1.
Pilot (locomotive)
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In railroading, the pilot is the device mounted at the front of a locomotive to deflect obstacles on the track that might otherwise derail the train. In addition to the pilot, small metal bars called life-guards and they knock away smaller obstacles lying directly on the running surface of the railhead. Historically fenced-off railway systems in Europe relied exclusively on these devices and did not use pilots, trams use in place of the pilot a device called a fender. In snowy areas the pilot also has the function of a snowplow, the pilot was invented by Charles Babbage in the 19th century, during his period of working for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway. However, Babbages invention was not built, and it is uncertain whether later users were aware of Babbages idea, on a mainline locomotive, the pilot has to successfully deflect an obstacle hit at speed, the ideal is to push it upwards and sideways out of the way. The locomotive should not lift on impact or the train will follow, the typical shape is a blunt wedge that is shallowly V-shaped in plan. In the later days of locomotives, the front coupler was designed to swing out of the way also, so it could not get caught up. Early diesel locomotives followed the same plan, early shunting locomotives often had a pilot with steps on it to allow yard workers to ride on the locomotive, these were called footboard pilots. In some countries, footboard pilots are outlawed for safety reasons, modern locomotives often have front and rear platforms with safety rails where workers can ride. Most modern European rail vehicles must have pilots with snowplow function, the required strength of the system is 30 kN in the middle of the track and 50 kN near the rails. Where a pilot is not fitted, a different type of anti-climber may be used and this is to prevent one passenger car from riding up over another, or telescoping in a collision. Buffer stop Headstock Notes and News, Pilot Engines, Past, - describes seven other meanings of the word pilot historically used on Britains railways. Hubris and the Cowcatcher by John H. White Jr. Railroad History, pflugerville, Texas, Railway & Locomotive Historical Society, 86–91. CS1 maint, Date format - describes Lorenzo Davies, alleged inventor of the cowcatcher
2.
Flatiron Building
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The building sits on a triangular block formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and East 22nd Street, with 23rd Street grazing the triangles northern peak. As with numerous other wedge-shaped buildings, the name Flatiron derives from its resemblance to a clothes iron. The neighborhood around it is called the Flatiron District after its signature building, the Flatiron Building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989. The site on which the Flatiron Building would stand was bought in 1857 by Amos Eno, Eno tore down the four-story St. Germaine Hotel on the south end of the lot, and replaced it with a seven-story apartment building, the Cumberland. On the remainder of the lot he built four buildings for commercial use. This left four stories of the Cumberlands northern face exposed, which Eno rented out to advertisers, including The New York Times, who installed a sign made up of electric lights. Eno later put a screen on the wall, and projected images onto it from a magic lantern on top of one of his smaller buildings, presenting advertisements. Both the Times and the New York Tribune began using the screen for news bulletins, and on election nights tens of thousands of people would gather in Madison Square, waiting for the latest results. During his life Eno resisted suggestions to sell Enos flatiron, as the site had become known, but after his death in 1899 his assets were liquidated, and the lot went up for sale. Instead, the lot was bought at auction by William Eno, one of Amoss sons, three weeks later, William re-sold the lot to Samuel and Mott Newhouse for $801,000. Black, CEO of the Fuller Company, the Fuller Company was the first true general contractor that dealt with all aspects of building construction except design, and they specialized in building skyscrapers. Black intended to construct a new building on the site, despite the recent deterioration of the surrounding neighborhood. The building, which would be Burnhams first in New York City, the Flatiron Building was designed by Chicagos Daniel Burnham as a vertical Renaissance palazzo with Beaux-Arts styling. Early sketches by Daniel Burnham show a design with an clockface, though Burnham maintained overall control of the design process, he was not directly connected with the details of the structure as built, credit should be shared with his designer Frederick P. Working drawings for the Flatiron Building, however, remain to be located, though renderings were published at the time of construction in American Architect and Architectural Record. Building the Flatiron was made feasible by a change to New York Citys building codes in 1892 and this opened the way for steel-skeleton construction. It was a familiar to the Fuller Company, a contracting firm with considerable expertise in building such tall structures. At the vertex, the tower is only 6.5 feet wide, viewed from above
3.
Chain store
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Chain store or retail chain are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. In retail, dining, and many categories, chain businesses have come to dominate the market in many parts of the world. A franchise retail establishment is one form of chain store, in 2004, the worlds largest retail chain, Wal-Mart, became the worlds largest corporation based on gross sales. In the U. S. chain stores began with the founding of The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company in 1859, by the early 1920s, the U. S. boasted three national chains, A&P, Woolworths, and United Cigar Stores. By the 1930s, chain stores had come of age, court decisions against the chains price-cutting appeared as early as 1906, and laws against chain stores began in the 1920s, along with legal countermeasures by chain-store groups. A restaurant chain is a set of related restaurants in different locations that are either under shared corporate ownership or franchising agreements. Typically, the restaurants within a chain are built to a standard format through architectural prototype development, fast food restaurants are the most common, but sit-down restaurant chains also exist. Restaurant chains are found near highways, shopping malls and tourist areas. The displacement of independent businesses by chains has sparked increased collaboration among independent businesses and communities to prevent chain proliferation and these efforts include community-based organizing through Independent Business Alliances and buy local campaigns. In the U. S. trade organizations such as the American Booksellers Association and American Specialty Toy Retailers do national promotion and they dont exclude the chain itself, only the standardized formula the chain uses. The reason these towns regulate chain stores is to protect independent businesses from competition, restaurant Organizational Forms and Community in the US in 2005. Store Wars, The Enactment and Repeal of Anti‐Chain‐Store Legislation in America, American Journal of Sociology 110#2, 446-487. Lebhar, Godfrey Montague, and W. C, matsunaga, Louella. The changing face of Japanese retail, Working in a chain store. Newman, Benjamin J. and John V. Kane, backlash against the Big Box, Local Small Business and Public Opinion toward Business Corporations. The Chain Store in the United States and Canada, American Economic Review 27#1, pp. 87-95 in JSTOR Schragger, the Anti-Chain Store Movement, Localist Ideology, and the Remnants of the Progressive Constitution, 1920-1940. The anti-chain store movement and the politics of consumption, culture of restraint, the British chain store 1920–39. Commercial Cultures, Economies, Practices, Spaces 31
4.
