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* Arts and Humanities
Antiques, Architecture, Archives, Art History, Awards,
Body Art, Classical Studies, Comics, Contests, Costumes, Crafts, Dance,
Design Arts, Digital, Directories, Education, Entertainment, Graphic
Design, Humanities, Illustration, Literature, Movies, Music, Myths and
Folktales, Native and Tribal, Performing Arts, Photography, Radio,
Rhetoric, Television, Theater, Typography, Video, Visual Arts, Writers
Resources, Writing
The "arts" are a vast subdivision
of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a
broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means
only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and
the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and film, among others. This
list is by no means comprehensive, but only meant to introduce the
concept of the arts.
The "humanities" are academic disciplines that study the human
condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or
speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of
the natural sciences.
The humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature,
history, philosophy, religion, and visual and performing arts such as
music and theatre. The humanities that are also regarded as social
sciences include technology, history, anthropology, area studies,
communication studies, cultural studies, law and linguistics. Scholars
working in the humanities are sometimes described as "humanists".
However, that term also describes the philosophical position of
humanism, which some "antihumanist" scholars in the humanities reject.
Some secondary schools offer humanities classes, usually consisting of
English literature, global studies, and art.
* Business
Accounting, Advertising, Aerospace and Defense,
Agriculture and Forestry, Apparel, Associations, Automotive, Business
and Society, Business Law, Business Services, Business Travel,
Chemicals, Classifieds, Construction & Maintenance, Consumer Goods and
Services, Cooperatives, Customer Service, Dictionaries, Directories,
E-Commerce, Education and Training, Electronics, Employment, Energy and
Environment, Exporter, Financial, Financial Services, Food and Related
Products, Healthcare, Hospitality, Human Resources, Importers,
Industrial Goods and Services, Information Technology, Insurance,
International Business & Trade, Internet Service Providers,
Investigative Services, Investments, Major Companies, Management,
Manufacturing, Marketing, Materials, Mining and Drilling, Mortgages,
News and Media, Online Business, Opportunities, Pharmaceuticals,
Printing and Publishing, Real Estate, Resources, Retail Trade, Security,
Small Business, Software, Telecommunications, Textiles, Tradings,
Translation Services, Transportation and Logistics, Wholesale Trade
A "business" (also known as
enterprise or firm) is an organization engaged in the trade of goods,
services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist
economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to
earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also
be not-for-profit or state-owned. A business owned by multiple
individuals may be referred to as a company, although that term also has
a more precise meaning.
The etymology of "business" relates to the state of being busy either as
an individual or society as a whole, doing commercially viable and
profitable work. The term "business" has at least three usages,
depending on the scope — the singular usage to mean a particular
organization; the generalized usage to refer to a particular market
sector, "the music business" and compound forms such as agribusiness;
and the broadest meaning, which encompasses all activity by the
community of suppliers of goods and services. However, the exact
definition of business, like much else in the philosophy of business, is
a matter of debate and complexity of meanings.
Cargo Related
Services
Accounting - Airlines GSA, General Sales Agents - Assessors - Freight Forwarders Group - Charter Brokers - Cold Storage -
Computation, Hard and Software / Repairs - Consultants - Containers,
Rentals / Sales / Repairs - Customs Brokers - Dangerous Goods Services -
Debt Collection Services - Distribution / Fulfillment - Education &
Training - Forklifts, Cranes, Rentals / Sales / Repairs - Free Zone /
Port - Freight Forwarders Association, National / International -
Inspectors / Surveyors - Insurance / Risk Management - Lawyers -
Maintenance, General / Repairs - Messengers - Packing Material &
Services - Pick Up & Delivery, Cartage, Local Trucking - Security /
Custody - Trucks, Vans, Trailers, Rentals / Sales / Repairs - Warehouses
/ Storage - Web auctions, load matching & freight exchange
* Computers
Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Life,
Blogs, Bulletin Board Systems, CAD and CAM, Consultants, Data
Communications, Data Formats, Desktop Customization, Education,
Employment, Forums, Games, Graphics, Hardware, Hosting, Internet
Marketing, Internet Service Providers, Mobile Computing, Multimedia,
News & Media, Open Source, Operating Systems, Organizations,
Programming, Security, Software
A computer is a programmable machine designed to automatically carry out
a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence
of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve
more than one kind of problem. An important class of computer operations
on some computing platforms is the accepting of input from human
operators and the output of results formatted for human consumption. The
interface between the computer and the human operator is known as the
user interface.
Conventionally a computer consists of some form of memory, at least one
element that carries out arithmetic and logic operations, and a
sequencing and control unit that can change the order of operations
based on the information that is stored. Peripheral devices allow
information to be entered from an external source, and allow the results
of operations to be sent out.
A computer's processing unit executes series of instructions that make
it read, manipulate and then store data. Conditional instructions change
the sequence of instructions as a function of the current state of the
machine or its environment.
The first electronic digital computers were developed in the mid-20th
century (1940–1945). Originally, they were the size of a large room,
consuming as much power as several hundred modern personal computers
(PCs). In this era mechanical analog computers were used for military
applications.
Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to billions
of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of
the space. Simple computers are small enough to fit into mobile devices,
and mobile computers can be powered by small batteries. Personal
computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and
are what most people think of as "computers". However, the embedded
computers found in many devices from mp3 players to fighter aircraft and
from toys to industrial robots are the most numerous.
