A former Olympian and orthopedic surgeon, Jacques Rogge currently serves as president of the International Olympic Committee. In a July interview with The New York Times, he described the importance of travel in his busy schedule. “You need to have face time,” he said. “There is no way you can run such an organization with just e-mails, videoconferencing or telephone calls.” His comments echo what the meeting industry has been trumpeting for a long time — Face Time: It Matters…Speaking of which, a debate is raging regarding the etiquette of using hand-held devices during meetings. While some organizations look the other way, others ban their use. I say check them at the door. “Tapping” is a sign of disrespect for the speaker, or a loud message that the agenda isn’t important enough to start with…The ‘super-connected’ develop what’s described as a “dual dependency,” Adelphi University psychologist Robert Bornstein noted in an article published in Psychology Today. “They’re not only counting on other people too much, they’re also hooked to the devices themselves, where they feel utterly disconnected, isolated and detached without them.” Hand-held devices are so addictive, some experts warn, that “compulsive users will soon need to be weaned off them using treatment programs similar to the ones drug addicts attend.” A bit extreme perhaps, but we get the point….A study conducted by the National Business Travel Association (NBTA) and Expedia revealed that 60 percent of the 689 respondents indicated that either meetings were absent from their corporate travel policies or, even worse, they didn’t know…While the United States hosted more international events in 2009 than any other country, according to ICCA, no single domestic city cracked the top 10. The leaders, in order: Vienna, Barcelona and Paris…Finally, a sign that the Apocalypse is upon us: Residents of Tracy, Calif., now have to pay every time they call 911 for a medical emergency, or pay a $48 fee for the year. The good news is that air is still free.