Cigar
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A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaf, rolled in a series of types and sizes, that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. The origins of cigar smoking are still unknown, in Guatemala, a ceramic pot dating back to the tenth century features a Mayan smoking tobacco leaves tied together with a string. Sikar, the term for smoking used by the Maya, may have inspired the name cigar, the word cigar originated from the Spanish cigarro, which in turn probably derives from the Mayan sicar. There is also a possible derivation, or at least an influence, from the Spanish cigarra, the English word came into general use in 1730. Explorer Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the introduction of tobacco to Europe, Tobacco was widely diffused among all of the islands of the Caribbean and therefore they again encountered it in Cuba where Columbus and his men had settled. His sailors reported that the Taínos on the island of Cuba smoked a primitive form of cigar, later, the hobby spread to Italy and, after Sir Walter Raleighs voyages to the Americas, to Britain. Smoking became familiar throughout Europe—in pipes in Britain—by the mid-16th century, in 1542, tobacco started to be grown commercially in America, when the Spaniards established the first cigar factory on the island of Cuba. Tobacco was originally thought to have medicinal qualities, but there were some who considered it evil and it was denounced by Philip II of Spain and James I of England. Around 1592, the Spanish galleon San Clemente brought 50 kilograms of seed to the Philippines over the Acapulco-Manila trade route. The seed was then distributed among the Roman Catholic missionaries, where the clerics found excellent climates, in the 19th century, cigar smoking was common, while cigarettes were still comparatively rare. In the early 20th century, Rudyard Kipling wrote his famous smoking poem, the cigar business was an important industry and factories employed many people before mechanized manufacturing of cigars became practical. Other manufacturers followed, and Key West became another important cigar manufacturing center, in 1885, Ybor moved again, buying land near the then-small city of Tampa, Florida and building the largest cigar factory in the world at the time in the new company town of Ybor City. Thousands of Cuban and Spanish tabaqueros came to the area from Key West, Cuba, local output peaked in 1929, when workers in Ybor City and West Tampa rolled over 500,000,000 clear Havana cigars, earning the town the nickname Cigar Capital of the World. In New York, cigars were made by working in their own homes. It was reported that as of 1883, cigars were being manufactured in 127 apartment houses in New York, employing 1,962 families and 7,924 individuals. A state statute banning the practice, passed late that year at the urging of trade unions on the basis that the practice suppressed wages, was ruled unconstitutional less than four months later. The industry, which had relocated to Brooklyn and other places on Long Island while the law was in effect, as of 1905, there were 80,000 cigar-making operations in the United States, most of them small, family-operated shops where cigars were rolled and sold immediately. Boxes of hand-rolled cigars bear the phrase totalmente a mano or hecho a mano and these premium hand-rolled cigars are significantly different from the machine-made cigars sold in packs at drugstores or gas stations
5.
Marvel Comics
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Marvel Comics is the common name and primary imprint of Marvel Worldwide Inc. formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, an American publisher of comic books and related media. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment, Marvel Worldwides parent company, Marvel started in 1939 as Timely Publications, and by the early 1950s had generally become known as Atlas Comics. Marvels modern incarnation dates from 1961, the year that the company launched The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and many others. Most of Marvels fictional characters operate in a reality known as the Marvel Universe. Martin Goodman founded the later known as Marvel Comics under the name Timely Publications in 1939. Martin Goodman, a magazine publisher who had started with a Western pulp in 1933, was expanding into the emerging—and by then already highly popular—new medium of comic books. The issue was a success, with it and a second printing the following month selling, combined. While its contents came from an outside packager, Funnies, Inc, Timely had its own staff in place by the following year. It, too, proved a hit, with sales of one million. Goodman formed Timely Comics, Inc. beginning with comics cover-dated April 1941 or Spring 1941, Goodman hired his wifes cousin, Stanley Lieber, as a general office assistant in 1939. Lee wrote extensively for Timely, contributing to a number of different titles, Goodmans business strategy involved having his various magazines and comic books published by a number of corporations all operating out of the same office and with the same staff. One of these companies through which Timely Comics was published was named Marvel Comics by at least Marvel Mystery Comics #55. As well, some covers, such as All Surprise Comics #12, were labeled A Marvel Magazine many years before Goodman would formally adopt the name in 1961. The post-war American comic market saw superheroes falling out of fashion and this globe branding united a line put out by the same publisher, staff and freelancers through 59 shell companies, from Animirth Comics to Zenith Publications. Atlas also published a plethora of childrens and teen humor titles, including Dan DeCarlos Homer the Happy Ghost, Atlas unsuccessfully attempted to revive superheroes from late 1953 to mid-1954, with the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and Captain America. Atlas did not achieve any hits and, according to Stan Lee, Atlas survived chiefly because it produced work quickly, cheaply. During this time, the Comic Code Authority made its debut in September 1954, Wertham published the book Seduction of the Innocent in order to force people to see that comics were impacting American youth. He believed violent comics were causing children to be reckless and were turning them into delinquents, in September 1954, comic book publishers got together to set up their own self-censorship organization—the Comics Magazine Association of America—in order to appease audiences
6.