* Directories
Affiliate Directories, Article Directories, Arts
Directories, Automobile Directories, Bidding Directories, Blog
Directories, Business Directories, Computer Directories, Directories
Resources, Educational Directories, Financial Directories, Food
Directories, Forum Directories, Free Directories, Gaming Directories,
General Directories, Health Care Directories, Music Directories, News
and Media Directories, Niche Directories, Other Directories, Outdoor
Directories, Paid Directories, Pet Directories, Real Estate Directories,
Reciprocal Directories, Regional Directories, Religion Directories,
Reviews Directories, Shopping Directories, Software Directories, Sports
Directories, Technology Directories, Transportation Directories, Travel Directories, Web Design
Directories, Web Hosting Directories, Webmaster Directories, Wedding
Directories
Directory may refer to:
Directory (file systems), or folder, a file system structure in which to
store computer files
Directory (databases), stored information about a database
Directory service, a software application for organizing information
about a computer network's users and resources
Directory (political), a small group of influential states that is said
to 'direct' the agenda
- Telephone directory, a book which allows telephone numbers to be found
given the subscriber's name
A telephone directory (also called a telephone book, phone book and
white/yellow pages) is a listing of telephone subscribers in a
geographical area or subscribers to services provided by the
organization that publishes the directory. Its purpose is to allow the
telephone number of a subscriber identified by name and address to be
found.
- Trade directory, a listing of information about suppliers and
manufacturers
A trade directory is a collection of suppliers and manufacturers. This
directory includes the businesses name, address, phone number(s) and
contact name(s) of key people within the organization. Trade directories
can come in a variety of formats and can be focused on a particular
industry, geographical region or a specific product.
The advantage of using a trade directory is that a purchaser can review
hundreds or thousands of suppliers efficiently and in a timely manner.
This is especially beneficial in commodity based industries where
companies are competing on the basis of cost. Many trade directories are
developed by, or in cooperation with, trade associations.
However, trade directories are not necessarily comprehensive or
up-to-date, and may omit businesses or other information. In fact,
certain trade directories may only contain "members" or other
affiliations, rather than the entire set of industry participants.
An example of a trade directory is "The Little Blue Book", a directory
of physicians in a metro area. The book is organized by name, location,
specialty and other factors, making it easier for doctors and medical
offices to make referrals and contact each other.
Web directory, an organized collection of links to websites
A web directory or link directory is a directory on the World Wide Web.
It specializes in linking to other web sites and categorizing those
links.
A web directory is not a search engine and does not display lists of web
pages based on keywords; instead, it lists web sites by category and
subcategory. Most web directory entries are also not found by web
crawlers but by humans. The categorization is usually based on the whole
web site rather than one page or a set of keywords, and sites are often
limited to inclusion in only a few categories. Web directories often
allow site owners to submit their site for inclusion, and have editors
review submissions for fitness.
RSS directories are similar to web directories, but contain collections
of RSS feeds, instead of links to web sites.
Most of the directories are general in scope and list websites across a
wide range of categories, regions and languages. But some niche
directories focus on restricted regions, single languages, or specialist
sectors. One type of niche directory with a large number of sites in
existence is the shopping directory. Shopping directories specialize in
the listing of retail e-commerce sites.
Examples of well known general web directories are Yahoo! Directory and
the Open Directory Project (ODP). ODP is significant due to its
extensive categorization and large number of listings and its free
availability for use by other directories and search engines.
However, a debate over the quality of directories and databases still
continues, as search engines use ODP's content without real integration,
and some experiment using clustering. There have been many attempts to
make directory development easier, such as using automated submission of
related links by script, or any number of available PHP portals and
programs. Recently, social software techniques have spawned new efforts
of categorization, with Amazon.com adding tagging to their product
pages.
Directories have various features in listing, often depend upon the
price paid for inclusion:
Free submission – there is no charge for the review and listing of the
site
Reciprocal link – a link back to the directory must be added somewhere
on the submitted site in order to get listed in the directory
No Reciprocal link — a web directory where you will submit your links
for free and no need to add link back to your website.
Paid submission – a one-time or recurring fee is charged for
reviewing/listing the submitted link
No follow – there is a rel="nofollow" attribute associated with the
link, meaning search engines will give no weight to the link.
Featured listing – the link is given a premium position in a category
(or multiple categories) or other sections of the directory, such as the
homepage. Sometimes called sponsored listing.
Bid for position – where sites are ordered based on bids
Affiliate links – where the directory earns commission for referred
customers from the listed websites
* Education
Art Schools, Assessment, Continuing Education,
Corporate Training, Distance Learning, Homework Help, Institutions,
K-12, Languages, MBA Programs, Online Degrees, Online Libraries,
Organization, Special Education, Student Resources, Traffic Schools,
Universities, Vocational Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the
aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the
next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative
effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts. In its narrow, technical
sense, education is the formal process by which society deliberately
transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, customs and values from one
generation to another, e.g., instruction in schools.
A right to education has been created and recognized by some
jurisdictions: Since 1952, Article 2 of the first Protocol to the
European Convention on Human Rights obliges all signatory parties to
guarantee the right to education. At the global level, the United
Nations' International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
of 1966 guarantees this right under its Article 13.
* Games
Action Adventure, Addiction, Adventure, Board Games,
Card Games, Collecting, Computer Games, Console Games, Console
Platforms, Consumer Information, Conventions, Developers and Publishers,
Free Games, Game Studies, Hand Eye Coordination, Hand Games, History,
Miniatures, Online Games, Paper and Pencil, Party Games, Play Groups,
Puzzles, Role playing, Shopping, Survival Horror, Tile Games, Trading
Card Games, Video Games, Yard Deck and Table Games
* Health
Addictions, Aging, Alternative, Animal, Beauty, Child
Care, Conditions and Disease, Conferences, Cosmetic Surgery, Dentistry,
Directories, Disabilities & Disorders, Education, Employment,
Environmental Health, Fitness, Health Insurance, Healthcare Industry,
History, Home Health, Medical Equipment, Medicine, Men's Health, Mental
Health, News and Media, Nursing, Nutrition, Occupational Health and
Safety, Organizations, Pharmacy, Product and Services, Professions,
Public Health and Safety, Publications, Regional, Reproductive-Health,
Resources, Search-Engines, Seniors' Health, Senses, Services, Shopping,
Substance Abuse, Support Groups, Teen Health, Vision, Weight Loss,
Woman's Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living
being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body
and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain (as
in “good health” or “healthy”). The World Health Organization (WHO)
defined health in its broader sense in 1946 as "a state of complete
physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity." Although this definition has been subject to
controversy, in particular as having a lack of operational value and the
problem created by use of the word "complete", it remains the most
enduring. Classification systems such as the WHO Family of International
Classifications, including the International Classification of
Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the International
Classification of Diseases (ICD), are commonly used to define and
measure the components of health.
