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How moonlighting as a prostitute to get back at her unfaithful boyfriend cost an honor student her life Friday, August 25, 1995. Detective Ronald Shankin of the Detroit suburb of […]

The increased attention focused by state legislators on the reinsurance industry has resulted in two new laws which are the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' (NAIC) Model Acts on Reinsurance Intermediaries, Managing General Agents and Credit for Reinsurance and the Federal Insurance Solvency Act of 1992. The NAIC act applies to various illegal practices in the industry including 'fronting'. The federal bill will specify capitalization standards and monitor the finances of both insurers and resinsurers., FANNIE WEINSTEIN, based in Ann Arbor, Mich., is a frequent contributor to INSURANCE REVIEW The reinsurance industry is trying to cope as both state and federal officials prepare to make [...]

It sounds like the plot of an old Hollywood Western: Local authorities hire bounty hunters to round up the villains and bring them to justice. Only we're not talking about [...]

A New Beginning When the Warwick Insurance Co. announced in June that it had appointed 81 new producers during the first five months of 1991, the move brought smiles to [...]

Nothing Personal As the new year rolled around last January, John R. Wilson and his colleagues at Cordell & Co. looked ahead with optimism. 'We had five willing companies that [...]

Last March, when the U.K. Department of Trade and Industry or-Walbrook Insurance Co. Ltd. to cease underwriting new business because its reserves seemed inadequate, industry analysts were quick to expound [...]

The New ISO-metrics Although most accept it as a political necessity, it's safe to say that the industry has not been eagerly awaiting the Insurance Services Offices' (ISO) transition from [...]

The Handshake Deal Loses Its Grip The handshake. For years, this informal gesture characterized the relationship between reinsurers and insurers. 'Handshake deals' were based on good faith. Agreements were formalized [...]

BUILDING GRASS ROOTS SUPPORT When Lib Carlisle invited 100 current and potential customers to a forum on workers' comp, more than a few feared it was just another sales pitch. [...]

A Day of Reckoning When Hurricane Hugo, one of the fiercest tropical storms since the turn of the century, tore through the Caribbean and the Southeastern United States in late [...]

Guardian Agents Before Congress passed the Liability Risk Retention Act of 1986, organizing an insurance buyers group often meant cutting through reams of red tape, it id could be done [...]

The Marathon Man The true grit of the independent agent is being tested as companies strive to pump up profits and market share. When it comes to the fate of [...]

Researchers in insurance loss control labs have devised some ingenious products and techniques. Ken Brock can't help but laugh when he recalls the modest beginnings of Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.'s [...]

When Nebraska Director of Insurance William McCartney testified before the Senate Commerce Committee in February, he told its members that the 1980s taught us an important lesson--federal financial regulation is [...]

LOSS COSTS FOR COMP? Workers' compensation insurance should not be treated differently from the other property/casualty lines with respect to permissible ratemaking activities of advisory organizations, according to a report [...]

The War on Insolvency Escalates Six months ago, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) released a set of new financial regulation standards, a move designed to strengthen state regulator's [...]

TWO'S A CROWD? * Can an insurance commissioner alone adequately represent the consumers in his or her state? That's a question currently being batted around by industry, agent and consumer [...]

Promote with Pizzazz! Around Clinton, N.J., Frank Hooper is known for his white tuxedo and top hat. Hooper, president of Shive, Wright & Exton, a $6 million volume agency, has [...]

The article focuses on several celebrities and their lifestyles including actor Samuel L. Jackson, paleontologist Paul Sereno and actor, producer and director James Brolin. According to Guinness World Record, Jackson is one of the highest-grossing actors in film industry. Sereno who discovered more than two dozen species of dinosaurs, performs same number of push-ups daily even in the age of 54. It also informs that Brolin is famous for his versatility and calm behavior in his field.