Magazine Management
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It was the parent company of Marvel Comics. Founded by Martin Goodman, who had begun his career in the 1930s with pulp magazines published under a variety of shell companies, by the early 1960s, the company occupied the second floor at 60th Street and Madison Avenue. One division of the company was the Marvel Comics Group, as one-time Marvel editor-in-chief Roy Thomas recalled, I was startled to learn in 65 that Marvel was just part of a parent company called Magazine Management. Goodman remained as publisher until 1972, as writer Dorothy Gallagher reminisced in 1998, At Magazine Management, magazines were produced the way Detroit produced cars. I worked on the fan-magazine line, on the other side of a five-foot partition was the romance-magazine line. Im almost forgetting the comic-book line, where Stan Lee created Spider-Man, E decor was insurance-company blah, grayish white walls and foam-tile ceilings, overhead fluorescent fixtures, gray metal desks. Except for the offices, which faced Madison Avenue and had carpets and windows. Editors got an area in each bullpen. It would be years before he could raise his head at industry cocktail parties, best Cartoons from the Editors of Male & Stag, Magazine Management—published at least from 1973 to 1975) Breezy Cartoon Capers—published at least from vol. 10, #3 Cartoon Laughs—confirmed extant, vol 12, #3 Magazine Managements publications included such mens magazines as For Men Only, Male and Stag. Marvel Comics writers Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Ernie Hart, and artists Wally Wood, Al Hartley, Jim Mooney, action Life — ran 16 issues, Atlas Magazines Complete Man — published June 1965. to April 1967. Atlas Magazines/Diamond For Men Only — confirmed at least from vol,4, #11 through at least vol. 26, #3 Published by Canam Publishers at least 1957), Newsstand Publications Inc, perfect Film Inc. Magazine Management Co. Inc. Male — published at least vol,1, #2 through 1977 Male Home Companion Stag — at least 314 issues published February 1942 – Feb.1976 Published by Official Communications Inc
7.
Syracuse, New York
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Syracuse is a city in, and the county seat of, Onondaga County, New York, in the United States. It is the largest U. S. city with the name Syracuse, and is the fifth most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, Rochester, and Yonkers. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170 and it is the economic and educational hub of Central New York, a region with over a million inhabitants. Syracuse is also well-provided with convention sites, with a convention complex. Syracuse was named after the original Greek city Syracuse, a city on the eastern coast of the Italian island of Sicily. The city has functioned as a crossroads over the last two centuries, first between the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then of the railway network. Today, Syracuse is located at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 90, Syracuse is home to Syracuse University, a major research university, as well as Le Moyne College, a nationally recognized liberal arts college. In 2010, Forbes rated Syracuse 4th in the top 10 places in the U. S. to raise a family, the Syracuse area was first seen by Europeans when French missionaries came to the area in the 1600s. Marie de Gannentaha, on the northeast shore of Onondaga Lake, Jesuit missionaries visiting the Syracuse region in the mid 1600s reported salty brine springs around the southern end of Salt Lake, known today as Onondaga Lake. It is the north flowing brine from Tully that is the source of salt for the salty springs found along the shoreline of Onondaga lake, the rapid development of this industry in the 18th and 19th centuries led to the nicknaming of Syracuse as The Salt City. In 1847, the city was named after Syracuse, Sicily. In 1861, he developed the process for the manufacture of soda ash from brine wells dug in the southern end of Tully valley. The process was an improvement over the earlier Leblanc process, the Syracuse Solvay plant was the incubator for a large chemical industry complex owned by Allied Signal in Syracuse, the result of which made Onondaga Lake the most polluted in the nation. The salt industry declined after the Civil War, but a new manufacturing industry arose in its place, the Geneva Medical College was founded in 1834. It is now known as Upstate Medical University, one of four medical colleges in the State University of New York system. The first New York State Fair was held in Syracuse in 1841, world War II sparked significant industrial expansion in the area, specialty steel, fasteners, custom machining. After the war, two of the Big Three automobile manufacturers had major operations in the area, Syracuse was headquarters for Carrier Corporation, and Crouse-Hinds manufactured traffic signals in Syracuse. General Electric had its television manufacturing plant at Electronics Parkway in Syracuse
8.
Mickey Mouse
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Mickey Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character and the official mascot of The Walt Disney Company. He was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at the Walt Disney Studios in 1928, an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves, Mickey has become one of the worlds most recognizable characters. Mickey first was seen in a single test screening, Mickey officially debuted in the short film Steamboat Willie, one of the first sound cartoons. He went on to appear in over 130 films, including The Band Concert, Brave Little Tailor, Mickey appeared primarily in short films, but also occasionally in feature-length films. Ten of Mickeys cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, one of which, Lend a Paw, in 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Beginning in 1930, Mickey has also featured extensively as a comic strip character. His self-titled newspaper strip, drawn primarily by Floyd Gottfredson, ran for 45 years. Mickey has also appeared in books such as Disney Italys Topolino, MM Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine, and Wizards of Mickey. He also appears in other such as video games as well as merchandising and is a meetable character at the Disney parks. Mickey generally appears alongside his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, his pet dog Pluto, his friends Donald Duck and Goofy, though originally characterized as a mischievous antihero, Mickey was rebranded over time as an everyman, usually seen as a flawed, but adventurous hero. I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse, in the spring of 1928, with the series going strong, Disney asked Mintz for an increase in the budget. Angrily, Disney refused the deal and returned to produce the final Oswald cartoons he contractually owed Mintz, Disney was dismayed at the betrayal by his staff but determined to restart from scratch. The new Disney Studio initially consisted of animator Ub Iwerks and an apprentice artist, Les Clark. One lesson Disney learned from the experience was to always make sure that he owned all rights to the characters produced by his company. In the spring of 1928, Disney asked Ub Iwerks to start drawing up new character ideas, Iwerks tried sketches of various animals, such as dogs and cats, but none of these appealed to Disney. A female cow and male horse were also rejected and they would later turn up as Clarabelle Cow and Horace Horsecollar. A male frog was also rejected and it would later show up in Iwerks own Flip the Frog series. Walt Disney got the inspiration for Mickey Mouse from a mouse at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City
9.
