TripAdvisor Now Offers 150 Million Reviews And Opinions With 50 Million Pieces Of Content Posted In The Past Year

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TripAdvisor Logo. (PRNewsFoto/TripAdvisor)

NEWTON, Mass., Feb. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site*, today announced it has reached a new user-generated content milestone making it the first travel site to offer consumers 150 million reviews and opinions a 50 percent increase year-over-year.

TripAdvisor collects more than 90 user contributions a minute that allow travelers worldwide to make informed decisions based on the personal experiences of other travelers. More than two billion unique worldwide visitors a year** visit TripAdvisor to research, plan, and book their travel at more than 3.7 million accommodations, restaurants, and attractions.

More than 500 million people worldwide are also able to find TripAdvisor ratings, reviews, and opinions on the websites of almost 1,000 brands every month. Partners include hotel groups such as Wyndham and other leading online travel suppliers.

The review celebrated as the 150 millionth piece of content posted on TripAdvisor was written by TripAdvisor member Erin S. after a Valentine's Day weekend retreat with her husband. It's the first review she has written on TripAdvisor. The review titled "A warm and inviting retreat...you'll want to return!" is of the Cameron House Inn, a bed and breakfast in the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

"Fourteen years ago, TripAdvisor saw an opportunity to help travelers help each other make informed travel decisions by sharing their first-hand experiences, reviews, and photos," said Steve Kaufer, co-founder and CEO of TripAdvisor. "Now, the internet and user-generated content have completely changed the way we plan, book, and share our trips."

The power of a review According to a recently commissioned report conducted by PhoCusWright*** on behalf of TripAdvisor, more than half of global respondents do not want to make a booking commitment until they read reviews and find out what other travelers think about a property.

More than 80 percent say the site's reviews help them feel more confident in their travel decisions, and help them to have a better trip.

The survey also reveals some interesting findings about why travelers write reviews and how they use them when planning a trip.

Why do travelers write reviews? The majority of respondents write reviews for positive reasons, with 74 percent of travelers stating that they 'feel good about sharing useful information with other travelers' and 70 percent of respondents stating that they wanted to share a good experience with others.

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TripAdvisor Now Offers 150 Million Reviews And Opinions With 50 Million Pieces Of Content Posted In The Past Year

Try The World Brings Paris, Rio, And Tokyo To You In $45 Subscription Boxes

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I can show you the world, shining, shimmering splendid.

All it will take is $45 every two months, and Try The World will send you a gourmet box full of locally sourced goods from countries around the world.

We all want to travel more, but the cost and the time and the energy are solid deterrents. But one of the best parts of world travel buying local goods and bringing them home to show off to friends and family can still be enjoyed from home. With Try The World.

We leverage the expertise of locals and the crowd to select the best products from each country so that our users get an authentic and delightful experience for all five senses every time they open a Try The World box, said cofounder David Foult. We envision that Try The World will become a destination for a community of travelers to share their experiences of discovering cultures around the world.

After signing up, users will receive the Paris box.

Inside, theyll find cards describing Parisian travel tips, as well as playlists, movies, and poetry from Frances cultural capitol. Other cards describe the goods in the box, which include an artisanal unrefined finishing salt (Fleur De Sel), Clment Faugier chestnut spread, Madame Goudig salted butter caramels, Les Confitures A LAncienne hot chocolate powder, Palais Des Ths teas, Chabert & Guillot nougat, Confitures Alain Milliat jams.

By adding information about culture, like movies and music, users can go beyond having a few edible goods from another place and actually plan a true Parisian evening. The only thing missing, in my opinion, is a Plated-style grocery bag full of ingredients for the perfect French meal.

After Paris, users will receive Tokyo, and Rio, with more countries to follow.

Try The World launched in 2013 out of the IncubateNYC accelerator in Googles NYHQ. The company launched out of Alpha in September and has sold thousands of boxes in the past four months. They are currently raising a seed round.

The service is simple and joins a number of new businesses curating and shipping subscription boxes full of awesome. Weve seen sex toys, razors, food, and now travel.

