text stringlengths 9 93k |
|---|
7. Who made “White Christmas” popular? |
9. The poem “An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” was published in 1823. What title is it better known as today? |
1. Poinsettia plants, a popular symbol of the holiday season, was named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, a statesman who brought the plant to the United States from Mexico after being an emissary and then first U.S. minister there from 1822-1829. |
5. True. It was originally written to celebrate Thanksgiving. Published in 1857, it was written by James Lord Pierpont. There is a plaque at 19 High Street in Medord, Mass., the site of the former Simpson Tavern, where Pierpont was said to have written the song in 1850. The original title of the song was “One Horse Ope... |
6. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, “White Christmas.” It has an estimated sales in excess of 100 million copies worldwide. |
8. Irving Berlin, who was Jewish. Berlin wrote the song in 1942. |
9. “Twas the Night Before Christmas” was first published anonymously in 1823. Fourteen years later, Clement Clarke Moore, claimed ownership. Moore said he wrote the poem for his own children and read it to them on Christmas Eve in 1822. |
Where: Robert Mills Carriage House, 1616 Blanding St. |
About: Get into the holiday spirit with holiday-themed games, trivia and activities that connect with past customs and traditions. |
Details: $20 for members; $25 for non-members and include drinks and light refreshments. Must be 21 or older. historiccolumbia.org; 803-252-1770 ext. 23; reservations@historiccolumbia.org. |
(CNN) — There are few things more liberating than travel -- although some passports offer more freedom than others. |
A new report published in October 2018 reveals just how many borders some travel documents can cross. |
According to the Henley Passport Index, compiled by global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & PartnersCitizens, Japan now has the most powerful passport on the planet. |
Having gained visa-free access to Myanmar earlier this month, Japanese citizens can now enjoy visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a whopping 190 destinations around the world -- knocking Singapore, with 189 destinations, into second place. |
Germany, which began 2018 in the top spot, is now in third place with 188 destinations, tied with France and South Korea. |
Uzbekistan lifted visa requirements for French nationals on October 5, having already granted visa-free access to Japanese and Singaporean citizens in early February. |
South Korea gained visa-free access to Myanmar on October 1, while Paraguay removed visa requirements for Singaporean passport holders in 2017. |
The United States and the UK, both with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 186 destinations, are in fifth place. With neither having gained entry to any new jurisdictions this year, it seems unlikely that either will soon reclaim the No.1 spot they held in 2015. |
Russia has fallen to 47th position, despite having received a boost in September when Taiwan announced a visa-waiver for Russian nationals. |
The United Arab Emirates is the decade's biggest success story when it comes to travel freedom. It's risen from 62nd place in 2006 to now being No. 21 in the rankings. |
It's also recently signed a visa-waiver agreement with Russia, due to come into effect in the coming months. |
China recently obtained access to St. Lucia and Myanmar and is now in 71st place, having climbed 14 places since the start of 2017. |
Christian H. Kälin, Group Chairman of Henley & Partners, commented in a statement on "the extraordinary results that states can achieve when they work hand in hand with their global peers to build a more interconnected and collaborative world. |
"China and the UAE exemplify this kind of progress, with both states among the highest overall climbers compared to 2017, purely as a result of the strong relationships they have built with partner countries around the world." |
So which passports offer the least mobility? |
Joint last place on the updated Henley Passport Index list are Afghanistan and Iraq, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 30 jurisdictions, just below Syria and Somalia (32) and Pakistan (33). |
Henley & Partner's list is one of several indexes created by financial firms to rank global passports according to the access they provide to their citizens. |
The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel destinations. It is updated in real time throughout the year, as and when visa policy changes come into effect. |
Arton Capital's Passport Index takes into consideration the passports of 193 United Nations member countries and six territories -- ROC Taiwan, Macao (SAR China), Hong Kong (SAR China), Kosovo, Palestinian Territory and the Vatican. Territories annexed to other countries are excluded. |