Shoe tree
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A shoe tree is a device approximating the shape of a foot that is placed inside a shoe to preserve its shape, stop it from developing creases and thereby extend the life of the shoe. It is an alternative to wadded rags or newspapers. Perhaps more important than maintaining the shape, shoe trees also play a part of wicking away leather-damaging moisture from the inside. This is especially important when shoes are worn without socks, as the sweat absorbed by the leather can lead to lining rot, higher quality shoe trees are made from solid wood, usually cedar, which helps control odor and absorb moisture. Other materials include beech, lime and alderwood, although most shoe tree manufacturers claim that cedarwood is superior, there is really no difference as long as the shoe tree is made of unfinished wood. Among wooden shoe trees, there are three categories, which correspond to price and quality. The cheapest are wooden shoe tree without a full heel, mid-range shoe trees have a full articulated heel and sometimes have ventilation slots in the toe to help moisture evaporate. These are usually made of 3 parts, a heel, a head, and these approximate the shape of your feet, so they are better at maintaining the structural integrity of your shoe compared to generically shaped shoe trees. At the highest range are lasted shoe trees, which accompany the shoes for which they have the same last. Shoe trees may also be made of plastic or stamped metal, with or without a coiled steel spring stem, these are typically cheaper, lighter. Types lacking a flexing steel spring may use extension springs or adjustable two-piece stems having a mechanical action to wedge them in place. Plastic shoe trees maintain the shape of your shoes, but lack the moisture absorbing qualities of wooden shoe trees and you should insert shoe trees once you take your shoes off so that they can absorb the moisture from your sweat and dry out your shoe in the correct shape. This will prevent lining rot and creases from taking hold of your leather and you should also insert shoe trees if you wet your shoes so that they can dry out faster. While some recommend having a pair of trees for every shoe, others believe they are unnecessary once they have done their job of absorbing moisture. Boot trees are trees for boots. Creases that form in the calves of boots can eventually cause zips to break, by investing in a pair of boot trees a repair like this can easily be avoided. A boot tree that’s two sided with a support bracket expands to provide the ideal tension for your boots. Some boot trees come with a trigger that allows easy fitting – and easy hanging
10.
American Tobacco Company
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The American Tobacco Company was a tobacco company founded in 1890 by J. B. Duke through a merger between a number of U. S. tobacco manufacturers including Allen and Ginter and Goodwin & Company, the company was one of the original 12 members of the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 1896. The American Tobacco Company dominated the industry by acquiring the Lucky Strike Company, Antitrust action begun in 1907 broke the company into several major companies in 1911. The American Tobacco Company restructured itself in 1969, forming a company called American Brands. American Brands acquired a variety of non-tobacco businesses during the 1970s and 1980s, American Brands subsequently renamed itself Fortune Brands. In 1881, two years after W. Duke Sons & Company entered into the business, James Bonsack invented a cigarette-rolling machine. It produced over 200 cigarettes per minute, the equivalent of what a skilled hand roller could produce in one hour and it cut each cigarette with precision, creating uniformity in the cigarettes it rolled. Public stigma was attached to this uniformity, and Allen & Ginter rejected the machine almost immediately. Duke set a deal with the Bonsack Machine Company in 1884, Duke agreed to produce all cigarettes with his two rented Bonsack machines and in return, Bonsack reduced Duke’s royalties from $0.30 per thousand to $0.20 per thousand. Duke also hired one of Bonsack’s mechanics, resulting in fewer breakdowns of his machines than his competitors’ and this secret contract resulted in a competitive advantage over Duke’s competitors, he was able to lower his prices further than others could. In the 1880s, while Duke was beginning to machine-roll all his cigarettes and his solution was to combine companies and found “one of the first great holding companies in American history. The five constituent companies of American Tobacco, W. Duke & Sons, Allen & Ginter, kimball & Company, Kinney Tobacco, and Goodwin & Company – produced 90% of the cigarettes made in 1890, the first year the American Tobacco Company was listed on the NYSE. With Duke’s innovation, American Tobacco grew its equity from $25,000,000 to $316,000,000, American Tobacco Company quickly became known as the “Tobacco Trust” upon its founding. Duke controlled the market, and his trust caught the attention of legislators in the United States. American Tobacco Company focused solely on making and selling cigarettes, leaving growing of tobacco, nonetheless, Duke aimed to eliminate inefficiencies and middlemen through vertical consolidation. The American Tobacco Company began to expand to Great Britain, China, the company also maintained an interest in producing other tobacco products in case fads shifted, Duke wanted to be sure that he would be prepared with a multitude of tobacco styles. The Tobacco Trust’s international expansion in conjunction with its consolidation of all types of tobacco “ultimately made the Trust so vulnerable to regulation, the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed in 1890, and in 1907, the American Tobacco Company was indicted in violation of it. In 1908, when the Department of Justice filed suit against the company,65 companies and 29 individuals were named in the suit, the Supreme Court ordered the company to dissolve in 1911 on the same day that it ordered the Standard Oil Trust to dissolve
11.
Real estate
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Also, the business of real estate, the profession of buying, selling, or renting land, buildings or housing. It is a term used in jurisdictions whose legal system is derived from English common law, such as India, the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Pakistan, Australia. Residential real estate may contain either a family or multifamily structure. Residences can be classified by, if, and how they are connected to neighbouring residences, different types of housing tenure can be used for the same physical type. For example, connected residents might be owned by an entity and leased out. Major categories in North America and Europe Attached / multi-unit dwellings Apartment or Flat – An individual unit in a multi-unit building, the boundaries of the apartment are generally defined by a perimeter of locked or lockable doors. Often seen in apartment buildings. Multi-family house – Often seen in multi-story detached buildings, where each floor is an apartment or unit. Terraced house – A number of single or multi-unit buildings in a row with shared walls. Condominium – Building or complex, similar to apartments, owned by individuals, common grounds and common areas within the complex are owned and shared jointly. There are townhouse or rowhouse style condominiums as well, semi-detached dwellings Duplex – Two units with one shared wall. Single-family detached house Portable dwellings Mobile homes – Potentially a full-time residence which can be movable on wheels, houseboats – A floating home Tents – Usually very temporary, with roof and walls consisting only of fabric-like material. The size of an apartment or house can be described in square feet or meters, in the United States, this includes the area of living space, excluding the garage and other non-living spaces. It can be described roughly by the number of rooms. A studio apartment has a bedroom with no living room. A one-bedroom apartment has a living or dining room separate from the bedroom, Two bedroom, three bedroom, and larger units are common. Major categories in India and the Asian Subcontinent Co-operative Housing Societies Condominiums Chawls Villas Havelis The size is measured in Gaz, Quila, Marla, Beegha, and acre. See List of house types for a listing of housing types and layouts, real estate trends for shifts in the market
12.