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Try The World Brings Paris, Rio, And Tokyo To You In $45 Subscription Boxes

Super computer names the sides that will be relegated from the Premier League

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Next picture 15. Norwich 19.5% chance of relegation Click the arrow for more According to Bloombergs 'super computer', the end of season bottom six kicks off with Norwich in 15th place. The Canaries currently sit in 14th spot in the Premier League, having broken their recent run of bad form with victory over Tottenham. However, a run-in which includes clashes against Liverpool, Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal could see them battling for their lives come May. photo 1 of 6

The boffins at Bloomberg Sports have certainly been doing overtime when working out just who will be relegated from the Premier League, and now their findings can be revealed.

Using their complex algorithm, they have taken into account the current form of each side caught in the battle against the drop, while also looking at a number of other factors including forthcoming fixtures to designate clubs a percentage chance of relegation.

Click the arrow on the right to see who will be relegated and who will survive.

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Super computer names the sides that will be relegated from the Premier League

Indian techie's $300 Super Bowl ad wins a million-dollar prize

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He had tried to see what it was like to make acting his main event, but he decided ultimately he needed to do both. And he makes both work.

Not insignificantly, he met his wife in Phoenix at the same time, which influenced his decision about a potential move to Los Angeles, the obviously better option for aspiring actors.

I wondered a lot: How could I pursue this without totally being poor and having no job in LA and just getting by? he said. It was interesting brainstorming various options. Long story short is that I didnt go based on my life circumstances at the time.

I started to say, Well, how can I advance my acting career in Phoenix while doing this software engineering thing? My first thought was to try producing things, either with me in them or not. That way I could make something that could possibly be discovered and have potential to pop.

Since then, Suri has been juggling his job at Intel (which also involved the role change to systems analyst), the acting and producing, and being a husband and father.

This means having his agent schedule auditions during lunch, taking a vacation day if he needs to when shooting a commercial, and working nights and weekends on independent film and TV projects with people who have similar commitments to busy day jobs.

I was exhausted by the end of it, he said of his recent run of shooting an indy TV pilot, which was five days of extremely long weekend hours and late nights after being in the office all day. But thats how you make it work. It really stretches you thin though. You just do what you can.

Suris IMDB page lists his many roles over the years, some of which felt like milestones for him and others less notable.

The Mazda ad was a big break for him in a way, opening doors to his later work.

He had a supporting role in Dark Places, a 2005 feature film that went straight to DVD, but received distribution, which is a big deal for an independent film.

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Indian techie's $300 Super Bowl ad wins a million-dollar prize

Right AC Joint SVF Injection Shoulder | Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Injection – Video

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Right AC Joint SVF Injection Shoulder | Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Injection
Eterna MD specializes in stem cell therapy and treatment. This particular case stem cells were injected into the right AC Joint in the shoulder through an ul...

By: Eterna MD Regenerative Medicine

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Right AC Joint SVF Injection Shoulder | Stem Cell Therapy | Stem Cell Injection - Video

Ufo Alien Truth "DISCLOSURE 2014" Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Three) What Is Life Force? – Video

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Ufo Alien Truth "DISCLOSURE 2014" Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Three) What Is Life Force?
https://www.newmessage.org/nmfg/Greater_Community_Spirituality.html Greater Community Spirituality presents a prophetic new understanding of God and human sp...

By: danielofdoriaa

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Ufo Alien Truth "DISCLOSURE 2014" Greater Community Spirituality (Chapter Three) What Is Life Force? - Video

Former Wheaton College Professor Gets 3 1/2 Years For Child Porn

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WHEATON, Ill. (STMW) A former Wheaton College professor who has written books on childrens spirituality has been sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison for having child pornography on his home computer.

Donald Ratcliff, 62, has been sentenced to 42 months in prison after he pleaded guilty last August to one count of possession of child pornography, according to a statement from the DuPage County Sheriffs office.

