment providers including AMEX, Visa, MasterCard and BPAY. Automated invoicing allows you to step away from chasing up late-payments and sending batches of invoices to clients at the end of the month.

Financial Reports: A business that has its eyes set on expansion requires frequent and accurate financial data. This data is critical to securing an understanding of your business’ financial position and monitoring any highs and lows in your cash flow. Generating financial reports is incredibly time-consuming when performed manually. It is also easy for the human eye to miss or incorrectly input numbers; thereby threatening the accuracy of your entire data pool.

One of the key benefits of accounting software is that it is able to integrate with your existing systems and sales processes in order to generate automated financial reports. This saves you the time and effort involved in manually inputting data. It is also an incredibly helpful feature for any business looking towards expansion as it provides accurate, real-time data for any investors or outside entities to review.  

Prepare Early

Early preparation is key when working towards growing your business. In order to maintain workflow while your business expands, it is essential to adequately prepare for the changes that growth will bring.

Many businesses fail to prepare early for increased growth and find their workflow suffering due to existing suppliers, processes and staff that are not adequately prepared for growth. It is therefore essential to prepare early by reviewing your current processes, staff and suppliers to ensure that your existing structure is sustainable for the future. Accounting software is also an important tool to utilise throughout this process. The software is capable of performing predictive analysis based on your live sales reports, providing you with data-driven statistics of your predicted growth.

Schedule your Day

When preparing to expand your business it is essential to vigilantly schedule your work day. This means setting aside designated hours of your day to pursue any leads or complete any work that is related to your business expansion plan.

Adhering to your schedule ensures that you set aside time every day to strategically prepare for your business’ growth. It also means that you can allocate other staff members accordingly to cover some of your other tasks during your set time period.

Preparing for business expansion is an exciting time for any small business owner. In order to secure the success of your business growth, it is important to prepare early and invest in leading software and tools to help you achieve your goals.

5 Machinery Replacement Essentials To Consider For Cost-Effective Business Decisions

Clyde K. Valle
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5 Machinery Replacement Essentials To Consider For Cost-Effective Business Decisions

Machinery is the lifeblood of any manufacturing business. The ability for your equipment to operate without fail can be a bottom line issue. It has safety implications for your team as well. However, knowing when it’s time to repair or replace vital manufacturing equipment can be challenging for business owners.

Should I replace or repair? How much are repairs going to cost? What is the extended life of the equipment if I repair versus replacing? These are all important questions manufacturers need to ask. There are certainly benefits and pitfalls associated, but we are here to help. The following five machinery replacement essentials to consider can serve as your roadmap to efficiency and productivity. Let’s dive in!

1. Take a hard look at your machinery equipment and maintenance schedule

The costs involved with replacing or repairing machinery equipment are always at the forefront when decisions need to be made by manufacturers. To most business owners, replacing is a last step due to the price tag of new equipment. But the opposite can be true in some cases.

You can get a good idea of potential equipment problems to come. Regular maintenance is good, and many manufacturers take preventive maintenance and care service (PMCS) seriously, doing it weekly. But there is also technology, like vibration sensor that can detect issues early, saving money and time down the road.

2. Don’t make assumptions when it comes to repairs and replacements

Repairs can add up pretty quickly on manufacturing equipment, since the specialization and the parts needed to make repairs have a hefty price tag. And if you combine that with multiple repairs over a fiscal year, and you have a big problem that can negatively affect your bottom line. Instead of assuming repairs are best, examine long-term repair costs versus replacement of the equipment. This will give you a clear picture of what to do.

This is very true for new equipment that needs repair. In most cases, if the machinery equipment is relatively new, repairs may be the best option. Why? Because replacing new equipment with new equipment is not short-term budget friendly. On the other hand, if the equipment that is having issues is older, it may be time to call it a day and replace it.

3. Think about the loss of production before making a decision

This is an important machinery replacement essential to consider, because the workflow and production you put out equals profits that are coming in. Depending on the industry and type of machinery equipment you have in place, repairs can often be done faster than physically replacing a unit. And since time is money, you’ll need to do a bit of math.

Let’s say a piece of equipment takes two weeks to replace, in order to meet state and federal guidelines, as well as implementation standards of your company. This two weeks will cost you $10,000 in production. However, repairing the equipment will take three days, at a cost of $2000. The repair option is definitely more cost effective.

4. Safety is a very important consideration when it comes to machinery equipment

Considering safety should be the first thought when considering replacing or repairing machinery equipment. If equipment is not safe, you are putting the lives of your team in jeopardy. You will need to make a calculated judgement call and balance your bottom line with the safety of your operators.

You also need to consider the safety of nearby equipment. For instance, if a piece of machinery can damage other machinery in your manufacturing facility, the costs of ignoring the problem can be far more dangerous and expensive down the road. Think safety of team first, safety of surrounding equipment second, and monetary cost third.

5. Consider the efficiency gain with new machinery equipment in place

Every manufacturing CEO and facility manager knows that efficiency equals profits. The ability to crank out products faster can be a calling card for retaining current and future clients. This makes replacing problematic machinery a potential must-do. If you can increase efficiency by 25 percent by replacing a piece of machinery equipment, the sticker shock will pass as soon as profits increase. This is a very sustainable manufacturing essential to consider.

In conclusion . . .

Deciding whether to repair or replace machinery equipment can weigh heavy on the mind. It is expensive, time consuming, and has bottom line costs down the road. The above five machinery replacement essentials to consider are not the be-all, end-all, but they are among the most important considerations. Take a deeper look at your equipment and make the right call.

Reasons Why You Need to Go Big When Thinking of Small Business Ideas

Nancy Clayson
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Reasons Why You Need to Go Big When Thinking of Small Business Ideas

You cannot force yourself to think of a business idea right now and hope that something will pop out of your mind that will appeal to a lot of people. It takes time to come up with novel ideas and refine them to make people desire to patronise what you offer. If you are still trying to search for a business plan, you need to avoid putting limits on what you want to do. If possible, you need to go big and work your way to having a perfect business plan from there.

Do not strike down your ideas early on 

Do not feel afraid to come up with huge and crazy ideas. They are not the final plans that you are going to implement anyway. Instead, start with big plans before refining them, which is better than having something too small and irrelevant that you have nothing new to offer by the time that you launch the business.

Nothing is impossible

If successful business owners today who revolutionised the world thought that their plans were impossible, we would not be enjoying their innovations. For instance, if Zuckerberg had not thought about connecting college students online, Facebook might not even exist today. If the pioneers of computing had thought that automated devices were impossible, we would still do a lot of things manually today. Always think that even seemingly impossible ideas are worth a try.