Great Depression
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The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place during the 1930s. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, in most countries it started in 1929 and it was the longest, deepest, and most widespread depression of the 20th century. In the 21st century, the Great Depression is commonly used as an example of how far the economy can decline. The depression originated in the United States, after a fall in stock prices that began around September 4,1929. Between 1929 and 1932, worldwide GDP fell by an estimated 15%, by comparison, worldwide GDP fell by less than 1% from 2008 to 2009 during the Great Recession. Some economies started to recover by the mid-1930s, however, in many countries, the negative effects of the Great Depression lasted until the beginning of World War II. The Great Depression had devastating effects in both rich and poor. Personal income, tax revenue, profits and prices dropped, while international trade plunged by more than 50%, unemployment in the U. S. rose to 25% and in some countries rose as high as 33%. Cities all around the world were hit hard, especially dependent on heavy industry. Construction was virtually halted in many countries, farming communities and rural areas suffered as crop prices fell by about 60%. Facing plummeting demand with few sources of jobs, areas dependent on primary sector industries such as mining and logging suffered the most. Even after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 optimism persisted for some time, john D. Rockefeller said These are days when many are discouraged. In the 93 years of my life, depressions have come, prosperity has always returned and will again. The stock market turned upward in early 1930, returning to early 1929 levels by April and this was still almost 30% below the peak of September 1929. Together, government and business spent more in the first half of 1930 than in the period of the previous year. On the other hand, consumers, many of whom had suffered losses in the stock market the previous year. In addition, beginning in the mid-1930s, a severe drought ravaged the agricultural heartland of the U. S, by mid-1930, interest rates had dropped to low levels, but expected deflation and the continuing reluctance of people to borrow meant that consumer spending and investment were depressed. By May 1930, automobile sales had declined to below the levels of 1928, prices in general began to decline, although wages held steady in 1930
13.
Bankruptcy
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Bankruptcy is a legal status of a person or other entity that cannot repay the debts it owes to creditors. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, Bankruptcy is not the only legal status that an insolvent person may have, and the term bankruptcy is therefore not a synonym for insolvency. In some countries, including the United Kingdom, bankruptcy is limited to individuals, in the United States, bankruptcy is applied more broadly to formal insolvency proceedings. In France, the cognate French word banqueroute is used solely for cases of fraudulent bankruptcy, in Ancient Greece, bankruptcy did not exist. If a man owed and he could not pay, he and his wife, children or servants were forced into debt slavery, until the creditor recouped losses through their physical labour. Many city-states in ancient Greece limited debt slavery to a period of five years, debt slaves had protection of life and limb, which regular slaves did not enjoy. However, servants of the debtor could be retained beyond that deadline by the creditor and were forced to serve their new lord for a lifetime. An exception to rule was Athens, which by the laws of Solon forbade enslavement for debt, as a consequence. The Statute of Bankrupts of 1542 was the first statute under English law dealing with bankruptcy or insolvency, Bankruptcy is also documented in East Asia. According to al-Maqrizi, the Yassa of Genghis Khan contained a provision that mandated the death penalty for anyone who became bankrupt three times, a failure of a nation to meet bond repayments has been seen on many occasions. Philip II of Spain had to declare four state bankruptcies in 1557,1560,1575 and 1596, at the edge of Europe, Egypt, Russia, and Turkey have histories of chronic default as well. For private households, it is argued to be insufficient to merely dismiss debts after a certain period and it is important to assess the underlying problems and to minimize the risk of financial distress to re-occur. In most EU Member States, debt discharge is conditioned by a partial payment obligation, in the United States, discharge is conditioned to a lesser extent. The spectrum is broad in the EU, with the UK coming closest to the US system, the Other Member States do not provide the option of a debt discharge. It is almost impossible to discharge student loan debt by filing bankruptcy, unlike most other debtors, the individual with student debt must give a series of reasons and tests to prove that the debtor could not pay the debt. If the person were to file bankruptcy, he or she is encouraged to do so under Chapter 13. In order to avoid bankruptcy, one could negotiate with the lender to lower monthly payments, student loan bankruptcy is considered a last resort. However, some find themselves being forced to file bankruptcy, as the lender refused to lower payments
14.
Pharmacy (shop)
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Drugstores also sell miscellaneous items such as candy, cosmetics, cleaning supplies, magazines, and paperback books, as well as light refreshments. It is noted that ome drugstores are pharmacies with a pharmacist on duty, however, the rise of the cut-rate drugstore and, more importantly, the chain drugstore, also occurred during these 50 years. Although the pharmacist relied on prescription compounding for his professional identity, most drugstore owners received more income from sales at the tobacco counter or the soda fountain. In the Netherlands, there is a difference between a drugstore and a pharmacy. A pharmacy has prescription drugs, while a drugstore does not, some drugs are OTC only in a pharmacy, others can also be bought at a drugstore, sometimes drugstores have to sell smaller amounts or lower dosages. Only the most harmless of drugs can be sold in stores like supermarkets. Examples of drugs that cannot be sold by general stores but can be sold by a drugstore are naproxen, diclofenac and cinnarizine. A Dutch drugstore, especially when its a chain store, usually also other items like homeopathic products, vitamins, candy, cosmetic products, toys
15.