Its 2018 index put Singapore and Germany on top, with a score of 165, followed by Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg, Italy, France, Norway, Netherlands, Spain, South Korea and the US, all with a score of 164. |
The Nomad Passport Index, meanwhile, ranks 199 citizenships on five factors: visa-free travel, international taxation, perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom. |
According to its 2017 list, the most desirable passports come from Sweden, followed by Belgium. Spain and Italy tied for third, with Ireland rounding out the top five. |
WikiLeaks had disclosed U.S. diplomatic cables containing information provided by Singapore government officials. Section 5(2) of Singapore's Official Secrets Act applies to information received by a person who had reasonable ground to believe, at the time when he received it, that the information was communicated to h... |
There are two elements the Prosecution must establish: 1) the information is "protected"; and 2) the information was communicated to another who had reasonable grounds to believe the information is so protected. |
Given that the cables had various classifications on them, it would not be a stretch to show such reasonable grounds exist. |
In the context of civil action, the law of confidentiality could potentially be used to protect such information. The courts have consistently held that a primary confidant, having communicated the confidential information to a third-party in breach of obligation, does not entitle the third-party to do the same. |
Of course, whether Singapore official secrecy law has extraterritorial reach is another matter. |
Please submit your resume, hourly rate expectation, and your favorite text editor by replying to this posting. |
The passionate communities that have become engaged with these brands are now the focal point of all of our efforts at MV. Our customers are important and influential folks. And we currently have more than 2 million of them. Through a full complement of print, online, events, custom publishing, and integrated marketing... |
Indie pop singer Daria Musk spent more than six hours in a Google+ Hangouts session (s GOOG) Saturday night, playing with a few fellow musicians in a recording studio somewhere in Connecticut and having people from all over the world listen in and cheer her on. However, the first ever live concert conducted in Google’s... |
A number of audience members, including Google Engineering Director Chee Chew, figured out an imprmoptu way of daisy-chaining Hangouts, making it possible for others to join in on the fun by joining connected video chats. This type of Hangouts relay was a quick hack, something to deal with the fact that Google has rest... |
Live streaming has always lent itself to participation from the audience, something that broadcasters like CNN (s TWX) have utilized during events like President Obama’s inauguration to have people chat with their Facebook friends. Nowadays, integration with Facebook and Twitter comment feeds is a pretty common feature... |
Now imagine if the same was possible with video interactivity. Let’s say Musk had streamed her concert live on YouTube, and people would have been able to form video Hangouts with their friends around that live event. Or take a broadcaster like CBS, (s CBS) which regularly broadcasts live news coverage of events online... |
Of course, the beauty of something like Google+ Hangouts is that it is more than just a broadcast. Tuning into a Hangouts session with Michael Dell and being able to talk business with the CEO of a Fortune 500 company is cool. Watching a live broadcast of Dell lecturing business 101 to thousands of passive viewers on t... |
But celebrity Hangouts can also be a frustrating experience. Sessions regularly fill up in seconds as soon as a someone like Michael Dell advertises his willingness to chat. Now imagine how long the queue will be once all the celebrities that turned Twitter into a major success story arrive on Google+. |
That’s why it would be great to see Hangouts take a hint from Chatroulette: What if someone like Musk could live stream a concert to thousands of viewers, coming together in hundreds of Hangouts sessions, and then jump from one of those sessions to the next, spending a few minutes here and there and giving her audience... |
It would be like having a viewing party for a concert where suddenly the singer appears in your living room — and it could finally turn live streaming into something that is more than just plain old TV on a smaller screen. |
These journalists should try out the tools on yowie.com, where you can take live video and text questions from an audience of unlimited size (not 10 like on Google+), and have the crowd moderate it for you in real-time. It’s perfectly designed for the experience these journalists are trying to create. |
I like the idea of having multiple people involved in Hangouts. The limit can be an advantage for exclusive events though. “Intimate” hangouts with celebrities, that’d be pretty cool. |
