What a difference a city makes. Last year, for the annual RIMS conference, the city of Philadelphia practically robbed attendees at gunpoint with hotel pricing that could be most politely described as gouging. There was no such issue this year for the conference concluded last week, as the city of Los Angeles proved far more…

The trend is undeniable. 18 states have legalized marijuana for medical use, and 2, Washington and Colorado, now allow its use for recreational purposes. More states are considering some form of legislation that would relax or remove restrictions on the use of the drug. It would seem the proponents of legalizing pot are on a…

I am not big on texting, but begrudgingly acknowledge its benefits. If I send or receive 40 text messages a week it is a booming period for me. As such, I am in the fully justifiable position of making fun of those of you have your noses permanently embedded in your phone or handheld device,…

The RIMS conference in LA continues. It just wouldn’t be complete, however, without one of my stellar reviews of some of the social activities surrounding the event. As you might be aware, my selection of which parties to review and discuss is complex, and is based on a criteria of the highest standards. Basically, you…

There is something new at RIMS this year. It is the Thought Leader Theater, a small presentation room set up in the middle of the exhibit hall floor that provides “mini sessions” on a variety of risk topics throughout the day. Think of it as a McSession, or better yet, the Twitter version of a…

Tonight was the opening reception to RIMS 2013 in Los Angeles, the annual risk management conference that draws thousands of professionals from around the world to discuss the current trends and challenges of risk in business today. The reception, called RIMS Vibe@LA Live, was held in the open air courtyard in the LA Live area,…

I have written previously that I am not a nervous flyer. It’s the ground transportation after my flight that never fails to scare the bejesus out of me. My arrival in Los Angeles Sunday for RIMS 2013 proved to be no exception to my theory that risk is alive and well in the world of…

I might still be a bit confused. It is possible that my face wasn’t the amazing part of this story. It could have been Mac Fulfer. I encountered Mr. Fulfer at the recent workers’ compensation educational conference in Mississippi. He was an exhibitor at the conference, and sat in a sparsely decorated booth in front…

I have just departed the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Education Conference in Biloxi, MS. I had the opportunity here today to discuss the benefits and challenges of Social Media in our industry. I also revealed today the initial results from our extensive Social Media Survey Project (more on that next week). I think the presentation went…

Honestly I really do not know if he never saw it coming, but these things happen very fast. And despite the danger, what happened to this Utah Avalanche Forecaster was a very rare event. He was killed on the job last week. By an avalanche. 34 Year old Craig Patterson was a seven-year veteran of…