I confess to being a bookie. No, I can't place your bets on the horses, but I will bet that maybe at least one reader is also a bookie: someone who loves books.

Insurer and consumer had a war of words on Nov. 15, 2007, at the National Underwriter Company's first two-day virtual conference and expo.

Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving's 1820 tale attributed to old Diedrich Knickerbocker, tells of a rather lazy New York Dutchman named Rip who resided in the Catskills.

Hurricane Katrina may have reminded us that those who are exposed to wave wash or flooding need to have federal flood insurance, but few have learned about the Johnstown Flood of 1889.

It should not be surprising information, even for those on the coastline, that hurricane damage can be prevented.

It was unusual for me to purchase a "rare book" through a used book store, a first edition at that, but in this case, it was one that I had been seeking for years and could never find.

Bridging the Industry is the title of the Claims Conference of Northern California this September, at their two-day meeting in Sacramento.

If claim association membership is any indication, from the few claim club lists this writer has seen recently, the most active members are independent property adjusters.