Self-imposed limits are a slippery slope

The problem when you decide to limit your ideas from the start is that you begin to think small. You dismiss your ideas immediately because you think they are not worthy of doing. Before you know it, you start feeling discouraged. It is about how you view the process that affects its success. If you keep telling yourself that nothing works and all your plans are impossible, you will settle for mediocrity.

The final plan becomes lousy and does not spark excitement 

The reason why many big businesses succeeded is that they had solutions to huge problems. People feel excited about learning what a company intends to solve. Even investors begin to consider partnership because they know their money could go a long way. However, if you keep limiting your ideas from the start, your final plan could be lousy, irrelevant and not worth pursuing. You might even be trying to do something that another company has already done. At that point, you will not feel interested in starting the business anymore.

Who cares if you fail? 

Throw all your ideas out there and find out which of them might work. No one expects you to see all these plans come to life anyway. Even if you fail, it is okay. You tried something new, and you can learn from it. Eventually, you might decide to start a business, and you can use your previous mistakes to do better. You will also not be afraid to fail anymore since you know how it feels.

You are the only one limiting your capabilities. Make sure that you do not limit yourself with small thoughts when there is something big out there waiting for you to discover it. 

Regardless of the plan you come up with, you need to believe in it. Focus on advertising once you are ready to launch the business. Use a pop up stand and roller banners when you are trying to reach your target market so that they will know about your products and appreciate them.

Image: https://unsplash.com/photos/7e2pe9wjL9M

Sri Lanka Attacks: Death Toll Rises to 290 as Local Jihadist Group is Blamed for Bombings

Roy Siemens
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0
Sri Lanka Attacks: Death Toll Rises to 290 as Local Jihadist Group is Blamed for Bombings

At least 290 people died in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday in a wave of bombings that was carried out with the support of an international network, officials said.

The Sri Lankan government has blamed a little-known local jihadist group, National Thowheed Jamath, although no-one has yet admitted carrying out the bombings.

Another 500 people were injured in the suicide attacks on churches and hotels.

Twenty four people have been arrested in a series of raids and President Maithripala Sirisena’s office declared a state of national emergency.

Sri Lanka Attacks: At Least 137 Killed in Churches and Hotels Explosions on Easter Sunday

The state of emergency declaration, which comes into effect from midnight on April 22, will give police and military extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.

On April 22, another blast rocked a street near a church in the capital, Colombo. Police were attempting to defuse explosives in a vehicle used by the attackers when it blew up. It is not yet known if anyone was hurt.

Sri Lankan authorities were warned about a bomb threat from National Thowheed Jamath a full two weeks before the attacks, cabinet spokesman Rajitha Senaratne said at a press conference.

He said that the warnings were not passed on to PM Ranil Wickremesinghe or his cabinet. The prime minister acknowledged that security services had been “aware of information” but had not acted on the information.

Rajitha Senaratne said that authorities believed the bombers had international support.

“We do not believe these attacks were carried out by a group of people who were confined to this country,” he said.

“There was an international network without which these attacks could not have succeeded,” he added.

A later statement said President Maithripala Sirisena would ask for foreign help to track down the international links to the attackers.

“The intelligence reports that foreign terrorist organizations are behind the local terrorists. Therefore, the president is to seek the assistance of the foreign countries,” his office said.

A curfew is to be imposed from 20:00 April 22 until 04:00 on April 23, the government said. A national day of mourning has been scheduled for April 23.

Sri Lanka’s National Security Council said a “conditional state of emergency” from midnight would target “terrorism” and would not limit freedom of expression.

In another development, the US State Department issued revised travel advice urging greater caution, adding: “Terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Sri Lanka.”

The first reports of explosions came at about 08:45 local time on April 21with six blasts reported within a small space of time.

Three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo’s Kochchikade district were targeted during Easter services. Blasts also rocked the Shangri-La, Kingsbury and Cinnamon Grand hotels in the country’s capital, Colombo.

Police did not release a breakdown of how many people were killed and wounded at each location.

All the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers, officials said.

Police then carried out raids on two addresses and there were explosions at both. One was in Dehiwala, southern Colombo, and the other was near the Colombo district of Dematagoda in which three officers were killed.

An improvised explosive device – a 6ft-long plastic pipe packed with explosives – was also found and defused near the airport in Colombo.

Police also recovered 87 low-explosive detonators from the Bastian Mawatha private bus station in Pettah.

Ukraine Elections 2019: Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky Wins Presidential Vote

Diane A. Wade
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Ukraine Elections 2019: Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky Wins Presidential Vote

Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has scored a landslide victory in Ukraine’s presidential election.

With nearly all ballots counted in the run-off vote, Volodymyr Zelensky, 41, had taken more than 73% with incumbent Petro Poroshenko trailing far behind on 24%.

He told celebrating supporters: “I will never let you down.”

Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev commented in a Facebook post that Russia wants Volodymyr Zelensky to show “sound judgement”, “honesty” and “pragmatism” so that relations can improve. Russia backs separatists in eastern Ukraine.

He said he expected Volodymyr Zelensky to “repeat familiar ideological formulas” that he used in the election campaign, adding: “I have no illusions on that score.

“At the same time, there is a chance to improve relations with our country.”

Petro Poroshenko, who admitted defeat after the first exit polls were published, has said he will not be leaving politics.

He told voters that Volodymyr Zelensky was too inexperienced to stand up to Russia effectively.

Ukraine Elections 2019: Comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy Is Front-Runner Ahead of First Round

Volodymyr Zelensky, a political novice, is best known for starring in a satirical TV series Servant of the People, in which his character accidentally becomes Ukrainian president.

The comedian told reporters he would “reboot” peace talks with the separatists fighting Ukrainian forces and volunteers in the east.

He said: “I think that we will have personnel changes. In any case we will continue in the direction of the Minsk [peace] talks and head towards concluding a ceasefire.”

There are sporadic skirmishes and the situation also remains tense around Crimea, annexed from Ukraine by Russia in 2014.

Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn Hit by Fresh Charge of Aggravated Breach of Trust

Clyde K. Valle
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0
Former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn Hit by Fresh Charge of Aggravated Breach of Trust

Carlos Ghosn, the former Nissan chairman and CEO, has been indicted by Japan’s prosecutors on a fresh charge of aggravated breach of trust.

It is the fourth charge brought against Carlos Ghosn and relates to the alleged misuse of company funds.

Carlos Ghosn is in detention in Tokyo and his lawyers have applied for bail.

The 65-year-old, who denies any wrongdoing, has said the allegations are a result of a plot against him.

Carlos Ghosn was first arrested in November and spent 108 days in custody. While out on bail pending a trial, he was re-arrested in Tokyo on April 4.

