Microsoft, for decades an iconic software company, now sees hardware as an indispensable part of its future.

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For starters, the NFL has positioned itself as an indispensable part of Americana.

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As carriers of Li culture, traditional Li textile techniques are an indispensable part of the cultural heritage of the Li ethnic group.

UNESCO: Culture

This plane is an indispensable part of America's ability to project power.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Sounding retreat

Social media has become an indispensable part of the music business.

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The BBC's Shodiyor Eshaev in Almaty says horsemeat is an indispensable part of the traditional Kazakh diet, and a dried horsemeat sausage known as "kazy" is particularly cherished.

BBC: Kazakh Olympians seek to bring horsemeat to London 2012

The textiles form an indispensable part of important social and cultural occasions such as religious rituals and festivals, and in particular weddings, for which Li women design their own dresses.

UNESCO: Culture

In 1965 Lewis Coser, an eminent sociologist, argued that the modern university had become an indispensable part of a civilised society, a place that provides salaried intellectuals with a milieu conducive to the exchange of ideas and, uniquely, a licence to disagree with those who pay them.

ECONOMIST: A cardinal in cyberspace

The document says giving up weapons is an "indispensable" part of the Agreement and must be resolved in a manner acceptable to the decommissioning body.

BBC: Sinn Fein considers peace package

Pictures taken on the home front are rarely an important part of a country's war record, but Brandt's images are indispensable to understanding Britain during the Blitz, Hitler's attempt to bomb the English into submission.

WSJ: What Went On in the Dark | Bill Brandt | Shadows and Light | Museum of Modern Art | By William Meyers