Monthly Archives: <span>September 2015</span>

Forecasters Open Winter Desk Just as Snow Memories Fade

The U.S. Weather Prediction Center opened its winter forecast desk Tuesday. Wait, isn’t it still summer? Yes. The calendar doesn’t usher in the Northern Hemisphere’s autumn until Sept. 23, with winter arriving on Dec. 22. Snow, however, doesn’t always come …

Destructive Wildfire Season a Reminder California is Epicenter for Fire Activity

The Valley Fire, which raged through Northern California over the weekend, spread quickly—from 50 to 50,000 acres within a 24-hour period— destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. According to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide, the fire which started in the …

Watchdog Says Aircraft Safety Dogged by Flight-Plan Miscues

The aviation system is plagued by erroneous data on flight plans that may confuse pilots and controllers, putting safety at risk, according to an U.S. investigative agency’s report to the White House and Congress. Hundreds of times a day, multiple …

Commentary: Auto Industry Rattled by Google’s Self Driving Car Plans

Before Google introduced the prototype of its autonomous car – aka the “self-driving toaster” – to the public last year, the search-engine giant made the rounds of the major automakers to explain the concept. At least one of the automakers …

IIHS Finds Long Term Safety Benefits From Speed Cameras

A speed camera program in a large community near Washington, D.C., has led to long-term changes in driver behavior and substantial reductions in deaths and injuries, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows. “We hope this research …

Injury Spotters Can Stop Games Under NFL’s New Safety Campaign

Jim Gossett has been paid to watch football games for more than 30 years: for three decades as an athletic trainer at Columbia University and four seasons as an injury spotter for the NFL. But this season, stationed high above …

City, School Fight Connecticut School Shooting Wrongful Death Suit

Newtown, Conn., and its schools are putting up a stiff legal fight against a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the parents of two children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, questioning whether the lawsuit was filed on time …

Wearables Being Used by Big Pharma to Collect Better Personal Data

Pharmaceutical companies are enlisting Fitbits and other gadgets strapped to patients’ wrists, chests and skin as a way to bring drugs to market faster. What began as an aid for athletes and dieters to track their movements is quickly becoming …

QBE Asia Pacific Appoints Allan as General Manager – Claims

QBE Asia Pacific appointed Martin Allan to the role of general manager – Claims, Asia Pacific, effective September 8, 2015. Based in Singapore, Allan has had more than 32 years of experience in the insurance industry and has held various …

El Nino to Peak Near Year End as Warm Sea Temperatures Continue

El Nino will peak around the end of the year as warming sea temperatures in the Pacific Ocean may exceed those seen during the record event almost two decades ago. Recent oceanic and atmospheric indicators are at levels not seen …