Japanese prosecutors allege that Carlos Ghosn made a multi-million-dollar payment to a Nissan distributor in Oman, and that as much as $5million was funneled to an account controlled by him.

Nissan to Acquire Controlling Stake in Rival Mitsubishi Motors

Nissan has filed its own criminal complaint against Carlos Ghosn, accusing him of directing money from the company for his own personal enrichment.

Carlos Ghosn was first charged with under-reporting his pay package for the five years to 2015.

In January, a new charge claimed he understated his compensation for another three years. He was also indicted on a fresh, more serious charge of breach of trust.

The case has put a spotlight on fighting within Nissan alliance and on Japan’s legal system.

Carlos Ghosn was the architect of the alliance formed between Japan’s Nissan and French auto maker Renault, and brought Mitsubishi on board in 2016.

He is credited with turning around the fortunes of Nissan and Renault over several years.

Earlier this month Carlos Ghosn said the allegations were a plot and conspiracy against him, accusing Nissan executives of backstabbing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTv-abfHmS4

Sri Lanka Attacks: At Least 137 Killed in Churches and Hotels Explosions on Easter Sunday

Roy Siemens
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0
Sri Lanka Attacks: At Least 137 Killed in Churches and Hotels Explosions on Easter Sunday

More than 130 people have been killed and hundreds more injured in a series of explosions at churches and hotels in Sri Lanka, police and hospital sources say.

At least seven explosions were reported. Three churches in Negombo, Batticaloa and Colombo’s Kochchikade district were targeted during Easter services. According to authorities, 137 are reported dead folowing the blasts.

The Shangri-La, Kingsbury, Cinnamon Grand and a fourth hotel, all in Colombo, were also hit.

Easter Sunday is one of the major feasts in the Christian calendar.

No group has yet said it was responsible.

Theravada Buddhism is Sri Lanka’s biggest religion, making up about 70.2% of the population, according to the most recent census.

It is the religion of Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese majority. It is given primary place in the country’s laws and is singled out in the constitution.

Hindus and Muslims make up 12.6% and 9.7% of the population respectively.

Sri Lanka is also home to about 1.5 million Christians, according to the 2012 census, the vast majority of them Roman Catholic.

Sri Lanka: Pope Francis canonized Joseph Vaz as country’s first saint

St Sebastian’s church in Negombo was severely damaged. Images on social media showed its inside, with a shattered ceiling and blood on the pews. At least 67 people are reported to have died there.

There were heavy casualties too at the site of the first blast in St Anthony’s, a hugely popular shrine in Kochchikade, a district of Colombo.

Hospital sources in Batticaloa said at least 27 people had died there.

A hotel official at the Cinnamon Grand, near the prime minister’s official residence, told AFP the explosion there had ripped through a restaurant, killing at least one person.

A seventh explosion was later reported at a hotel near the zoo in Dehiwala, southern Colombo, with police sources reporting two deaths.

News is coming in of a possible eighth explosion, in the Colombo district of Dematagoda, but this has not yet been confirmed.

Sri Lanka’s President Maithripala Sirisena has issued a statement calling for people to remain calm and support the authorities in their investigations.

PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is chairing an emergency meeting. He said: “I strongly condemn the cowardly attacks on our people today. I call upon all Sri Lankans during this tragic time to remain united and strong.”

In the years since the end of Sri Lanka’s civil war in 2009, there has been some sporadic violence, with members of the majority Buddhist Sinhala community attacking mosques and Muslim-owned properties. That led to a state of emergency being declared in March 2018.

The civil war ended with the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, who had fought for 26 years for an independent homeland for the minority ethnic Tamils. The war is thought to have killed between 70,000 and 80,000 people.

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto Becomes First Blind Sailor to Complete Non-Stop Pacific Crossing

James J. Williams
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Mitsuhiro Iwamoto Becomes First Blind Sailor to Complete Non-Stop Pacific Crossing

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a blind Japanese sailor, has become the first visually impaired person that completed a non-stop Pacific crossing, reports say.

The 52-year-old sailed the 8,700-mile crossing with the help of a sighted navigator.

His 40 ft yacht made port in Fukushima on April 20, ending his two-month trip.

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto left California on February 24 with Doug Smith, an American navigator who assisted him.

His first attempt at the journey in 2013 ended in failure after his boat struck a whale and sank. He had to be rescued by the Japanese military.

Image source Mitsuhiro Iwamoto Facebook

Speaking at the port of Iwaki, Mitsuhiro Iwamoto told Japan’s Kyodo News that completing the challenge on his second attempt was a “dream come true”.

“I’m the happiest person on earth,” Mitsuhiro Iwamoto said, according to the news agency.

The Japanese, who lost his sight aged 16, steered the vessel while Doug Smith gave him verbal guidance, advising him on wind directions and potential hazards.

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto is the first blind person to successfully sail across the Pacific without stopping, the Japan Blind Sailing Association says.

Determined to make the crossing second time around, Mitsuhiro Iwamoto – a Japanese citizen who currently lives in San Diego – took part in triathlons.

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto and Doug Smith made the voyage to raise money for charity and for efforts to prevent diseases that cause blindness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKQidTG5K_g

Robert Mueller Report: Subpoena Issued for Full Report

Diane A. Wade
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Robert Mueller Report: Subpoena Issued for Full Report

A subpoena demanding the release of Robert Mueller’s full report into Russian meddling during the 2016 election has been issued, amid claims the current version “leaves most of Congress in the dark”.

The chairman of the House judiciary committee, Democrat Jerry Nadler, argued it is entitled to an unredacted version.

Donald Trump’s legal team argues it completely exonerates the president.

The DoJ has reacted by calling the subpoena “premature and unnecessary”.

It said it would “continue to work with Congress to accommodate its legitimate requests consistent with the law and long-recognized executive branch interests”.

Elizabeth Warren became the first Democratic presidential candidate to call for President Trump to be impeached.

She said: “The severity of this misconduct demands that elected officials in both parties set aside political considerations and do their constitutional duty.”

President Trump Describes Robert Mueller Inquiry as “An Attempted Coup”

Robert Mueller Report: “Trump Campaign Did Not Conspire with Russia”

President Donald Trump Denies He Is Planning to Fire Robert Mueller

The 448-page redacted document is the result of a 22-month investigation by Robert Mueller, who was appointed to investigate alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with the Trump campaign.

It includes large swathes of redactions, which Jerry Nadler says “appear to be significant” in revealing how Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team came to their conclusions

Democrats have promised to continue pursuing President Trump following the release of the report on April 18.

