1.
Ticker symbol
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A ticker symbol or stock symbol is an abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular stock on a particular stock market. A stock symbol may consist of letters, numbers or a combination of both, ticker symbol refers to the symbols that were printed on the ticker tape of a ticker tape machine. Stock symbols are unique identifiers assigned to each security traded on a particular market, for example, AAPL is for Apple Inc. OODH is for Orion DHC, Inc. and HD is for Home Depot, a stock symbol can consist of letters, numbers, or a combination of both, and is a way to uniquely identify that stock. The symbols were kept as short as possible to reduce the number of characters that had to be printed on the ticker tape, the allocation of symbols and formatting convention is specific to each stock exchange. In the US, for example, stock tickers are typically between 1 and 4 letters and represent the name where possible. In Europe, most exchanges use three-letter codes, for example Dutch consumer goods company Unilever traded on the Amsterdam Euronext exchange has the symbol UNA, while in Asia, numbers are often used as stock tickers to avoid issues for international investors when using non-Latin scripts. For example, the bank HSBCs stock traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange has the ticker symbol 0005, symbols sometimes change to reflect mergers. Prior to the 1999 merger with Mobil Oil, Exxon used a spelling of the company XON as its ticker symbol. The symbol of the firm after the merger was XOM, symbols are sometimes reused, in the US the single-letter symbols are particularly sought after as vanity symbols. For example, since Mar 2008 Visa Inc. has used the symbol V that had previously used by Vivendi which had delisted. To fully qualify a stock, both the ticker and the exchange or country of listing needs to be known, on many systems both must be specified to uniquely identify the security. This is often done by appending the location or exchange code to the ticker, although stock tickers identify a security, they are exchange dependent, generally limited to stocks and can change. These limitations have led to the development of other codes in financial markets to identify securities for settlement purposes, the most prevalent of these is the International Securities Identifying Number. An ISIN uniquely identifies a security and its structure is defined in ISO6166, Securities for which ISINs are issued include bonds, commercial paper, stocks, and warrants. The ISIN identifies the security, not the exchange on which it trades, for instance, Daimler AG stock trades on twenty-two different stock exchanges worldwide, and is priced in five different currencies, it has the same ISIN on each, though not the same ticker symbol. ISIN cannot specify a particular trade in this case, and another identifier, following the introduction of the Sequence trading platform in 1996, EPICs were renamed Tradable Instrument Display Mnemonics, but they are still widely referred to as EPICs. Stocks can also be identified using their SEDOL number or their ISIN, in the United States, modern letter-only ticker symbols were developed by Standard & Poors to bring a national standard to investing
Ticker symbol
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Stock
telegraph ticker machine by
Thomas Edison
2.
NASDAQ
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The Nasdaq Stock Market is an American stock exchange. It is the second-largest exchange in the world by market capitalization, the exchange platform is owned by Nasdaq, Inc. which also owns the Nasdaq Nordic and Nasdaq Baltic stock market network and several other US stock and options exchanges. When it was founded, NASDAQ stood for the acronym of National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations, NASDAQ was founded in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers, which divested itself of NASDAQ in a series of sales in 2000 and 2001. The Nasdaq Stock Market is owned and operated by Nasdaq, Inc. the stocks of which were listed on its own stock exchange marketing July 2,2002, when the Nasdaq Stock Market began trading on February 8,1971, it was the worlds first electronic stock market. At first, it was merely a system and did not provide a way to perform electronic trades. The Nasdaq Stock Market helped lower the spread but was unpopular among brokerages which made much of their money on the spread. As late as 1987, the NASDAQ exchange was still referred to as OTC in media. Over the years, the Nasdaq Stock Market became more of a market by adding trade and volume reporting. The Nasdaq Stock Market attracted new companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Cisco, Oracle and Dell. Its main index is the NASDAQ Composite, which has published since its inception. In 1992, the Nasdaq Stock Market joined with the London Stock Exchange to form the first intercontinental linkage of securities markets, the National Association of Securities Dealers spun off the Nasdaq Stock Market in 2000 to form a publicly traded company. In 2006, the status of the Nasdaq Stock Market was changed from a market to a licensed national securities exchange. In 2007, Nasdaq merged with OMX, an exchange operator in the Nordic countries, expanded its global footprint. NASDAQ OMX could be looking to acquire the American exchanges cash equities business, at the time, NYSE Euronext’s market value was $9.75 billion. Nasdaq was valued at $5.78 billion, while ICE was valued at $9.45 billion. Late in the month, Nasdaq was reported to be considering asking either ICE or the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to join in what would probably have to be, if it proceeded, an $11–12 billion counterbid. The European Association of Securities Dealers Automatic Quotation System was founded as a European equivalent to the Nasdaq Stock Market and it was purchased by NASDAQ in 2001 and became NASDAQ Europe. Operations were shut down, however, as a result of the burst of the dot-com bubble, in 2007, NASDAQ Europe was revived as Equiduct, and is currently operating under Börse Berlin
NASDAQ
–
Studio
3.
NASDAQ-100
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The NASDAQ-100 is a stock market index made up of 107 equity securities issued by 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ. It is a modified capitalization-weighted index, the stocks weights in the index are based on their market capitalizations, with certain rules capping the influence of the largest components. It is based on exchange, and it is not an index of U. S. -based companies and it does not have any financial companies, since these were put in a separate index. Both of those criteria differentiate it from the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the NASDAQ-100 began on January 31,1985 by the NASDAQ, trying to promote itself in the shadow of the New York Stock Exchange. By creating these two indices, the NASDAQ hoped that options and futures contracts would be created on them, the first annual adjustments were made in 1993 in advance of options on the index that would trade at the Chicago Board Options Exchange in 1994. Foreign companies were first admitted to the index in January 1998 and those standards were relaxed in 2002, while standards for domestic firms were raised, ensuring that all companies met the same standards. After a gradual 5-year recovery to a high of 2,239. Panic focusing on the failure of the investment banking industry culminated in a loss of more than 10% on September 29,2008, subsequently plunging the index firmly into bear market territory. The NASDAQ-100, with much of the market, experienced a Limit Down open on October 24. At the close of 2015, the index closed at 4593.27, the NASDAQ-100 is often abbreviated as NDX in the derivatives markets. Its corresponding futures contracts are traded on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the regular futures are denoted by the Reuters Instrument Code ND, and the smaller E-mini version uses the code NQ. Both are among the most heavily traded futures at the exchange, the PowerShares QQQ exchange-traded fund, sponsored and overseen since March 21,2007 by Invesco through PowerShares, trades under the ticker NASDAQ, QQQ. It is commonly referred to by its ticker or nickname, the ques and it was formerly called NASDAQ-100 Trust Series 1. On December 1,2004, it was moved from the American Stock Exchange where it had the symbol QQQ to the NASDAQ and given the new four letter code QQQQ, on March 23,2011, Nasdaq changed its symbol back to QQQ. As of August 2012, the fund is the third most actively traded exchange-traded product in the world, on July 17,2007, the ETF closed above $50 for the first time since early 2001. Since then, it advanced to surpass its 2007 peak. By October 18,2013, it had passed and closed above $82 to reach its highest price levels since November 6–7,2000 and highest value since September 29,2000 when adjusted for splits and dividends. The NASDAQ has over the years put in place a series of stringent standards that companies must meet before being included in the index and those standards include the following, Being listed exclusively on NASDAQ in either the Global Select or Global Market tiers
NASDAQ-100
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NASDAQ-100 Index 1985-2015
4.
Washington, D.C.