The maintenance and promotion of health is achieved through different
combination of physical, mental, and social well-being, together
sometimes referred to as the “health triangle”. The WHO's 1986 Ottawa
Charter for Health Promotion furthered that health is not just a state,
but also "a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living.
Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources,
as well as physical capacities."
Systematic activities to prevent or cure health problems and promote
good health in humans are delivered by health care providers.
Applications with regard to animal health are covered by the veterinary
sciences. The term "healthy" is also widely used in the context of many
types of non-living organizations and their impacts for the benefit of
humans, such as in the sense of healthy communities, healthy cities or
healthy environments. In addition to health care interventions and a
person's surroundings, a number of other factors are known to influence
the health status of individuals, including their background, lifestyle,
and economic and social conditions; these are referred to as
"determinants of health".
* Home
Apartment Living, Bathrooms, Cleaning, Consumer
Information, Cooking, Decor, Domestic Services, Emergency Preparation,
Family, Flooring, Furniture, Gardening, Home Automation, Home Business,
Home Buyers, Home Improvement, Home Shopping, Homemaking, Homeowners,
Kitchen and Housewares, Moving and Relocating, Personal Finance,
Personal Organization, Pets, Rural Living, Security, Urban Living
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building,
it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and
store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary
facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes
as well, either living in the wild or shared with humans in a
domesticated environment. "Home" is also used to refer to the
geographical area (whether it be a suburb, town, city or country) in
which a person grew up or feels they belong, or it can refer to the
native habitat of a wild animal. Sometimes, as an alternative to the
definition of "home" as a physical locale ("Home is where you hang your
hat"), home may be perceived to have no physical location—instead, home
may relate instead to a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort.
Popular sayings along these lines are "Home is where the heart is" or
"You can never go home again".
There are cultures in which members lack permanent homes, such as with
nomadic people.
* Internet
Blogs, Chat, Content Providers, Domain Names, Forums,
Internet Marketing, Internet Services, MySpace Resources, Online
Learning, Portals, Protocols, Radio, Search Engines, SEO, Social
Networking, Web Applications, Web Design and Development, Web Hosting,
Web Tools, Webmaster Resources, World Wide Web
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that
use the standard Internet protocol suite (often called TCP/IP, although
not all protocols use TCP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a
network of networks that consists of millions of private, public,
academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope,
that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical
networking technologies. The Internet carries an extensive range of
information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext
documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support
email.
Most traditional communications media including telephone, music, film,
and television are reshaped or redefined by the Internet, giving birth
to new services such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and Internet
Protocol Television (IPTV). Newspaper, book and other print publishing
are adapting to Web site technology, or are reshaped into blogging and
web feeds. The Internet has enabled or accelerated new forms of human
interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social
networking. Online shopping has boomed both for major retail outlets and
small artisans and traders. Business-to-business and financial services
on the Internet affect supply chains across entire industries.
The origins of the Internet reach back to research of the 1960s,
commissioned by the United States government in collaboration with
private commercial interests to build robust, fault-tolerant, and
distributed computer networks. The funding of a new U.S. backbone by the
National Science Foundation in the 1980s, as well as private funding for
other commercial backbones, led to worldwide participation in the
development of new networking technologies, and the merger of many
networks. The commercialization of what was by the 1990s an
international network resulted in its popularization and incorporation
into virtually every aspect of modern human life. As of 2011, more than
2.2 billion people — nearly a third of Earth's population — use the
services of the Internet.
The Internet has no centralized governance in either technological
implementation or policies for access and usage; each constituent
network sets its own standards. Only the overreaching definitions of the
two principal name spaces in the Internet, the Internet Protocol address
space and the Domain Name System, are directed by a maintainer
organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).
The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols
(IPv4 and IPv6) is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF),
a non-profit organization of loosely affiliated international
participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical
expertise.
* Kids and Teens
Activities, Computers, Directories, Entertainment,
Games, Health, International, Language and Literature, Pre School,
School Time, Science and Math, Shopping, Society, Sports and Hobbies,
Teen Life
* Law
Appellate Law, Business Law, Computer and Technology
Law, Criminal Defense, Divorce, Education, Employment Law, Family Law,
Health Law, Immigration Law, Intellectual Property, Labor Law, Law
Enforcement, Law Libraries, Legal Services, Personal Injury, Property
Law, Transport Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through
social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes
politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social
mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything
from buying a bus ticket to trading on derivatives markets. Property law
defines rights and obligations related to the transfer and title of
personal and real property. Trust law applies to assets held for
investment and financial security, while tort law allows claims for
compensation if a person's rights or property are harmed. If the harm is
criminalized in legislation, criminal law offers means by which the
state can prosecute the perpetrator. Constitutional law provides a
framework for the creation of law, the protection of human rights and
the election of political representatives. Administrative law is used to
review the decisions of government agencies, while international law
governs affairs between sovereign states in activities ranging from
trade to environmental regulation or military action. Writing in 350 BC,
the Greek philosopher Aristotle declared, "The rule of law is better
than the rule of any individual."