Where’s the +1 button, eh? |
The Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal is about to take center stage before lawmakers on Capitol Hill. |
Michael Horn, the head of Volkswagen in the U.S., will field questions Thursday from lawmakers demanding answers. |
A House committee will also hear testimony from the Environmental Protection Agency, the agency that last month slapped the German automaker for using software to trick emissions tests into believing VW diesel cars were complying with the Clean Air Act. In fact, the cars were spewing as much as 40 times the emissions a... |
In prepared testimony released in advance of Thursday's hearing, Horn said he first learned of "possible emissions non-compliance" in 2014 and was told Volkswagen engineers were working with regulators on a solution. But it wasn't until last month, Horn said, that VW informed the EPA that it had installed "hidden softw... |
"These events are deeply troubling," Horn said. "I did not think that something like this was possible at the Volkswagen Group. We have broken the trust of our customers, dealerships, and employees, as well as the public and regulators." |
The EPA ordered Volkswagen to recall nearly 500,000 cars in the U.S. to ensure they comply with emissions standards. The company has said as many as 11 million vehicles worldwide might be affected by the scandal. VW said Wednesday it plans to start recalling diesel cars in January. |
Christopher Grundler, director of the EPA's office of transportation and air quality, will testify Thursday along with Philip Brooks, director of an EPA office charged with enforcing air standards. |
"These vehicles are emitting more nitrogen oxides, or 'NOx,' than regulations allow," according to the testimony. "Exposure to these pollutants has been linked with a range of serious health effects, including increased asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses that can be serious enough to send people to the hosp... |
In prepared testimony, they said the EPA is working closely with the U.S. Department of Justice to figure out "potential penalties and other remedies" to impose on Volkswagen. They said the EPA will determine not only the scope of VW's violations of the Clean Air Act, but also what "economic benefit" the company gained... |
The two officials did not disclose details about the status of their investigation. |
Volkswagen has set aside $7.3 billion to cover the cost of the scandal, but most analysts expect that number to multiply rapidly. |
The scandal has already brought about change in how the agency goes about conducting vehicle emissions tests. On September 25, the EPA notified all auto manufacturers that it was stepping up its testing activities. |
The Amazing Race is not for the faint-hearted, so it's a good thing Adam Devine and James Corden are absolutely brimming with confidence. |
In the parody audition tape above, the two play frisbee, dance together, and spend at least 90% of the video screaming enthusiastically into the camera lens. |
The best bit? Adam Devine's deadpan line about his dad. |
Tata Power Delhi Distribution (TPDDL) is one of the private power distribution companies serving Delhi. It is a joint venture between Tata Power and the Delhi Government and supplies electricity to 7 million people in North and North-West Delhi. Business Line spoke with Praveer Sinha, CEO and MD, TPDDL, on issues such ... |
Do you think the results of UDAY (Ujwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana) have begun impacting the power sector? What are the benefitsthat private power distribution utilities (discoms) can derive if the scheme is extended to them too? |
UDAY is a very innovative scheme which primarily provides an incentive to the State discoms to improve their operations. The main feature is that their debt has been taken over by their respective state governments which in turn have issued UDAY bonds. To that extent, the discoms’ financing cost has come down. |
They were earlier spending 12-15 per cent on debt financing which has now come down to 8 -10 per cent. It was expected that this benefit would enable the discoms to purchase more power. |
Unfortunately, that has not happened because many State discom have only recently, in the last six months gone through the UDAY process. |
This summer too the peak power supply was less than 150 million units, though people’s actual power demand must have been much higher. |
Hence, my feeling is that the benefit that should have come by way of more power being purchased by the state discoms to meet the requirement of consumers has not happened fully. |
Nearly 40,000 MW of generation capacity continues to remain stranded and the average plant load factor on an All India basis continues at less than 60 per cent. So, this demonstrates that demand has not gone up at the expected pace. |