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Washington, D. C. formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D. C. is the capital of the United States. The signing of the Residence Act on July 16,1790, Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Congress and the District is therefore not a part of any state. The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, named in honor of President George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. In 1846, Congress returned the land ceded by Virginia, in 1871. Washington had an population of 681,170 as of July 2016. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the population to more than one million during the workweek. The Washington metropolitan area, of which the District is a part, has a population of over 6 million, the centers of all three branches of the federal government of the United States are in the District, including the Congress, President, and Supreme Court. Washington is home to national monuments and museums, which are primarily situated on or around the National Mall. The city hosts 176 foreign embassies as well as the headquarters of international organizations, trade unions, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups. A locally elected mayor and a 13‑member council have governed the District since 1973, However, the Congress maintains supreme authority over the city and may overturn local laws. D. C. residents elect a non-voting, at-large congressional delegate to the House of Representatives, the District receives three electoral votes in presidential elections as permitted by the Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961. Various tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people inhabited the lands around the Potomac River when Europeans first visited the area in the early 17th century, One group known as the Nacotchtank maintained settlements around the Anacostia River within the present-day District of Columbia. Conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes forced the relocation of the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near Point of Rocks, Maryland. 43, published January 23,1788, James Madison argued that the new government would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance. Five years earlier, a band of unpaid soldiers besieged Congress while its members were meeting in Philadelphia, known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783, the event emphasized the need for the national government not to rely on any state for its own security. However, the Constitution does not specify a location for the capital, on July 9,1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles on each side, totaling 100 square miles. Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory, the port of Georgetown, Maryland, founded in 1751, many of the stones are still standing
Washington, D.C.
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Clockwise from top left:
Smithsonian Institution Building,
Rock Creek Park,
National Mall (including the
Lincoln Memorial in the foreground),
Howard Theatre and the
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Washington, D.C.
–
Map of the District of Columbia in 1835, prior to the
retrocession
Washington, D.C.
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Ford's Theatre in the 19th century, site of the 1865
assassination of
President Lincoln
Washington, D.C.
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Crowds surrounding the
Reflecting Pool during the 1963
March on Washington
5.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
United States
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Native Americans meeting with Europeans, 1764
United States
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Flag
United States
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The signing of the
Mayflower Compact, 1620.
United States
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The
Declaration of Independence: the
Committee of Five presenting their draft to the
Second Continental Congress in 1776
6.
Bethesda, Maryland
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Bethesda is a census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, located just northwest of the U. S. capital of Washington, D. C. It takes its name from a church, the Bethesda Meeting House. In Aramaic, ܒܝܬ ܚܣܕܐ beth ḥesda means House of Mercy and in Hebrew, the National Institutes of Health main campus and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center are in Bethesda, as are a number of corporate and government headquarters. In 2014 it placed first in Forbes list of Americas most educated small towns, as an unincorporated area, Bethesda has no official boundaries. The United States Census Bureau defines a place named Bethesda whose center is located at 38°59′N 77°7′W. The United States Geological Survey has defined Bethesda as an area whose center is at 38°58′50″N 77°6′2″W, other definitions are used by the Bethesda Urban Planning District, the United States Postal Service, and other organizations. According to estimates released by the U. S. Census Bureau in 2013, Most of Bethesdas residents are in Maryland Legislative District 16. Bethesda is situated along a thoroughfare that was originally the route of an ancient Native American trail. Henry Fleet, an English fur trader, was the first European to travel to the area, Most early settlers in Maryland were tenant farmers who paid their rent in tobacco. A small settlement grew around a store and tollhouse along the turnpike, by 1862, the community was known as Darcys Store after the owner of a local establishment, William E. Darcy. The church burned in 1849 and was rebuilt the same year about 100 yards south at its present site. Throughout most of the 19th century, Bethesda never developed beyond a small village, consisting of a post office, a blacksmith shop, a church and school. It was not until the installation of a line in 1890. Until that time, dependence on proximity to rail lines insulated Bethesda from growth, the arrival of the personal automobile ended this dependency, and Bethesda planners grew the community with the newest transportation revolution in mind. Subdivisions began to appear on old farmland, becoming the neighborhoods of Drummond, Woodmont, Edgemoor, further north, several wealthy men made Rockville Pike famous for its mansions. These included Brainard W. Parker, James Oyster, George E. Hamilton, wilson, Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, and George Freeland Peter. In 1930, Dr Armistead Peters pioneering manor house Winona became the clubhouse of the original Woodmont Country Club, merle Thorpes mansion, Pooks Hill —on the site of the current neighborhood of the same name—became the home-in-exile of the Norwegian Royal Family during World War II. That war, and the expansion of government that it created, both the National Naval Medical Center and the NIH complex were built just to the north of the developing downtown
Bethesda, Maryland
–
The intersection of
Maryland Route 187 (Old Georgetown Road),
Maryland Route 355 (
Wisconsin Avenue), and
Maryland Route 410 (East West Highway), near the
Bethesda Metro station entrance, in downtown Bethesda.
Bethesda, Maryland
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Boundaries of Bethesda CDP from
U.S. Census Bureau
Bethesda, Maryland
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Building 50 at
NIH.
Bethesda, Maryland
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Bethesda Avenue at night
7.
Maryland
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The states largest city is Baltimore, and its capital is Annapolis. Among its occasional nicknames are Old Line State, the Free State, the state is named after Henrietta Maria of France, the wife of Charles I of England. George Calvert was the first Lord of Baltimore and the first English proprietor of the colonial grant. Maryland was the state to ratify the United States Constitution. Maryland is one of the smallest U. S. states in terms of area, as well as one of the most densely populated, Maryland has an area of 12,406.68 square miles and is comparable in overall area with Belgium. It is the 42nd largest and 9th smallest state and is closest in size to the state of Hawaii, the next largest state, its neighbor West Virginia, is almost twice the size of Maryland. Maryland possesses a variety of topography within its borders, contributing to its nickname America in Miniature. The mid-portion of this border is interrupted by Washington, D. C. which sits on land that was part of Montgomery and Prince Georges counties and including the town of Georgetown. This land was ceded to the United States Federal Government in 1790 to form the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay nearly bisects the state and the counties east of the bay are known collectively as the Eastern Shore. Close to the town of Hancock, in western Maryland, about two-thirds of the way across the state. This geographical curiosity makes Maryland the narrowest state, bordered by the Mason–Dixon line to the north, portions of Maryland are included in various official and unofficial geographic regions. Much of the Baltimore–Washington corridor lies just south of the Piedmont in the Coastal Plain, earthquakes in Maryland are infrequent and small due to the states distance from seismic/earthquake zones. The M5.8 Virginia earthquake in 2011 was felt moderately throughout Maryland, buildings in the state are not well-designed for earthquakes and can suffer damage easily. The lack of any glacial history accounts for the scarcity of Marylands natural lakes, laurel Oxbow Lake is an over one-hundred-year-old 55-acre natural lake two miles north of Maryland City and adjacent to Russett. Chews Lake is a natural lake two miles south-southeast of Upper Marlboro. There are numerous lakes, the largest of them being the Deep Creek Lake. Maryland has shale formations containing natural gas, where fracking is theoretically possible, as is typical of states on the East Coast, Marylands plant life is abundant and healthy. Middle Atlantic coastal forests, typical of the southeastern Atlantic coastal plain, grow around Chesapeake Bay, moving west, a mixture of Northeastern coastal forests and Southeastern mixed forests cover the central part of the state
Maryland
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Western Maryland: known for its heavily forested mountains. A panoramic view of
Deep Creek Lake and the surrounding
Appalachian Mountains in
Garrett County.
Maryland
–
Flag
Maryland
–
Dramatic example of Maryland's
fall line, a change in rock type and elevation that creates waterfalls in many areas along the Southwest to Northeast geological boundary that crosses the state.
Great Falls, cliffs and rapids.
Maryland
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Typical freshwater river above the tidal zone. The
Patapsco River includes the famous
Thomas Viaduct and is part of the
Patapsco Valley State Park. Later, the river forms the
Inner Harbor as it empties into the
Chesapeake Bay.
8.
Hotels
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A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities, Hotel rooms are usually numbered to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms, some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food, in Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the hotel was the inn of medieval Europe. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, inns began to cater to richer clients in the mid-18th century. One of the first hotels in a sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set standards to classify hotel types. Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a number of full service accommodations, an on-site full service restaurant. Boutique hotels are independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer a limited amount of on-site amenities, economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of a unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to rooms from the car park. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with an environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself, for example at casinos and holiday resorts. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by size, function and class
Hotels
–
The
Burj Al Arab in
Dubai
Hotels
–
The historic
Plaza Hotel in
New York
Hotels
–
The
Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Hotels
–
Lobby on 103rd floor at
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
9.