Assets
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In financial accounting, an asset is an economic resource. Anything tangible or intangible that can be owned or controlled to produce value, simply stated, assets represent value of ownership that can be converted into cash. The balance sheet of a firm records the value of the assets owned by that firm. It covers money and other valuables belonging to an individual or to a business, one can classify assets into two major asset classes, tangible assets and intangible assets. Tangible assets contain various subclasses, including current assets and fixed assets, current assets include inventory, while fixed assets include such items as buildings and equipment. Intangible assets are resources and rights that have a value to the firm because they give the firm some kind of advantage in the marketplace. Examples of intangible assets include goodwill, copyrights, trademarks, patents and computer programs, an asset is a resource controlled by the entity as a result of past events and from which future economic benefits are expected to flow to the entity. One of the most widely accepted accounting definitions of asset is the one used by the International Accounting Standards Board, employees are not considered assets like machinery is, even though they can generate future economic benefits. This is because an entity does not have sufficient control over its employees to satisfy the Frameworks definition of an asset, similarly, in economics an asset is any form in which wealth can be held. The accounting equation is the structure of the balance sheet. It relates assets, liabilities, and owners equity, Assets = Liabilities + Capital Liabilities = Assets − Capital Equity = Assets − Liabilities Assets are listed on the balance sheet. On a companys balance sheet certain divisions are required by generally accepted accounting principles, Assets can be divided into e. g. current assets and fixed assets, often with further subdivisions such as cash, receivables and inventory. Assets are formally controlled and managed within larger organizations via the use of asset tracking tools and these monitor the purchasing, upgrading, servicing, licensing, disposal etc. of both physical and non-physical assets. Current assets are cash and other assets expected to be converted to cash or consumed either in a year or in the operating cycle and these assets are continually turned over in the course of a business during normal business activity. There are 5 major items included into current assets, Cash and cash equivalents – it is the most liquid asset, which includes currency, deposit accounts, short-term investments – include securities bought and held for sale in the near future to generate income on short-term price differences. Receivables – usually reported as net of allowance for non-collectable accounts, inventory – trading these assets is a normal business of a company. The inventory value reported on the sheet is usually the historical cost or fair market value. This is known as the lower of cost or market rule, prepaid expenses – these are expenses paid in cash and recorded as assets before they are used or consumed
16.
Cadence Industries
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Cadence Industries Corporation was an American conglomerate owned by Martin Marty S. Ackerman. From 1968 through 1986, Perfect and Cadence were the parent company of the publisher of Marvel Comics, Hudson was a mail-order pharmaceuticals firm, and Equality Plastics, a consumer-products distributor. Perfect Film sold off Whelan drugstores and the Pathe Films Lab, in early 1968, Perfect Film purchased Popular Library, a paperback book company. In 1968, Perfect Film loaned $5 million to Curtis Publishing Company, publisher of the Saturday Evening Post, at the request of Curtis primary loan holder, in June and July 1968, Perfect Film sold US$40 million worth of securities, more than double the companys long-term debt. That fall, it bought out publisher Martin Goodman — owner of Magazine Management Company and it placed its other corporations as subsidiaries of that. Perfect Film purchased the Desilu Studios complex in 1968, in March 1969, Perfect Film and Commonwealth United Corporation had tentatively agreed to a merger of Commonwealth and Plume and Atwood. Despite attempts to revive the Saturday Evening Post s circulation, and with the lack of a purchaser, Perfect Film purchased Curtis Circulation Company that same year from Curtis Publishing. Also in 1969, OSF Industries purchased Desilu Studios from the corporation, Ackerman left Perfect Film In 1969. Perfect Film sold Popular Library in 1970 to Fawcett Publications In July 1970, under president and CEO Sheldon Feinberg, the Company renamed itself Cadence Industries in 1973. In 1981, Cadences Hudson Pharmaceutical Corporation hired Venet Advertising to advertise the companys Hudson Vitamins unit, when Cadence Industries was liquidated in 1986, it sold Marvel Entertainment Group to New World Pictures and Curtis Circulation was sold to Joseph M. Walsh and Hachette Distribution Services
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Drug
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A drug is any substance that, when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin, or dissolved under the tongue, causes a physiological change in the body. In pharmacology, a drug, also called a medication or medicine, is a chemical substance used to treat, cure, prevent. Traditionally drugs were obtained through extraction from plants, but more recently also by organic synthesis. Pharmaceutical drugs may be used for a duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders. Another major classification system is the Biopharmaceutics Classification System and this classifies drugs according to their solubility and permeability or absorption properties. Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that affect the function of the nervous system, altering perception. They include alcohol, a depressant, and the nicotine and caffeine. These three are the most widely consumed psychoactive drugs worldwide and are also considered recreational drugs since they are used for rather than medicinal purposes. Other recreational drugs include hallucinogens, opiates and amphetamines and some of these are used in spiritual or religious settings. Some drugs can cause addiction and all drugs can have side effects, excessive use of stimulants can promote stimulant psychosis. Many recreational drugs are illicit and international such as the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs exist for the purpose of their prohibition. The transitive verb to drug arose later and invokes the psychoactive rather than properties of a substance. A medication or medicine is a drug taken to cure or ameliorate any symptoms of an illness or medical condition, the use may also be as preventive medicine that has future benefits but does not treat any existing or pre-existing diseases or symptoms. In the United Kingdom, behind-the-counter medicines are called pharmacy medicines which can only be sold in registered pharmacies and these medications are designated by the letter P on the label. The range of medicines available without a prescription varies from country to country, medications are typically produced by pharmaceutical companies and are often patented to give the developer exclusive rights to produce them. Those that are not patented are called generic drugs since they can be produced by other companies without restrictions or licenses from the patent holder, pharmaceutical drugs are usually categorised into drug classes. A group of drugs will share a chemical structure, or have the same mechanism of action. Another major classification system is the Biopharmaceutics Classification System and this groups drugs according to their solubility and permeability or absorption properties
18.