Legal systems elaborate rights and responsibilities in a variety of
ways. A general distinction can be made between civil law jurisdictions,
which codify their laws, and common law systems, where judge made law is
not consolidated. In some countries, religion informs the law. Law
provides a rich source of scholarly inquiry, into legal history,
philosophy, economic analysis or sociology. Law also raises important
and complex issues concerning equality, fairness and justice. "In its
majestic equality", said the author Anatole France in 1894, "the law
forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets
and steal loaves of bread." In a typical democracy, the central
institutions for interpreting and creating law are the three main
branches of government, namely an impartial judiciary, a democratic
legislature, and an accountable executive. To implement and enforce the
law and provide services to the public, a government's bureaucracy, the
military and police are vital. While all these organs of the state are
creatures created and bound by law, an independent legal profession and
a vibrant civil society inform and support their progress.
International law
Main articles: Public international law, Conflict of laws, and European
Union law
Providing a constitution for public international law, the United
Nations system was agreed during World War II
International law can refer to three things: public international law,
private international law or conflict of laws and the law of
supranational organizations.
Public international law concerns relationships between sovereign
nations. The sources for public international law development are
custom, practice and treaties between sovereign nations, such as the
Geneva Conventions. Public international law can be formed by
international organizations, such as the United Nations (which was
established after the failure of the League of Nations to prevent the
Second World War), the International Labor Organization, the World
Trade Organization, or the International Monetary Fund. Public
international law has a special status as law because there is no
international police force, and courts (e.g. the International Court of
Justice as the primary UN judicial organ) lack the capacity to penalize
disobedience. However, a few bodies, such as the WTO, have effective
systems of binding arbitration and dispute resolution backed up by trade
sanctions.
Conflict of laws (or "private international law" in civil law countries)
concerns which jurisdiction a legal dispute between private parties
should be heard in and which jurisdiction's law should be applied.
Today, businesses are increasingly capable of shifting capital and
labor supply chains across borders, as well as trading with overseas
businesses, making the question of which country has jurisdiction even
more pressing. Increasing numbers of businesses opt for commercial
arbitration under the New York Convention 1958.
European Union law is the first and, so far, only example of a
supranational legal framework. Given the trend of increasing global
economic integration, many regional agreements—especially the Union of
South American Nations—are on track to follow the same model. In the EU,
sovereign nations have gathered their authority in a system of courts
and political institutions. These institutions are allowed the ability
to enforce legal norms both against or for member states and citizens in
a manner which is not possible through public international law. As the
European Court of Justice said in the 1960s, European Union law
constitutes "a new legal order of international law" for the mutual
social and economic benefit of the member states.
* News and Media
Alternative, Analysis and Opinion, Breaking News,
Chats and Forums, Colleges and Universities, Current Events,
Directories, Extended Coverage, Headline Links, Internet Broadcasts,
Journalism, Magazines and E-zines, Media, Museums and Archives,
Newspapers, Online Archives, Personalized News, Regional, Satire,
Sports, Technology, Television, Weather
"News: is the communication of selected information on current events
which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a
third-party or mass audience.
"Media" may refer to:
Communications
Media (communication), tools used to store and deliver information or
data
Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for
advertising
Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass electronic
communication networks
Digital media, electronic media used to store, transmit, and receive
digitized information
Electronic media, communications delivered via electronic or
electromechanical energy
Hypermedia, media with hyperlinks
Mass media, all means of mass communications
Multimedia, communications that incorporate multiple forms of
information content and processing
New media, a broad term encompassing the amalgamation of traditional
media with the interactive power of computer and communications
technology
News media, mass media focused on communicating news
News media (United States), the news media of the United States of
America
Print media, communications delivered via paper or canvas
Published media, any media made available to the public
Recording media, devices used to store information
Social media, media disseminated through social interaction
MEDIA Programme, a European Union initiative to support the European
audiovisual sector
* Real Estate
Agents & Brokers, Agents - Non US, Agents - UK, Agents
- United States, Apartments Rentals, Appraisers, Commercial,
Construction, Consultants, Developers, Information, Inspection, Law,
Listings - Europe, Listings - International, Marketing & Supplies,
Mortgages, Property, Regional, Removal Services, Rentals, Residential,
Resources
Real estate is "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it,
along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water;
immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; (also) an
item of real property; (more generally) buildings or housing in general.
Also: the business of real estate; the profession of buying, selling, or
renting land, buildings, or housing."
It is a legal term in jurisdictions, such as the United Kingdom, Canada,
Australia, United States of America, Dubai, Trinidad and Tobago,
Barbados, and The Bahamas. Real estate law is the body of regulations
and legal codes which pertain to such matters under a particular
jurisdiction and concerns such things as commercial and residential
property ownership, development, and transactions. Real estate is often
considered synonymous with real property (sometimes called realty), in
contrast with personal property (sometimes called 'chattels' or 'personalty'
under 'chattel law' or 'personal property law'). The terms 'real estate'
and 'real property' are used primarily in common law, while civil law
jurisdictions refer instead to immovable property. However, in some
situations the term 'real estate' refers to the land and fixtures
thereon together, as distinguished from 'real property', referring to
the ownership of land and its appurtenances, including anything of a
permanent nature such as structures, trees, minerals, and the interest,
benefits, and inherent rights thereof. Real property is typically
considered to be immovable property.
* Recreation
Antiques, Astronomy, Audio, Autos, Aviation, Birding,
Boating, Bowling, Camping, Climbing, Collecting, Comedy, Crafts,
Cricket, Directories, Drugs, Events, Fast Foods, Fireworks, Food and
Drinks, Football, Games, Gardening, Genealogy, Golf, Guns, Hobbies,
Horoscopes, Humor, Hunting, Kites, Knives, Living History, Martial Arts,
Motorcycles, Outdoors, Scouting, Tickets
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time.
The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of
human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for
enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun". The
term recreation implies participation to be healthy refreshing mind and
body.