Resorts
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A resort is a self-contained commercial establishment that endeavors to provide most of a vacationers wants, such as food, drink, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term resort may be used for a property that provides an array of amenities, typically including entertainment. A hotel is frequently a central feature of a resort, such as the Grand Hotel at Mackinac Island, some resorts are also timeshare or fractionally owned, or wholly owned condominium complexes. A resort is not always a commercial establishment operated by a single company, commonly these facilities are of higher quality than would be expected if one were to stay at a hotel or eat in a towns restaurants. Closely related to these resorts are convention and large meeting sites, generally these occur in cities where special meeting halls, together with ample accommodations as well as varied dining and entertainment, are provided. An all-inclusive resort charges a price that includes most or all items. At a minimum, most inclusive resorts include lodging, unlimited food, drink, sports activities, all-inclusive resorts are found in the Caribbean, particularly in Dominican Republic, Egypt, and elsewhere. Many also offer sports and other included in the price as well. They are often located in warmer regions, the all-inclusive model originated in the Club Med resorts, which were founded by the Belgian Gérard Blitz. Some all-inclusive resorts are designed for specific vacation interests, for example, certain resorts cater to adults, while even more specialized properties accept couples only. Other all-inclusive resorts are geared toward families, with facilities like craft centers, game rooms, all-inclusive resorts are also very popular locations for destination weddings. A spa resort is a short term residential/lodging facility with the purpose of providing individual services for spa-goers to develop healthy habits. Historically many such spas were developed at the location of natural hot springs or sources of mineral waters, golf resorts are resorts that cater specifically to the sport of golf, and include access to one or more golf course and or clubhouse. Golf resorts typically provide golf packages that provide visitors with all greens and cart fees, range balls, accommodations, in North America a ski resort is generally a destination resort in a ski area. Ski resort is less likely to refer to a town or village, a megaresort is a type of destination resort which is of an exceptionally large size, such as those along the Las Vegas Strip. In Singapore integrated resort is a euphemism for a destination resort. A holiday village is a type of self-contained resort in Europe, a holiday camp in the United Kingdom refers to a resort where the accommodation is in chalets. The term holiday park is used for a resort where the accommodation includes static caravans, there are 1500+ timeshare resorts in the U. S. that are operated by major hospitality, timeshare-specific, or independent companies
Resorts
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Resorts combine a hotel and a variety of recreations, such as
swimming pools, shown here in San Diego, California
Resorts
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Kayaking provided by a lakeside resort in
Jasper, Alberta
Resorts
–
An
island resort in the
Maldives.
Resorts
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Miami Beach in Florida
10.
United States dollar
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The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States and its insular territories per the United States Constitution. It is divided into 100 smaller cent units, the circulating paper money consists of Federal Reserve Notes that are denominated in United States dollars. The U. S. dollar was originally commodity money of silver as enacted by the Coinage Act of 1792 which determined the dollar to be 371 4/16 grain pure or 416 grain standard silver, the currency most used in international transactions, it is the worlds primary reserve currency. Several countries use it as their currency, and in many others it is the de facto currency. Besides the United States, it is used as the sole currency in two British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean, the British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos Islands. A few countries use the Federal Reserve Notes for paper money, while the country mints its own coins, or also accepts U. S. coins that can be used as payment in U. S. dollars. After Nixon shock of 1971, USD became fiat currency, Article I, Section 8 of the U. S. Constitution provides that the Congress has the power To coin money, laws implementing this power are currently codified at 31 U. S. C. Section 5112 prescribes the forms in which the United States dollars should be issued and these coins are both designated in Section 5112 as legal tender in payment of debts. The Sacagawea dollar is one example of the copper alloy dollar, the pure silver dollar is known as the American Silver Eagle. Section 5112 also provides for the minting and issuance of other coins and these other coins are more fully described in Coins of the United States dollar. The Constitution provides that a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and that provision of the Constitution is made specific by Section 331 of Title 31 of the United States Code. The sums of money reported in the Statements are currently being expressed in U. S. dollars, the U. S. dollar may therefore be described as the unit of account of the United States. The word dollar is one of the words in the first paragraph of Section 9 of Article I of the Constitution, there, dollars is a reference to the Spanish milled dollar, a coin that had a monetary value of 8 Spanish units of currency, or reales. In 1792 the U. S. Congress passed a Coinage Act, Section 20 of the act provided, That the money of account of the United States shall be expressed in dollars, or units. And that all accounts in the offices and all proceedings in the courts of the United States shall be kept and had in conformity to this regulation. In other words, this act designated the United States dollar as the unit of currency of the United States, unlike the Spanish milled dollar the U. S. dollar is based upon a decimal system of values. Both one-dollar coins and notes are produced today, although the form is significantly more common
United States dollar
–
Series of 1917
$1 United States bill
United States dollar
–
Federal Reserve Notes
United States dollar
–
Spanish silver real or
peso of 1768
United States dollar
–
Obverse of rare 1934 $500 Federal Reserve Note, featuring a portrait of President
William McKinley.
11.
Net income
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In business, net income is an entitys income minus cost of goods sold, expenses and taxes for an accounting period. In the context of the presentation of financial statements, the IFRS Foundation defines net income as synonymous with profit, net income is a distinct accounting concept from profit but the same as net profit. Net income can also be calculated by adding a companys operating income to non-operating income, net income can be distributed among holders of common stock as a dividend or held by the firm as an addition to retained earnings. As profit and earnings are used synonymously for income, net earnings, often, the term income is substituted for net income, yet this is not preferred due to the possible ambiguity. Net income is called the bottom line because it is typically found on the last line of a companys income statement. The items deducted will typically include tax expense, financing expense, likewise, preferred stock dividends will be subtracted too, though they are not an expense. For a merchandising company, subtracted costs may be the cost of goods sold, sales discounts, for a product company advertising, manufacturing, and design and development costs are included
Net income
–
Accounting
12.