Vitamin
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A vitamin is an organic compound and a vital nutrient that an organism requires in limited amounts. For example, ascorbic acid is a vitamin for humans, supplementation is important for the treatment of certain health problems, but there is little evidence of nutritional benefit when used by otherwise healthy people. Thirteen vitamins are universally recognized at present, Vitamins are classified by their biological and chemical activity, not their structure. Thus, each vitamin refers to a number of compounds that all show the biological activity associated with a particular vitamin. Such a set of chemicals is grouped under an alphabetized vitamin generic descriptor title, such as vitamin A, which includes the compounds retinal, retinol, and four known carotenoids. Vitamers by definition are convertible to the form of the vitamin in the body. Some, such as vitamin D, have hormone-like functions as regulators of mineral metabolism, or regulators of cell and tissue growth and differentiation. The largest number of vitamins, the B complex vitamins, function as cofactors or the precursors for them. In this role, vitamins may be bound to enzymes as part of prosthetic groups, For example. They may also be less tightly bound to enzyme catalysts as coenzymes, for example, folic acid may carry methyl, formyl, and methylene groups in the cell. Although these roles in assisting enzyme-substrate reactions are vitamins best-known function, study of structural activity, function and their role in maintaining health is called vitaminology. Each vitamin is typically used in reactions, and therefore most have multiple functions. Vitamins are essential for the growth and development of a multicellular organism. Using the genetic blueprint inherited from its parents, a fetus begins to develop from the nutrients it absorbs and it requires certain vitamins and minerals to be present at certain times. These nutrients facilitate the chemical reactions that produce among other things, skin, bone, if there is serious deficiency in one or more of these nutrients, a child may develop a deficiency disease. Even minor deficiencies may cause permanent damage, for the most part, vitamins are obtained with food, but a few are obtained by other means. Humans can produce some vitamins from precursors they consume, examples include vitamin A, produced from beta carotene, and niacin, from the amino acid tryptophan. In those who are healthy, there is little evidence that supplements have any benefits with respect to cancer or heart disease
19.
Martin Goodman (publisher)
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Martin Goodman, born Moe Goodman, was an American publisher of pulp magazines, paperback books, mens adventure magazines, and comic books, launching the company that would become Marvel Comics. Moe Goodman, who would adopt the name Martin, was the oldest son of 13 recorded children of Isaac Goodman. His parents were Jewish immigrants who had met in the United States after separately moving from their native Vilna, Lithuania, the family lived at different homes in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As a young man, Moe traveled around the country during the Great Depression, Goodman later became circulation manager himself, but the company went bankrupt in October 1932. Goodmans first publication was the Newsstand Publications pulp magazine Western Supernovel Magazine, after the first issue he renamed it Complete Western Book Magazine, beginning with cover-date July 1933. Marvel Comics #1, cover-dated October 1939 and published by his newly formed Timely Publications and it featured the first appearances of the hit characters the Human Torch and the Sub-Mariner, and quickly sold out 80,000 copies. Goodman produced a second printing, cover-dated November 1939, that sold an approximate 800,000 copies. With a hit on his hands, Goodman began assembling a staff, hiring Funnies, Inc. writer-artist Joe Simon as editor. Goodman then formed Timely Comics, Inc. beginning with comics cover-dated April 1941 or Spring 1941, Timely Comics became the umbrella name for the several paper corporations that comprised Goodmans comic-book division, which in ensuing decades would evolve into Marvel Comics. In 1941, Timely published its third major character, the patriotic superhero Captain America by Simon, the success of Captain America #1 led to an expansion of staff, with Simon bringing freelancer Kirby on staff and subsequently hiring inker Syd Shores to be Timelys third employee. Simon and Kirby departed Timely after 10 issues of Captain America, and Goodman appointed Stan Lee as Timelys editor, a position Lee would hold for decades. The name Timely Comics went into disuse after Goodman began using the logo of the newsstand-distribution company he owned, Atlas. This united a line put out by the publisher, staff and freelancers through 59 shell companies. Throughout the 1950s, the formerly known as Timely was called Atlas Comics. A red disk surrounded by a ring that bore the phrase A Red Circle Magazine. But it appeared intermittently, when someone remembered to put it on cover. Most were novels, but there was a smattering of mostly sports-oriented nonfiction, Goodman eventually developed two lines, the 25¢ Lion and the 35¢ Lion Library. New American Library bought Lion in 1957, and several Lion titles were reprinted under its Signet label, authors that Lion published included such notables as Robert Bloch, David Goodis and Jim Thompson
20.
Marvel Entertainment
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Marvel Entertainment, LLC is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998, merging Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and ToyBiz. The company is an owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. In 2009, The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment for $4 billion, for financial reporting purposes, Marvel is reported as primarily a part of Disneys Consumer Products segment. Over the years, Marvel Entertainment has entered in several partnerships, as of 2017, Marvel has film licensing agreements with 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures, and a theme park licensing agreement with Universal Parks & Resorts extant before Disneys acquisition. Aside from their contract with Universal, Marvels characters and properties have appeared at Walt Disney Parks. It is a mini-Disney in terms of property, said Perelman. Disneys got much more highly recognized characters and softer characters, whereas our characters are termed action heroes, but at Marvel we are now in the business of the creation and marketing of characters. Marvel Entertainment Group then began expanding with acquisitions and forming new divisions, Marvel purchased the trading card company Fleer on July 24,1992. On April 30,1993, Marvel acquired 46% of ToyBiz, the Andrews Group named Avi Arad of ToyBiz as the president and CEO of the Marvel Films division and of New World Family Filmworks, Inc. a New World Entertainment subsidiary. In 1993 and 1994, Marvels holding companies — Marvel Holdings, Inc. and Marvel Parent Holdings, Marvel continued making acquisitions with Panini, an Italian sticker-maker on August 4,1994 for $158.4 million, and SkyBox International on March 8,1995 for $150 million. Marvel also purchased Heroes World Distribution, a distributor to comic-book shops on Dec.28,1994. While licensing revenue reached $50 million in 1995, MEG laid off 275 employees on January 4,1996, meanwhile, Carl Icahn began buying Marvels bonds at 20% of their value and moved to block Perelmans plan. The Marvel group of companies filed for bankruptcy on December 27,1996, in August 1996, Marvel created Marvel Studios, an incorporation of Marvel Films, due to the sale of its film and TV sister company, New World Communications Group, to News Corporation. Icahn fought to control of the company from Perelman. The court ruled on February 26,1997 that Icahn could foreclose on a controlling interest in Marvel shares put up for collateral for the companys bonds, finally Icahn took control of Marvels board and became Marvels chairman on June 20. Bankruptcy proceedings continued with multi-way arguments among Perelman, Icahn, Toy Biz, a plan for reorganization agreed to by Icahn and the MEGs secured creditors fell apart on October 8 with the introduction of the better Toy Biz plan. The Bankruptcy Court on December 24 appointed a trustee to oversee the company, in June 1997, Marvel formed its Marvel Enterprise division, headed by president and CEO Scott C. Marden, to manage its trading card and sticker businesses, as well as Marvel Interactive, the lawsuit asked for $470.8 million in damages
21.
