It never rains, but it pours. The economy is not just sapping revenue from architects and engineers, it is increasing professional liability risk.

Even the most optimistic forecasters concede that the climb out of this Great Recession will continue to be steep and arduous. Florida, especially, has been hammered with high unemployment, mortgage failures, and tumbling property values.

My neighbor's home caught fire two years ago after being hit by lightning. Frankly, thunderstorms scare me more than the threat of hurricanes because we have them more often. But I guess there's not much we can do to about it.

The beginning of the 34th National Conference of the AMS Users Group in Nashville this month could mark the beginning of the end of a very challenging year for the association.