In the case of private discoms, instead of the respective states governments, the banks or entities such as PFC and REC can come out with bond issues. |
Suppose a discom has an existing loan of ₹1000 crore at 15 per cent interest rate. |
It can now take the same loan from the bond-issuing entity at 8 -10 per cent,. |
This amount can be put in an escrow account and be used for repaying the original loan/ bond amount. |
So, the cost of capital will go down drastically and some of that benefit can be passed on to consumers by way of lower tariffs. |
NTPC’s generation costs eased in the June 2016 quarter. Have you benefited from this in the form of lower cost of power purchases? |
In the last six months, there have been three increases in the cost of coal. The first is the increase in the Clean Environment Cess from ₹200 to ₹400 a tonne. |
The second has been the hike in prices by Coal India by 9-19 per cent (for coal grades G6-G13) and the third has been the increase in railway freight charges. |
So, the tariff (charged by the generating company to the distribution utility) has gone up by about 10 per cent on an average. The cost of power from the plants from which NTPC is supplying to us has actually gone up as per the invoices received by us in June and July 2016 vis-a-vis the invoices for January/February 20... |
Power purchase cost constitutes the single biggest expense item for a discom. What according to you are some of the best ways of controlling this cost? |
The main source of power supply in India continues to be coal-based. So, the cost of coal has to come down. Coal India being a monopolistic supplier fixes the prices of coal on an arbitrary basis. |
There is no regulator for coal while there is a regulator for power. So, there is need for some control. Secondly, there is lot of grade slippages in the quality of coal that is being supplied. Power companies are being billed for a higher quality of coal than what is being supplied. |
So, until and unless grade slippages are sorted out and there is a third party to check coal quality, both at the loading end and unloading end, this challenge will continue. |
From what I understand, third party sampling is being done at the coal loading end but not at the receiving (unloading) end. |
Earlier grade slippages used to be in the range of 7-8 grades (each grade slippage implies a reduction of 300 kilo calories). It has come down to 5 grade slippages. |
So, if the way in which coal is being supplied from the mine to the power plant is corrected, I think there can be tariff reduction by nearly 10-15 per cent. Also, there are a large number of old power plants — 30,000 MW in the state sector and 13000 MW in the central sector. They consume huge amounts of coal. So, if t... |
The discoms in Eastern and North- Eastern India are the worst performers. Why is it so? |
Some of the States in Eastern and North-Eastern India have not been able to improve their collection and billing efficiency and also reduce their AT&C (aggregate technical and commercial) losses because their network is in a very dilapidated condition, there have been no technology interventions and there are issues re... |
There have also been issues of general lack of governance in many of these discoms. |
Apart from that, there are problems of tariff revision. Many States do not revise tariffs every year and even if revisions take place, they are not cost reflective. |
Have the Delhi discoms begun compensating consumers for unscheduled power cuts as provided under the amendment to the Delhi Electricity Supply Code and Performance Standards Regulations? |
The Delhi High Court in its order has said that the basis on which this order was issued was not legally correct and therefore it is being re-examined by the government and the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission. So, till such time nothing can be done. |
Season 6, Episode 82 of The Terrible Podcast is now up and in this show, David Todd and I spend the first part of the show recapping what took place in Super Bowl as the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers thanks to the play of their defense. |
The Broncos certainly did a great job of pressuring Panthers quarterback Cam Newton throughout the game so we talk about how they did it and what the Pittsburgh Steelers can probably learn from that. |
We discuss how Newton handled his post-game press conference before moving on to other topics. |
The Steelers own the 25th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft so David and I go over what positions the team are likely to choose with that pick. We also talk about a few names that have already been associated with that selection since the 2015 season ended. |
We close out the show by talking about the 2016 Hall of Fame class that was chosen Saturday night and what it might mean for a few former Steelers players when it comes to their chances of getting in Canton in the near future. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.