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
–
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is an American hotel and leisure company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. One of the worlds largest hotel companies, it owns, operates, franchises and manages hotels, resorts, spas, residences, and vacation ownership properties under its 11 owned brands. As of 1 December 2014, Starwood Hotels and Resorts owned, managed, or franchised over 1,200 properties employing over 180,400 people, of whom approximately 26% were employed in the United States. On November 16,2015, Marriott International announced it would purchase Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide for $13.6 billion, the merger was finalized on September 23,2016 after gaining the final approval from the American authorities. After the acquisition by Marriott was approved, the Starwood Preferred Guest program announced it would provide reciprocal benefits with Marriotts guest reward program, the two programs will be merged under a single brand in the future. The Westin Hotels and Resorts brand is Starwoods largest upscale hotels and it was bought by Starwood in 1994 and is also the oldest brand within Starwood, dating back to 1930 and still continuing with it. Sheraton is Starwoods flagship brand, providing hotel and resort accommodation. It began operating in 1937 and was sold to Starwood in 1998 by ITT, also under the Sheraton brand are 7 Vacation Ownership properties. The flagship of the division was The St Regis in New York City, the majority of the CIGA hotels were folded into the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection. Both ITT Sheraton and later Starwood kept CIGAs original logo for The Luxury Collection brand logo until 2010, after Starwood bought Sheraton, they established a separate brand identity for The Luxury Collection and expanded it. Many hotels in The Luxury Collection are smaller establishments in converted palaces or other significant buildings, launched in 1995 under the Sheraton Groups brand, this brand is a set of mid-range hotels that replaced the Sheraton Inn sub-brand of Sheraton. W Hotels is Starwoods luxury boutique hotel brand, generally marketed towards a younger crowd, for example, the lobbies of all the hotels are known as the Living Room. W Hotels attempt to include the letter W wherever possible - the swimming pool is known as Wet, the concierge is known as Whatever Whenever, the bag in every room is known as Wash. St. Regis is Starwoods main luxury brand, launched in 1999, in the 1930s, head bartender Fernand Petiot, introduced the Bloody Mary cocktail. It has a total of 137 properties operating or in the worldwide, with its first property being Le Méridien Etoile in Paris. Certain locations offer guests complimentary access to art galleries and museums through collaborations, Le Méridien has a partnership with the Italian coffee roasting company Illy, serving and promoting Illy-branded coffee and products throughout its hotels around the world. Aloft, was launched in 2005 as Aloft, a Vision of W Hotels, in a relationship with W similar to Four Points by Sheraton and its brand parent, Aloft is a mid-scale, urban-style business/boutique hotel brand. Announced in 2006, and originally known as Element by Westin, the designs include energy and water efficient features
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
–
Former Starwood headquarters in White Plains
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
–
Westin Times Square
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
–
The historic
Westin Book-Cadillac Hotel in downtown
Detroit
Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
–
Sheraton
Poznań
13.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
–
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L. L. C. is the parent company to the luxury hotel chain, The Ritz-Carlton Hotels. Ritz-Carlton operates 91 luxury hotels and resorts in cities around the world, the hotel company is today a subsidiary of Marriott International. The story of The Ritz-Carlton begins with Swiss hotelier César Ritz who was known in the hotel industry as the king of hoteliers. Ritz redefined luxury accommodation in Europe with his management of The Ritz in Paris, the restaurants on those ships ceased operating in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I. Although Ritz died in 1918, his wife Marie continued the tradition of opening hotels in his name, the Ritz-Carlton Investing Company was established by Albert Keller, who bought and franchised the name in the United States. The first Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the U. S. opened in New York in 1911 and it was located at 46th Street and Madison Avenue. Louis Diat ran the kitchens and invented Vichyssoise there, the Ritz-Carlton Montreal opened in 1912, not owned by Keller as it was located in Canada. Kellers Ritz-Carlton Atlantic City opened in 1921, the trust sold $2.1 million of bonds to finance the construction of an apartment building to be called the Mayflower. The 18-story, 201-foot brick building, designed by Strickland, Blodget & Law Architects, was far taller than anything else along Newbury Street at the time. Construction had started on the floor when Wyner was persuaded by then-Mayor James Michael Curly to make the Mayflower a world-class, 300-room Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Room rates were $5 to $15 per night, $40 per night for suites, after a hugely successful opening, the stock market crash of 1929 and ensuing Depression brought financial difficulties. The Wyner family funded the hotel’s operating losses during the early 1930s, still in 1933, when only 30 guests were registered in the hotel, Wyner turned on the lights in every guest room to give the appearance the hotel was full. The Philadelphia location was converted to a building after only a few years in operation. The Atlantic City hotel was sold to Schine Hotels in the late 1940s, the New York hotel was demolished in 1951, leaving only the Boston location. Edward Wyner died of an attack on December 5,1961. His six sons tried to continue operation of the Boston hotel, but were unable to overcome difficulties, the unpaid interest on the bonds dissuaded many from trying to buy the hotel. But Cabot, Cabot & Forbes principal Gerald F. Blakeley Jr. was interested.8 million, “Out of the 20 years I owned it, it made money three years. In the late 1960s Blakeley obtained the rights to the Ritz-Carlton name in North America, in June 1978, Blakeley was awarded the rights and privileges of the Ritz-Carlton trademark in the United States and was given a US Service Mark Registration
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
–
Ritz-Carlton Hotel in
Downtown Los Angeles,
California, framed by a
street lamp
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
–
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
–
The Ritz-Carlton logo at the former Hong Kong property
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
–
Entrance to the now-demolished Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
14.
Hotel
–
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Small, lower-priced hotels may offer only the most basic guest services and facilities, Hotel rooms are usually numbered to allow guests to identify their room. Some boutique, high-end hotels have custom decorated rooms, some hotels offer meals as part of a room and board arrangement. In the United Kingdom, a hotel is required by law to serve food, in Japan, capsule hotels provide a tiny room suitable only for sleeping and shared bathroom facilities. The precursor to the hotel was the inn of medieval Europe. For a period of about 200 years from the mid-17th century, inns began to cater to richer clients in the mid-18th century. One of the first hotels in a sense was opened in Exeter in 1768. Hotels proliferated throughout Western Europe and North America in the early 19th century, Hotel operations vary in size, function, and cost. Most hotels and major hospitality companies have set standards to classify hotel types. Full service hotels often contain upscale full-service facilities with a number of full service accommodations, an on-site full service restaurant. Boutique hotels are independent, non-branded hotels that often contain upscale facilities. Small to medium-sized hotel establishments offer a limited amount of on-site amenities, economy hotels are small to medium-sized hotel establishments that offer basic accommodations with little to no services. Extended stay hotels are small to medium-sized hotels that offer full service accommodations compared to a traditional hotel. Timeshare and destination clubs are a form of property ownership involving ownership of a unit of accommodation for seasonal usage. A motel is a small-sized low-rise lodging with direct access to rooms from the car park. Boutique hotels are typically hotels with an environment or intimate setting. A number of hotels have entered the public consciousness through popular culture, some hotels are built specifically as a destination in itself, for example at casinos and holiday resorts. The organizational chart and volume of job positions and hierarchy varies by size, function and class
Hotel
–
The
Burj Al Arab in
Dubai
Hotel
–
The historic
Plaza Hotel in
New York
Hotel
–
The
Hilton San Diego Bayfront
Hotel
–
Lobby on 103rd floor at
The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong
15.
J. Willard Marriott
–
John Willard Marriott, Sr. was an American entrepreneur and businessman. He was the founder of the Marriott Corporation, the parent company of one of the worlds largest hospitality, hotel chains, and food services companies. The Marriott company rose from a root beer stand in Washington D. C. in 1927 to a chain of family restaurants by 1932. The companys interests even extended to a line of cruise ships, Marriott was born at Marriott Settlement near Ogden, Utah, and was raised on his fathers farm. His father gave him considerable responsibility at an age, he was sent to San Francisco on his own with 3,000 sheep in railcars at the age of 13. At the age of 19 and as a devout Mormon, he undertook the traditional work of the church for two years, being assigned to New England. On his way home after completing his mission, he passed through Washington D. C. during the summer months of 1921. E walked from Capitol Hill to the Washington Monument, toiled up the steps to the top, walked back down again, everywhere he went tourists and pedestrians sweltered and sweated in the sultry, humid air. Marriott graduated from Weber State University, where he served as student body president, with a degree in June 1923. Marriott soon felt the urge, however, to be his own boss, in 1927, he secured from A&W Root Beer the franchise rights for Washington, D. C. Baltimore, Maryland, and Richmond, Virginia, he moved to Washington to open a nine-stool root beer stand there with his business partner. They opened on May 20,1927 at 3128 14th Street and he returned to Utah two weeks later, and married Alice Sheets on 9 June 1927. With the approach of cooler Autumn months, and with the addition of Mexican food items to the menu, the stand became The Hot Shoppe, a popular family restaurant. In 1928, he opened the first drive-in east of the Mississippi, during the Second World War, the business expanded to include the management of food services in defense plants and government buildings, such as the U. S. Treasury. Marriotts restaurant chain grew, and the company went public in 1953, in 1957, he expanded his business to hotels, opening the first Marriott hotel—actually a motel, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The company became Marriott, Inc. in 1967, two large chains were added to the group, the Big Boy family restaurants in 1967 and Roy Rogers Family Restaurants in 1968. Over the years, Marriotts company interests expanded, continuing with food services, Marriott eventually invented airline in-flight food service. This segment of their enterprise continues to be a part of their business
J. Willard Marriott
–
J. Willard Marriott, Sr.
J. Willard Marriott
–
Marriott School of Management
J. Willard Marriott
–
Marriott Center
J. Willard Marriott
–
J. Willard Marriott Library
16.