Robert Mueller’s report says he found no criminal conspiracy between President Trump’s campaign and Russia, but could not reach a concrete legal conclusion on whether Donald Trump tried to obstruct the investigation.

The report says: “If we had confidence after a thorough investigation of the facts that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state.

“Based on the facts and the applicable legal standards, we are unable to reach that judgment.

“Accordingly, while this report does not conclude that the president committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him.”

The report also reveals that Donald Trump instructed a White House lawyer to try to get Robert Mueller removed over alleged “conflicts of interest”, but the lawyer resigned because “he did not plan” to follow the directive.

Robert Mueller examined 10 actions by the president in regards to obstruction of justice, which he said largely “took place in public view”

The report says that potential obstruction of justice by the president only failed because members of his administration refused to “carry out orders”

However, about 10% of Robert Mueller’s report is redacted – which means it may include yet more revelations.

Jerry Nadler issued the subpoena for the full, unredacted version on April 19, giving the US attorney general until May 1 to respond.

He said: “My committee needs and is entitled to the full version of the report and the underlying evidence consistent with past practice.

“The redactions appear to be significant. We have so far seen none of the actual evidence that the Special Counsel developed to make this case.”

How to Write Copy 101: 5 Major Mistakes to Avoid

Dana R
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How to Write Copy 101: 5 Major Mistakes to Avoid

From starting a small business to maintaining a global corporation,advertising is an important must have. In fact, companies and organizations spend hundredsof billions of dollars each year on advertising alone.

This means that if you’re looking to get into the advertising business, you’ve made a lucrative choice.

With all these advertisements come ad copy, the lifeblood of advertising. This is any text or script for an advertisement, and every ad has it.

For expert advertisers, copy writing comes naturally. For beginners though, it can be difficult to know how to write copy.

While mistakes are impossible to avoid, here are some of the most common issues to watch out for when writing advertising copy.

1. Forgetting Your Audience

One of the most important aspects of copy writing that you need to remember is the target audience. You have to know who you are writing to.

And yet, it can be easy to get so caught up in crafting your message that you can forget who you’re targeting. That’s why you should always determine who your target audience is before you write, and decide whether your message speaks to this group once you’re done.

Each demographic is different. Your writing should use language and references that make sense to the age group, region, gender, and culture of the people your copy is aimed at. For instance, if you’re ad copy is targeting wealthy, older moms who live in the northeast, then it would be incredibly inappropriate to use southern slang to describe your plumbing service. If your target audience can’t connect with your message, then they’ll be less likely to pursue the product or service you’re marketing.

2. Forgetting Your Company’s Brand

We all have our own voice and point of view, and for many writers, the goal is to highlight this voice and stand out. This is true for copywriters as well, but with one catch. We’re supposed to highlight our company or organization’s brand,not our own.

It can be difficult to do this, but you have to find ways to match your tone to the one that matches the brand that you’re doing copy for.

Is the organization fun and creative, or professional and technical? Does it use humor, stay straight forward, or have a completely unique way of communicating? As a copywriter, you need to figure the brand’s voice and imbue it into your copy. For example, Coca-Cola has spent years branding itself as a happy, positive drink company. It would be weird and off putting if it’s ad copy suddenly became aggressive and used internet slang to attack competitors and people who don’t drink Coke.

While it’s not likely that your voice would be this different from your company’s, an off-brand change in tone can still be noticeable and potentially turn off potential customers.

While it can be hard to avoid using the jokes or slang that you use regularly, if it doesn’t fit your company’s brand then it doesn’t belong in your copy.

3. Promising Too Much

The point of copy is to persuade someone to do something. This could be getting a person to do something like donating money,buying a product, or taking an action.

As copywriters, it’s our job to be persuasive as possible. In the effort to do this, it can be hard not to go too far in telling people what they’ll get out of your product or service.

We all want to say that what we have to offer is the best and will change everyone’s life. However, every copywriter needs to stay honest and not promise too much.

There are many examples of businesses lying in their advertisements, like Red Bull saying their product would give you wings when no wings were actually provided. Like so many other companies who lied, Red Bull had to pay a large settlement after being sued.

To avoid getting yourself in trouble, get to know the code of ethics used by the American Advertising Federation.

By getting to know the ethics of advertising, you can learn how to write copy the right way.

4. Using Humor Inappropriately

There’s a reason why so many Superbowl commercials use humor in their messaging: it works.

Humor can be an effective and fun tool for copywriters, but it can be easy to get carried away. The funny ads that are most effective use good humor that is easy for people to understand without alienating anyone watching. However, there’s so much humor that can be offensive or hard for the average person to understand, so copywriters have to work hard to find that sweet spot.

They don’t always hit the mark.

For example, the car company Hyundai created a commercial that showed a man trying to commit suicide by running his car in his garage, but failing due to their new SUV’s water emissions. The reveal of his failure may have seemed humorous to some, but for others, it appeared the ad was making light of a serious issue.

Another example is a bus ad created by the phone service Ting, which says,”slow, irregular internet? You need more fiber.”While this isn’t really offensive, if you don’t understand anything about fiber optics then this ad may go completely over your head.

5. Lack of Strategy

The last mistake that copywriters make is not having as strategy. It’s easy to come up with fun ideas for copy. It’s hard to make those ideas work to help your brand. One of the best examples is the cat herdingcommercial from EDS. The ad itself is great and memorable, but it just didn’t do enough to help people understand what EDS was actually about. That’s why before you do anything else, you need to come up with a strategy.

Copywriters need to know who they’re targeting and what kind of message are they trying to send. For example, if you’re working fora company that isn’t well known, you should focus your strategy on helping people understand what the company does. Once you know why you’re making the copy, you can start writing ad copy that will achieve your goal.

If you’re having trouble determining the best strategy for your company, you may need to reach out to an organization like StrategiCopy that can help determine the best way to advertise.

Now You Know How to Write Copy!

While this article has not made you a copy writing expert, you should now have a much better idea of how to write copy. By knowing what mistakes you should avoid, you can avoid the pitfalls that have torpedoed so many other copywriters and advertisements. Still unsure about writing copy? You can checkout more information here.

Brain Bruised? Here’s What to Do After a Concussion

Dana R
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Brain Bruised? Here’s What to Do After a Concussion

Every year in the U.S., about 3.8 million people suffer through a concussion.

Concussions can happen when you get into an accident, fight, or sport’s injury. Since they’re so common, most people don’t think of them as life-threatening.

Although many people are familiar with the term, not everyone knows what to do after a concussion. In this article, we will walk you through the basics.

What is a Concussion?

A lot of people associate concussions with sports injuries. However, a concussion can happen to anyone.