This article presents a profile of recently deceased Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve. Reeve became well known for the care and devotion she gave to her husband for 10 years and for her advocacy for spinal cord injury research. She is a good example of bravery in the face of tragedy and struggles. Within 4 months of her husband's death, her mother died from ovarian cancer, and the following year she found out that she had lung cancer. Her father also suffered a heart attack and, through it all, Reeve tried to be the caregiver to others.

The article discusses whether cruise lines are doing enough to keep guests safe. George Smith IV of Connecticut, missing since his honeymoon cruise in July 2005, is one example of passengers who never made it home. None of the incidents investigated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has been ruled a homicide. Yet serious crimes occur aboard cruise ships, sometimes exacerbated by alcohol. Christopher Caldwell disappeared on a cruise in 2004, and married couple Hue Tran and Hue Pham disappeared from a May 2005 cruise. Smith's parents are suing Royal Caribbean cruise line, saying the company ignored signs of foul play.

Presents an obituary for television news anchorman Peter Jennings.

Reports on the media attention being given actor Tom Cruise. Details of an interview he gave to Matt Lauer in which he criticized the field of psychiatry; Comments Cruise made about actress Brooke Shields' struggle with postpartum depression; Reasons Cruise has become so outspoken on issues related to Scientology.

This article presents an obituary of television personality Johnny Carson, who died of complications from emphysema. Carson died quietly at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with only immediate family by his side: Christopher, 54, a golf instructor, and Cory, 51, a guitarist, his sons with first wife Jody, and his fourth wife, Alexis, 54, the woman who shared his many travels as well as his preference for solitude. For the record, Carson didn't invent the late-night talk show. He didn't even invent Tonight. After rising through the world of radio and game shows, he was 36 on Oct. 1, 1962, when he took over as host from mercurial Jack Paar (who died last year at 86). But it was Carson who turned that desk--a flimsy prop table--into the Holy Grail for several generations of comic talents, including David Letterman, now on CBS, Conan O'Brien, who is expected to take over from Leno in 2009 ("Anyone who does this for a living," he said, "is trying in vain to be Johnny Carson") and Jon Stewart. Carson, though, was a tonic, not an aphrodisiac. His show was a smooth-humming engine that purred on and on, toting up a final guest tally of more than 22,000 as its host over time came to resemble the hood ornament, sleek and silvery. INSETS: Ed McMahon;Alter Egos;JOHNNY'S UNSHAKABLE HABIT;Ladies and Gentleman ... the Great Carsoni!

The article discusses the life Christopher Reeve, actor and activist who became a quadriplegic since a horseback riding accident in 1995. Reeve died recently of cardiac failure, brought on by a raging infection that had spread from a bed sore. After the tragic accident berated lawmakers, sought out scientists, raised money for stem-cell and other research and argued for insurance reform. He may even have established medical precedents. He regained physical sensations (including touch and smell) and even limited movements that defy medical wisdom. He spoke at the 1996 Oscars. He wrote two bestselling memoirs, directed TV movies (1997's In the Gloaming)and even acted (in a TV remake of Rear Window, for which he won a Screen Actors Guild award, and Smallville, The WB's teenage Superman series). The odds against him were beyond grim: Of 11,000 people with spinal cord injuries, only 250 patients with Reeve's sort of catastrophic broken vertebrae survive, and those that do live on average seven years. His friend Ken Regan recalls that in the exercise room at Reeve's home, where he logged so many hours of physical therapy, he hung a sign--a promise to himself and a challenge to the world: "For everyone who thought I couldn't do it. For everyone who thought I shouldn't do it. For everyone who said, 'It's impossible.' See you at the finish line!" INSETS: DANA' S ROLE;CELEBRATING CHRIS;HIS PERSONAL CRUSADE;THE LIVES HE TOUCHED

