Officials: 10 Tornadoes Hit Wisconsin
| April 13, 2011 By Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The storm system that hit northern and central Wisconsin on Sunday now has a place in the record book, with the 10 tornadoes tying the April record set in 1984, the National Weather Service reported Tuesday.
Eight of the 10 tornadoes were the weakest category, EF1. However, an EF2 tornado with a maximum wind speed of 125 mph hit Adams County and an EF3 tornado with a max wind speed of 140 mph hit Lincoln County, according to the weather service.
There also were many reports by trained weather spotters of large hail and thunderstorms across most parts of the state, including a report of hail stones nearly 3 inches in diameter and straight-line wind gusts up to 80 mph.
Incredible as it may seem, results from an online survey show an alarming number of drivers who use the Web while driving-this despite a national campaign to curb distracted driving.
In the November survey, more than 19 percent reported accessing the Internet on a cell phone at least once a week while driving. That compares with 74 percent who reported making or receiving calls at least once weekly while driving and 35 percent who reported sending or receiving text messages at least that frequently.
Most respondents who said they use the Internet while driving reported that they engage in these activities when stopped at a stop light or stopped in heavy traffic. They also commonly said they access the Internet when driving alone, during daylight hours, or on long drives on the interstate.
In 2009, 5,474 people were killed and 448,000 injured in distracted driving crashes; 18% of the fatalities involved cell phones as a distraction, and the under-20 age group was the most heavily involved, federal data show. Last year, 11 states enacted bans on texting while driving; 30 states prohibit it for all drivers, and eight more have banned it for novice drivers.
(Source: PIA Connection 03-2011)
Sales of automobiles are booming among the growing middle class of China. Car registration in Beijing has increased to 4.8 million from 2.8 million since 2005, with 700,000 new cars being registered in the last year along. General Motors sold more cars and trucks in China last year than it did in the United States.
This new boom has created massive traffic problems in China’s capital. The Chinese government now limits the number of new license plates in Beijing to 240,000 awarded annually through the lottery system. And, as a result of this, some conclude that China’s adoption of electric cars is three to five years away rather than 10 years away.
(Source:American Funds Newsline-03-2011)
NFL Teams Can’t Collect All Of Players’ Workers’ Comp Awards
Share | March 30, 2011
By Chad Hemenway, PropertyCasualty360.com
NU Online News Service, March 30, 12:13 p.m. EDT
A U.S. District Court judge has granted the National Football League Players Association a permanent injunction against the league, resolving a workers’ compensation-related dispute that has gone on for decades.
Judge Paul A. Crotty ruled that a paragraph in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA)—a matter of contention since 1977—provides only for a time offset that NFL teams can take from injured players’ state workers’ comp awards. In other words, teams are only permitted to collect an offset, or reimbursement, based on a formula that calculates when players received salary and workers’ comp payments at the same time.
Teams had argued they were entitled to a dollar-for-dollar offset—reimbursement of all of the workers’ comp awarded to a player—to offset the salary benefits paid by teams to players.
Adam J. Kaiser, an attorney who represents the players, said the ruling was “incredibly important.” The contracts of current players are not guaranteed, meaning teams can drop them if they are hurt and can no longer play. Additionally, former players receive no post-employment health insurance.
“The NFL talks a good game when it comes to taking care of its players but they despise them,” Kaiser says. “Injured players just cost them money.”
The issue has gone to arbitration multiple times. Crotty basically upheld a previous arbitration decision on the matter, as Kaiser says he has been fighting with teams for about 7 years and won on every level. But during the final year of the CBA teams attempted to find a way around previous rulings, saying they only applied to specific players on specific teams involved in past litigation, and were more aggressive in going after full reimbursement.
“The only way to deal with them was to go back to Judge Crotty and have him confirm the arbitral award the players won and grant a permanent injunction,” Kaiser says. With the ruling from a federal judge, the players now have an enforceable federal court judgement, he adds.
