Air Miles

Air Miles (often stylized as AIR MILES) is the name of separately operated loyalty programs in Canada, the Netherlands and the Middle East. Points are earned on purchases at participating merchants and can be redeemed against flights with specific airlines. The scheme was also operated in the United Kingdom and Spain until it was combined and rebranded as Avios in November 2011.

History

The Air Miles concept was created by Sir Keith Mills, and began operating in the UK in November 1988. British company Loyalty Management Group (LMG) operated the program and licensed the rights to it in other countries to other operators.

LMG was later acquired by Canadian firm Groupe Aeroplan, now Aimia, which retains the intellectual property associated with the Air Miles name and logo internationally, and is the majority partner in the Air Miles program in the Middle East. In all other countries in which Air Miles programs operate, Aimia is the licensor and is not involved in program operation. In Canada, Air Miles competes directly with Aimia's program, Aeroplan . Similarly the former Air Miles program in the UK had no affiliation with the Nectar program operated by Aimia.

Buyō

Buyō (舞踊) or Nippon buyō/Nihon buyō (日本舞踊) is a traditional Japanese performing art, a mixture of dance and pantomime, which emerged in the early Edo period (early 17th century) from earlier traditions. While performed independently by specialists, it is particularly conspicuous as the style of dancing performed by geisha.

Influences

Nihon buyō differs from other Japanese traditional dances in that it is intended for entertainment on stage. Nihon buyō is a refined dance that has been improved throughout four centuries. There are four influences on Nihon buyō, the most significant being kabuki buyō. Nihon buyō was created directly from kabuki buyō before it became theater. The second influence on Nihon buyō is noh. Nihon buyō takes a few key elements from noh such as the circular movements and the tools used in its dances. The third influence on these dances comes from folk dances; the spinning and jumping used in folk dances was incorporated into Nihon buyō. The last influence comes from the mixture of European and American culture that is found in Japan today.

Buy

Buy may refer to:

Buy, Kostroma Oblast

Buy (Russian: Буй) is a town in Kostroma Oblast, Russia, which stands on the Kostroma River. Population: 25,763 (2010 Census); 27,392 (2002 Census); 32,701 (1989 Census).

History

Buy was originally a trading post and protected by a hill fortress of Finno-Ugrian Meri people c. 400–500 CE. Its original Meri name is not known, but in Finnish language it was called either Vuoksensuu or Vieksansuu (lit. Mouth of Vuoksi/Vieksa). It was inhabited by the Finno-Ugrian peoples at least up to the Mongol invasion of Russia in 1237–1238. During the Mongol threat, some inhabitants of Kostroma sought refuge in Buy, and it seems that they renamed the place Buy (Vui, Bui) instead of using the Finno-Ugrian name which was difficult for them to pronounce, but the origin of the Russian name comes from the old Meri name.

Modern Buy was founded in 1536 as a fortified point at the confluence of the Kostroma and the Vyoksa Rivers. The fortified point was built according to the order of Yelena Glinskaya, the regentess of Russia at that time and the mother of Ivan the Terrible, to defend the eastern frontiers of the Grand Duchy of Moscow from the raids by Kazan Tatars and others. However, twenty years after its construction, the fortress lost its military significance, as Kazan was taken and the raids ceased.