| WHERE NEO-NOMADS' IDEAS PERCOLATE
A new breed of worker, fueled by caffeine and using the tools of modern technology, is flourishing in the coffeehouses of San Francisco. Roaming from cafe to cafe and borrowing a name from the nomadic Arabs who wandered freely in the desert, they've come to be known as "bedouins." San Francisco's modern-day bedouins are typically armed with laptops and cell phones, paying for their office space and Internet access by buying coffee and muffins. "In 'Lawrence of Arabia,' the bedouins always felt like they were on the warpath. They had greater cause," said Niall Kennedy, a 27-year-old San Franciscan who quit his day job at Microsoft Corp. to run his own Web company, Hat Trick Media, out of cafes and a rented desk. "At a startup, you're always on the go, plowing ahead, with some higher cause driving you." San Francisco's bedouins see themselves changing the nature of the workplace, if not the world at large.
Where and how much determine buyers’ choice
Location and price outrank facilities and service when it comes to factors influencing buyers choice of hotels and meeting venues, according to a research study unveiled last month. The Gulf Meetings and Incentive Industry Research, undertaken by Reed Travel Exhibitions (RTE) and MICE International, was unveiled at the inaugural Gulf Incentives, Business Travel and Meetings (GIBTM) in Abu Dhabi last month. It provides the first view at an aggregate level of both the demand and supply trends for the industry in the Gulf and wider Middle East.
The survey combined a database of several thousand and produced responses from 368 buyers and 192 suppliers. The average size of the organization for buyers was 154 employees with origins from Europe, America, Asia, Middle East, Africa and Australia.
Long-term care coverage for U. Minnesota employees scrutinized
MINNEAPOLIS, Apr 03, 2007 (Minnesota Daily, U-WIRE via COMTEX) --Recently, the University of Minnesota made the switch to John Hancock Insurance and Financial Services, its new provider for employees' long-term care insurance. This type of coverage takes effect when policy holders are no longer able to care for themselves and are placed in assisted living settings. The company recently came under scrutiny -- in the midst of university employee enrollment -- when it was mentioned in a March 26 New York Times article about insurance companies' denial of so-called "legitimate" claims. Though the story focused primarily on two other carriers, some university employees called the employee benefits office questioning the validity of the allegation and John Hancock's reputation. On April 1 the company took over the coverage, which was first offered to university employees in 2000.
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