Concussions are traumatic brain injuries (TBI), that can happen due to a blow, bump, or jolt to the head. Most TBIs happen when the blow causes the brain to move rapidly and shift back and forth.

The brain moves and shifts back and forth in the skull and as a result, it causes chemical changes in the brain. This can stretch and strain the brain cells and cause bruising, damaged blood vessels, and injure the nerves.

While most experts don’t consider concussions life-threatening, the effects of them can have serious consequences in the long run.

Concussions Warning Signs

Although concussions are common, sometimes they’re not as easy to diagnose. Unlike a visible cut or bruise, you can’t see concussions. It may take up to 48 hours for a concussion to show signs.

If you injured your head and think you might have a concussion, you should watch for these signs:

  • Enlargement of the pupils or unequal in size
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Behaviour that seems out of character
  • Seizures
  • Having trouble recognizing familiar faces
  • Uncontrollable dizziness
  • Headache that progresses over time
  • Trouble with double or blurry vision
  • A feeling of weakness or numbness in the extremities  
  • Fainting  
  • Slurred speech
  • Difficulty falling and staying asleep

If you suspect you might have a concussion, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

What Steps to Take After a Concussion?

If you suffered from a concussion, your doctor might recommend some of the following in steps to speed recovery.

Become aware of any triggers. After a concussion, you will notice it’s difficult to perform certain activities. If any activity aggravates your symptoms, you have to identify it as a trigger.

You will recover a lot faster from a concussion if you identify and avoid your triggers.

For example, if exposure to bright lights aggravates your headaches, avoid direct exposure to bright light. It might be as easy as diming down the lights, closing the blinds, or wearing sunglasses.

Get enough sleep. When we’re injured, our bodies will begin the healing process while we sleep. If you’re not getting enough sleep after your concussion, you might be robbing your body of recovery time.

Ensure you get a good night sleep every night to speed up the recovery after your concussion.

If you feel tired after you return to your everyday activities, you should try to take short naps throughout the day as necessary.

Rest your brain. Sometimes it might feel because we’re resting our bodies like we’re also resting our brains, but this is not the case. When our brains get overstimulated, they have a hard time resting.

When you’re in the process of recovering from a concussion, it’s important you give your brain the rest it needs. Brain stimulation is excellent for your brain under normal circumstances, but when you need to recover from a concussion, you need to tone it down.

If you’re reading, studying, and focusing on one thing for a long period of time, you are overstimulating your brain. Since you can’t stop these activities completely, make sure you take plenty of breaks.

Don’t forget about your body. After a concussion, your body and your brain suffered trauma. As important as it is for your brain to get rest, your body needs it too.

If performing simple activities is troublesome after a concussion, take a step back and take a break. Don’t force your body into activities until it’s ready. Talk to your doctor about which activities you should stay away from.

Make the best decisions. If you play sports or live an active lifestyle, you might have the urge to return to it after a concussion. However, you should ease into these activities.

Picking up where you left off might not be the smartest thing for your brain.

What to Avoid in After a Concussion?

After a concussion, your doctor will recommend what things to avoid while you’re in the recovery process. Most people generally stay clear of the following:

Since physical activity tends to elevate the heart rate, it’s not recommended after a concussion. Excessive physical activity will worsen your symptoms.

It’s also important you don’t do things that will aggravate your brain. For example, playing video games, watching TV, texting, and reading. Listen to your body when you attempt to perform any of these activities.

If after 15 minutes of watching TV you get a headache, take a break and return after the symptoms subside.

Your doctor might also recommend you stay clear of driving for a few days. Due to the concussion, your brain might take longer to react. Slower reaction times could increase your risk of accidents.

Although pain relievers might help lessen your symptoms, they can also increase your risk of bleeding. Ask your doctor about the recommended dosage.

Can You Prevent a Concussion?

Although it’s not always easy to prevent a concussion, taking a few steps might help lower your chances.

If you participate in a sport, make sure you always wear protective gear. When you drive, always wear your seat belt and avoid driving under the influence.

Even when you take the necessary precautions, concussions can happen as the result of negligence. If your concussion was the result of the liability of another, you might be entitled to compensation. Talk to a brain injury attorney about what your options are.

What to Do After a Concussion: The Bottom Line

Now that you know what to do after a concussion, it will be easier for you to identify the signs.

Remember to go see your doctor if you suspect you’ve suffered a concussion.

If you enjoyed these health tips and would like to learn more, check out the health section of our blog.

5 Ways You Can Help Manage Your Anxiety Condition Yourself

Dana R
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5 Ways You Can Help Manage Your Anxiety Condition Yourself

Living with anxiety can make even the most mundane of situations difficult to deal with. To get through the day often requires you to use coping mechanisms that others don’t understand or have no patience with. It can cost you your relationships, job, and self-esteem.

Although anxiety is a serious, chronic condition, there are ways that you can help manage it yourself if you are determined to get it under control. Here are 5 ways that you can work through your anxiety every day.

How to Keep Your Anxiety Controlled

1. Try some teas. It sounds like putting a band-aid on a serious wound, but there are numerous scientific studies that show that teas like chamomile and lavender have calming properties that work to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety.

Chamomile, for example, has certain compounds that connect to the same receptors in your brain that drugs like Valium do. If tea isn’t your thing, you can often find chamomile and lavender naturally in supplement form.

Image source Pixabay

2. Take a mental health break. Your entire future depends on what you do in each moment, and when you are making decisions with anxiety ruling your actions, it can be dangerous to your long-term health.

Instead of letting your anxiety mess up your chances for a successful, happy life, try to take mental health breaks when you need them. Go on a trip, visit friends, keep your mind off of things that make you inherently anxious. And if you need to take time off of work to avoid serious complications, you might want to look into short term disability for anxiety.

3. Get some exercise. It can seem like the hardest thing to do when you are in the throes of anxiety, but force yourself to get out of the house. You don’t necessarily have to hit the gym and spend an hour doing cardio. Even a brisk walk around the neighborhood is often enough to shake most people out of their anxious state in that moment.

4. Watch your food intake. Certain foods trigger feelings of anxiety, and others help reduce those triggers. If you aren’t getting enough vitamins and minerals, like folate or phytonutrients, your body may be kicking into panic mode or displaying symptoms of anxiety that could have easily been avoided if you were simply eating right.

5. Get real with yourself. When you catch your mind delving into those “What ifs” and nightmare predictions that might or might not come true, inhale a few deep breaths, take a break from what you are doing, and try to pinpoint what’s real versus what you may be blowing out of proportion.

Consider whether what you are worrying about so much is actually likely to happen, then take it a little further and explore the consequences that could occur if it did happen. Chances are, they aren’t as bad as you are building them up to be.