“The case here involves an attempt to continuously re-arbitrate the interpretation of the same contractual provision,” Crotty writes. “The court considered and rejected all of [the teams’] other arguments in opposition to this motion.”
The players asked the judge to hold the teams in contempt, but Crotty stopped short of doing so. At least, not “at this juncture,” he writes.
The collective bargaining agreement expired on March 11, and the owners have locked out the players.
Is William Shatner officially a billionaire?
He may be, thanks to Priceline.com.
Quietly PCLN shares have surged to yet another record high. They’re up nearly $90 bucks this year alone and are closing in on $500.
When Captain Kirk .. er, Shatner .. became Priceline’s pitchman more than a decade ago, he smartly (or desperately) decided to be paid in stock. After a brief run during the tech boom Priceline shares went into the dump, bottoming out below $2.
Then the run began.
While we don’t know how many shares or options Shatner was given, or if he has held onto them, reports last year were that his stake was worth some $600 million dollars. And that was when Priceline was trading at a mere $300/share.
With the stock up nearly $200 more/share since then, its possible Mr. Shatner is getting darn close to being a good, old fashioned stock market billionaire.
Source: New Ideas by Brian Sullivan
The antics of major Hollywood actor Charlie Sheen have resulted in the cancellation of a multimillion-dollar production and put an entire cast and crew out of work, begging the question: Can this actor still be insured?
Broker to the stars Lorrie McNaught, vice president with Aon/Albert G. Ruben, the retail entertainment division of Aon Corp., located in Sherman Oaks, Calif., responded. “The short answer is yes, absolutely. Everything is insurable, and it usually comes down to two things: price and the experience of the broker helping to underwrite the exposure.”
Mr. Sheen, son of actor Martin Sheen, is known for his legendary partying, which has escalated in recent months. He has made the news in the wake of trashed hotel rooms, charges of drug and alcohol abuse, and spousal abuse. His rants against his boss on talk shows have led to the cancellation of the hit show “Two and a Half Men.”
While insuring Charlie Sheen may seem like a major challenge, Ms. McNaught observed: “We’ll see. In my experience, just about every actor or athlete or anybody that’s being covered has their own set of issues. They all have issues. We deal with it all day, every day.”
While many assumptions are currently being made about Mr. Sheen, she said, “when you actually see a medical exam, then you really know what you’re dealing with, whether this person has issues that have to be dealt with, or whether they’re just out creating a buzz.”
Ms. McNaught said that actual medical exams of actors in a show are usually dealt with up front. “Before you go in to a series or a film you see the medicals of all the cast members that are being covered.”
Then when a loss happens, she said, “you already know whether it’s going to be covered or not, based on what’s been negotiated up front, based on the results of the cast’s medical.”
The big questions insurers have, Ms. McNaught said, are “is he sober, will he be held accountable, and will he show up for work.” Those issues are dealt with and “sometimes you have to go back and deal with production and the individual you’re talking about and come to an agreement.”
As a result, the coverage might be written with a higher deductible or contain particular terms and conditions. “But you can always get them covered,” Ms. McNaught said.
National Underwriter P&C March 7, 2011
By Caroline McDonald, PropertyCasualty360.com
Some tips for your children about fire safety:
*Keep matches and lighters in a secured drawer or cabinet.
*Have your children tell you when they find matches and lighters.
*Develop a home fire escape plan, practice it with your children and designate a meeting place outside.
*Supervise young children closely. Do not leave them alone even for short periods of time.
*Take the mystery out of fire by teaching children that fire is a tool, not a toy.
*Teach children the nature of fire. It is Fast, Hot, Dark and Deadly!
*Demonstrate how to stop, drop to the ground and roll if their clothes catch fire.
*Show children how to crawl low on the floor below the smoke, to get out of the house and stay out, in the case of fire.
*Teach children not to hide from firefighters, but to get out quickly and call for help.
(Source: USFA)
John C. Stone might be the most famous Green Bay Packers fan in Chicago.