* Regional
Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe, Oceania
Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and
astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different
sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions
consist of sub regions that contain clusters of like areas that are
distinctive by their uniformity of description based on a range of
statistical data, for example demographic, and locales. In astrophysics
some regions have science-specific terms such as galactic clusters.
In Geography, regions can be broadly divided by physical characteristics
(physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography),
and the interaction of Humanity and the environment (environmental
geography). Geographic regions and sub regions are mostly described by
their imprecisely defined, and sometimes transitory boundaries, except
in human geography where jurisdiction areas such as national borders are
clearly defined in law.
Apart from the global continental regions, there are also hydrosphere
and atmospheric regions that cover the oceans, and discrete climates
above the land and water masses of the planet. The land and water global
regions are divided into sub regions geographically bounded by large
geological features that influence large-scale ecologies, such as plains
and steppes, forested massifs, deserts, or mountainous regions.
Sub regions describe the areas within regions that are easily
distinguished in both the geological and ecological observable features.
As a way of describing spatial areas, the concept of regions is
important and widely used among the many branches of geography, each of
which can describe areas in regional terms. For example, eco-region is a
term used in environmental geography, cultural region in cultural
geography, bioregion in biogeography, and so on. The field of geography
that studies regions themselves is called regional geography.
In the fields of physical geography, ecology, biogeography,
zoogeography, and environmental geography, regions tend to be based on
natural features such as ecosystems or biotopes, biomes, drainage
basins, natural regions, mountain ranges, soil types. Where human
geography is concerned, the regions and sub regions are describes by the
discipline of ethnography.
A region has its own nature that could not be moved. The first nature is
its natural environment (landform, climate, etc.). The second nature is
its physical elements complex that were built by people in the past. The
third nature is its socio-cultural context that could not be replaced by
new immigrants.
* Science and Technology
Agriculture, Alternative Science, Astronomy, Biology,
Chats and Forums, Chemistry, Computer Science, Conferences, Directories,
Earth Sciences, Educational Resources, Employment, Entomology,
Environment, Geography, History of Science, Institutions, Instruments
and Supplies, Math, Methods and Techniques, Museums, Myrmecology,
Physics, Publications, Reference, Science in Society, Search Engines,
Social Sciences, Space, Technology
"Science" (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic
enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable
explanations and predictions about the universe. In an older and closely
related meaning (found, for example, in Aristotle), "science" refers to
the body of reliable knowledge itself, of the type that can be logically
and rationally explained (see History and philosophy below). Since
classical antiquity science as a type of knowledge was closely linked to
philosophy. In the early modern era the words "science" and "philosophy"
were sometimes used interchangeably in the English language. By the 17th
century, natural philosophy (which is today called "natural science")
was considered a separate branch of philosophy. However, "science"
continued to be used in a broad sense denoting reliable knowledge about
a topic, in the same way it is still used in modern terms such as
library science or political science.
In modern use, "science" more often refers to a way of pursuing
knowledge, not only the knowledge itself. It is "often treated as
synonymous with ‘natural and physical science’, and thus restricted to
those branches of study that relate to the phenomena of the material
universe and their laws, sometimes with implied exclusion of pure
mathematics. This is now the dominant sense in ordinary use." This
narrower sense of "science" developed as scientists such as Johannes
Kepler, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton began formulating laws of
nature such as Newton's laws of motion. In this period it became more
common to refer to natural philosophy as "natural science". Over the
course of the 19th century, the word "science" became increasingly
associated with scientific method, a disciplined way to study the
natural world, including physics, chemistry, geology and biology. It is
in the 19th century also that the term scientist was created by the
naturalist-theologian William Whewell to distinguish those who sought
knowledge on nature from those who sought knowledge on other
disciplines. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the origin of the word
"scientist" to 1834. This sometimes left the study of human thought and
society in a linguistic limbo, which was resolved by classifying these
areas of academic study as social science. Similarly, several other
major areas of disciplined study and knowledge exist today under the
general rubric of "science", such as formal science and applied science.
"Technology" is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines,
techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve
a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the
collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. Technologies
significantly affect human as well as other animal species' ability to
control and adapt to their natural environments. The word technology
comes from Greek te???????a (technología); from t???? (téchne), meaning
"art, skill, craft", and -????a (-logía), meaning "study of-". The term
can either be applied generally or to specific areas: examples include
construction technology, medical technology, and information technology.
The human species use of technology began with the conversion of natural
resources into simple tools. The prehistorically discovery of the ability
to control fire increased the available sources of food and the
invention of the wheel helped humans in traveling in and controlling
their environment. Recent technological developments, including the
printing press, the telephone, and the Internet, have lessened physical
barriers to communication and allowed humans to interact freely on a
global scale. However, not all technology has been used for peaceful
purposes; the development of weapons of ever-increasing destructive
power has progressed throughout history, from clubs to nuclear weapons.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of
ways. In many societies, technology has helped develop more advanced
economies (including today's global economy) and has allowed the rise of
a leisure class. Many technological processes produce unwanted
by-products, known as pollution, and deplete natural resources, to the
detriment of the Earth and its environment. Various implementations of
technology influence the values of a society and new technology often
raises new ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of
efficiency in terms of human productivity, a term originally applied
only to machines, and the challenge of traditional norms.
Philosophical debates have arisen over the present and future use of
technology in society, with disagreements over whether technology
improves the human condition or worsens it. Neo-Luddism, anarcho-primitivism,
and similar movements criticise the pervasiveness of technology in the
modern world, opining that it harms the environment and alienates
people; proponents of ideologies such as Tran humanism and
techno-progressivism view continued technological progress as beneficial
to society and the human condition. Indeed, until recently, it was
believed that the development of technology was restricted only to human
beings, but recent scientific studies indicate that other primates and
certain dolphin communities have developed simple tools and learned to
pass their knowledge to other generations.