Then, take it a little further and ask yourself what you can possibly do to stop it from happening. If, as things do, life must unfold by itself without your superhero tendencies, then you should just do the best that you can do and let everything else happen as it will.

You Don’t Have to Take Anxiety Laying Down

None of these suggestions will work for everyone with anxiety, and if you have a serious case of this condition, you should speak with your doctor. However, the first step to healing is to admit you have a problem and then attempt to take control of your life.

With these 5 ways to manage anxiety yourself, you can put your life back on track and get a handle on your anxiety.

4 Things to Consider as You Shop for a New Car

Clyde K. Valle
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0
4 Things to Consider as You Shop for a New Car

So you’re ready to shop for a new car (or a used one) — great! But before you get started, you need to think about a few things. There are a lot of factors to consider when you’re shopping for something as expensive as a vehicle, and while you probably already have an idea of things like how much seating or horsepower you need, there are some burning questions that you should take a closer look at before you part with any of your hard-earned money. Here are four things to consider as you shop for your next vehicle.

What is your budget?

Americans are operating under tight budgets these days. Yet this year, many of us will head out and buy a car for far more expensive than we can afford. Lured by the siren songs of “zero down” financing and options for those with “bad credit or no credit,” we’ll take our lenders at their word and bury ourselves in debt. That may give us our dream vehicle in the short-term, but it can trigger financial disasters in the long-term.

Don’t let yourself become one of these people. Do the research yourself and make sure that you really can afford the car that you want to buy. Take all of your potential expenses into account, from the down payment to the maintenance and gas costs.

What about our planet’s future (and your wallet’s present)?

Gas-guzzling cars have played a major role in environmental problems like pollution and global warming. And, if you’re not careful, a gas guzzler could also play a major role in draining your wallet! Gas isn’t cheap, and if your car is burning through it faster than is necessary, you’re going to feel the pinch.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are now plenty of great environmentally friendly cars, including those that take alternate fuels, say the experts at a BioFuel company that handles used oil collections and other important tasks that make biofuels possible. Opting for a hybrid, an electric car, or even just a car that gets great gas mileage can help you save money while feeling better about your impact on our planet.

How will your vehicle of choice depreciate?

There are a lot of cars, trucks, SUVs, minivans, and other vehicles out there, and virtually all of them have at least one thing in common: They’re going to drop in value over time (and over the course of the miles you drive). It’s called depreciation, and it’s a certainty with most vehicles. But here’s the thing: Not all used and new cars depreciate at the same rate.

When you’re shopping for a vehicle, it pays to know which makes and models are known for holding their value — and which aren’t. Of course, you should remember that your dedication in caring for your vehicle will have a huge impact on its resale value down the line, too.

Where will you buy it?

Even after you’ve narrowed down your criteria and are well on your way to identifying your dream car, there is still some work to be done. Shopping for a car isn’t something that everyone does the same way, and some tactics have big advantages over others.

Take shopping online, for instance. Many shoppers dislike the dealership experience, where opaque pricing systems and pushy sales associates leave them feeling like they’ve been ripped off. With online shopping, on the other hand, you can bid in auctions on sites like Auto Auction Mall, research while you shop, and do your shopping on your schedule. That can lead to a more pleasant shopping experience and a better deal for you.

Advantages of Visiting Museums

Dana R
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Advantages of Visiting Museums

More than 850 million people made the trek to an American museum in 2018.

That number is greater than the yearly attendance for all major league sporting events and theme parks, combined.

This reveals to us all what wide-eyed kindergartners already know: Museums are fascinating places to visit, as long as you keep your sense of discovery.

Still not convinced that you should shell out your hard-earned cash to look at paintings, replicas and other exhibits?

Today, we’re setting out to change your mind. Here are seven reasons why visiting museums is a great way to spend your time, energy and money this year.

Ready to learn more? Let’s go!

1. They’ve Come a Long Way

A decade or so ago, a riveting museum visit would consist of donning a set of headphones and listening to a monotonous guided tour as you walked around dusty displays.

Today? Museums are more tech-savvy, interactive and hands-on than ever before.

Take the “Pulse” exhibit by artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, for instance.

The museum’s most immersive and technologically ambitious exhibit to date, it uses heart-rate sensors to create unique audio/visual experiences for visitors based on their personal biometric data. Those flashing lights, sweeping soundscapes, and ripples around you? That’s your body as art.

You can even visit the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California. Here, you’ll see such exhibits as cyber detectives, reboot reality, social robots and more. Especially for school-aged children learning to embrace technology, it’s an ideal way to make those dreams come to life.  

Museums today are also far more interesting, covering themes from UFO research to pizza culture. This list of unusual museums to visit is a great place to start your itinerary.

2. They’re a Feel-Good Diversion

Turn on the morning, afternoon or evening news and it’s easy to feel jaded. With so much negativity at our fingertips, museums offer a chance to play, explore and feel like a kid again.

Americans, specifically the Millennial generation, are favoring experiences over material gifts and museum visiting fits right into this category. This is why trends such as the tiny house craze are still going strong and show no signs of slowing down.

It’s easy to spend an entire day or two at one museum, giving each section your full attention. Do it to recharge and rejuvenate. Then, return with a deeper appreciation of who and where you are. It’s hard to feel cynical when you’re feasting your eyes on incredible artwork and thought-provoking displays.

Looking for a gift that’s meaningful and practical? Give someone a membership to your local museum instead of wrapping up another plastic knick-knack. You’ll grant them the chance to make memories that will last far longer than the latest toy craze ever could.

3. They’re Educational

Of course, this is one of the top reasons that anyone should visit museums. Yet, it’s not what you think.

Yes, you learn a ton when you read the placards and listen to the guide. However, modern educators are leveraging museums less as formal instruction and more as a guide to self-interpretation.

In this way, galleries are becoming classrooms, where there’s no wrong way to interpret an impressionist painting.

Rather than honing in on the object itself, educators are using art, history and natural science exhibits to explain to schoolchildren how those elements connect to their own lives.

They can look at a piece by Monet and see their own love of nature, or gaze at an ancient tool and marvel at how far we’ve come. This makes museums less stuffy and more approachable.

4. They’re the Heart of the Community

One of the most delightful ways to spend an afternoon alone is to wander through the rooms of your favorite museum.

When you’re feeling a little more social, however, it’s also a great place to meet up with friends, discover and support local talent, network with peers and even showcase your own skills.

Need a few examples? There was once a yoga class at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the American Museum of Natural History hosts one-day and three-day workshops for kids on a regular basis.