Washington, DC metropolitan area
–
The Washington metropolitan area is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D. C. the capital of the United States. The area includes all of the district and parts of the U. S. states of Maryland and Virginia. The Washington metropolitan area is one of the most educated and most affluent metropolitan areas in the United States, the regions three largest cities are the federal territory of Washington, D. C. the county of Arlington, and the independent city of Alexandria. The area is sometimes referred to as the National Capital Region. Another term used to describe the region is the D. C, the area is increasingly referred to as the DMV, a shorthand for the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. The area in the region that is surrounded by Interstate 495 is also referred to as being inside the Beltway. The city of Washington, which is at the center of the area, is referred to as the District because it is the federal District of Columbia, the Virginian portion of the region is known as Northern Virginia. Senate, and the U. S. House of Representatives, the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, a component of MWCOG, is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization for the metropolitan Washington area. The area has been a magnet for international immigration since the late 1960s and it is also a magnet for internal migration. Census estimates show that persons of post-1965 immigrant stock will likely represent 25% of the population by 2010. Forbes magazine stated in its 2008 Americas Best- And Worst-Educated Cities report, The D. C. area is less than half the size of L. A. but both cities have around 100,000 Ph. D. s. In the 21st century, the Washington metropolitan area has overtaken the San Francisco Bay Area as the metropolitan area in the nation. The median household income of the region is US$72,800, census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Claritas Inc. and other sources. A Dice. com report showed that the Washington–Baltimore area had the second-highest number of tech jobs listed,8,289, changes in house prices for the D. C. S. residential real estate market. McLean ZIP code 22102 had the highest median home prices among ZIP codes within the Washington metropolitan area as of 2013, asian Americans had the highest median net worth in the Washington area. Although the median net worth for white D. C. -area households was 81 times that of black D. C. -area households, defense contracting Many defense contractors are based in the region to be close to the Pentagon in Arlington. Tourism Tourism is a significant industry in the Washington metropolitan region, the convention industry is also significant, in 2016, D. C. hosted fifteen city-wide conventions with an estimated total economic impact of $277.9 million. Fort Lee gained 7,344 mostly military employees, fort Meade gained 5,361 employees, primarily as a result of the expansion of the National Security Agency
Washington, DC metropolitan area
–
Washington, D.C. in September 2003
Washington, DC metropolitan area
–
Satellite photo of the Washington metropolitan area
Washington, DC metropolitan area
–
Map highlighting labor patterns of regional counties
Washington, DC metropolitan area
–
View of downtown Washington, with the northern skyline of Arlington in the background. The skyline of
Tysons Corner is visible in the horizon.
17.
Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
–
Completed in 1923, it is Washingtons oldest surviving bridge across the Potomac River. Key Bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996, Key Bridge replaced the much older Aqueduct Bridge. The first Aqueduct Bridge was built in 1830 to carry the Chesapeake, the bridge was converted into a roadway during the American Civil War. In 1866, the canal was restored and a new roadway built over it atop trestles. The 1830 bridge was torn down in 1884, and a new structure built which opened in 1889, the Washington abutment still survives and is located west of the Key Bridge. One pier remains and is located in the river near the Virginia shore, proposals were made to replace Aqueduct Bridge as early as 1901. But these proposals were delayed when the McMillan Plan was issued in 1902, the plans proposals for new bridges across the Potomac called into question whether Aqueduct Bridge should be replaced or merely torn down. In the meantime, Congress approved repairs to the bridge in 19021908, in March 1914, Representative Charles Creighton Carlin of Virginia sponsored legislation to replace Aqueduct Bridge with a new, $1 million structure. The Commissioners of the District of Columbia approved the new bridge in June, controversy over the new bridge immediately broke out. Senator Claude A. Georgetown merchants strongly opposed this plan, secretary of War Lindley Miller Garrison, who oversaw the Corps, agreed that a new bridge was necessary in December. Adamson, chairman of the House Committee on Public Works, challenged Swanson, the Carlin bill began moving through the House in January 1915. But House members balked at the cost, Garrison tried to break the deadlock on January 9 by issuing a report that declared the existing bridge unsafe, and requesting that the new one be built in the same location. Commissioners said the location of the bridge was up to them, Swanson changed his mind, and agreed in January 1916 that the new bridge should be built on the existing site. Garrison endorsed the Carlin bill on January 27, on February 3,1916, vehicular traffic over Aqueduct Bridge was limited by the city to a single automobile at a time due to its dangerous nature. The House passed legislation appropriating $1.175 million for construction of a new bridge on March 6, D. C. commissioners held hearings on the bridge site in late March, and approved the site in early April. The Senate passed some amendments to the House bill, and after some legislative discussions and a conference committee. President Woodrow Wilson signed the legislation on May 19, plans began to be drawn up at that time. The Classical Revival bridge was designed by Nathan C, Wyeth, an architect in private practice in the city, and Major Max C
Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
–
Key Bridge
Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
–
The Key Bridge
Marriott in Rosslyn, the company's oldest hotel, and a minor location in the
Watergate scandal
Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
–
Panoramic view of Key Bridge in 2013.
Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
–
View of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, US 29, over the Potomac River from Georgetown
18.
John Willard Marriott
–
John Willard Marriott, Sr. was an American entrepreneur and businessman. He was the founder of the Marriott Corporation, the parent company of one of the worlds largest hospitality, hotel chains, and food services companies. The Marriott company rose from a root beer stand in Washington D. C. in 1927 to a chain of family restaurants by 1932. The companys interests even extended to a line of cruise ships, Marriott was born at Marriott Settlement near Ogden, Utah, and was raised on his fathers farm. His father gave him considerable responsibility at an age, he was sent to San Francisco on his own with 3,000 sheep in railcars at the age of 13. At the age of 19 and as a devout Mormon, he undertook the traditional work of the church for two years, being assigned to New England. On his way home after completing his mission, he passed through Washington D. C. during the summer months of 1921. E walked from Capitol Hill to the Washington Monument, toiled up the steps to the top, walked back down again, everywhere he went tourists and pedestrians sweltered and sweated in the sultry, humid air. Marriott graduated from Weber State University, where he served as student body president, with a degree in June 1923. Marriott soon felt the urge, however, to be his own boss, in 1927, he secured from A&W Root Beer the franchise rights for Washington, D. C. Baltimore, Maryland, and Richmond, Virginia, he moved to Washington to open a nine-stool root beer stand there with his business partner. They opened on May 20,1927 at 3128 14th Street and he returned to Utah two weeks later, and married Alice Sheets on 9 June 1927. With the approach of cooler Autumn months, and with the addition of Mexican food items to the menu, the stand became The Hot Shoppe, a popular family restaurant. In 1928, he opened the first drive-in east of the Mississippi, during the Second World War, the business expanded to include the management of food services in defense plants and government buildings, such as the U. S. Treasury. Marriotts restaurant chain grew, and the company went public in 1953, in 1957, he expanded his business to hotels, opening the first Marriott hotel—actually a motel, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The company became Marriott, Inc. in 1967, two large chains were added to the group, the Big Boy family restaurants in 1967 and Roy Rogers Family Restaurants in 1968. Over the years, Marriotts company interests expanded, continuing with food services, Marriott eventually invented airline in-flight food service. This segment of their enterprise continues to be a part of their business
John Willard Marriott
–
J. Willard Marriott, Sr.
John Willard Marriott
–
Marriott School of Management
John Willard Marriott
–
Marriott Center
John Willard Marriott
–
J. Willard Marriott Library
19.