* Shopping
Antiques and Collectibles, Apparel, Arts and Crafts,
Auctions, Automotives, Beauty Products, Books, Cell Phones, Children,
Clothing, Computers and Hardware, Consumer Electronics, Death Care,
Directories, Discounts and Coupons, DVD Movies, Education, Electronics,
Entertainment, Flowers, Food and Drink, Gifts, Health Care, Heavy
Machinery, Home and Garden, Jewelry, Kids Toys, Music, Office Products,
Online Shopping, Perfumes, Phones and Accessories, Photography,
Security, Shoes, Sports, Tobacco, Toys and Games, Transportation,
Travel, Vehicles, Weddings, Wholesale
Shopping is the examining of goods or services from retailers with the
intent to purchase at that time. Shopping is an activity of selection
and/or purchase. In some contexts it is considered a leisure activity as
well as an economic one.
To some people, shopping is considered a recreational and diversional
activity in which one visits a variety of stores with a premeditated
intent to purchase a product. To others, shopping is a task of
inconvenience and vexation.
"Window shopping" is an activity that shoppers engage in by browsing
shops with no intent to purchase, possibly just to pass the time between
other activities, or to plan a later purchase.
According to a 2000 report, in New York women purchase or influence the
purchase of 80% of all consumer goods and influence 80% of health-care
decisions
Stores are divided into multiple categories of stores which sell a
selected set of goods or services. Usually they are tiered by target
demographics based on the disposable income of the shopper. They can be
tiered from cheap to pricey.
Some shops sell secondhand goods. Often the public can also sell goods
to such shops. In other cases, especially in the case of a nonprofit
shops, the public donates goods to these shops, commonly known as thrift
stores in the USA or charity shops in the UK. In give-away shops goods
can be taken for free. In antique shops, the public can find goods that
are older and harder to find. Sometimes people are broke and borrow
money from a pawn shop using an item of value as collateral. College
students are known to resell books back though college textbook
bookstores. Old used items are often distributed though surplus stores.
Many shops are part of a shopping center that carry the same trademark
(company name) and logo using the same branding, same presentation, and
sell the same products but in different locations. The shops may be
owned by one company, or there may be a franchising company that has
franchising agreements with the shop owners often found in relation to
restaurant chains.
Various types of retail stores that specialize in the selling of goods
related to a theme include bookstores, boutiques, candy shops, liquor
stores, gift shops, hardware stores, hobby stores, pet stores,
pharmacy's,
sex shops and supermarkets.
Other stores such as big-box stores, hypermarkets, convenience stores,
department stores, general stores, dollar stores sell a wider variety of
products not horizontally related to each other.
* Sports
Adventure Racing, Archery, Badminton, Baseball,
Basketball, Billiards, Boating, Bowling, Boxing, Caving, Cheerleading,
Coaching, Cricket, Cycling, Extreme Sports, Footbag, Football, Golf,
Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Horse Racing, Martial Arts, Motorsports,
Running, Soccer, Squash, Tennis, Water Sports, Winter Sports
"Sport" (or, in the United States, sports) is all forms of competitive
physical activity which, through casual or organized participation, aim
to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment
to participants. Hundreds of sports exist, from those requiring only two
participants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous
participants, either in teams or competing as individuals.
Sport is generally recognized as activities which are based in physical
athleticism or physical dexterity, with the largest major competitions
such as the Olympic Games admitting only sports meeting this definition,
and other organizations such as the Council of Europe using definitions
precluding activities without a physical element from classification as
sports. However, a number of competitive, but non-physical, activities
claim recognition as mind sports. The International Olympic Committee
(through ARISF) recognizes both chess and bridge as bona fide sports,
and SportAccord, the international sports federation association,
recognizes five non-physical sports, although limits the amount of mind
games which can be admitted as sports.
Sports are usually governed by a set of rules or customs, which serve to
ensure fair competition, and allow consistent adjudication of the
winner. Winning can by determined by physical events such as scoring
goals or crossing a line first, or by the determination of judges who
are scoring elements of the sporting performance, including objective or
subjective measures such as technical performance or artistic
impression.
In organized sport, records of performance are often kept, and for
popular sports, this information may be widely announced or reported in
sport news. In addition, sport is a major source of entertainment for
non-participants, with spectator sports drawing large crowds to venues,
and reaching wider audiences through sports broadcasting.
The precise definition of what separates a sport from other leisure
activities varies between sources, with no universally agreed
definition. The closest to an international agreement on a definition is
provided by SportAccord, which is the association for all the largest
international sports federations (including association football,
American football, cycling, equestrian sports, baseball and more), and
is therefore the de facto representative of international sport.
SportAccord uses the following criteria, determining that a sport
should:
have an element of competition
be in no way harmful to any living creature
not rely on equipment provided by a single supplier (excluding
proprietary games such as arena football)
not rely on any 'luck' element specifically designed in to the sport
They also recognize that sport can be primarily physical (such as rugby
or athletics), primarily mind (such as chess or go), predominantly
motorized (such as Formula 1 or power boating), primarily co-ordination
(such as billiard sports) or primarily animal supported (such as
equestrian sport).
There has been an increase in the application of the term 'sport' to a
wider set of non-physical challenges such as electronic sports,
especially due to the large scale of participation and organized
competition, but these are not widely recognized by mainstream sports
organizations.
* Transportation and Freight Providers
Air, Marine, Pipelines, River, Road, Train
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, animals and goods
from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail,
road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into
infrastructure, vehicles, and operations. Transport is important since
it enables trade between peoples, which in turn establishes
civilizations.
Transport infrastructure consists of the fixed installations necessary
for transport, and may be roads, railways, airways, waterways, canals
and pipelines, and terminals such as airports, railway stations, bus
stations, warehouses, trucking terminals, refueling depots (including
fueling docks and fuel stations), and seaports. Terminals may be used
both for interchange of passengers and cargo and for maintenance.