The 34-year-old Roseland resident was fired Monday from his job as a car salesman at an Oak Lawn Chevrolet dealership for wearing a Packers tie to work, but he’s already been offered a job at another dealership and been interviewed live on a nationwide sports radio show.
“I didn’t know all this publicity was going to come with this,” Stone said in an interview this morning. “But you know what? It lets me know who has my back.”
Guy Cesario, the general manager of Chevrolet of Homewood, offered Stone a job this morning while Stone was being interviewed on WGN-Ch. 9.
“I think it’s ridiculous, and I felt bad for the guy, because he doesn’t deserve not to have a job,” said Cesario, who said he sympathized with Stone because he grew up as a Cubs fan on the South Side. “Good salesmen are so hard to find…. To put somebody’s livelihood in jeopardy because of a tie is just idiotic.”
Cesario said he and Stone plan to meet today or tomorrow. He said his dealership has already received calls from Wisconsin residents who want to buy a car from Stone.
Stone also discussed his firing during a live interview this morning on “The Dan Patrick Show,” a nationally syndicated sports talk program.
Stone said he wore the tie at Webb Chevrolet on Monday – one day after the Packers beat the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game at Soldier Field – because he’s been a Packers fan since Ahman Green became a star running back for the Packers in 2000. He also said he wore the tie in honor of his 91-year-old grandmother, a Packers fan who died this month.
Stone said that when he showed up at work, general manager Jerry Roberts called him over to his office and told him he would be fired if he didn’t take off his tie. Stone said he thought Roberts was joking and went back to work.
An hour later, Stone said, Roberts came to the showroom floor and again demanded he take off the tie. When he didn’t, he was fired, Stone said.
“I didn’t know you could get fired for wearing a tie,” Stone said. “I’m supposed to dress up. I’m a car salesman.”
Asked by a WGN-Ch. 9 reporter if he’d fired Stone for wearing a Packer’s tie, Webb Chevrolet general manager Jerry Roberts said, “Correct.”
Roberts said the dealership had previously done promotions involving the Chicago Bears. “I don’t feel that it was appropriate for him to go directly in contrast with an advertising campaign that we spent a lot of money on,” Roberts told WGN reporter Judie Garcia.
But Stone said Roberts’ reasons for firing him were never made clear to him, nor did he get a chance to explain the tie’s emotional significance. Roberts told WGN-Ch. 9 that he didn’t know that Stone’s grandmother was a Packers fan.
Stone, who has two children, said this morning he’s simply trying to catch his breath.
“I’m just going to leave my options open,” he said. “I’ve got a long week ahead of me, I think. I’m going to get my mind clear and figure out what to do now.”
(Source: Dawn Rhodes and Dan Haggerty-Chicago Tribune)
Last week’s party pictures may be more than embarrassing. They could impact your chances in the job market.
Employers have open access to-and are using-more information than ever before. Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, newspaper archives and some courts records are all available online at no charge to employers. YouTube can provide an employer with an eyeful of impressions that can contradict even the most polished resume.
According to an article posted by Oregonbusinessreport.com in August 2009, a CareerBuilder survey found that 45 percent of employers used social networking sites to screen candidates. That number had jumped 23 percent from the previous year. Employers found both positive and negative information about the candidates. In some cases, a candidate has shown creativity, communication skills, or feedback from others that has helped them land the job. In other cases, photos, comments or poor communication skills dissuaded an employer from hiring that candidate.
The bottom line is that employers can access online information readily including what you do in your leisure time, who you choose to associate with, and, in part, what your history is. It’s almost impossible to know whether you’ve been overlooked for an interview or a job based on what an employer has seen online. So the safest guideline is to make sure your online profile is one that you want to be seen. It pays to search yourself online to be familiar with the information that may be available to potential employers. Before you hit that “post” button, really think about who will see it-not necessarily today or tomorrow, but in the future you’re trying to improve.
(Source: Jennifer Stallsmith-FreshStart)
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