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Travelocity.com and Expedia.com's globalisation strategies challenged.
Big marketing campaign for WebMiles. We take a look at travel award programmes.
I had the pleasure of being invited to speak at the recent IT Travel conference which took place in Brussels on 22 and 24 May.
A lot of eTravel managers at the conference talked about the qualities of their respective Web strategies, although they were much more discrete on the subject of their companies' turnovers!
What we learnt, however, was that eTourism has really taken off in the sense that, for the vast majority of sites represented (Expedia, eBookers, Lastminute, QXL, etc.), the online turnover for April 2000 alone was often equivalent to the total turnover the same sites had during the last three months of 1999.
The meeting of all these key players also enabled us to look at their companies' future strategies and, in particular, at the alliances and partnerships on the horizon.
I also noted that there was a movement of rejection against the aggressive strategies of the two major portals, Travelocity and Expedia.
eTravel sites typically aimed at bargain hunters (users interested solely in the price factor) were particularly emphatic about refusing to see their products taken up on these portals.
Howard Miller, CFO of Ryanair.com told us that not only did he not believe that the big tourism portals like travelocity.com and Expedia would become profitable, but that, in addition, his company categorically refused to envisage having its products distributed by them.
What is sure is that the price positioning strategies of sites such as Ryanair.com or Easyjet.com would make it difficult for them to pay an extra commission to portals.
Because they are particularly well-adapted to the demands of bargain hunters, the low cost eTravel sites are enjoying a real online success at the moment, with rates of Internet turnover approaching 60%. All the same, voluntarily deciding to cut themselves off from the big portals' distribution circuits is a major strategic decision.
The same misgivings about the big eTourism sites were also expressed by Brian Pratt, Vice President of eBusiness for Sheraton hotels (also covering Westin.com and the Starwood hotel chain), whose online sales in 1999 represented (mostly in the US, and to a lesser degree in Europe) about 2% of their overall turnover, mainly in the BtoC sector.
As we recently saw, the Accor group is following a fairly similar strategy, having decided to launch its own online reservation portal, an intention confirmed this week when they took a EUR 24.2 million stake in the online reservation company WorldRes.com (2.5% of WorldRes.com Inc's capital and 19% of WorldRes.com Europe's).
It is clear that when groups such as Accor, which has 370,000 rooms in 90 countries, decide to take their online distribution in hand, and when other hotel chains such as the Sheraton (200,000 rooms) follow their lead, this is going to start having a significant impact on the eTravel offers of the big portals.
Pratt indicated that the online strategy of Sheraton.com was to give preference to partnerships with smaller hotel chains (in Europe in particular) in order to create a specific BtoC site, rather than to develop links with portals like Travelocity or Expedia.
Many other speakers also rejected the big eTravel sites, proof that the attempt of the big eTourism portals to gain the dominant position has started to make an increasing number of companies react.
There have already been several ambitious reactions, such as the American airline companies' T2 portal "Orbitz.com", which was followed in an similar way by certain European airlines, such as Air France and British Airways, who also want to make sure that the big portals don't take over the whole online eTravel market.
Although these large companies, which have the financial means to fight the eTravel portals, can justify this strategy, the fact that companies which are much smaller or which are acting in specific sectors have also started having the same reactions, means, in my opinion, that we have reached a turning point in the eTravel battle.
However, these comments should be taken in context: the rejections are only aimed at the Travelocity and Expedia sites. I did not feel that there were any such reactions against sites like eBookers.com, Lastminute.com or Leisureplanet.com.
It is then, essentially, the fear that the two big worldwide sites will form a kind of monopoly which seems to be at the origin of these budding online marketing rebellions.
It is, of course, too early to draw any real conclusions.
If the omnipresence of these big portals is confirmed, it may be that certain strategic choices proclaimed loud and clear by these sites today will have to be reviewed tomorrow, if they find they need to have their products represented on the big portals after all.
Nonetheless, the fact that this attitude is so widespread, even if it was only expressed within the fairly limited framework of the conference, seems significant enough to me for the big portals to start to ask themselves serious questions about the future of their partnerships.
Their future success relies on having the widest range of products possible, this being one of the key factors for them in creating user loyalty.
The fact that more modest sites such as eBookers and Lastminute, who have stated that they only want to develop on a European level, were not challenged on this point, tends to make one think that their "local" positioning has had a reassuring effect on the key players in the online tourism sector.
I think then that, strategically, it will be interesting to watch what happens in the coming months in the sense that the globalisation naturally resulting from the Internet could well start to come up against its first obstacles, and not from consumers but from producers.
The idea behind the launch of WebMiles was a simple one: to give Internet users a frequent flyer programme... without the constraints usually attached to this kind of travel award programme (no restricted periods or blackout dates, easier conditions for obtaining for discount tickets, etc.).
Jennifer Case, Marketing Vice President of the site, said that it's the only travel award programme that "sets you totally free". Points are earned by purchasing goods on partner e-commerce sites (about fifty to date, covering all the main consumer sections).
WebMiles is about to launch the first round of its marketing campaign, which will cost a total of $15m. Marketing actions will cover the usual online and offline supports: TV ads (mainly on NBC), shares in webmiles.com, online advertising, specialised press. The main problem they will encounter comes from the public targeted (25-54 year-old Internet users, with high revenues) - a sector of the public already being energetically courted by many other sites.
The cost of contacting this target audience will therefore be quite high, and WebMiles will have to immediately satisfy the requirements of these very demanding users.
An original idea in their marketing campaign - and a very successful one too - is the launch of a humorous site rent-a-relative.com! This should create an interesting buzz in the media.
Even if most travellers are already used to using frequent-flyer type programmes, webmiles.com's positioning is still fairly innovative, since they offer a range of marketing services which did not exist before the net.
The question now is to know whether the market targeted - people who are interested in frequent flyer programmes, but who don't like the conditions attached to using them - will be a profitable one. Up to now, despite their limitations, these programmes have been a great success.
Under these conditions, it is quite legitimate to wonder whether the restrictions imposed by the airline companies are really unacceptable for customers. The success or failure of webmiles.com should quickly tell us what the potential for these services is.
In Europe, this type of programme, where benefits are linked uniquely to travel, does not really exist yet, since there are not enough Internet travellers for the moment and the airline companies are not very committed to the idea.
On the other hand, over the past few months, a lot of loyalty programmes have appeared on the web in which eTourism is just one of many activities (for example, in France, maximiles.com and libertytv.com programmes).
Given the high purchasing volumes of eTourism (the average transaction value is much higher than that of eRetailing, for example, and as a result the volume of points earned through such purchases is much higher), there should be a spate of offers in this sector of activity in the coming months.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


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So, “Mad Men” is over until next summer, and “Jackass 3D” made more than $50 million at the box office this weekend (the highest October opening ever, which means that far more people wanted to watch this thing than, say, an actual movie), and some days it’s just not so easy to settle down to work in the morning. So here’s what’s on my mind, to distract myself: Sometimes, by sheer coincidence, you see two movies close together that have similar themes, and they kind of run together. Last week, “The Next Three Days” screened for press; it’s the (fictional) story of a man (Russell Crowe) whose wife is, he believes, wrongfully imprisoned for murder, and who decides that he’s going to bust her out of prison, the law be damned. Screening the same day was “Conviction,” which I saw in Toronto, which is the (fact-based) story of a woman (Hilary Swank) whose brother is, she believes, wrongfully imprisoned for murder, and who decides that she’s going to put herself through college, then law school, in order to defend him. Now, if you watch these two movies consecutively, it’s impossible to not start wishing that this woman would just put down those law books and start surfing the Internet for prison-breakout techniques, or that Hilary would just give Russell a call for advice, even though that Would Be Wrong. I remember recently seeing two movies in a row that took place in contemporary Manhattan, and one character’s cellphone rang and I thought for a second that it was a character in the other movie, and how interesting that would be. Anyway.
Off to “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest” this afternoon. Read the book recently and became mildly obsessed with how much coffee everyone drinks in it (and in all of the “Dragon Tattoo” books). I’ll try not to count the cups.

industry_corpus2: Film & Entertainment


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Teeming with affordable historic homes, Hilltop is a great place to find a charming home that won’t break the bank. You can get a LOT of house for the money, and you can get something money can’t buy: character. Located just above Downtown, Hilltop has a great location for getting around the city and has easy freeway access, too—a big bonus for those who commute to other cities for work. Hilltop really has a vibe all on its own and is one of the best kept secrets in town. The Hilltop is quickly becoming the place to be, following Downtown Tacoma and the 6th Ave Neighborhood for best nightlife in town.
Hilltop’s reputation carries a heavy burden from it’s crime ridden period in the 1980s, but the vibe in Hilltop now is one of regeneration and growth. Government leaders, neighborhood advocates, and business leaders are focused like a laser on the Hilltop. In recent years they’ve been pumping millions of redevelopment dollars into the area. The expansion of Tacoma’s light rail is going to run right down Martin Luther King way from Stadium all the way through to St Joseph’s Hospital.
Hilltop is a destination for everything from craft cocktails to vegan food. Tacoma’s first Vegan Restaurant Quickie Too is on Hilltop.