Vehicles traveling on these networks may include automobiles, bicycles,
buses, trains, trucks, people, helicopters, and aircraft. Operations
deal with the way the vehicles are operated, and the procedures set for
this purpose including financing, legalities and policies. In the
transport industry, operations and ownership of infrastructure can be
either public or private, depending on the country and mode.
Passenger transport may be public, where operators provide scheduled
services, or private. Freight transport has become focused on
containerization, although bulk transport is used for large volumes of
durable items. Transport plays an important part in economic growth and
globalization, but most types cause air pollution and use large amounts
of land. While it is heavily subsidized by governments, good planning of
transport is essential to make traffic flow, and restrain urban sprawl.
Transportation types:
Marine
There is a wide range of maritime cargo handled at seaport terminals.
Automobiles are handled at many ports and are usually carried on
specialized roll-on/roll-off ships.
Break bulk cargo is typically material stacked on pallets and lifted
into and out of the hold of a vessel by cranes on the dock or aboard the
ship itself. The volume of break bulk cargo has declined dramatically
worldwide as containerization has grown. One way to secure break bulk
and freight in intermodal containers is by using Dunnage Bags.
Bulk cargo, such as salt, oil, tallow, and scrap metal, is usually
defined as commodities that are neither on pallets nor in containers.
Bulk cargoes are not handled as individual pieces, the way heavy-lift
and project cargoes are. Alumina, grain, gypsum, logs and wood chips,
for instance, are bulk cargoes.
Neo-bulk cargo comprises individual units that are counted as they are
loaded and unloaded, in contrast to bulk cargo that is not counted, but
that are not containerized.
Containers are the largest and fastest growing cargo category at most
ports worldwide. Containerized cargo includes everything from auto
parts, machinery and manufacturing components to shoes and toys to
frozen meat and seafood.
Project cargo and the heavy lift cargo include items like manufacturing
equipment, air conditioners, factory components, generators, wind
turbines, military equipment, and almost any other oversized or
overweight cargo which is too big or too heavy to fit into a container.
Air
Air cargo, commonly known as air freight, is collected by firms from
shippers and delivered to customers. Aircraft were first used for
carrying mail as cargo in 1911. Eventually manufacturers started
designing aircraft for other types of freight as well.
There are many commercial aircraft suitable for carrying cargo such as
the Boeing 747 and the bigger An-124, which was purposely built for easy
conversion into a cargo aircraft. Such large aircraft employ
quick-loading containers known as Unit Load Devices (ULDs), much like
containerized cargo ships. The ULDs are located in front section of the
aircraft.
Most nations own and utilize large numbers of cargo aircraft such as the
C-17 Globemaster III for airlift logistic needs.
Train
A picture of a P&O Nedlloyd inter-modal freight well car at Banbury
station in the year 2001
Trains are capable of transporting large numbers of containers that come
from shipping ports. Trains are also used for the transportation of
steel, wood and coal. They are used because they can carry a large
amount and generally have a direct route to the destination. Under the
right circumstances, freight transport by rail is more economic and
energy efficient than by road, especially when carried in bulk or over
long distances.
The main disadvantage of rail freight is its lack of flexibility. For
this reason, rail has lost much of the freight business to road
transport. Rail freight is often subject to transshipment costs, since
it must be transferred from one mode of transportation to another.
Practices such as containerization aim at minimizing these costs.
Many governments are currently trying to encourage shippers to use
trains more often because of the environmental benefits.
Road
Many firms, like Parcelforce, FedEx, R+L Carriers and u-haul transport
all types of cargo by road. Delivering everything from letters to houses
to cargo containers, these firms offer fast, sometimes same-day,
delivery.
A good example of road cargo is food, as supermarkets require deliveries
every day to keep their shelves stocked with goods. Retailers of all
kinds rely upon delivery trucks, be they full size semi trucks or
smaller delivery vans.
Shipment categories:
Freight is usually organized into various shipment categories before it
is transported. An item's category is determined by:
*the type of item being carried. For example, a kettle could fit into
the category 'household goods'.
*how large the shipment is, in terms of both item size and quantity.
*how long the item for delivery will be in transit.
Shipments are typically categorized as household goods, express, parcel,
and freight shipments:
*Household goods (HHG) include furniture, art and similar items.
*Very small business or personal items like envelopes are considered
overnight express or express letter shipments. These shipments are
rarely over a few kilograms or pounds and almost always travel in the
carrier’s own packaging. Express shipments almost always travel some
distance by air. An envelope may go coast to coast in the United States
overnight or it may take several days, depending on the service options
and prices chosen by the shipper.
*Larger items like small boxes are considered parcels or ground
shipments. These shipments are rarely over 50 kg (110 lb), with no
single piece of the shipment weighing more than about 70 kg (154 lb).
Parcel shipments are always boxed, sometimes in the shipper’s packaging
and sometimes in carrier-provided packaging. Service levels are again
variable but most ground shipments will move about 800 to 1,100
kilometers (497 to 684 mi) per day. Depending on the origin of the
package, it can travel from coast to coast in the United States in about
four days. Parcel shipments rarely travel by air and typically move via
road and rail. Parcels represent the majority of business-to-consumer
(B2C) shipments.
*Beyond HHG, express, and parcel shipments, movements are termed freight
shipments.
Less-than-truckload freight
Less than truckload (LTL) cargo is the first category of freight
shipment, which represents the majority of freight shipments and the
majority of business-to-business (B2B) shipments. LTL shipments are also
often referred to as motor freight and the carriers involved are
referred to as motor carriers.
LTL shipments range from 50 to 7,000 kg (110 to 15,000 lb), being less
than 2.5 to 8.5 m (8 ft 2.4 in to 27 ft 10.6 in) the majority of times.
The average single piece of LTL freight is 600 kg (1,323 lb) and the
size of a standard pallet. Long freight and/or large freight are subject
to extreme length and cubic capacity surcharges.