Root beer
–
Root beer is a sweet soda traditionally made using the sassafras tree Sassafras albidum or the vine Smilax ornata as the primary flavor. Root beer may be alcoholic or non-alcoholic, come naturally free of caffeine or have caffeine added and it usually has a thick, foamy head when poured. Modern, commercially produced root beer is generally sweet, foamy, carbonated, nonalcoholic, some commercial root beers do use a safrole-free sassafras extract. Root beer was sold in confectionery stores since the 1840s, and it possibly was combined with soda as early as the 1850s, and root beer sold in stores was most often sold as a syrup rather than a ready-made beverage. Beyond its aromatic qualities, the benefits of sassafras were well known to both Native Americans and Europeans, and druggists began marketing root beer for its medicinal qualities. Pharmacist Charles Elmer Hires was the first to market a commercial brand of root beer. Hires developed his root tea made from sassafras in 1875, debuted a version of root beer at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition in 1876. Hires was a teetotaler who wanted to call the beverage root tea, however, his desire to market the product to Pennsylvania coal miners caused him to call his product root beer, instead. In 1886, Hires began to bottle a beverage made from his famous extract, by 1893, root beer was distributed widely across the United States. Non-alcoholic versions of root beer became commercially successful, especially during Prohibition, not all traditional or commercial root beers were sassafras-based. One of Hiress early competitors was Barqs, which began selling its sarsaparilla-based root beer in 1898 and was labeled simply as Barqs, in 1919, Roy Allen opened his root-beer stand in Lodi, California, which led to the development of A&W Root Beer. One of Allens innovations was that he served his homemade root beer in cold, IBC Root Beer is another brand of commercially produced root beer that emerged during this period and is still well-known today. Safrole, the oil found in sassafras roots and bark that gave traditional root beer its distinctive flavour, was banned for commercially mass-produced foods. Laboratory animals that were given doses of sassafras tea or sassafras oil that contained large doses of safrole developed permanent liver damage or various types of cancer. While sassafras is no longer used in commercially produced root beer and is substituted with artificial flavors. One traditional recipe for making root beer involves cooking a syrup from molasses and water, yeast was added, and the beverage was left to ferment for 12 hours, after which it was strained and rebottled for secondary fermentation. This recipe usually resulted in a beverage of 2% alcohol or less, commercial root beer is now produced in every U. S. state and in Canada. The flavor of these beverages may vary from typical North American versions, while no standard recipe exists, the primary ingredients in modern rootbeer are filtered water, sugar, and artificial sassafras flavoring, which complements other flavors
Root beer
–
A glass of root beer with foam.
Root beer
–
Animal products
20.
Mormon missionaries
–
Mormon missionaries may serve on a full- or part-time basis, depending on the assignment, and are organized geographically into missions. The mission assignment could be to any one of the 418 missions organized worldwide, the LDS Church is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, reporting that it had over 74,000 full-time missionaries worldwide at the end of 2015. Most full-time Mormon missionaries are young men and women in their late teens and early twenties. Missionaries are often assigned to serve far from their homes, including in other countries, many missionaries learn a new language at a missionary training center as part of their assignment. Missions typically last two years for males,18 months for females, and 6 to 18 months for older couples, the LDS Church strongly encourages, but does not require, missionary service for young men. All Mormon missionaries serve voluntarily and do not receive a salary for their work, many Latter-day Saints save money during their teenage years to cover their mission expenses. Throughout the churchs history, over one million missionaries have been sent on missions, LDS Church president Spencer W. Kimball said, Every young man should fill a mission. Completing a mission is described as a rite of passage for a young Latter-day Saint. The phrase the best two years of my life is a common cliché among returned missionaries when describing their experience, hinckley had suggested that a mission is not to be a rite of passage, this cultural aspect remains. With the usual starting age of 18–20, a provides a clear event or marker for the traditional age of adulthood. Young men between the ages of 18 and 25 who meet standards of worthiness are strongly encouraged to consider a two-year and this expectation is based in part on the New Testament passage Go ye therefore, and teach all nations. Prior to the announcement, some held that male missionaries may be 18 years old because of educational or military requirements. It was also announced that women may serve beginning at age 19 instead of 21. In 2007, approximately 30% of all 19-year-old LDS men became Mormon missionaries, from LDS families that are active in the church, in cases where an immediate family member dies, the missionary has the choice to travel home for the funeral or to remain on the mission. Missionaries can be sent home for violating rules, and occasionally missionaries choose to go home for health or various other reasons. However, the vast majority of serve the whole two-year or eighteen-month terms. As of 2007, 80% of all Mormon missionaries were young, single men, 13% were young single women, women who would like to serve a mission must meet the same standards of worthiness and be at least 19 years old. Women generally serve as missionaries for 18 months, married retired couples, on the other hand, are encouraged to serve missions, but their length of service may vary from 6 to 36 months depending on their circumstances and means
Mormon missionaries
–
Two missionaries of The Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints
Mormon missionaries
–
The Provo MTC is the LDS Church's largest
Missionary Training Center.
Mormon missionaries
–
A pair of name-tags, part of the requisite dress code for LDS missionaries.
Mormon missionaries
–
Ratio of Converts Baptized to Full-Time Missionaries, 1971–2010
21.
Restaurant
–
A restaurant, or an eatery, is a business which prepares and serves food and drinks to customers in exchange for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many also offer take-out and food delivery services. In Western countries, most mid- to high-range restaurants serve alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, some restaurants serve all the major meals, such as breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other restaurants may serve a single meal or they may serve two meals or even a kids meal. Restaurants may be classified or distinguished in different ways. The primary factors are usually the food itself, the cuisine and/or the style of offering, beyond this, restaurants may differentiate themselves on factors including speed, formality, location, cost, service, or novelty themes. In the former case, customers usually wear casual clothing, in the latter case, depending on culture and local traditions, customers might wear semi-casual, semi-formal or formal wear. Typically, at mid- to high-priced restaurants, customers sit at tables, their orders are taken by a waiter, after eating, the customers then pay the bill. Another restaurant approach which uses few waiters is the buffet restaurant, customers serve food onto their own plates and then pay at the end of the meal. Buffet restaurants typically still have waiters to serve drinks and alcoholic beverages, fast food restaurants are also considered a restaurant. The travelling public has long been catered for with ships messes and railway restaurant cars which are, in effect, many railways, the world over, also cater for the needs of travellers by providing railway refreshment rooms, a form of restaurant, at railway stations. In the 2000s, a number of travelling restaurants, specifically designed for tourists, have been created and these can be found on trams, boats, buses, etc. A restaurants proprietor is called a restaurateur /ˌrɛstərəˈtɜːr/, like restaurant, professional cooks are called chefs, with there being various finer distinctions. Most restaurant will have various waiting staff to serve food, beverages and alcoholic drinks, including busboys who remove used dishes and cutlery. In finer restaurants, this may include a host or hostess, a maître dhôtel to welcome customers and to them. A new route to becoming a restauranter, rather than working ones way up through the stages, is to operate a food truck, once a sufficient following has been obtained, a permanent restaurant site can be opened. This trend has become common in the UK and the US, a chefs table is a table located in the kitchen of a restaurant, reserved for VIPs and special guests. Patrons may be served a themed tasting menu prepared and served by the head chef, Restaurants can require a minimum party and charge a higher flat fee
Restaurant
–
Sandrinos restaurant in
Fremantle,
Western Australia
Restaurant
–
Le Piment Rouge restaurant in
Montreal
Restaurant
–
A Salaama Hut restaurant at a
Somali strip mall in
Toronto
Restaurant
–
The
kitchen of
Pétrus, located in
Knightsbridge,
Central London
22.
Arlington, Virginia
–
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is coterminous with the U. S. Census Bureau-census-designated place of Arlington, as a result, the county is often referred to in the region simply as Arlington or Arlington, Virginia. In 2015, the population was estimated at 229,164. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal district of Columbia. In 1846, Congress returned the land southwest of the Potomac River donated by Virginia due to issues involving Congressional representation, the General Assembly of Virginia changed the countys name to Arlington in 1920 to avoid confusion with the adjacent City of Alexandria. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the bank of the Potomac River directly across from Washington. Arlington is also bordered by Fairfax County and City of Falls Church to the northwest, west and southwest, as of the 2010 census, the population was 207,627. Due to the proximity to downtown Washington, D. C. It is also home to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the many federal agencies, government contractors, and service industries contribute to Arlingtons stable economy. It is the county in the United States by median family income. According to a 2016 study by Bankrate. com, Arlington is the best place to retire, the area that now constitutes Arlington County was originally part of Fairfax County in the Colony of Virginia. Land grants from the British monarch were awarded to prominent Englishmen in exchange for political favors, one of the grantees was Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who lends his name to both Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax. George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of First Lady Martha Washington, the estate was eventually passed down to Mary Anna Custis Lee, wife of General Robert E. Lee. The property later became Arlington National Cemetery during the American Civil War, the area that now contains Arlington County was ceded to the new United States federal government by the Commonwealth of Virginia. With the passage of the Residence Act in 1790, Congress approved a new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River, the Residence Act originally only allowed the President to select a location within Maryland as far east as what is now the Anacostia River. However, President Washington shifted the federal territorys borders to the southeast in order to include the city of Alexandria at the Districts southern tip. In 1791, Congress amended the Residence Act to approve the new site, however, this amendment to the Residence Act specifically prohibited the erection of the public buildings otherwise than on the Maryland side of the River Potomac. As permitted by the U. S. Constitution, the shape of the federal district was a square, measuring 10 miles on each side
Arlington, Virginia
–
The skylines of Arlington's
Courthouse and
Rosslyn neighborhoods, with the
Georgetown and
Downtown neighborhoods of
Washington, D.C. immediately past them. The county accounts for most of Virginia's border with the District.