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


text:
Highly versatile piece that can either be worn formally over a suit or more casually over jeans. Ultra warm but light on the body and comfortable for commuting.
*Please note that pre-orders ship next Fall.

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
There's nothing better in the world of YouTube than seeing celebrities and beauty gurus collide. Especially when the beauty gurus tease you for weeks about a "special" project first, and then BAM! Like, Drew Barrymore is suddenly on your screen. Or Kylie Jenner. Or...nah, I won't give the rest away.
Let's all go see who crossed over to the world of YouTube to get their makeup done by beauty influencers.
The collab we didn't know we needed, but god do we deserve. Patrick Starr teamed up with Momager Kris Jenner to showcase her collection with Kylie Cosmetics.
Using products from her collection, Patrick and Kris chatted and giggled their way through a soft glam tutorial. The look was sultry but still daytime appropriate.
...and then he transformed himself.
What's a drag queen without a stage? Patrick surprised Kris by donning some huge shades, an all-black outfit, and, of course, a perfectly styled Kris-approved wig.
This duo is iconic! Drew invited Nikkie over to check out her brand Flower Beauty, and magic totally happened. Nikkie decided to do her "Power of Makeup" look on Drew.
The power of makeup is Nikkie's signature steeze.
By doing only half of your face's makeup, the look is meant to showcase the reality behind makeup and how it can transform and empower you.
The collab everyone was waiting for, really. James and Kylie rocked some matching Sisters merch and decided to go for a sister spooky look — a neon skull using all Kylie Cosmetics.
It was a quick and breezy Halloween moment.
Despite a rocky start (they actually had to film twice), James turned Kylie out, adding in tons of highlight to her spooky look. It looks like Kylie had fun being a sister for a day!
Desi and Nicole decided to do a video doing their makeup side-by-side, "Get Ready With Me" style. Also, they had wine on hand because why not?
Swapping makeup secrets, chatting about Urban Decay, doing cheesy thumbs-ups, and drinking wine — this might be one of the most chill makeup tutorials ever.
I know, right? First of all, Paris has not aged a day. Second of all, Patrick is a goofball. Third of all, he is also very, very good at his job. You can tell he made Paris feel comfortable right away.
Paris wanted to keep him.
Nikkie teamed up with the singer to mess around, jam to some music, and do a side-by-side tutorial/"Get Ready With Me" with their favorite products.
They wound up rocking some warm-toned looks.
The two obviously got along well because they spent so much of the video cracking jokes. Jessie wound up with an orange-toned eye, while Nikkie glowed with a brown one.
I don't know if you've noticed yet, but Patrick gets to do the coolest collabs. Here, he does a cute tutorial on Katy Perry, who starts off the video already impressed with her look.
Katy clearly bonded with Patrick.
Most videos with celebs involve the makeup artist asking them about their lives, but Katy wanted to know about Patrick, too! And she was thrilled with her look. Yaaas, Patrick!
Nicole's back! She hopped on over to Nikkie's channel to get her makeup done and chat with Nikkie, who once used the Naked Heat palette on her.
Come through, soft fall look!
Nikkie did Nicole up with a warm look, skipping any kind of eyeliner to really let the eyeshadow speak for itself. They obviously had fun working together!
Welcome to the Kim portion of the article! Kim did the rounds during the launch of Kim Kardashian West Beauty, and you just...have to see all of the videos that came out of it. First up: Desi!
Kim seemed pretty comfortable with Desi.
Kim told makeup stories while Desi gave her a gorgeous, glittery smoky eye. Kim and Desi got along really well — they were both lowkey and just relaxed chatting with one another.
Jaclyn's Kim video is her second most-watched video on her channel, with 10 million views. You could say that the video had quite the impact on the beauty community.
It's quite an experience to watch.
A parody video, entitled "jaclyn hill annoying kim kardashian for 3 minutes straight" has almost as many views as the initial video — 9.4 million. In between interrupting Kim, talking a million miles a minute, and talking to Kim like Kim had never done makeup before, the whole thing is a cringe-fest.
Patrick and Kim actually wound up doing two videos together! In their first, Patrick did Kim up in a casual daytime look. Kim described the look as, "snatched" so you know Patrick did a good job.
While the two laughed their way through the second video, Patrick took his daytime look and added some smoke and glitter, turning Kim out.
The cutest thing about this video is how excited Kim was to be with Nikkie! She took a snap of the two of them together before Nikkie put Kim in her "Power of Makeup" look.
Kim was so impressed with Nikkie's look.
"Wow. Seriously, the power of makeup." Nikkie did a dance after finishing, clearly so happy that Kim was pleased with the look. What a wholesome duo these two made. Also, you can barely tell Kim only has half a face on, because she's just that beautiful! Unfair.


text: 100% polyester mesh . CSA Z96-09 Class 2 Level 2 . 3M Scotchlite reflective tape. Chest pocket . Crew neck .

