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Insurance Is Fun! Newsletter
January 2006
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In this issue
-- Quote of the Month
-- Joke Time
-- News Flash: Bus Driver on Comp Disability Completes Marathon!
-- On the Cutting Edge: Talking Cars Soon to Hit Market -- Hey, Happen It Could! -- Graffiti Zone -- Book of the Month: America, by John Stewart and Others -- Product Deal of the Day -- Feedback
Greetings! Welcome to the new, improved Insurance Is Fun "Fun Times" Newsletter! We hope you enjoy this month's offerings. We are a bit later than usual due to working on new layouts and designs for our newsletter. Watch for more changes in the coming months! We appreciate your interest, constructive criticism and eagerly accept your ideas for improving this newsletter, our products and other offerings. Just drop us an email at newsletterfeedback@insuranceisfun.com. Now, on to the the Fun! |
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Quote of the Month ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look
around once in awhile, you could miss it.”
-Matthew Broderick as Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller’s
Day Off
Source: www.imdb.com
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Joke Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Larry’s barn burned down and his wife, Susan, called
the insurance company. Susan told the insurance
company, “We had that barn insured for $50,000 and
I want my money!”The agent replied, “Whoa there,
just a minute,
Susan. Insurance doesn’t work quite like that. We will
ascertain the value of what was insured and provide
you with a new one of comparable worth.”
After a long pause Susan replied, “Then I’d like to
cancel the policy on my husband.”
Source: Chris Amrhein, AAI.
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News Flash: Bus Driver on Comp Disability Completes Marathon! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any weirder,
here’s a story in the Chicago Sun-Times about a
Santa Cruz, Calif., bus driver charged with fraud and
grand theft for completing (yes, completing!) a
marathon—all while receiving workers comp for a
back injury! Some back injury!
The culprit on the run was a 57-year-old employee
with the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District.
The marathon in which he so gracefully participated
was the Big Sur Marathon. We’re not sure where he
placed in the 26.2-mile trek, but we’d love to know.
While jogging through some of the most beautiful and
scenic land in the country, the not-too-swift-bus-
driver-with-a-fake-back-injury-gone-bad also was
robbing the insurance system of thousands in
workers comp funds. It seems he was milking the
system from an injury claim he filed in June 2003.
“You can’t run marathons if you are not well enough
to drive a Metro bus,” said District Attorney Bob
Lee. “It’s not just wrong; it’s criminal.”
Source: www.workerscompensation.com; www.suntimes.com.
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On the Cutting Edge: Talking Cars Soon to Hit Market ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Remember Knight Rider, the television show from the
1980s (1982 to 1986) where KITT, a talking car,
communicated routinely with expert driver Michael
Knight, a character played by the multi-talented
David Hasselhoff (think Baywatch and The Young and
the Restless)?
No? Come on, that show was golden! (Actually, to
really get a feel for the genius of Hasselhoff, click on
the "Hasselhoff Sings!" link below.
.
But whether or not you remember the show doesn’t really matter because soon enough you may have a talking car of your own. According to recent trade press reports, Honda currently is working on automobiles that communicate with both each other and the highway system. These cars of the near future will be able to relay warnings from cars in close proximity; share data with sensors along the highway that act as part of a real-time database; and announce their approach to an intersection, among many other accident- prevention communication capabilities. Okay, so you’re probably wondering - is this just a fantasy dreamed up by Honda for publicity? Well, many automakers—including General Motors and BMW—reportedly are thinking about developing such technology. “It does seem like it’s straight out of a science-fiction movie,” says Robert Strassburger, vice president of vehicle safety, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “But it’s happening already.” The real ingenuity of these “intelligent transportation systems” is that they may be able to help an accident from happening in the first place, whereas now we simply practice safety and risk-management measures such as wearing seat belts. But until these “talking cars” and systems are developed and made available to the general public, drivers will have to stick to contemporary safety procedures. More important, auto insurance will remain just as crucial Source: “Cars soon may ‘talk’ to roads, each other,” by Chris Woodyard, USA Today, November 10, 2005. |
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Hey, Happen It Could! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There is a rumor that ISO, frustrated by the
continuing courtroom attacks on policy language, has
decided upon a radical solution: massively simplifying
all coverage provisions and issues, no matter what
alternatives to handle the risk were utilized, into
what will be known as the “Covenants of Coverage.”
In an effort at creating a language of universal
understanding, ISO has written the covenants in the
only format all nations agreed had been heard
enough by all the people of the earth to be
universally understood—that of Yoda in Star Wars.
Herewith, the covenants:
1. If burn it does, and not by you, then paid
will you be.
2. If hurt them you do, pay them you will.
3. If hurt each other you do, pay each other
you will.
4. If stolen it is, society will pay, for society’s
job it is to catch the crook one day.
5. If flood it does, move you should.
6. If expensive property on coast you own,
pay for hurricane yourself you can.
7. If loss makes much anger in you, turn from
it you must.
8. Lawyers, hah! A human trusts not in these
things.
9. Pay or pay not; there is no delay.
10. Minimize well what you risk, save you it can!
Initial reactions from the judiciary have been overwhelmingly positive: “Work, it will. Understand them, I do!” gushed the California Supreme Court. Yet some aren’t ready to declare a final end to forms litigation. Former pilot and now chief of liability underwriting for AIG Hans Solo commented, “I don’t know; I got a bad feeling about this.” Source: Chris Amrhein, AAI.
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Graffiti Zone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Be immortal—buy permanent life insurance!”
Source: www.insuranceisfun.com.
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Book of the Month: America, by John Stewart and Others ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
America is not, strictly speaking, a business book.
Nor can it be construed as inspirational or
motivational. But sometimes in life, you have to just
lighten up, and this book is just the ticket.
I first came across America in an airport bookstore.
Although I began reading it purely for browsing
purposes, within seconds I was laughing so hard my
sense of guilt compelled me to actually make the
purchase.
Yes, there are portions that may possibly offend a
few folks, depending on your ability to take a joke.
And, yes, they could have left out the “Dress the
Supreme Court” activity that got this book banned
from Wal-Mart, but, for the most part, The Daily
Show staff has created a picture-perfect knock-off
of every high school history book ever published,
complete with chapter activities and quizzes.
Take a break and, possibly for the first time, truly
enjoy history as it never was.
IIF rating: priceless! Source: Chris Amrhein, AAI.
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Product Deal of the Day ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey, Insurance is Fun fans! Valentines Day is just
around the corner. Looking for that perfect - and
UNIQUE - gift for your insurance-oriented significant
other?
Let it never be said we at IIF are anything less than incurable romantics! In fact, we have developed a special collection of great items designed just for Valentines Day! Can you think of a better what to say"I love you" than an Insurance Is Fun Teddy Bear? (OK, we'll grant you a diamond is impressive, but you get the point.) Check out our special products and "such a deal" special offers today. Hurry - Valentines Day will soon be history, and so will these offers! |
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Feedback ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Send your comments to
newsletterfeedback@insuranceisfun.com. And if
you’re impressed with our newsletter, please forward
it to your friends and colleagues. We want everyone
to share in the fun!
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