Carol Stream police arrested Ratcliff in March 2012 after an investigation traced Internet files containing child pornography to computers in his home.

The investigation revealed that Ratcliff had between 500 and 1,000 pornographic images of children, the statement said.

Ratcliff admitted periodically downloading pornographic pictures and videos of children but told investigators he wasnt addicted to viewing the images, prosecutors said at the time.

As part of his plea deal, prosecutors dropped nine other felony counts including six of aggravated child pornography that would have made Ratcliff eligible for a 49-year prison term.

Ratcliff told police after his 2012 arrest that he sporadically had been seeing a counselor because of his interest in child pornography, prosecutors said.

At the time of his arrest, Ratcliff taught Christian education at the suburban religious college famed for being the alma mater of evangelist Billy Graham.

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Former Wheaton College Professor Gets 3 1/2 Years For Child Porn

02/25/2014 15:22 NEPAL For Hindu student convert to Catholicism, Christ helps us find our way

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02/25/2014 15:22 NEPAL For Hindu student convert to Catholicism, Christ helps us find our way by Christopher Sharma Siddhanta Chhetri, 25, just received his First Communion. Looking at his journey of faith, he calls on others "to go to church and talk to the priests." Many of his Hindu peers "live a barren spirituality, are confused about their future and often fall into drugs."

Kathmandu (AsiaNews) - "I want to share the Word of God with young people, with my peers, who feel lost and confused. All young people should go to church," said Siddhanta Chhetri, 25, a Nepali university student who received his First Holy Communion on Sunday in Kathmandu's Cathedral of the Assumption.

Speaking to AsiaNews, the young convert from Hinduism to Catholicism explained how "attending church" helped him overcome many of the problems he had before.

"I see thousands of young Nepalis, especially Hindus. They are confused and live a barren spirituality," Chhetri said. "They have many difficulties because they lack a true guide."

"I too had many doubts about my life and career. Then, when I started going to church on a regular basis, I got talking to priests and other Catholic youth, and then I found my way. "

"Hinduism encompasses traditional and superstitious practices," he said, "that lead many young people to a spiritual desert. This has pushed many kids towards crime or drug abuse. By contrast, what I learnt from the Church is that spirituality is a great tool for success. Catholics are satisfied people because they are steadfast in their faith in Jesus and live according to the Word of God."

Chhatri undertook his journey to the catechumenate at the Cathedral of the Assumption.

"At present, we are training more than 20 people," catechist Bhim Rai told AsiaNews.

"We serve anyone in need," said Fr Richard Rai, a priest at the cathedral. "People come to us for advice and we listen and help them as best we can. Many visit our church, Catholics and others. Many learn to live in Christ."

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02/25/2014 15:22 NEPAL For Hindu student convert to Catholicism, Christ helps us find our way

Sexual orientation line is broken, lets move on

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ENID, Okla. It has finally happened. An openly gay athlete has played a major American professional sport.

In case you missed it (and if you did you must have been high in the Andes seeking spiritual enlightenment for the past couple of days), journeyman NBA center Jason Collins, who came out last year in a Sports Illustrated interview, signed with, and played for, the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday.

Thus the sexual orientation line has been broken.

Now lets drop it, shall we?

That wont happen, of course. It seems once we in the mainscream media get hold of something we worry it like a dog with a well-loved bone.

The annual meat market that is the NFL Scouting Combine concludes today in Indianapolis. Sexual orientation became top of mind for the NFL because of Michael Sam, a 6-foot-2, 256-pound defensive end out of Missouri who hopes to become a high draft choice this spring.

Oh, yeah, and he just happens to be gay.

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Now it has. Lets move on, shall we?

Professional athletics is entertainment, pure and simple. We dont seem to worry too much about the sexual orientation of entertainers in other genres, why should sport be any different?

For example, one of the most popular shows on network television today is How I Met Your Mother. One of that shows beloved characters is the eccentric womanizing playboy Barney Stinson, played by talented actor Neil Patrick Harris who is gay.

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Sexual orientation line is broken, lets move on