This is an article that discusses the television show "The Swan," and the pageant that nine contestants competed in to determine which one would be chosen as "The Swan." For seven weeks, 16 women with eggshell egos had laid themselves bare on FOX's surprise hit, The Swan--allowing cameras to document the gruesome brow lifts, liposuctions, breast jobs, teeth bleaching and gum surgeries (and, yes, the "life-coaching" and therapy sessions) that would change their lives. A timid Belinda Bessant had been encouraged to pound a punching bag bearing a photo of her brutish boyfriends, and an unhappy Kristy Garza had been excoriated for cheating on her 1,200-calorie diet. Although voice-overs emphasized that contestants received extensive "life coaching" (from producer Galan) and counseling sessions from Lynn Ianni, Ianni didn't begin working with the women until after their major procedures were completed. Each time she proudly paraded down the runway, Rachel Love-Fraser always had one eye on somebody special in the audience: her husband, Michael Fraser. A document-control manager for a construction company in Sammamish, Wash., she had been married just nine months to Michael, 34, a bathroom refinisher who has a son, Mitchell, 11, from a previous marriage, when she decided to try out for The Swan. INSETS: The Swan's 'Dream Team';RATING THE MAKEOVERS.

As the unemployment rate hits a nine-year high, Larry Schenone and Donnie Wirth join the millions struggling to support their families. When Larry Schenone heard rumors that some of his colleagues might be laid off, he went to check with his boss. Eighteen months after losing his job as an engineering manager for a St. Louis defense contractor, Schenone has recovered from the shock. But he still can't find his way back to the career that had been on a steady ascent for 23 years. Once commanding more than $100,000 annually, the father of three now works up to 30 hours a week at Sears, making $4.50 an hour plus commission to hawk tool sets and paint. Six years ago Donnie Wirth landed the job he thought would last a lifetime. At Columbus, Ohio's Buckeye Steel Castings, a foundry where his father and grandfather had labored before him, Wirth worked eight hours a day in 110° heat, trimming excess steel from newly molded industrial castings. The job was dangerous--he crushed a finger and badly burned his left thigh--but it paid the rent on a three-bedroom house and allowed his wife, Melissa, to stay home to care for the kids. Last October the foundry shut down, leaving Donnie and his dad, Don, scrambling for work and fretting about their family's future. INSET: WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, BECOME A BILLBOARD FOR YOURSELF.

Focuses on actor Christopher Reeve, who is paralyzed from the shoulders down and is dependent on a ventilator to breath. Mention of his book 'Nothing Is Impossible: Reflections on a New Life'; Successes and signs of hope he has experienced, including his ability to move the fingers of his left hand; Significance of these simple achievements; Background on the tragedy that caused him to be paralyzed; Future outlook.

Focuses on the allegations facing Michael Skakel, facing murder charges for the gruesome killing of Martha Moxley in Greenwich, Connecticut. Outlook for his trial; Background on Skakel, who is a cousin of the Kennedys; Efforts of Dorthy Moxley to pursue a battle against Skakel for 26 years since her daughter's death.

Discusses the revelation that comedian Rosie O'Donnell is a lesbian. How she has never tried to hide her sexual orientation; Her long-term relationship with Kelli Carpenter; Her decision to tell the public about her sexuality; Her efforts to promote gay adoptions.

Reports on the reasons behind actor Ben Affleck's decision to enter a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Malibu, California.

Discusses the breakup of actress Julia Roberts and actor Benjamin Bratt.

Reports on the alleged murder of five children by their mother Andrea Yates, who was allegedly on medication for depression. INSET: WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS.

Reports on the recovery of model Niki Taylor after a car accident in April 2001.

Focuses on Matt Propp, who was kidnapped from his biological parents by his adoptive parents Barry and Judith Smiley after they were ordered to return him, and Barry Smiley's decision to turn himself in.

Reports on the break up of the marriage of actors Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise.

Discusses the television show `Survivor: The Australian Outback,' with information on the cast members involved.

Focuses on actor Jason Robards, who died on December 26, 2000.

Provides an update on Claus von Bulow and his family since he was accused in 1980 of attempting to murder his wife as of December, 2000.

Profiles rock and soul singer Tina Turner, who will perform her last concert of her last tour at Anaheim, California, on December 6, 2000.