These buildings are more than homes for valuables. Rather, they’re living parts of a community that are vital to its core and culture.

From the National Museum of African American History and Culture in D.C. to the Broad Museum in downtown Los Angeles, the country is replete with museums dedicated to shaking up perspectives and stirring a buzz.

From book signings and poetry slams to wine tastings and professional development courses, there’s plenty to see and do. Hop online and check a museum calendar near you to find the next event.

5. They Inspire Change

It’s easy to get caught up in our day job and forget that we’re not alone in this world. We can become so set in our routines that we’re numb to the plight of others around us.

While this applies to adults, it also holds true for children. This is why there are museum installations such as the Compassion Experience Exhibit, which sheds light on the issue of global poverty in a kid-friendly, interactive way that even the littlest minds can understand.

Another highlight is “Evicted.” This new exhibit at Washington, D.C.’s National Building Museum reveals what reality is like for the millions of Americans who are evicted every year.

In short, museums offer us the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes and gain a new perspective. We walk away changed, whether we were prepared to be or not.

6. They Support Arts Education

Recently, there has been a push to cut funding allocated for the arts in schools. This is a nationwide change that’s felt everywhere, from Montessori preschools to public high schools.

One of the most prolific programs is the Arts in Education (AIE) program, worth around $40 million. While its long-term future hangs in the balance, other, smaller-scale educational arts programs are still on the chopping block.

Need more reasons to visit a museum? Do it to expose young minds to a level of culture, discovery and creative expression they may not get to experience in the classroom.

They may even aspire to a job in the arts, and your monthly jaunts can be the inspiration for a fulfilling career.

Want a little inspiration on where to go? Check out the 15 best children’s museums in the United States. Bring along your pint-sized pal and spend the day exploring. Learning will be a by-product of the fun!

The best part? Many museums offer on-site restaurants and snack shops. This means you won’t even need to mess with preparing a lunch!

7. They’re Less Expensive Than You Think

According to research, 38% of Americans fail to attend the arts due to a cost barrier. Does this apply to you?

As temperatures begin to warm up, most of us are holding tight to our wallets. After all, we just made it through the winter, where we spent most of our paychecks on firewood, generators for sale, and weighted blankets.

Now, it’s time to buckle up and save and museums can seem like a luxury we can’t afford.

If this is your mindset, it’s time to rethink your idea of museum admission. While there are still plenty that charge an annual membership fee, you’d be surprised at how many free alternatives there are.

Take the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, North Carolina, for example.

With free general admission and seven floors of interactive exhibit spaces, it’s a playground for all ages. Designated as the largest natural history museum in the southeast U.S., the museum also hosts programs, classes, lectures, movies and more.

Even if your nearby museum doesn’t offer free admission, check to see if there are any “free days” available during the month. Many will offer zero-cost or low-cost evenings for families and early-bird morning specials for parents.

Start Visiting Museums Today

Of all the things to do with your spare time, you may not think of visiting museums as one of your top destinations.

Still, they’re some of the most invigorating and inspiring places to take your entire family. From exhibits that make you think to those that make you laugh, there’s always something new.

Want more news on what to see and do in your area? We’d love to help.

We offer up-to-the-minute news on topics ranging from arts and entertainment to business and science. Check back in often for fresh content you can trust!

In the meantime, feel free to contact us to learn more ways to work, play and live better.

The Ultimate Camping Fridge Buying Guide

Kathryn R. Bown
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The Ultimate Camping Fridge Buying Guide

Whether you are planning to go on camping with your friends or family, rotten food and warm drinks are the last things that you’ll want on your trip. Camping fridges from CampSmart can be one of the most effective tools to make sure your food stays fresh and your drinks cool when you need them. A camping fridge can easily set you back with a bill of $350 to $2,500 depending on its size and brand.

To buy the best camping fridge as a part of your caravan and camping accessories, you’ll need to know exactly how you’ll use it. Some important questions that should come to your mind include ‘how many people will be using the fridge’, ‘how much time do you plan to spend on your camping trip’ and ‘how big is your vehicle’.

This camping fridge buying guide will help you pick the best fridge out there for your family camping trip.

The Types of Camping Fridges

Before you start your research into buying brand new camping fridges from CampSmart, it is a good idea to learn about what kind of fridges are available. Ideally, there are fridges that have two-way compressor and fridges that have three-way absorption. The biggest difference between the two is that the compressor fridge requires electric power which can be your car battery, whereas absorption fridges can run on an electric power source or gas.

How to Buy The Best Camping Fridge

When looking for a camping fridge, you must consider your budget, the size of your family, and any particular features you need in the camping fridge. Here are some key points you must consider before buying a camping fridge.

The Cost of Camping Fridge

Camping fridges can be bought anywhere from $350 to $ 2,500 depending on its size, type, and brand. When you have figured out the things you need in the fridge, then look for it under your budget.

The Size of The Camping Fridge

Size matters a lot when it comes to camping fridges. But keep in mind the larger the fridge is, the more space it will take on your vehicle. You should consider the size of the fridge based on these factors:

The size of the group – The more the people on the trip, the larger the fridge you’ll need.

The length of the trip – The longer you intend to spend outside, the more space you’ll need in your fridge. Bigger size are especially effective when you are traveling to remote areas with no shops to restock supplies.

The type of food you’ll be bringing – If you are a fan of fresh food, then you’ll need a fridge that is able to carry that food.

The size of your vehicle – Does your car have enough space to carry a big fridge? Consider this if you have a small car with limited space.

With these considerations in mind, you should easily be able to find the best camping fridge out there with affordability in mind.

The Importance of Having Your Jackets Custom Made

Lisa.Felice
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The Importance of Having Your Jackets Custom Made

When you think of custom jackets, the word ‘expensive’ usually comes to mind. Many people think custom made jackets are unnecessary and are only to fill the fashionists egos. But did you know that there are many benefits of having custom made clothes? They not only last longer but also showcase your personal style and take you a step above others when it comes to being well-dressed. This is why many men understand the importance of tailor-made clothes and why every man needs them.

Whether you are looking for a custom bomber jacket or a custom work jacket, these jackets are tailor-made to give you a sharper look that endures well in time. Here are some more reasons why you should have your jackets always custom made.

You’ll Get the Perfect Fit

Want to look your best at work? Custom jackets are the way to go. Anyone who wants to look good in their jackets knows what custom fit clothes look like. Fitting of jackets is the key to showing your body in the best way possible.

Custom jackets are well adjusted to your measurements while providing maximum comfort. If you’re looking for comfort, the clothes you wear must perfectly fit you. Any more looseness or tightness will always result in discomfort from a jacket that can bring your confidence down.