industry_corpus2: Manufacturing


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Troubled economic times come without a warning and such situations do not even give enough time to think about a possible befitting solution. At such times, getting an instant payday loan would probably be the most convenient and appropriate solution.As the name suggests, Instant Payday Loans are short-term loans that can be availed instantly. They are cash advances that are supposed to be paid back on the next paycheck day of the borrower. They are small sized loans that help in assisting people to fulfill their immediate financial needs especially when they cannot wait until their paycheck comes. So, it is easier to get financial aid from private lenders in the form of a payday loan and the cash advance can be used to pay off any immediate debts or to make any urgent purchases and can be paid back on time after the paycheck arrives before there is a drop in the credit score due to amassing of interest rates and unpaid credits.
The payday loans are more popularly known by other different names, like – ‘payday advance’, since the amount is taken as an advance ahead of the payday; as a ‘quick cash’ loan or as ‘cash advance’ or a ‘short-term’ loan, since the loan is taken over a short period of time and the cash is given as an advance. It is also called as ‘small-dollar’ loan as small amounts of money is taken as a loan for a short-term and also as a ‘personal loan’, as it is usually taken to fulfill personal financial necessities.
There are a few important criteria that a borrower has to fulfill in order to be eligible for getting an instant payday loan.
1.	Jurisdiction - Not all states in the United States are likely to provide a payday loan. Payday loans are legally available only in 32 states in the US and 18 states completely forbid the practice of providing a payday loan. The 3 other states offer different other forms of short-term loans or payday loans at a lower interest rate.
The 32 states in the US that provide legalized payday loans include – Alabama, Wyoming, Alaska, Wisconsin, California, Washington, Delaware, Virginia, Florida, Utah, Hawaii, Texas, Idaho, Tennessee, Illinois, South Carolina, North Dakota, Indiana, Rhode Island, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, Kentucky, New Mexico, Louisiana, Nevada, Michigan, Nebraska, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Missouri.
The states that provide the payday loans at very low-interest rates by setting usury limits include – New York, New Jersey, Georgia, Arkansas, Maine, New Hampshire, Montana, South Dakota, Oregon, and Colorado.
The states where payday loan practice is prohibited or stopped now include - Arizona, North Carolina, Connecticut, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Vermont.
The US legislation has imposed many rules and restrictions on the practice of providing a payday loan which is dissimilar in different states. While some jurisdictions have very few restrictions regarding the payday loans, a few of them put a limit on the APR, and a few have completely prohibited the provision of payday loans.
So, you will have to be a legal resident of the state that provides a payday loan legally to avail one.
2.	Age – You will have to be a legal adult who is 18 years old or above. This is important as minors are not allowed to handle financial contracts on the legal front. You will have to provide the lender with a legal document to prove your age.
3.	Residency – It is important that you are a legal permanent resident of the US. It is not requirement for you to be a US citizen. However, you should be permanent US resident and you should provide the legal documents to prove the same to the lender.
4.	Active Checking Account – It is essential for you to have an active checking account which is a source of proof for your residency and for your income. This account is also important if you are looking to get an online loan so that the lender can deposit the loan cash in your current checking account by wire and the repayment can also be done in the same way.
5.	Employment and Income – Most payday loan lenders will provide a loan based on the previous payroll details and employment history. So, it is important that you have a clean employment history and are currently employed with a steady income that is sufficient to manage your monthly expenses and pay the loan. It is important to provide a legal proof that shows that there is a steady income flow in your account which shows that you are capable of repaying the borrowed loan. The income could be of any form – either as a salary or as benefits.
Once you are considered to be eligible under all the above-given criteria and after you provide all the required legal documents, then the lender will go ahead and process your payday loan.
Every state page has all the details regarding the availability of payday loan practice in the respective state. The page will show a list of the regulatory laws with reference to the APR, the usury cap limits, the citations to limit the rate cap on small loans, the list of payday loan lenders who are licensed and authorized by the government, their websites, and contact information. There are also laws regarding the protection of consumers against criminal usury.
It is important that you explore well and find a state-licensed lender according to the borrowing loan amount, the APR, type of loan, and other factors. You can find a good list of all the reliable lenders with us at instantcreditloansus.com and go ahead with your loan application.
A typical payday loan process will start with the borrower filling a loan application in which the required loan amount and other needed details shall be mentioned. The lender will carry out some basic verification and check the age, residency, and income proof of the borrower. Although many lenders will not perform any credit checks, a few of them may look into the income history and bank statements to confirm that there is a steady income flowing into the borrower’s account on a regular basis. However, each payday lender, credit unions, or individual financing franchises will have their own criteria and underwritings.
After the verification process is completed successfully, the lender will approve the payday loan. As the name suggests, the borrower will have to repay the loan on the payday i.e. on the day when the next paycheck arrives. The borrower will provide the lender with a post-dated check citing the whole loan amount along with the APR and fees. The borrower will usually come back on the payday or on the day of loan maturity and pay the loan amount as a lump sum to the lender. If the borrower does not turn up, the lender will deposit and redeem the check.
In any case, if the borrower does not have enough funds in the account when the lender has deposited the check, then the borrower will be subjected to the check-bounce penalty in addition to the loan amount. If the borrower still defers paying the amount, then the interest rates will increase and the payable amount will keep getting accumulated.
Recent technology changes and innovations have allowed applying for a payday loan an easier process as it can be done online too. Most of the payday loan lenders provide simple and easy online tools that will enable the borrower to file an online loan application. If the lender needs some documented proof, then the applicant will have to fax them to the lender. Once the loan has been approved, the lender will credit the amount to the checking account of the borrower.
Most of the online tools are very simple so that it is easier for the common man to file an online loan application. The borrower will have to provide the necessary information and details while filling out the online application so that the application can be qualified. When this process is done, the cash is transferred to the account electronically. This becomes easier and convenient as the needed cash will fall into your account in a stipulated time and the borrower can withdraw it from any ATM or use the card linked with the account to make any purchase, etc. At instantcreditloansus.com, we will help you connect with the lenders who will offer very convenient options for you to get an online payday loan.
So, all you will need is an active internet connection and a computer. Fill out the complete online loan application and you can get your approved as quickly as possible.
There are many people who are not familiar with using the internet or are not comfortable filling an online application, or many a time there are situations where many people do not have an access to the cyberspace or a network connection. A few people are assured and feel secure when they have a P2P conversation and can ask for the tiny details and doubts while filing a loan application.
For such consumers, most of the credit financing companies and the private money lenders tend to provide the option to apply a loan application over a phone call. Bigger financing companies have a toll-free number that will provide 24 x 7 customer care and is always ready to help the consumers to deal with any kind of a trouble while filing for a loan, whereas smaller and individual lenders will assist the borrowers personally or will have a manager do so for them.
Although the online application service is convenient and easier, the alternative telephonic provision for filing a payday loan application is for the consumers who cannot meet their online demands.
•	A Convenient Option – Instant Payday loans are convenient. Most lenders provide online options which make it easier and faster to apply for a loan and to get the money into the account.
•	Lesser Hassles –Conventional banks carry out a lot of complicated paperwork and a lengthy verification process which usually takes a long time for processing. The payday loan processing is comparatively less and there are no hassles of complicated verification and paperwork.
•	No Collateral – Many traditional banks will need you to assign collateral or bring in a cosigner as surety against the loan you have applied for. This not only takes a lot of time and paperwork, it is also a setback for people who do not have much to place as a guarantee. Unlike the banks, payday loan lenders will not ask for any collateral or cosigner. They provide the payday loan as an unsecured loan and so they will apply appropriate APR as surety.
•	Quicker Approval Times – Since the loan processing and verification times are less the overall loan processing time is also reduced considerably. Many lenders follow the‘instant payday loans same day approval’ requisite i.e. most of the payday loans are approved on the same day within a few hours else it would be done by the next business day. We, at instantcreditloansus.com, will make sure to provide you with the much-needed loan as quickly as possible by communicating with the lenders.
•	Prompt Credits – Getting an online application helps to get a prompt credit for the applied loan. As soon as the application is approved, the lender will promptly transfer the loan amount into the borrower’s checking account. However, even if the payday loan application is filed on a P2P basis, the cash is given to the borrower quickly.
•	Round-the-clock Availability - Apart from providing the ‘instant payday loans same day approval’ amenity, the payday loans also offer the facility of being available to the consumers on a 24 x 7 basis. The lenders and the customer care agents are available round-the-clock to answer queries and to provide an instant cash advance loan in times of emergencies. Our representatives at instantcreditloansus.com will be available to provide you with all the required details for your queries.
•	Best Solution While In Urgent Need – While processing the loan application, the lenders tend to ask and clarify regarding the situation for which the loan is being taken. If it is a genuine reason especially during emergencies, the payday loan will get approved instantly once all the required documents have been submitted and the formalities have been completed. If you are getting in as an online loan, then even the few intrusive questions will not have to be answered.
Credit scores are the checkpoints which give an idea about your financial history in just a gist. Any due bills or default payments will show up as a scar on the credit history. A low credit score indicates that there have been flaws while repaying a past loan or if there are any unmanageable pending bills. Either of it will be seen as a blemish to the financial credibility of the borrower. So, it is better to keep a track of all your payments and due bills and manage them sensibly so that it does not affect your credit scores adversely as it will be difficult in the future.
However, being irresponsible or being lazy is not the only reasons why a payment got missed out on time. There could be many genuine reasons why a bill payment date got missed out or a payment went beyond your due date. But the banks do not wish to care about your reasons. They will only look at your credit numbers and decide if the loan process can be taken ahead or be rejected. This is not the case with the private money creditors. They will carry out a soft and a meager verification process to check for the authenticity of the borrower. Once the required documentation and verification for short-term loans bad credit has been completed successfully, the loan will get sanctioned instantly. At instantcreditloansus.com, we will make sure that you get a second chance and your application for short-term loans bad credit with the lender will get approved as quickly as possible.
In order to have a good credit score, it is important to pay the bills and loans back on time. The lenders also believe that you would be a responsible person and provide you with the instant loan being assured that you will repay on time. The lenders will provide the loan after scheduling the repayment options like the date, amount, interest rates, fees, mode of payment, etc. Typically, for a payday loan, the borrower pays back on the next payday or when the paycheck comes in.
So, if your payday is once in every 2 weeks, or if your paycheck comes in at the end of the month, then you can plan your repayment schedule according to those days. If you cannot pay the whole loan amount along with the interest and fees at once, it is better to intimate the lender beforehand so that the situation can be worked out and a better deal can be planned in a timely fashion.
There are plenty of financiers and private credit unions that will take advantage of your situation and apply very high-interest rates and charge sky-rocketing amounts of fees. And during desperate situations, people will only look towards having a solution rather than analyzing if it is the best or the right option. So, it is mandatory to think wisely and explore well. Look for the lenders who are state-licensed as they will abide by the regulatory rules imposed by the government with regard to the APR and payday loans. It is also essential to look for the genuine lenders who will provide you with the most appropriate and suitable plan by taking into consideration your income levels, the reason for taking the loan, your credit scores, etc.
It is important that you keep enough balance in the bank account after your paycheck comes so that you can pay back the loan on time and can avoid any check bouncing damages. It is also advised to take a small amount of money as a payday loan. It is better to loan the amount which is exactly needed to deal with the emergency rather than taking a huge amount which becomes burdensome to be repaid on time. Not paying on time will only build up the interest rates and the accumulated loan amount. As it is a non-secured short-term loan that is provided without a credit check, the lenders will apply the interest rates accordingly so that they will not have any loss in their business. So, it is better to take a small-sized loan and pay off the immediate debts and manage well to repay the payday loan with the next paycheck.
At instantcreditloansus.com, we will connect you with the state-licensed genuine money lenders who will provide an appropriate payday loan plan which will be very economical and efficient for you and also, we will make sure that they approve it as quickly as possible for you to meet your critical financial needs instantly.

industry_corpus2: Finance & Economics


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Online AOL Support is a third party online email support service providing company. We have expert and trained technician to assist you 24/7. Call AOL technical support for AOL mail technical issues. If you are looking for customer help just call AOL customer care number 1-866-300-4877. An experienced technician will assist you with your AOL email issues, AOL login, AOL sign-in issues. Email is the common way to communicate with peoples personally and professionally. You can send pdf, doc, ppt files and images. AOL is just like the Gmail email service provider. It provides complete email services and it is one of the oldest email service provider in the United States. AOL Stands for the American Online Platform for email services and search engine. Getting any issue with AOL Email services, just call AOL customer care Phone number.
Techy Support AOL Assistance is available 24/7 to provide you help for AOL Email. for an immediate solution for your AOL Email account just AOL Customer Care number. Our expert technician will do the best help and fix your AOL email related issues.
With no uncertainty, AOL has been a standout amongst other email suppliers to the client since long back time and its administration is just wonderful yet, the client may confront different issues with AOL email. In the event of client need to interface with AOL Customer Care Service. In any case, Our confirmed professional is constantly here to help you. With three known methods of correspondence, the client can benefit the support benefit. Approach the without toll number for help drop an email to customer support email id address. The client can likewise have a live talk with professionals and get the issues settled promptly.
How to Change AOL Spam Filter Settings?

