• 31
  Jul
  2009

• The mystical land of Egypt

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Blog Contributor
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There is something mystical about this land whose life seems to be nurtured by the long flowing River Nile. Is it the Sphinx, the Pharoahs, the pyramids of Giza or just the desert sand? In all probability it is all of it, as the history of Egypt is one of the oldest and has many answers to our past. As much of the tourist attractions are around the River Nile, a cruise along the river will be a good idea.

For a traveler, visiting Cairo for the first time, it would be a medley of donkey-drawn carts, luxury cars, mud brick villages, modern homes, ancient culture, modern trends, golf courses, bowling alleys, happening clubs, restaurants, traditional food. For those of us intent on picking souvenirs, the Khan al-Khalili market would be the place. This is a great place to buy exotic perfume bottles, Arabic clothing and other souvenirs.

Egyptian culture has six thousand years of recorded history. Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations and for millennia. One can get a glimpse of this at the Al-Qalaa Citadel, Coptic Museum, Museum of Islamic Arts, Gayer-Anderson Museum, Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Mosque at Al-Azhar, Abdeen Palace Museum, Abu Sir Pyramids and Manial Palace Museum.

There are more than 80 pyramids in Egypt which were built mostly between 2600 BC and 1500 BC and all are situated close to the Nile river. After the ruler died (or other prominent royal figures like queens), their bodies were wrapped and preserved as a mummy, and placed in the Pyramid. The most popular pyramids are the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx: An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Giza also has the largest pyramid also known as “Great Pyramid” which rises an amazing 481 feet.

• 30
  Jul
  2009

• Medical Tourism Insurance

  
  Filed Under: Blogging
  Author: Blog Contributor
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It is not uncommon now for US patients to travel abroad for their medical needs. Until recently, most Americans who travelled abroad for medical care were uninsured or were seeking procedures not covered by insurance, such as cosmetic dentistry. Now, a handful of plans are beginning to cover treatment overseas for heart surgery, hip and knee replacements and other major surgical procedures.

In the US, insurance companies Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Aetna, have begun offering coverage for medical care abroad. Employers, health plans and benefits consultants are taking notice and in some cases are launching pilot programs allowing employees to travel abroad for certain procedures. The Joint Commission International (JCI) is an American nonprofit that accredits hospitals in the U.S., to help find suitable medical centers overseas. Lately the number of international hospitals getting the thumbs-up from the JCI has been growing.

Before the medical tourism and insurance industry reached its present heights, temporary travel insurance once offered a convenient, if somewhat sneaky, way to get insured for medical treatment while overseas. But they quickly caught on, and every travel insurance company now includes a blanket statement which says that the insurance policy will not cover anyone who goes abroad with the intent of seeking medical treatment. There are also insurance policies available overseas by the country where you are visiting. These policies claim to cover you in the case of medical care, but as a consumer you have very few rights to demand reimbursement. Thus it is not recommended that you bother with overseas insurance policies.

Medical tourism insurance policies address the unique needs of the medical tourist to help them protect the financial investment that they have made in choosing to travel overseas for a medical procedure. The policy may cover up to a specific monetary amount for medical complications coverage while overseas and when the patient returns home. It could cover up to a specific monetary amount for acute illness and injuries for you and your traveling companion while overseas.

• 29
  Jul
  2009

• Is entrepreneurship the answer to recession?

  
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  Author: Blog Contributor
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“Entrepreneurial spirit is at the core of American ideals”, but has America and Americans forgotten this? Could this be the way out of the current recession? Should the economy and Americans get bogged down by the pink slips or worry about the jobs being outsourced to other countries? Is this the America we know? Loosing its glorious path and crying fowl? From the days of Henry Ford to Iacoca to Jack Welch to Warren Buffet to Bill Gates to Steve Jobs to Larry Ellison, America has produced the best possible names in the Corporate world who created fortunes for entire generations.

The recession notwithstanding, it’s a heady time for young entrepreneurs starting new businesses in the U.S. The Web, a constant in most young Americans’ lives, makes it cheaper than ever to get going, there’s plenty of encouragement in the form of twenty-something role models such as Face book’s Mark Zuckerberg, and a wide array of entrepreneurship programs are available across the country. Plus, running your own business is considered cooler than ever.
“Millenials in particular want to be able to control their own destinies, and entrepreneurship allows them to do this,” says David Galbinski, the chairman-elect of Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a 6,600-member networking group for business owners whose businesses’ yearly revenues exceed $1 million. The number of EO members in the 18-to-35-year-old age group has more than tripled since 2001, to 3,356, and Galbinski expects entrepreneurship to become increasingly attractive to young people.

So if you have lost your job and cursing Obama or Bush for it, forget it! This might be it. Your millions might just be a click away. Obama’s team might want to look at easing things for home businesses and encouraging entrepreneurs.

• 28
  Jul
  2009

• Will the pink slips STOP?

  
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Keith Hall, Commissioner, Bureau of Labor Statistics has these facts to present as the US seems to heading into a deeper recession:

- Payroll employment declines continued to be widespread among the major industries. In June, there were large decreases in manufacturing, construction, and professional and business services. Together, these three sectors have accounted for nearly three-quarters of the jobs lost since the recession began.

- Manufacturing employment fell by 136,000 in June, bringing job loss in this industry to 1.9 million since the start of the recession. Motor vehicle and parts employment declined by 27,000 over the month; since the start of the recession, the industry has lost 335,000 jobs, about one-third of its total.

- Construction employment decreased by 79,000 in June. Job losses in the industry have totaled 1.3 million during this recession.

- Employment in professional and business services dropped by 118,000 in June. Job losses occurred throughout the industry, including temporary help services (-38,000), services to buildings and dwellings (-17,000), and architectural and engineering services (-14,000). Since the start of the recession, professional and business services has lost 1.5 million jobs; temporary help services accounted for over half of this decline.

- Federal government employment fell by 49,000 in June, largely reflecting the layoff of workers temporarily hired to prepare for Census 2010. Elsewhere in the service-providing sector, job losses continued in financial activities (-27,000), information (-21,000), and wholesale trade (-16,000). Retail trade employment edged down over the month (-21,000); losses continued among auto dealerships (-9,000).

- The number of persons unemployed for 27 weeks or longer continued to increase in June. The 4.4 million long-term jobless individuals accounted for 3 in 10 unemployed persons.

With Americans being clobbered by waves of layoffs unlikely to ease in the coming months, it seems certain that the world’s largest economy is sinking into a deeper recession.