Trailers used in LTL can range from 28 to 53 ft (8.53 to 16.15 m). The
standard for city deliveries is usually 48 ft (14.63 m). In tight and
residential environments the 28 ft (8.53 m) trailer is used the most.
The shipments are usually palletized, stretch [shrink]-wrapped and
packaged for a mixed-freight environment. Unlike express or parcel, LTL
shippers must provide their own packaging, as carriers do not provide
any packaging supplies or assistance. However, circumstances may require
crating or other substantial packaging.
Air freight
Air freight shipments are very similar to LTL shipments in terms of size
and packaging requirements. However, air freight or air cargo shipments
typically need to move at much faster speeds than 800 km or 497 mi per
day. Air shipments may be booked directly with the carriers, through
brokers or with online marketplace services. While shipments move faster
than standard LTL, air shipments don’t always actually move by air.
Truckload freight
In the United States, shipments larger than about 7,000 kg (15,432 lb)
are typically classified as truckload (TL) freight. This is because it
is more efficient and economical for a large shipment to have exclusive
use of one larger trailer rather than share space on a smaller LTL
trailer.
The total weight of a loaded truck (tractor and trailer, 5-axle rig)
cannot exceed 36,000 kg (79,366 lb) in the United States. In ordinary
circumstances, long-haul equipment will weigh about 15,000 kg (33,069
lb), leaving about 20,000 kg (44,092 lb) of freight capacity. Similarly
a load is limited to the space available in the trailer, normally 48 ft
(14.63 m) or 53 ft (16.15 m) long, 2.6 m (102.4 in) wide, 2.7 m (8 ft
10.3 in) high and 13 ft 6 in/4.11 m high over all.
While express, parcel and LTL shipments are always intermingled with
other shipments on a single piece of equipment and are typically
reloaded across multiple pieces of equipment during their transport, TL
shipments usually travel as the only shipment on a trailer. In fact, TL
shipments usually deliver on exactly the same trailer as they are picked
up on.
Shipping costs
Often, an LTL shipper may realize savings by utilizing a freight broker,
online marketplace or other intermediary, instead of contracting
directly with a trucking company. Brokers can shop the marketplace and
obtain lower rates than most smaller shippers can obtain directly. In
the LTL marketplace, intermediaries typically receive 50% to 80%
discounts from published rates, where a small shipper may only be
offered a 5% to 30% discount by the carrier. Intermediaries are licensed
by the DOT and have requirements to provide proof of insurance.
Truckload (TL) carriers usually charge a rate per kilometer or mile. The
rate varies depending on the distance, geographic location of the
delivery, items being shipped, equipment type required, and service
times required. TL shipments usually receive a variety of surcharges
very similar to those described for LTL shipments above. In the TL
market, there are thousands more small carriers than in the LTL market.
Therefore, the use of transportation intermediaries or brokers is
extremely common.
Another cost-saving method is facilitating pickups or deliveries at the
carrier’s terminals. By doing this, shippers avoid any accessorial fees
that might normally be charged for liftgate, residential
pickup/delivery, inside pickup/delivery, or notifications/appointments.
Carriers or intermediaries can provide shippers with the address and
phone number for the closest shipping terminal to the origin and/or
destination.
Shipping experts optimize their service and costs by sampling rates from
several carriers, brokers and online marketplaces. When obtaining rates
from different providers, shippers may find quite a wide range in the
pricing offered. If a shipper uses a broker, freight forwarder or other
transportation intermediary, it is common for the shipper to receive a
copy of the carrier's Federal Operating Authority. Freight brokers and
intermediaries are also required by Federal Law to be licensed by the
Federal Highway Administration. Experienced shippers avoid unlicensed
brokers and forwarders because if brokers are working outside the law by
not having a Federal Operating License, the shipper has no protection in
the event of a problem. Also, shippers normally ask for a copy of the
broker's insurance certificate and any specific insurance that applies
to the shipment.
Security concerns
Governments are very concerned with the shipment of cargo, as it may
bring security risks to a country. Therefore, many governments have
enacted rules and regulations, administered by a customs agency, to the
handling of cargo to minimize risks of terrorism and other crime. Of
particular concern is cargo entering through a country's borders.
The United States has been one of the leaders in securing cargo. They
see cargo as a concern to national security. After the terrorist attacks
of September 11th, the security of this magnitude of cargo has become
highlighted on the over 6 million cargo containers enter the United
States ports each year. The latest US Government response to this threat
is the CSI: Container Security Initiative. CSI is a program intended to
help increase security for containerized cargo shipped to the United
States from around the world.
* Travel
Accommodation, Air Travel, Car Rental, Cruises, Guides
& Directories, Holiday Packages, Hotels, Lodging, Online Reservations,
Regional, Tour Operators, Tourism, Travel Accommodation, Travel Agents,
Travel Services, Vacation Packages, Vacation Rentals
Travel is the movement of people or objects (such as airplanes, boats,
trains and other conveyances) between relatively distant geographical
locations.
Reasons for traveling include recreation, tourism or vacationing,
research travel for the gathering of information, for holiday to visit
people, volunteer travel for charity, migration to begin life somewhere
else, religious pilgrimages and mission trips, business travel, trade,
commuting, and other reasons, such as to obtain health care or fleeing
war or for the enjoyment of traveling. Travel may occur by human-powered
transport such as walking or bicycling, or with vehicles, such as public
transport, automobiles, trains and airplanes.
Motives to travel include pleasure, relaxation, discovery and
exploration, getting to know other cultures and taking personal time for
building interpersonal relationships. Travel may be local, regional,
national (domestic) or international. In some countries, non-local
internal travel may require an internal passport, while international
travel typically requires a passport and visa. A trip may also be part
of a round trip, which is a particular type of travel whereby a person
moves from their usual residence to one or several locations and
returns.
All the definitions where from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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