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


text:
Grover Cleveland was President and Adlai Stevenson was Vice President of the United States.
A new charter was issued to Local 83 on April 1, 1920 due to the amalgamation of former Local 15, Troy, New York and Local 83, Albany, New York. For this reason, the charter In Local Union 83’s office shows the 1920 date.
Original Chartered with 12 Officers and a membership of about 140 members.
Today they have over 500 members. – Which includes Retirees, Apprentices, Service, Production, & Classified Workers.
The 9th General Convention which began February 13, 1899.
A member of LU 83 by the name of P. J. (Packey) Downey (he was also the Corresponding Secretary for LU 83) was appointed by the IA to be a delegate to the AF of L annual Convention. He was very big on organizing Sheet Metal Workers and was responsible for having a resolution passed regarding independent sheet metal locals becoming members of the IA.
LU 83 went on strike Monday, March 31, 1902 for wages of $3.50 per day. All but 7 shops conceded and the others would probably follow by the end of the week.

industry_corpus2: Politics & Administration


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Kargil at an altitude of 2,704 m, 204-km from Srinagar in the west and 234-km from Leh in the east, is the second largest urban center of Ladakh and headquarters of the district of same name. It's situated in a lovely valley with apricot trees growing in the intensively cultivated fields. A quite town now, Kargil once served as important trade and transit center in the Pan Asian trade network. Numerous caravans carrying exotic merchandise comprising silk, brocade, carpets, felts, tea, poppy, ivory etc. transited in the town on their way to and from China, Tibet, Yarkand and Kashmir. The old bazaar displayed a variety of Central Asian and Tibetan commodities even after the cessation of the Central Asian trade in 1949 till these were exhausted about two decades back. Similarly the ancient trade route passing through the township was lined with several caravansaries. Now, since 1975, travelers of numerous nationalities have replaced traders of the past and Kargil has regained its importance as a center of travel related activities.
Historical Significance: An Important Trade And Transit Center in the Pan-Asian Trade Network.
Being located in the center of the Himalayan region with tremendous potentials for adventure activities, Kargil serves as an important base for adventure tours in the heart of Himalayas. It is also the take off station for visitors to the exotic Zanskar Valley. Tourists travelling between Srinagar and Leh have to make a night halt here before starting the second leg of their journey.
The town lies nestling along the rising hillside of the lower Suru basin. Two tributaries of the Suru River that meet here are the Drass and Wakha. The most astounding things about the Kargil region are the artificially irrigated field areas. Since irrigation is so important in this region, the distribution of water requires great care. Every village is divided into groups; called "Gowar", have from five to 10 families, to ensure an equitable arrangement. Willows and poplars grow beside the irrigation ditches, which lead to the terraced fields and line the road for much of its length in this region. They furnish building materials for the construction of houses in this nearly treeless land. The Kargil region actually gets more rainfall than in the rest of Ladakh and the area grows plentiful wheat, barley, and vegetables and, of course, the apricots for which it is famous. Peas have been recently introduced and are flourishing. In May the entire countryside becomes awash with fragrant white apricot blossoms while August, the ripening fruit lends it an orange hue. The dialect spoken here is called "Purik" and shows its relationship with the dialect spoken in Skardu, Pakistan. In contrast to the rest of Ladakh, the children here are taught in Arabic. A momentous occasion in Kargil is the archery contest in May.
Kashmir’s once came to the Kargil region to graze their cattle, and were followed by the tribes from Gilgit, Chitral and Mongols from Baltistan who settled there permanently. Later an Aryan tribe, the Purkpas, who now live around Drass, and the Dokpas, who are Aryan Buddhists, who live in the villages of Durchik and Gurkun, north of Kargil, drove out the Mongols.
The Dokpas, who are Buddhists, are a community of about 700 people, descended from migrants from Gilgit, found mostly in the Indus valley villages of Durchik and Gurkun. They are known for the striking Aryan beauty of their women, and for their fair skin. They are fond of ornaments - even men wear earrings, necklaces, bracelets and strings of imitation pearls. Both sexes decorate their caps with a variety of blood red flowers, which puts them apart from all the other races in Ladakh. The Indus valley here is rich in fruit, particularly grapes, and the Dokpas delight in drink and dance - milk however is taboo. This curious mixture of Buddhist and Hindu religion means their respect for the cow is so intense that even cow dung is never used as a manure or fuel. The people grow their hair long and rarely bathe. The route to their region, over the range from Kargil to the Indus valley, and thence down to Leh, is forbidden to tourists because of the border dispute with Pakistan. The remote locality of the lower Indus villages and the custom of marrying mostly among themselves have preserved their distinctive identity. The government of a village is a seven-man council, elected by all the men. In July these villages celebrate a harvest festival, which lasts for several days. Gurdun, the main village of the region, is 80-km from Kargil.
The custom of 'Muta' limited-duration marriages is still practiced in Kargil. The marriage contract signed at the wedding ceremony only applies for a limited time - in some cases only for one day. Another Tibetan marriage custom, which often strikes westerners as remarkable, is polyandry, the simultaneous marriage of more than one man to the same woman.
Today polyandry is only practiced in outlying villages like Saliskote and Trespone. In this situation a woman marries her husband's younger brothers, except for any who may be monks. Together with the great number of unmarried monks and nuns, this practice functions as a social form of birth control -from Cunningham's visit to Ladakh in the mid-19th century, up to the latest government of India census, the population of Ladakh has hardly altered.
Trespone and Sankhoo are two 'Imambaras' found in Kargil. These Turkish style buildings have Persian and Arabic speaking Muslim mystics, known as "Aghas", in residence. Kargil also has a mosque, the Jami Masjid. Kargil's Muslims are noted for their extreme orthodoxy - women are conspicuously absent from the streets and all forms of entertainment are frowned on. Like the Iranians the people follow the Shi'ite sect.
The main bazaar has many Kashmiri products including embroidery, turquoises, tobacco, raw sugar and exotic spices. One will also find cloth woven from the finest wool from the long fleeced mountain goats, brass bowls, flower vases, wine cups and tall jugs, leather shoes embroidered with silk or gold silver chains, rings, bracelets and charms, paintings, Pashmina shawls, brightly colored rugs and other more Chinese looking items. Nearby Tsaluskot is the grainery of the region, attracting people from Zanskar and Leh, who come to buy grain. The houses have stone foundations and a superstructure of unbaked, heavy clay bricks.
Situated 45-km East of Kargil on the road to Leh, Mulbek (3,230 m) in an area dominated by the Buddhists. It is situated along either banks of the Wakha River, which originates. Many monuments of the early Buddhists era dot the landscape and are accessible from the road.
The chief attraction of Mulbek (also spelt as Mulbekh) is a 9 m high rock sculpture in deep relief of Maitreya, the Future Buddha. Its excursion combines esoteric Shaivite symbolism with early Buddhist art. Situated right on the highway, it dates back to the period when Buddhists missionaries came travelling east of the Himalayas.
Perched atop a rocky cliff, Mulbek Gompa (monastery) dominates the valley. It is easy to see why in bygone times this site served as an outpost to guard the caravan route. Like all Buddhists monasteries frescoes and statues adorn it.
Another picturesque village of the Wakha River valley, Shergol is situated across the river, right of the Kargil-Leh road. The main attraction is a cave monastery which is visible from a far as a white speck against the vertically rising ochre hill from which it appears to hang out. Below this small monastery is a larger Buddhist nunnery with about a dozen incumbents. The village is accessible by the motorable road that branches off from the Kargil-Leh road, about 5-km short of Mulbek. Shergol is a convenient base for an exciting 4-day trek across the mountain range into the Suru valley. It is also the approach base for visiting Urgyan-Dzong, a meditation retreat lying deep inside the mountains surrounding the Wakha River valley. This meditation retreat lies tucked away in an amazing natural mountain fortress high up in Zanskar range. Concealed within is a circular tableland with a small monastic establishment at its center. The surrounding hillside reveals several caves where high-ranking Buddhists saints meditated in seclusion. At least one such cave is associated with the visit of Padmasambhava, the patron saint of Tibetan Buddhism. The main approach is to footpath laid through the only gap available in the rocky ramparts.
Tucked away inside the picturesque upper part of the Wakha Valley, upstream of Mulbek, Royal gives the appearance of a medieval settlement of cave dwellings transported in to the modern times with some improvements and extensions. The houses, neatly whitewashed and closely stacked, are dug into the sheer face of a vertical cliff that rises high above the green valley bottom. From a far the village looks like a colony of beehives hanging from the ochre granite of the Cliffside.
There is no dearth of accommodation in Kargil. Hotels are classified into A, B, C and Economy class based upon the standard of establishments and service available. There are two Tourist Bungalows at Kargil together provide suites and furnished rooms with proper catering facilities attached with each establishment. The Tourist Office, Kargil, does advance reservation. There is also a circuit house at Baroo with excellent furnished rooms, which can be reserved through the office of the District Development Commissioner.
The Tourist Bungalow here provides excellent furnished rooms with catering facilities. Dormitory accommodation at much reasonable price is available with some of the teashops near Mulbek Chamba. Alternatively tourists can return to Kargil for the night.
The tourist office in Kargil has some trekking equipment for hire under the same conditions as the Leh office. The equipment includes a number of tents, foam mattresses, sleeping bags, alpine jackets, and rucksacks, climbing equipment and so on. Kargil is the starting point for most of the treks and journeys into the Zanskar valley, although it is also possible to enter it from other points along the side of the Leh Zanskar range.