New World Pictures
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New World Pictures was an American independent production, distribution, and multimedia company. It was founded in 1970 by Roger Corman as a producer and distributor of motion pictures, New World eventually expanded into broadcasting with the acquisition of seven television stations in 1993, with the broadcasting unit expanding through additional purchases made during 1994. S. Although effectively defunct, it, along with various subsidiaries, continues to exist as holding companies within the complex 21st Century Fox corporate structure. At the time, New World was the last remaining national low-budget film distributor, Corman hoped to continue AIPs formula at New World, making low-budget films made by new talent and distributing them internationally. However, it started out with only ten domestic offices, and one each in Canada, New World initially made exploitation films such as The Student Nurses and other small-scale productions. Corman helped launch the careers of Jonathan Demme, Jonathan Kaplan, Ron Howard, Paul Bartel and Joe Dante. New World also released films from acclaimed directors such as Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini. The distribution of films was conceived by Corman in an effort to disassociate New World as an exhibitor for exploitation films. In 1983, Corman sold New World to Larry Kupin, Harry E. Sloan and Larry A. Thompson for $16.5 million, Corman retained the film library, while New World acquired home video rights to the releases. Later that year, Thompson left the company to form his own firm, in May 1986, New World acquired post-production facility Lions Gate Studios for $4.4 million. That November, the acquired the Marvel Entertainment Group, the corporate parent of Marvel Comics. By early 1987, the company sold its shares in Taft Broadcasting for $17.8 million, in 1987, New World acquired independent film studio Highgate Pictures and the Learning Corporation of America. By this time, New World Pictures changed its name to New World Entertainment to better reflect its a range of subsidiaries besides the film studio, also that year, New World almost purchased two toy companies, Kenner Products and Mattel, but both planned acquisitions never materialized. In the fall of 1987, New World became the third in the list of time series producers to the network after Lorimar-Telepictures. In 1988, Michael Mann, executive producer of the syndicated program Crime Story. Around this time, New World faced a financial slump. GE demurred, preferring an insolvency workout and tried to force the company to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and this began with the sale of Marvel Entertainment Group to Andrews Group in 1989, Marvel Productions was excluded from the sale. In an irony, later that year, Perelman subsequently acquired New World Entertainment, the bulk of its film and home video holdings were sold in January 1990 to Trans-Atlantic Pictures, a newly formed production company founded by a consortium of former New World executives
22.
Time (magazine)
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Time is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It was founded in 1923 and for decades was dominated by Henry Luce, a European edition is published in London and also covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong, the South Pacific edition, which covers Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, is based in Sydney, Australia. In December 2008, Time discontinued publishing a Canadian advertiser edition, Time has the worlds largest circulation for a weekly news magazine, and has a readership of 26 million,20 million of which are based in the United States. As of 2012, it had a circulation of 3.3 million making it the eleventh most circulated magazine in the United States reception room circuit, as of 2015, its circulation was 3,036,602. Richard Stengel was the editor from May 2006 to October 2013. Nancy Gibbs has been the editor since October 2013. Time magazine was created in 1923 by Briton Hadden and Henry Luce, the two had previously worked together as chairman and managing editor respectively of the Yale Daily News. They first called the proposed magazine Facts and they wanted to emphasize brevity, so that a busy man could read it in an hour. They changed the name to Time and used the slogan Take Time–Its Brief and it set out to tell the news through people, and for many decades the magazines cover depicted a single person. More recently, Time has incorporated People of the Year issues which grew in popularity over the years, notable mentions of them were Barack Obama, Steve Jobs, Matej Turk, etc. The first issue of Time was published on March 3,1923, featuring Joseph G. Cannon, the retired Speaker of the House of Representatives, on its cover, a facsimile reprint of Issue No. 1, including all of the articles and advertisements contained in the original, was included with copies of the February 28,1938 issue as a commemoration of the magazines 15th anniversary. The cover price was 15¢ On Haddens death in 1929, Luce became the dominant man at Time, the Intimate History of a Publishing Enterprise 1923–1941. In 1929, Roy Larsen was also named a Time Inc. director, J. P. Morgan retained a certain control through two directorates and a share of stocks, both over Time and Fortune. Other shareholders were Brown Brothers W. A. Harriman & Co. the Intimate History of a Changing Enterprise 1957–1983. According to the September 10,1979 issue of The New York Times, after Time magazine began publishing its weekly issues in March 1923, Roy Larsen was able to increase its circulation by utilizing U. S. radio and movie theaters around the world. It often promoted both Time magazine and U. S. political and corporate interests, Larsen next arranged for a 30-minute radio program, The March of Time, to be broadcast over CBS, beginning on March 6,1931
23.
OCLC
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The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
