At one unionised hotel, he recalls, the pool attendant was not allowed to take the deck chairs out of the pool when the wind blew them in.

ECONOMIST: Red tape and scissors | The

Restricted largely to a setting of conference rooms in second-rank hotels, they take pains to notice whether the chairs are leather or Naugahyde, and whether the curtains are clean.

ECONOMIST: Anti-tobacco campaign

"The UK government has the chance to take the lead in tackling tax dodging next year when it chairs the G8, " she said.

BBC: Starbucks 'paid just ?8.6m UK tax in 14 years'

Based on the roundtable discussion, participants will determine a thematic focus and Chairs for the thematic workshops to take place at the Conference after the roundtable.

UNESCO: Regional Forum ��Gender Equality as a Millennium Value��

Forbes.com sat down--quite literally on the floor, as there were no chairs in sight--with Ryder at the Sands Expo area of CES to get his take on what really counts as convergence.

FORBES: Magazine Article