High-Quality Materials Are Used

If you often play sports while wearing a sports jacket, you would know how much the use of high-quality jacket materials matter. Custom jackets are usually made with premium material to ensure that they last longer. On the other hand, you also have the freedom to pick the material you want your jacket to be made.

So whether you are looking for custom windbreaker jackets or custom bomber jackets, always pick the highest material you can. In stores that sell cost-effective mass products, you’ll never find the same level of high-quality material that you would otherwise find on custom jackets.

You Can Customize the Jacket to Show Your Personal Style

Those of you who are very particular about what you wear, you know that the only way you can show your personality through your clothes and jackets is to have them custom made. With custom jackets, you have the freedom to have them made the way you want them to be made. You can ask the tailor or vendor to add particular details that showcase your personality.

If you’re wondering how celebrities look so sharp in their clothes, here is your answer. Nearly all of the celebrities we see on television and movies have their jackets and clothes custom made. This is how they are able to show their personalities through their clothes.

At the end of the day, the comfort, easiness, and endurance of custom jackets put them at the top of any other clothes purchased from a mass-producing vendor. So whenever you are buying your next jacket, make sure it’s custom made! 

Notre-Dame Cathedral on Fire!

Diane A. Wade
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Notre-Dame Cathedral on Fire!

A huge fire has broken out at Paris’ famous Notre-Dame cathedral and has spread rapidly across the building.

Images on social media show plumes of smoke billowing into the air above the 850-year-old Gothic building.

The cause of fire was not immediately clear, but officials say that it could be linked to renovation work.

Last year, the Catholic Church in France launched an urgent appeal for funds to save the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which was starting to crumble.

A major operation is under way in Paris to tackle the blaze.

According to officials, an area surrounding the building in central Paris has been cleared.

Notre Dame Cathedral Church Paris

Image source Max Pixel

Suicide inside Notre-Dame de Paris

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has canceled his planned speech to the nation in light of the fire, which has engulfed the giant spire of the cathedral, an Élysée Palace official said.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo described it as a “terrible fire” and urged people at the scene to respect the boundaries set up by fire crews in order to ensure that they remain safe.

President Donald Trump suggested “perhaps flying water tankers” could be used to extinguish the fire.

The Notre-Dame cathedral, which is visited by millions of people every year, is undergoing renovations after cracks began to appear in the stone, sparking fears the structure could become unstable.

Sudan Coup: Protesters Demand Full Dismantling of “Deep State” Left Behind by Ousted President Omar Al-Bashir

Roy Siemens
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Sudan Coup: Protesters Demand Full Dismantling of “Deep State” Left Behind by Ousted President Omar Al-Bashir

Thousands of protesters in Sudan have demanded the full dismantling of the “deep state” left behind by ousted leader Omar al-Bashir.

On April 11, President Omar al-Bashir was toppled by the army after 30 years in power and a military council has pledged elections in two-years time.

From December 2018 onwards, Omar al-Bashir faced large-scale protests which demanded his removal from power.

However, protesters remain camped outside army HQ in the capital, Khartoum, demanding a civilian administration.

Reports on April 15 said there had been efforts to disperse the sit-in but protesters joined hands and troops stepped back from a confrontation.

The crowd chanted “Freedom” and “Revolution”, and appealed to soldiers to protect them, witnesses said.

Mariam Ibrahim: Sudan apostasy woman to campaign against religious persecution

Ahmed Mohamed Meets Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir in Khartoum

The Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA) which has spearheaded the protests, urged supporters to foil any attempt to disperse the sit-in.

“We hope that everyone will head immediately to the areas of the sit-in to protect your revolution and your accomplishments,” the group said in a statement.

The SPA was formed in 2016 and includes an array of professional groups including doctors, lawyers, journalists, university professors and engineers.

The pro-opposition umbrella group says it was established to counter Sudan’s mainstream trade unions which stood accused of being pro-government.

In 2018, with inflation rising and the value of the national currency falling, the SPA was at the forefront of campaigning for a national minimum wage.

On April 14, the transitional military council sought to appease protest leaders, telling them that key figures from the former government had been arrested. It is not clear who those officials are.

A military spokesman also promised not to disperse protesters and said the council was “ready to implement” whatever civilian government the opposition parties agreed.

In another development, 13 people were reportedly killed in an armed attack on protesters in the troubled region of South Darfur over the weekend.

“Gunmen” attacked the anti-government protest at a camp for displaced people about 10 miles east of the regional capital, Nyala, according to the privately owned Darfur 24 news website.

Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur by the International Criminal Court. He denies any wrongdoing.

Coup leader Defense Minister Awad Ibn Auf announced the military would oversee a two-year transitional period followed by elections and imposed a three-month state of emergency.

Dieselgate Scandal: Former VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn Charged with Fraud

Clyde K. Valle
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Dieselgate Scandal: Former VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn Charged with Fraud

Martin Winterkorn, the former chief executive of the German auto maker Volkswagen, has been charged in Germany over his involvement in the company’s diesel emissions scandal.

The public prosecutor in Braunschweig charged him and four other managers with fraud.

The auto maker said it would not comment on the indictments.

Martin Winterkorn, 71, is already facing criminal charges in the US, but is unlikely to face trial, as Germany does not extradite its citizens.

He resigned soon after the so called Dieselgate scandal erupted in September 2015.

In a statement, prosecutors accused Martin Winterkorn of a “particularly serious” fraud, as well as a breach of competition laws.

They said the former VW boss should have alerted car owners and authorities in Europe and the US about the manipulation of diesel emissions tests sooner.

They also accused Martin Winterkorn of approving a “useless” software update designed to conceal the true reason for the cars’ higher emission levels.

If found guilty, Martin Winterkorn could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.

VW Emissions Scandal: Former CEO Martin Winterkorn Investigated for Fraud

Martin Winterkorn Could Receive $67 Million Severance Package

Prosecutors did not name the other four senior managers charged.

VW first admitted in September 2015 that it had used illegal software to cheat US emissions tests.

The devices, which allowed cars to perform better in test conditions than they did on the road, were installed on almost 600,000 vehicles sold in the US from 2009 though 2015 and millions more globally.

They came to light after a study of emissions by researchers at West Virginia University in the US.

The Dieselgate scandal sparked investigations in Germany and other countries.

To date, the emissions scandal has cost Volkswagen roughly €28 billion, ($31 billion).

Last month, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued VW and Martin Winterkorn, accusing the company of “massive fraud” over the emissions scandal.

The SEC claims VW misled investors by issuing billions of dollars worth of bonds and securities, without disclosing that it had cheated emissions tests.

VW said it would contest the SEC lawsuit vigorously.

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