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As the community trust serving Auckland and Northland, we work to support the shaping of our communities today and into the future. It is an exciting time to join the team as our new strategies are implemented within our organisation and into our communities.
This includes our Pacific Strategy which aims to strengthen our Pacific communities through a number of activations as part of our 15 year strategy. The endowment fund of $1.3+ billion that we preserve and grow, allows us to make grants of $48 million each year to support the work of community organisations across our region. We are looking to strengthen our partnerships and create greater scale and impact through innovative approaches.
This role in the Funding Unit is one of seven advisors, supported by the Community Funding Manager to: assess grant applications; provide funding recommendations and report on grants to the CEO and Trustees; provide advice to community groups; and participate in cross-team collaborative project work for the Foundation.
The Advisor (Pacific) has a particular focus on engagement and relationship management with Pacific communities and for working closely with the Foundation’s Pacific Strategy Activator to support the Funding Unit’s implementation of our Pacific strategy.
You’ll bring to this role your experience and knowledge of Pacific communities, excellent communication skills and natural relationship building ability. Your analytical thinking and planned approach ensures timely delivery of quality funding assessments. As a strong team player, you will support our internal team and the activation of our Pacific strategy.
Based in Ponsonby with workplace flexibility, Foundation North offers a collaborative team environment focused on continuous learning, personal development and supports innovative thinking.
Applications in confidence should be emailed to HR@foundationnorth.org.nz by Monday, 6 May 2019. Foundation North reserves the right to accept applications after this date.


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The boneless arm steak, also referred to as the boneless Swiss steak, is a piece of meat marbled with fat that comes from the shoulder of a cow. Cooking a tough piece of meat such as a boneless arm steak can be a challenge. This is because the texture can often times turn out dry or leathery. However, the proper cooking techniques and temperature can turn a tough steak into a juicy and flavorful one.
Marinate your steak for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator before cooking. Do this by adding your steak to a bowl or baggie full of aromatics such as salt water and fresh herbs like sage or thyme to help tenderize a tough cut of arm steak.
Pat the steak dry with paper towel when done marinating and allow it to come to room temperature.
Sprinkle both sides of your steak with seasonings such as herbs like thyme and rosemary, salt and pepper.
Coat a large, heavy skillet with olive oil or a non-stick cooking spray. Preheat your pan over medium-high heat for about ten minutes or until it is extremely hot, but not smoking.
Position your arm steak in the pan after it is very hot. If cooking more than one steak, do not allow any meat to touch.
Cook for about three minutes on each side and then reduce the heat to medium and cook for another three minutes on each side.
Press the steak with your fingertip to test for doneness. A rare steak will feel soft, a well-done steak will feel firm and a medium steak should feel somewhere in between.
Rest your steak on a cutting board for a few minutes to allow the juices to redistribute into the meat and then serve. If desired, cut into kabobs or add to a stew.
Better Homes and Gardens discourages adding any liquid to the pan or covering the steak while it cooks. This can cause the meat to brown too quickly, leaving the inside pink and underdone. Be careful not to pierce the steak while you are turning it or removing it from the pan. This will allow the juices to escape.
Raw meat such as arm steak can harbor food borne bacteria such as salmonella. The USDA recommends washing your hands with warm, soapy water before and after handling raw meat. Be careful not to cross contaminate -- do not reuse utensils, surfaces or plates that have touched raw meat without washing them thoroughly first.

industry_corpus2: Agriculture & Fisheries


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The Iranian Government is about to refuse the proposal to ship 75% of its stock of low-enriched uranium to Russia before the end of the year. Instead, it will offer shipment in small batches. This is unacceptable. The Geneva and Vienna talks focused on the expectation that most of the uranium would be shipped beyond Iranian borders soon. Indeed, the West needs a solid confidence-building gesture from Iran to reduce the risk of a breakout scenario (the domestic re-enrichment of the accumulated stock to weapon levels) and also a genuine token of seriousness for the forthcoming negotiations.
The Iranian counterproposal is clearly not acceptable. Yet, before closing the door again, before re-launching stronger and more efficient sanctions, the IAEA should ask Iran to opt for a similar confidence-building option, namely the storage of the evolving stock of Iranian low-enriched uranium in a small European country -- with occasional, partial shipments to fuel manufacturing plants in Russia and France to feed the Tehran research reactor and the Busher power plant. Let's see why and how it could work.
One needs to understand the Iranian reluctance to hand over to Russia and France the bulk of its low-enriched uranium. Over the years, the Russians have generously provided Iran with a protective political umbrella in the Security Council while leading the Iranians by the nose -- commercially speaking -- in connection with the Busher nuclear power plant. During the last decade, the Russians have been industrially unable to complete Busher within any schedule, or else they were clearly unwilling to do so (a Russian official told me once that Busher will be completed "when the Kremlin so decides"). Or both.
At the same time, they try to extract horrendous prices for the future take-back of Busher's spent fuel. As to France, in the seventies, Iran loaned some 1.2 billion dollars to the French enrichment project Eurodif (together with France, Belgium, Italy and Spain). Following the Iranian Revolution and a wave of Iran-inspired political assassinations in France, the Eurodif deal with Iran fell apart. After lengthy negotiations, Iran got some 1.6 billion dollars back in the early nineties. All in all, France treated Iran very reasonably. Were it not -- in the present case of fuel element manufacturing for the Tehran Research Reactor -- for the recent dim-witted public declaration of a French official saying that France would not deliver the Tehran reactor fuel if not satisfied with Iranian behavior. With such a loaded historical background, many Iranians hesitate to entrust Russia and France with their nuclear crown jewels.
If not Russia, who could be acceptable partners of Iran for safe-keeping its stocks of enriched uranium? I see two possibilities, the US or a small European country (such as Sweden or Switzerland, two countries with a solid nuclear experience and infrastructure).
Of course, the US solution is a very long shot. Still, there are signals that some Iranians would prefer to get higher enriched uranium from the US to feed the American-made Tehran reactor, while others would like to purchase from the US modern electronic control equipment for the same reactor. Indeed, a US focal point exists. The original reactor supplier (General Atomics of San Diego) is still associated with the French company CERCA that manufactures fuel elements for such reactors, and is also a primary supplier of electronic control equipment for nuclear reactors in general.
Thus, under a US arrangement, the US would play the role of prime contractor by 1) securing the storage somewhere outside Iran of most of the low-enriched Iranian uranium, 2) having batches of this uranium enriched in Russia, 4) letting this uranium be manufactured into fuel elements at CERCA in France and 5) taking formal delivery of the finished fuel elements. Subsequently, towards the end of 2010, the US would deliver fuel and electronic equipment for the third operating phase of the Tehran Research Reactor. Incidentally, remember that such activities do not fall under UNSC sanctions, since the reactor serves medical purposes.
If Iran and/or the US should not yet be ready to deal so directly with each other (quite likely), the parties could turn to a European arrangement, namely the storage of Iranian uranium in a small European country, a country deemed trustworthy by both Iran and the international community, a trade partner of Iran with a high degree of political independence. This country should be outside the Middle-East region and be at a short distance from Iran.
Within the European Union, countries like Sweden, Finland, and Austria (with its IAEA headquarters and technical facility) would qualify, as well as Switzerland outside the Union. On a regular basis (e.g. monthly to quarterly), uranium dioxide would be shipped to the partner country. Low-enriched uranium oxide is hardly radioactive, therefore easy to transport and to store. There are containers approved for air transport. The frequency of air shipments would be dictated by the objective of not keeping more than some 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium in Iran from the production cascades at Natanz and Fordo. At all times, the material would remain the property of Iran. The stored uranium could be freely transferred by Iran to a fuel manufacturer of its choice, but not repatriated.
The bottom line? The Obama Administration made an enlightened move by opening negotiations with Iran without preconditions. The "Geneva Talks II" should stand, in particular on the issue of shipment of most uranium stock outside Iran. The IAEA played a remarkable role in bringing about a first agreement. Storing this uranium -- not in Russia as foreseen by the talks in Geneva and Vienna -- but in Europe, would still be in line with the objective of the Geneva Talks. This would be no additional concession to Iran. Before slamming the door, these two alternative arrangements deserve consideration. "Failure is not an option", as pointedly stated by the Director General of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei.