Arlington, Virginia
–
1878 map of Alexandria County, now Arlington County
Arlington, Virginia
–
Arlington National Cemetery sits on land confiscated from Confederate General
Robert E. Lee.
Arlington, Virginia
–
The façade of
Arlington House appears on Arlington's seal, flag, and logo.
23.
Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
–
Rosslyn encompasses the Arlington neighborhoods of North Rosslyn and Radnor/Ft. Myer Heights, and is located east of Courthouse, another urbanized Arlington neighborhood, characterized as one of several urban villages by the County, the numerous skyscrapers in the dense business section of Rosslyn make its appearance in some ways more urban than nearby Washington. Its residents are upper middle or upper-class. Notable establishments in the neighborhood include ABC7 located in the Rosslyn Twin Towers, and Marriott Internationals longest operating hotel, notable structures include the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, and the Netherlands Carillon and Freedom Park offer views of the Washington Monument and other Washington landmarks. In Virginias colonial period, Rosslyns shoreline contained a landing for Awbreys ferry, a community that gradually developed behind the shore became known as Ross Lynn, the name of a local farm owned by William and Carolyn Ross. During the 1830s and 1840s, the Aqueduct Bridge was constructed between Georgetown and Rosslyn, when completed in 1843, this bridge carried the Alexandria Canal, which transported canal boats from the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal in Georgetown to the downstream port of Alexandria, Virginia. Following the American Civil War in the 1860s, a community developed at the base of the bridge. They organized under the name Good Citizens League and nominated Captain Crandal Mackey as the Commonwealths Attorney to fight corruption, Mackey, after being unsuccessfully challenged by the incumbent on legal grounds, won the election by two votes. When the sheriff did not execute Mackeys orders to clean up in Rosslyn, Mackey organized a group of thirty citizens to raid and destroy the saloons and this expedition took place of May 30,1904. Nevertheless, Rosslyn remained primarily known for its pawnshops and used car dealerships for many years, the Aqueduct Bridge connecting Rosslyn to Georgetown was replaced by the Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge in 1923. In 1964, the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge opened to carry Interstate 66 between Washington, D. C. and Rosslyn, Arlington County widened Rosslyns major streets to accommodate the increased motor vehicle traffic that this new development would bring. A skywalk system carried pedestrian traffic over these widened streets, while planners expected retail establishments to develop along the skywalks, few such establishments actually opened. As a result, the system attracted few pedestrians. The Arlington County government has announced plans to dismantle some or all of the bridges that carry the skywalks over Rosslyns broad streets. In 1977, Metrorails Blue Line reached Rosslyn, in subsequent years, the Blue Line and the Orange Line were extended from an underground junction near the Rosslyn station to serve Northern Virginias suburbs. In the early 1980s, I-66 was extended through Rosslyn to reach the Capital Beltway, the extensions of Metrorail and I-66 attracted additional high-rise development to Rosslyn. In 2003, the Virginia Baseball Stadium Authority attempted to attract the relocating Montréal Expos to Northern Virginia by proposing three Arlington County locations for a new baseball stadium. The issue proved highly divisive, and Virginias bid failed when Virginia Governor Mark Warner ruled out state financing for stadium construction, the Expos moved to D. C. after the 2004 season to become the Washington Nationals, with a new stadium built in southeast Washington
Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
–
Rosslyn, Virginia, as seen from
Kennedy Center in
Washington, D.C.
Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
–
Once a year in Dark Star Park, the shadows align to commemorate the day William Henry Ross acquired the land that would become Rosslyn.
Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
–
Aerial view of
Georgetown, the
Potomac River, and Rosslyn.
Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia
–
The Rosslyn skyline from
Georgetown.
24.
Host Marriott Corporation
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Host Hotels & Resorts is an American real estate investment trust and the owner of lodging real estate based in Bethesda, Maryland. Host Hotels & Resorts was formed in 1993 when the Marriott Corporation split into two entities, creating Marriott International and Host Marriott. The latter was renamed Host Hotels & Resorts in 2005, to reflect a number of non-Marriott hotels in their portfolio. On January 2,1996, Host Marriott further divided into two separate companies, Host Marriott continues to own lodging real estate. A new company, Host Marriott Services Corporation was created to hold and operate concessions at airports, on toll roads, on April 4,1996, Host Marriott sold 18 Residence Inns and 16 Marriott Courtyard Hotels to Hospitality Properties Trust to focus on other areas of the business. On June 21,1997, Host Marriott acquired Forum Group, Inc. and its retirement communities, in December 1998, Crestline Capital Corporation was spun off to allow Host Marriott to complete an announced conversion to a REIT. As part of the spinoff, Host Marriott arranged to lease much of the property that was being spun off. At the end of the year, the preparations were completed with Host Marriott emerging as a REIT on January 1,1999, november 2005, Host Marriott announced that it would purchase 38 domestic and international hotel properties for approximately $4.1 billion. The seller was Starwood Hotels & Resorts, a hotel based in White Plains. Starwood would continue to manage the portfolio of 20 Sheratons,13 Westins, as part of the transaction, Host Marriott was renamed Host Hotels & Resorts to better reflect its more diversified portfolio of hotel brands
Host Marriott Corporation
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Host Hotels & Resorts
25.
Boston
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Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston is also the seat of Suffolk County, although the county government was disbanded on July 1,1999. The city proper covers 48 square miles with a population of 667,137 in 2015, making it the largest city in New England. Alternately, as a Combined Statistical Area, this wider commuting region is home to some 8.1 million people, One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England. It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon U. S. independence from Great Britain, it continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub as well as a center for education, through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich history attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20 million visitors per year, Bostons many firsts include the United States first public school, Boston Latin School, first subway system, the Tremont Street Subway, and first public park, Boston Common. Bostons economic base also includes finance, professional and business services, biotechnology, information technology, the city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States as it has undergone gentrification, though it remains high on world livability rankings. Bostons early European settlers had first called the area Trimountaine but later renamed it Boston after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the renaming on September 7,1630 was by Puritan colonists from England who had moved over from Charlestown earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was limited to the Shawmut Peninsula, at that time surrounded by the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River. The peninsula is thought to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC, in 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colonys first governor John Winthrop led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history, over the next 130 years, the city participated in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their Indian allies in North America. Boston was the largest town in British America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid-18th century, Bostons harbor activity was significantly curtailed by the Embargo Act of 1807 and the War of 1812. Foreign trade returned after these hostilities, but Bostons merchants had found alternatives for their investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the economy, and the citys industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance by the mid-19th century. Boston remained one of the nations largest manufacturing centers until the early 20th century, a network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a network of railroads furthered the regions industry. Boston was a port of the Atlantic triangular slave trade in the New England colonies
Boston
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From top to bottom, left to right: the
Boston skyline viewed from the
Bunker Hill Monument; the
Museum of Fine Arts;
Faneuil Hall;
Massachusetts State House;
The First Church of Christ, Scientist;
Boston Public Library; the
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum;
South Station;
Boston University and the
Charles River;
Arnold Arboretum;
Fenway Park; and the
Boston Common
Boston
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State Street, 1801
Boston
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View of Boston from
Dorchester Heights, 1841
Boston
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Scollay Square in the 1880s
26.
