A 47 year old wife. A 74 year old husband. A .357 magnum, and a snack bar in a bowling alley. This story just reeks of class and sophistication. Wednesday, a 74-year-old man opened fire on his estranged wife in a Staten Island bowling alley. Armando Tritto fired at least three shots at Maureen Tritto,…
Owning Your Disability
Why do some injured workers who suffer a severe life altering injury bounce back and seemingly recover, while others mire in a disability quagmire that seemingly has no exit? Why do some apparently heal and adapt, while others continue to decline? Why do some injured workers who face life changing injuries have more complications, less…
I Can't Believe I Missed Go Topless Day
Move over Secretary's Day, and forget Bring your Daughters' to Work Day. Apparently Sunday was Go Topless Day, and I missed it. Nuts. Women in several cities apparently went topless that day in a coordinated move for “gender equality”. Finally, a commemorative day I can stand behind. Or in front of. Whatever. In Asheville, NC,…
Defending the Indefensible on Public School Employee Issues
Last May I wrote an article about an employee performance issue in a local school district which was also generally critical of public education overall. I heard from a couple regular readers who seemed a bit disappointed with my position. They work in HR or workers’ comp related positions for public school systems, and thought…
Worker Making Pile Bit By Crocodile
Where to go when you've got to go? Not, it seems in a Malaysian river. A foreign worker in Pending, Sarawack, Malaysia was severely bitten on the buttocks by a crocodile while he was defecating in a river next to his worksite. I bet that scared the crap out of him. The croc, measuring about…
At Least the Monkeys Were Unharmed…..
I would love to be a fly on the wall for this guys next employee performance review. A Georgia Health Sciences University lab tech was arrested after being discovered in a campus locker room partying with lab monkeys. Apparently 32-year-old Coley Mitchell was jailed after he was found intoxicated with his pants down in a…
Crappy Job, Crappy Sex, Crappy Kids, Crappy Life
I call it “Crappy Boss Syndrome”. Apparently psychologist types call it the “Crossover Effect”, or the “Spillover Effect”. Whichever you prefer, it is the concept that a person who is satisfied with their job is generally more likely to be satisfied in their personal life. This translates to interactions with spouses, children and friends, and…
Good Cop Bad Cop Approach Works for Social Media in Workers' Comp
Except for one, glaring, jarring surprise, it was likely the best social media session I have ever attended at a conference. Moderated by Helen Knight, the power behind the Paduda throne, Business Insurance’s Roberto Ceniceros and MedRisk’s Tom Kerr squared off on the good, the bad and the ugly in social media. And the jarring…
Some Pointless Rumination's From Orlando
I normally write about sessions and cutting edge information when I attend conferences. I try to convey some of the thoughts and ideas that germinate here, and give a sense of what is on the mind of attendees and professionals in the industry. But this week is Orlando. The annual conference here could easily have…
Eating and Beating at Your Local Red Lobster
First there was the “The Rumble in the Jungle”, and the “Thrilla in Manilla”. Now we have “Mobsterfest at Lobsterfest”. Or “All You Can Beat Shrimp”. “Crackin’ Jab at the House O’ Crab”, “Beatin’ Face At That Darden Place” (only current or ex food and bev people like me will likely get that last one).…