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— The United States Mint came one step closer this week to striking a new series of gold and silver coins containing metal that flew on historic spacecraft.
The coins, to be issued in 2008, are to commemorate 50 years since the founding of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the opening of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) under space agency control.
Passed July 12 by the U.S. House of Representatives, the "NASA and JPL 50th Anniversary Commemorative Coin Act" authorizes the Mint to produce a $50 gold coin with an image of the Sun and nine $1 silver coins each representing one of the nine planets in our solar system.
Further, the bill directs that NASA, JPL, the Department of Defense, the Smithsonian Institution and any other federal agency in possession of flown spacecraft deliver gold, silver, copper, and other metal samples from the vehicles to the Mint for "symbolic inclusion" during the production of the coins. The bill also seeks these federal agencies to collect like samples from privately-held craft.
Final selection of the designs will be overseen by the Secretary of the Treasury in consultation with the NASA Administrator, the Director of JPL, the Commission of Fine Arts and with review by the Citizens Coin Advisory Committee.
If and when issued in 2008, the coins will be offered for sale by the U.S. Mint. The bill permits a $50 surcharge for each $50 gold coin and a $10 fee for each $1 silver.
The bill also allows for the Mint to strike and sell bronze duplicates of the gold coins at a price to be determined.
The coins may be sold separately or as a set, presented in a case that displays the gold coin surrounded by the silver coins in an elliptical orbit, as specified by the Act.
The first $1 million raised as a result of the sale of these coins will go to the NASA Family Assistance Fund for the purposes of providing need-based financial assistance to the families of NASA personnel who die as a result of injuries suffered in the performance of their official duties.
Sales exceeding that amount will go the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to be split evenly between the preservation, maintenance, and display of space artifacts at the National Air and Space Museum, and for the establishment of a new stand-alone National Museum of Money.
Said Texas Rep. John Culberson, who introduced the Act to the House in January, "The astounding discoveries of America's first 50 years in space make it very likely that when the 100th anniversary NASA/JPL coin set is issued in 2058, we will be celebrating our first missions into interstellar space."

industry_corpus2: Aerospace


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Christmas and New Year was time for all of us to recharge our batteries and energize ourselves for the year ahead. The horses enjoyed their holiday and with the welcome rain and then warm weather there was plenty of grass for them to enjoy (in some cases a little too much!).
Stuart will return to work early February, after his injury. Whilst it took many months for him to recover from his broken T4 and T5- He is very much itching to get back to his horses, just in time for the 2015 season.
With so many talented horses on the yard we are looking forward to progressing with their training and bringing them up the grades and aiming them for some of the major three day events in Australia.
The horses that Stuart is looking to compete at these events are: War Hawk, Annapurna, Pluto Mio, Queen Mary and Medusa. However a schedule for these horses will depend on qualifications at CIC events and how they progress during the season. We will keep you posted.
We also have 3 lovely younger horses which we have imported from Germany, these horses will establish themselves into the world of eventing. We hope to see Gemma riding them around some show jumping shows and Karen will do some dressage. Jaymee is back at University doing her double degree, working part-time and having a very structured social life!! If she gets some time she is more than welcome to do some events to help us out !
We are looking forward to the EA High Performance clinics to help polish our techniques and also to our own clinics where both Stuart and Karen enjoy seeing their many students doing so well. Visit our Clinic page on the website.
The FEI released the 2014 Event Ranking and it was great to see Stuart in 19th place and so many Australians in the top 100.
Keep an eye on our face book page for all the up to date news and behind the scenes pictures plus some exciting competitions coming soon, where we join with our major sponsors to bring you great prizes! February will feature our first competition for the season.
Some very sad news came to us a few weeks ago. Orchard Hill tragically died. We had sold Orchard to an up and coming junior show jump rider Georgia Plain from VIC. Orchard had been ill for some weeks. It has been a huge loss for Georgia. Orchard will be dearly missed. We send our condolences to the family.


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You might be here for inspiration. You might be here for empowerment. You might be here for…something else. In any case, we’re bringing the heat on some top-notch games and apps.
Aside from being great, they have one more thing in common—they were designed by women.
Less than a quarter of game makers in the industry are women. About 50 years ago…there was one woman designing games.
It’s amazing to think there was a time when only one woman was working in the industry—but it’s also amazing to think about how less than 25% of the industry workforce are female after half a century.
As we continue to fight the good fight for equality, liberty, and video game-induced happiness for all, it’s worth taking a look at some of the great games and apps that have come out over the years—specifically games and apps designed by women.
This is a history lesson, an education session, a celebration of achievement (against extra adversity), and an empowerment of all people to stand up for what’s right and to follow their dreams, no matter the roadblocks.
They’re not great for games and apps designed by women. They’re great games and apps period—And they’re designed by women.
Time to learn a thing or two about game design!
That’s right, the first “best” game is actually a two-for-one deal.
It’s a twofer because Speedway didn’t take up all the room on the cartridge, and Tag didn’t warrant its own cartridge.
A twofer is born. Synergy.
This game combo gets recognition because its designer was a real trailblazer—for women and the industry.
These games were created by Joyce Weisbecker back in the late 1960s (1967 to be exact).
Joyce’s father worked for RCA at the time. At a time when computers could cost $6,000-$25,000 dollars, Joyce’s father managed to build his own computer, called FRED, in his basement.
Long story short, RCA pulled from the FRED design and built their own version of the home computer—for which they wanted some games.
She’d been encouraged by her father to program on the family computer from a young age. While she was home on break from college, he asked her if she wanted to make a game for RCA.
One thing led to another, and Joyce put together these two games. But she wasn’t an employee of RCA—she was contracted to do this work.
This means she was the first woman to design games, and also the first female indie game developer (the first female video game designer credit is widely misattributed to Carol Shaw with her 3D Tic-Tac-Toe release for the Atari 2600—also impressive, just inaccurate, as that came after Speedway—Tag).
Speedway is a racing game, where player one controls a white rectangle and player two controls a white rectangle with a black dot in the middle. You raced each other around a simple track. Graphics have come a long way.
Tag was simply two dots. Whoever was “it” had to get their square dot to touch the other player’s square dot. Every tag was worth 10 points.
Centipede was a smash-hit arcade game that debuted in 1980.
If you haven’t played it, you basically dodge and shoot bugs (gamers are spoiled these days).
But it’s true. The titular centipede winds its way down from the top of the screen, and it’s up to you to shoot away all its body segments. The whole time you’re dodging spiders, scorpions, and other bugs.
Dona Bailey designed this winner of a game (along with Ed Logg), but left the industry for 26 years after its release—”it was the pressure and criticism from her male counterparts which drove her from the business.” But not before she could leave her mark by inspiring future games for decades to come.
You can grab it for $14.99 on Steam (where it has received very positive reviews).
It’s a game that doesn’t have the typical challenges of issuing death unto others while avoiding it yourself—it’s “just hours of blissing out to buttery-smooth gravity goodness.” Which sounds like a nice break from a crazy world.
Ivy Games is the indie game label behind Gravity Ghost. And Erin Robinson is the indie video game developer behind Ivy Games. She’s been developing games since 2005, and teaches and speaks publicly as well. Her games can be innovative, introspective, and influential.
This list is game-heavy, but we do want to mention this app.
Roni Frank (and her husband Oren) are the masterminds behind this app. You start by chatting with a “matching therapist to identify your therapy needs.” Plans start for as low as $32 per week—once you select your plan, Talkspace will match you with the therapist that best fits your needs.
The app guarantees 1-2 responses per day from your therapist (and you can message them at any time)—there’s also the option to schedule a video chat for longer talks.
In a crazy world where it’s easy to lose hope or even just feel overwhelmed, having anytime-access to professional, judgment-free help can be life-changing.
Portal is a super fun puzzle game from Valve…but the idea for Portal started as a different game: Narbacular Drop.
Kim Swift designed Narbacular Drop with help from fellow DigiPen graduates. The Narbacular Drop gameplay mechanics are based on portals. And, if you watch the Narbacular Drop gameplay, the similarities between it and Portal are very apparent (even the portal colors are similar).
After getting wind of Narbacular Drop, Valve hired Swift and co. to bring Portal to life—and they certainly did, with great success.
Portal involves solving a number of puzzles using—you guessed it—portals! Your character has a portal gun which can create and sustain two portals at one time. You just aim at a solid surface and shoot. This leads to some trippy puzzles that involve everything from capitalizing on gravity to calling on companion cubes.
The industry goes crazy over Swift, and Forbes named her a top 30 under 30 in the games and apps industry.
OK, that’s right, Loopin’ Louie is your bonus.
It’s a board game, you see.
There’s a crazy man (named Louie) who flies his airplane in a circle (Louie’s plane is attached to an arm which is attached to a motorized base).
The problem here is, your chicken farm is directly in Louie’s flight path!
You and three other players have to use your paddle to knock Louie and his plane up and over your chickens. If he hits your chickens three times, you lose.
Carol Wiseley is the mastermind behind this game. Without her, my childhood, my friendships, and my plane-paddling skills would be profoundly different.