Marriott World Trade Center
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The Marriott World Trade Center was a 22-story steel-framed hotel building with 825 rooms. It was sold in 1995 to Host Marriott Corporation, the hotel was connected to the North and South towers, and many went through the hotel to get to them. It also housed a gym that was the largest of any hotel in New York at the time, the hotel also had 26,000 square feet of meeting space on the entire 3rd floor, along with the New Amsterdam Ballroom on the main floor. It was considered a hotel by AAA. The hotel was destroyed beyond repair as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11,2001, the hotel will not be replaced as part of the new World Trade Center complex, but will rather share its name with the new office tower. On Friday, February 26,1993, the hotel was damaged as a result of the World Trade Center bombing. Terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda took a Ryder truck loaded with 1,500 pounds of explosives, at 12,18 PM, the explosion destroyed or seriously damaged the lower and sub levels of the World Trade Center complex. After extensive repairs, the hotel reopened in November 1994, on Tuesday, September 11,2001, the hotel was at full capacity, and had over 1,000 registered guests. In addition, the National Association for Business Economics was holding its yearly conference at the hotel, when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower at 8,46 AM, its landing gear fell on the hotels roof. Firefighters used the lobby as an area, and were also in the hotel to evacuate guests that may have still been inside. Firefighters also reported Human remains or entire corpses on the roof from people that had jumped or accidentally fallen from the burning towers,14 people who had been trying to evacuate the partially destroyed hotel after the first collapse managed to survive the second collapse in this small section. The section of the hotel that had managed to survive the collapse of the Twin Towers had been upgraded after the 1993 bombing, as a result of the collapse of the Twin Towers, the hotel was destroyed beyond repair. Only the southern part of three-stories of the building were still standing, in the remnants of the lobby, picture frames with the pictures inside them were still hanging on the walls. Approximately 40 people died in the hotel, including 2 hotel employees, in January 2002, the remnants of the hotel were completely dismantled. The National September 11 Memorial & Museum now exists where the hotel once stood, the building and its survivors were featured in the television special documentary film Hotel Ground Zero, which premiered September 11,2009 on the History Channel
Marriott World Trade Center
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Rendering of 3 World Trade Center from ground level
Marriott World Trade Center
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The original 3 World Trade Center with the Twin Towers
Marriott World Trade Center
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3 World Trade Center after the attacks. The remains of the North Tower can be seen in the background
Marriott World Trade Center
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Construction of Three World Trade Center as of May 2012. A portion of the
National 9/11 Memorial 's South Pool can be seen in the foreground.
27.
September 11, 2001 attacks
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The September 11 attacks were a series of four coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group al-Qaeda on the United States on the morning of Tuesday, September 11,2001. The attacks killed 2,996 people, injured over 6,000 others, two of the planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, were crashed into the North and South towers, respectively, of the World Trade Center complex in New York City. A third plane, American Airlines Flight 77, was crashed into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia and it was the deadliest incident for firefighters and law enforcement officers in the history of the United States, with 343 and 72 killed respectively. Suspicion for the attack fell on al-Qaeda. The United States responded to the attacks by launching the War on Terror and invading Afghanistan to depose the Taliban, many countries strengthened their anti-terrorism legislation and expanded the powers of law enforcement and intelligence agencies to prevent terrorist attacks. Although al-Qaedas leader, Osama bin Laden, initially denied any involvement, al-Qaeda and bin Laden cited U. S. support of Israel, the presence of U. S. troops in Saudi Arabia, and sanctions against Iraq as motives. Having evaded capture for almost a decade, bin Laden was located and killed by SEAL Team Six of the U. S. Navy in May 2011. S. many closings, evacuations, and cancellations followed, out of respect or fear of further attacks. Cleanup of the World Trade Center site was completed in May 2002, on November 18,2006, construction of One World Trade Center began at the World Trade Center site. The building was opened on November 3,2014. The origins of al-Qaeda can be traced to 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden traveled to Afghanistan and helped organize Arab mujahideen to resist the Soviets. Under the guidance of Ayman al-Zawahiri, bin Laden became more radical, in 1996, bin Laden issued his first fatwā, calling for American soldiers to leave Saudi Arabia. Bin Laden used Islamic texts to exhort Muslims to attack Americans until the stated grievances are reversed, Muslim legal scholars have throughout Islamic history unanimously agreed that the jihad is an individual duty if the enemy destroys the Muslim countries, according to bin Laden. Bin Laden, who orchestrated the attacks, initially denied but later admitted involvement, in November 2001, U. S. forces recovered a videotape from a destroyed house in Jalalabad, Afghanistan. In the video, bin Laden is seen talking to Khaled al-Harbi, on December 27,2001, a second bin Laden video was released. In the video, he said, It has become clear that the West in general and it is the hatred of crusaders. Terrorism against America deserves to be praised because it was a response to injustice, aimed at forcing America to stop its support for Israel, the transcript refers several times to the United States specifically targeting Muslims. He said that the attacks were carried out because, we are free, and want to regain freedom for our nation. As you undermine our security we undermine yours, Bin Laden said he had personally directed his followers to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon
September 11, 2001 attacks
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Top row: The Twin Towers of the
World Trade Center burning
September 11, 2001 attacks
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1997 picture of Osama bin Laden
September 11, 2001 attacks
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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after his capture in 2003
September 11, 2001 attacks
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Flight paths of the four planes used on September 11
28.
Ramada
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Ramada is a large hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide. Longtime Chicago restauranteur Marion W. Isbell founded the chain in 1953 along with a group of investors including Michael Robinson of McAllen, Texas, early in 1952, Marion W. Isbell received a phone call from his brother-in-law, Bill Helsing. Bill informed him of a deal in Flagstaff, AZ that he was going to invest in. This first investment resulted in a return of capital. Ramada opened its first hotel – a 60-room facility – on U. S, on that trip, Isbell noted the substandard quality of roadside motor courts along US highways at the time. The Ramada name derives from the Spanish term rama, temporary open air structures called ramadas, made of brush or branches were popular in Arizona during harvest time. Company websites commonly refer to the structure as a resting place. These are properties that have distinctive triple pillars and an overhang in the front of the hotel. Most of these are now rebranded under other names, but a few original Ramada Inns of that colonial design continue as franchises of the chain today. Ramadas logo, from its start in the 1950s until around 1976, featured a friendly bald innkeeper and he sported an apron and held a top hat in one hand and in the other hand, a red trumpeted banner that read Ramada Inn Roadside Hotels. From 1976 to 1982, the logo was a simple rounded rectangle that read Ramada Inn in the same gothic Western-style lettering of the original design. From 1982 to 2004, Ramada changed to a revised, rounded rectangular design with modern lettering. By the late 70s, Ramada ranked as the second largest hotel chain in the U. S. behind industry leader Holiday Inn, also during the 1970s, Ramada expanded into worldwide operation by opening new hotels in various European nations and on other continents. Marion W. Isbell served as president and CEO of Ramada until 1970, the senior Isbell continued as the chains CEO until his retirement in 1972 and then chairman of the board until 1979. William M. Isbell would serve as Ramadas president and CEO until 1981, Ramada developed a chain of restaurants, which were located inside the hotels, similar to the Howard Johnsons restaurants. Ramada operated them under names including Uncle Bens Kitchen, Ramada Pancake Cottage. The company-owned Ramada restaurants became defunct in 1990, though the franchised hotels still include on-premises restaurants, in an attempt to revive the companys lagging business, Ramada Inns, Inc. in 1989 decided to split its hotel/restaurant businesses and its gaming businesses. In the original deal for the business, Ramada shareholders were to get $7 in cash per share plus half a share of the new Aztar Corporation
Ramada
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Ramada Seoul Hotel
Ramada
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The friendly and balding Uncle Ben, on a Ramada Inn swizzle stick. In the early days, Ramada had branded on-site restaurants and lounges.
US$ 14.486 billion (2015)