industry_corpus2: Gaming


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Italy coach Antonio Conte, who has been linked to Chelsea, will give up his post after Euro 2016, the Italian Football Federation announced on Tuesday.
The 46-year-old former Juventus coach took over the national team in August 2014 and secured their qualification for the European Championship.
Federation president Carlo Tavecchio told Italian media: "Antonio Conte has told me that at the end of the European championship, his job will end. He feels the need for the pitch, the everyday training, and this is something you can understand."
It fuels speculation that Conte, who won three Serie A titles with Juventus, will be appointed Chelsea boss following the tournament from June 10th to July 10th in France.
British and Italian media reports say that Chelsea have an accord with Conte, even adding that he will take his long term assistants Angelo Alessio and Massimo Carrera with him to London.
Chelsea are having the worst season of Roman Abramovich's 13-year ownership. They sacked Jose Mourinho in December and interim boss Guus Hiddink has had to take the team from just above the relegation zone to 10th place.
Conte took over a demoralised Azzurri side following their humiliating first round exit from the World Cup in Brazil. He confidently succeeded in his first task of qualifying for the European Championships.
Italy advanced to the finals with ease by dominating their group which included Bulgaria, Norway, Croatia, Azerbaidjan and Malta, with seven wins and three draws.
Conte's Italy defence, with a Juventus core of Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci and Andrea Barzagli, proved solid, the coach has come under fire for his lacklustre forward line that managed just 16 goals in 10 qualifying games.
In France, the Italians have been drawn in Group E along with Belgium, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.
Italy were beaten by world number one ranked team Belgium in a friendly last November, demonstrating the gap between Conte's side and the top European teams.
Conte has also clashed with Italian football chiefs. He had hoped to organise a training camp in February and wanted the Italian Cup final brought forward to allow international players involved to take holidays.
Both requests were turned down to Conte's fury.
Former Italy coaches Roberto Donadoni and Cesare Prandelli have both been named as possible replacements for Conte along with Claudio Ranieri, manager of surprise Premier League leaders Leicester.

industry_corpus2: Sports


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I can not consider there are only 5 days more left of this 12 months, time flies! Is it me , or am I the one one who feels that as we get older, years go by quicker? I spent almost the whole weekend at residence with my little family (BTW how cute are our matching outfits?) and yesterday we went to my in-legal guidelines house for lunch and to trade our presents. It was definitely a quiet holiday, not solely I enjoyed a a lot needed “trip” so much, I also bought accomplished the last couple issues on my to-do listing. So I believed I would share with you some of these issues I love to do to Begin the New 12 months contemporary.
Nice sharing. This article is basically helpful for me. I want more traffic to my blog. I believe your suggestions will assist me to get sufficient visitors to my blog. Thanks for sharing with us. Unfortunately, it’s true. You both need to pay for promoting and get visitors to your weblog, or guest put up. I’ve been blogging for close to 10 years now. I really only read opinions for make-up merchandise (regardless that I write ones for books). I really feel as if it’s something that I am placing on my face or in my hair, I must know if it is good.
Finest Foundations: I had two favorites this 12 months. For the past couple of years I have been hooked on L’Oreal basis because it’s cheap and yow will discover it in pretty much each drugstore (so it is simple to choose up while you’re touring). Recently I have been making use of this foundation in #107 and this one in #307 right on my face, then use a basis brush to mix it all together. One of the reasons I like these two merchandise together is that they are very matte so your face does not get shiny in the course of the day. My other favourite basis from this year would have to be Estee Lauder’s Double Put on Foundation – it would not smudge and lasts all day (it’s principally only a high-finish model of the L’oreal Infallible!).
Anyway, I just needed to take a moment to wish you the most great Christmas time and a Blissful New Yr! however most significantly to THANK you to hold round with me another year. Severely I’m beyond grateful with every one in all you that come back to read every put up and put a smile on my face along with your lovely feedback. Additionally my pal Jessica (discover her on Insta as @jesscrystal ) took these photos for us and what a better moment to share them with you than on this submit. Specifically as a result of this man, who more often than not is behind the lens, is the opposite one who makes this blog occur.


text: We supply lead single crystal disc, grain, granules, ingot, powder, rod, sheet, shot and wire as well as lead oxide, lead selenide and lead telluride. Its corrosion resistance, density, and low melting point led to its use in pipes and weights but such uses have declined due to its toxicity. Today its most common use is in lead storage batteries found in motor vehicles and emergency power supplies.

industry_corpus2: Petrochemicals


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This article by Brooke Anderson was originally published on "The Daily Star" website.
BEIRUT: How can Lebanon improve its transparency for its potential oil and gas sector? As the country continues to lay the groundwork for possible offshore energy exploration, experts offer recommendations for good governance in this potentially new industry for Lebanon.


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Although cleaning and de-cluttering are never on anyone’s list of favorite household activities, they are two of the easiest and most efficient ways to give home value an immediate boost. Also, they are both relatively inexpensive, so you can be sure the return on investment and time is well worth the effort.
A good cleaning of windows, doors, floors and any area a potential homebuyer is bound to look will show that you have made a continued investment to maximize the livability and preserve the longevity of the home. De-cluttering will immediately bring a sense of calm and order to any space, and it will also help your home show to its full potential and automatically make it easier to keep clean as well!
Natural cleaning materials. A harsh chemical smell doesn’t always mean clean, so many of today’s "green" cleaning products are free of ammonia, parabens, artificial colorants, phosphates and are also biodegradable. They are infused with enzymes, citric acids, natural oils and more, which do just as good of a job at cleaning the home while producing a safe environment.
Custom organizers. Organization systems can be custom-ordered for a Do-it-yourself project suitable for your particular need. Less expensive and complex than hiring a professional, storage and closet organizers and shelving systems are popular for their high-end look and customization, while keeping costs to a minimum.
Many times, homeowners can misuse cleaning products or rush the job, leaving the space unclean and potentially germs behind. Not all products work alike and have different directions according to their specific function, so by following the directions exactly as they are listed, you can make sure they are working to their full capacity.
When it comes to de-cluttering, ALWAYS start with a plan. Beginning an organization and de-cluttering project without a vision of how it should be completed is a sure way to misplace important items or wind up leaving a job incomplete.
For both projects, according to appraisal expert, Leslie Sellers, president of the Appraisal Institute, "any cleaning and de-cluttering job is better than nothing at all." He says that buyers typically "can’t see beyond the initial impression," so this simple fix can essentially mean everything.
On a Budget: The easiest way to tackle home cleaning and de-cluttering is to prioritize your time and keep a running checklist of to-dos. Establish a morning and evening routine and also a once-a-week, more robust cleaning and organizing time. By keeping up with cleaning and de-cluttering on a regular basis, it will take less time as a whole and keep chores to a minimum.
Mid-Range: If you have carpet, window treatments or hardwood floors that are in desperate need of a deep cleaning, consider renting commercial-grade tools that will get the job done for less than hiring a professional. Steamers and high-end cleaning tools can many times be rented through your local home improvement store by the hour or by the day.
High-End: Hiring a professional cleaning team and/or a professional organizer can be a great way to keep your home looking up to par week after week. A professional cleaning team usually brings in a specific number of employees, depending on the size of your home, to address the space efficiently. A professional organizer can help you eliminate clutter in closets, offices, kitchens and any other room that is hidden by disorder and unnecessary materials.


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Is there anything more iconic on the Australian 4WD scene than a Troop Carrier Landcruiser? Thinking back to our younger days when the old 40 series troopy ruled the tracks right through to the current day’s 78 – you would be hard pressed to visit the outback, the top end, the high country or even a local camping trip without seeing a kitted up or a beaten up off-white brick on wheels. They really do epitomise everything we’ve ever loved about a 4WD – rugged, tough, basic and practical….and square! So when some customers approached us about building up the ultimate Troopy for them, you can bet we were pretty damn excited to sink our teeth into the project.
To relieve the customers of some of the basics – the first modification was always going to be a Jmacx rear coil spring conversion. Imagine having the refined ride comfort and axle articulation of a more sedate 4WD put in the chassis of one of the toughest 4WDs ever built! That was an awesome start to this build and the kit included the best of the best – Kings 2.5 remote canister shock absorbers, Airbag Man high pressure air bags and Jmacx billet front radius arms. Torqit also fabbed up a custom 3.5 inch stainless steel DPF back exhaust to suit the Jmacx coil cradle and give the performance and exhaust note that this beast truly deserves. The Troopy was raised a height of 2 inches in suspension lift to fulfil the demands of touring this great country of ours.
Bar work includes the fattest bar available off the shelf by TJM – the T13 Outback bar with massive 63mm tubing, and brush bars and side steps to suit. A Kaymar rear bar with single wheel carrier was also fitted to the back, and given that Kaymar have been around almost as long as the Troopy itself building bars for them – it hardly seems like there was any choice to be made for a rear bar.
A TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch sits out-front to take care of any recovery duties. Turning day into night is as simple as adding a pair of TJM Narva 215 LED driving lights and a Stedi 21.5 inch slim line single row light bar, so now no roo goes unseen on those endless outback roads!
A TJM Airtec snorkel is feeding cooler, cleaner air to the airbox and is welcome improvement over the standard OE item. A Rhino Pioneer Platform gives the Troopy added storage capacity and a Darche Eclipse 2 x 2.5m awning is mounted off the side of the platform as well as an Eclipse 1.4 x 2m awning which is mounted off the back to provide plenty of shelter from the harsh Aussie sun and rain.
A dual battery system powers auxiliary accessories using the TJM BC-DC 25A charger and Ultimate Red Top AGM 110A/hr battery with a Projector dual battery monitor. Other under-bonnet accessories include a Diesel Care Pre-fuel filter and a HPD billet alloy catch can for protecting the thumping big VDJ from fuel and oil contaminates. There’s also a set of Harrop diff breaters venting the diffs and gearbox for piece of mind.
A few changes to the interior of the Troopy include a T-Shaped Roof Console from Department of the Interior which houses a Uniden 9050 din sized UHF and is receiving signal through the giant Axis Ranger 4Dbi antenna. A set of Wetseat seat covers by Inland Australia keep the seats in new condition and there’s an Autosafe cargo barrier to stop in-vehicle traffic with a fire extinguisher fitted for when parties get out of hand. A Redarc TowPro Elite takes care of trailer braking duties and we’ve bolted on a set of Clearview mirrors to assist in dragging the big van around.
The whole package is rolling on a set of Dynamic Imitation Beadlock rims wrapped in Hankook Dyanpro Mud Terrain tyres that measure 285/75 x 16 inches. There’s a set of TJM Deluxe flares to hide the wheel poke and these flares replicate the GXL standard flares that the Troop Carriers lack. This Troopy is well setup to take on the outback and I’m sure we will see this awesome looking brick popping up in some well- known and not so well-known locations around Aus.

industry_corpus2: Automobiles


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There are many reasons why people give to charity. For Cory and Sandy Saran of Forge Properties, it’s a personal connection to Sources’ Infant Development Program (IDP) that inspired them to support Sources’ upcoming 21st annual fundraising Gala (Sources Super Gala) with a $10,000 sponsorship.
The Gala is the Sources Foundation’s largest fundraiser and will take place April 9, 2016 at Hazelmere Golf & Tennis Club.


text: Toddlers especially love these little rhythm instruments. NINO® Natural Wood Shakers have different fillings. A cylindrical shaped shaker is available in two different sizes, as well as a square, and a triangular shaped shaker assortment.


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This article was written by Steven Spencer. All views and opinions expressed are strictly his own.
At a time when trade wars threaten and trading volumes are constantly under threat, absolutely the last thing any exchange needs is to put further barriers in the way of trading, especially so in the wake of a raft of sanctions on Russian and Iranian products. Yet now we have exchanges all over the financial system rushing to comply with the OECD’s “Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas”. Indeed, the LME website is replete with confidence inspiring commitments to adoption of the OECD guidance.
However, throughout the history of commodity trading the “north-south divide” has recognised that the bulk of commodity supply comes not from the developed world but from second and third world countries south of the tropic of Cancer – in Africa, South America and South-East Asia. Since the end of colonial administration many of these countries have histories of civil unrest, drought and deprivation, conflict and famine.
Their product list includes fruit, sugar cane, cocoa, coffee, corn, nuts, grains, cotton, copper, cobalt, gold, palm oil and tin among others, all traded on terminal markets around the world. Countries that produce them include Brazil, China, Burma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru and Zambia among more than a hundred others. It is a sobering thought that the current 2018 members of the UN Council on Human Rights include Iraq, Cuba, China, Qatar, Angola, Burma, Venezuela, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, all topically involved in well publicised human rights abuses.
Sadly, even if produce of these countries is to be eschewed by exchanges as deliverable commodities, they will quite simply be traded on the physical market as they always have been. There is little or nothing that the LME or other exchanges can do to prevent companies trading these products from hedging them on the markets. They can only prevent delivery of specific brands against sales, thus creating artificial short term shortages and backwardations. This will do little or nothing to prevent the metal from being mined, refined and delivered physically to less scrupulous consuming nations around the world; for example, China is the biggest importer of Iranian crude oil, despite sanctions.
It would be quite another thing if the companies themselves who source products at the edge of legality were prevented from trading, but any such sanctions would be ineffective as many are outside the jurisdiction of the LME. Not only that, but self-interest would dictate prudence as such sanctions might affect the volumes on the exchange and impact revenues. In among the dozens of well-publicised scandals involving pollution, bribery, and dumping of toxic waste are most of the leading commodity traders, miners and refiners. Too detrimental to margins to make sense interrupting their trading activities so instead the London Metal Exchange is concerned about cobalt of which it has about 700mt in stock and which traded just over 14,000 tons last year, compared to an annual production of over 100,000 tons.
In comparison, the flagship copper contract traded about 850 million tons compared to an annual production of about 23 million tons. Because the Dodd Frank Act already targeted tin and cobalt and substantial work had already been completed by the time the OECD published its own paper, cobalt (DRC) and tin - another low volume metal with Myanmar (Burma to you and me), of course, and Indonesia the main offenders - became the low hanging fruit that could demonstrate intent to comply with OECD guidance without significantly impacting trading volume. Again, a ban on deliverable stock from these counties would not make any significant difference to the trading volumes on the LME.
Sadly, international banks continue to finance the sourcing, mining and refining of products from high-risk origins and there is little that can be done about that, but the other side of the coin is that these commodities form sometimes the only major source of revenue and thus labour income for poorer and relatively underdeveloped countries. We may be sacrificing them to satisfy our ever-compliant souls.


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Pillow covers are the hardest working tool in your decorating arsenal. A well placed pillow can ‘pouf!’ give your room a whole new color palette. Not to mention they’re functional, relatively inexpensive compared to most other pieces in your living room or bedroom, and they’re easy to find. But did you know you can order a pillow cover in any of our fabrics? Because of that, it’s simple to get that perfectly coordinate collection of pillows in your home — the ones you usually only see in designer spaces. We’ve pulled together some of our favorite fabrics to help you get a designer look using our custom pillows in some of our beloved fabrics.
We took traditional patterns like plaid and a Jacobean floral and reinterpreted them in a fresh color palette. A yellow-green linen picks up the small stripe in our Brooks Gray plaid and the warm marigolds and citrons in our Rayna floral fabric. To top it all off, we hung our Sunrise Floral Art to bring out all of the colors in our pillow collection.
On this sofa (from outside to inside): Emerson Sofa fabric in Off-White Twill, 22″ pillows in Brooks Gray, 20″ pillows in Rayna Coral, and a 12 x 20″ pillow in Danish Linen Leaf.
The rich, earthy green colors from our Southern Oaks painting served as inspiration for this pillow collection.The natural textures in Suzanne Kasler’s linens mixed beautifully with the botanical inspired patterns of Avery Olive, Gillian Olive, and Suzanne Kasler’s Flax and Blanc Small Stripe Linen.
On this sofa (from outside to inside): Emerson Sofa fabric in Suzanne Kasler Greige, 22″ pillows in Avery Olive, 20″ pillows in Suzanne Kasler’s Flax and Blanc Small Stripe Linen, and a 12 x 20″ pillow in Gillian Olive.
We’ve said it before, we think leopard is a neutral, and it’s always fun to show you how to break the rules by pairing our Safari Brown fabric with a floral print like our Courtney Peacock. We tempered the whole look by anchoring the pillows with a deep, teal velvet. To top it all off, we chose our Afternoon Sun art which pulls out the rich blues and also has a touch of brown and tan!
On this sofa (from outside to inside): Emerson Sofa fabric in Danish Linen Oatmeal, 22″ pillows in Queens Velvet Teal, 20″ pillows in Courtney Peacock, and a 12 x 20″ pillow in Safari Brown.
Pick out your own custom pillow collection online, or order any of these collections we’ve pulled together above!
We can absolutely help you choose a rug for your dining room. We actually offer free design services that can help you with your space. Simply complete this form and our Design Solutions team will reach out to you. Be sure to include photos of your space so we can give you the most helpful advice and tips!


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Often, the difference between a home invasion and a secured property is the alarm system that defends the house. A recent study found that 83% of criminals would think twice before attempting to break into a house with a home alarm system. What this information means, is that when you choose to protect your Oakville home with an alarm system, you are choosing to deter the vast majority of criminals from choosing your home as a target. Shouldn’t your family be able to relax in comfort and safety inside your Oakville home?
Barcom Security has 40 years of experience and excellence in offering the most advanced, proven, and trusted home alarm systems that Oakville residents have come to rely upon when choosing home alarm systems and security products. The residential alarm systems we use, and the products we pair them with are trusted and proven and certified by home security experts. The home alarm system that we will use to secure your property is one that we would also trust with our own families and properties. We test all of our security products and home alarm systems before they are ever installed in your home. To learn more about our home alarm systems, how our alarms work, or other ways that we can secure your Oakville home, call or contact Barcom Security now.
With these features and more, your Oakville home alarm system will deter criminals from the very start. For more information on the benefits of a residential alarm system, home automation, or other security products that we can provide for your Oakville home, call or contact Barcom Security now.
Emergencies never happen according to a plan, or at a time when you’re ready for them. That’s why Home Alarm Systems need to be responsive and easy to use, and with our one-touch mobile apps and intuitive in-home command console, you can control your home alarm system so that it meets all of the needs your Oakville home requires for security. With these revolutionary features, you’ll be able to make quick decisions regarding your Oakville home security and also trigger or turn off your home alarm systems. This revolutionary feature comes with all Barcom home alarm systems and gives you complete control over your home security.