Author: natixis-ezine

Eiffel Tower, White House Among US Travelers’ ‘Bucket List’ Landmarks, Study Reveals

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Intermediate

By Caitriona Maria | Wealth of Geeks undefined

Despite the ever-rising cost of travel, 40% of travelers confirmed they will take a bucket list or big-ticket trip in 2025, according to a Squaremouth survey.

To uncover the most popular bucket list destinations for Americans, travel experts at The Facts Institute analyzed average monthly U.S. searches for over 150 national landmarks. Using Ahrefs data from the past 12 months, they identified the top 5 global landmarks Americans are most eager to explore.

According to the ranking, these landmarks land on Americans’ bucket list. Continue reading

A mix of merriment, music and mayhem makes panto a beloved British holiday tradition

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

Olivier Award-winner Clive Rowe (right) performs as Dame Sarah the Cook during a photocall for Hackney Empire’s Dick Whittington and His Cat in London, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Thomas Krych)

By LIZZIE KNIGHT Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Here’s a recipe as essential to Christmas in Britain as turkey, tinsel and mince pies.

Mix a fairy-tale plot with topical references, slapstick, song, dance and double entendres. Drench in sequins and spangles, mix vigorously, add some noisy audience participation, and you have a panto.

Pantos — short for pantomimes — are stage musicals that play at theaters big and small across the U.K. each winter. Formulaic but anarchic, family friendly but a little risque, they are a holiday tradition that give many children their first exposure to live theater — and adults a chance to cut loose.

Anyone who thinks Britons are buttoned up hasn’t been to a panto. Audiences happily shed their inhibitions – cheering, singing, hissing the villain, shouting “He’s behind you!” to warn the hero. Continue reading

The winter solstice is almost here, the Northern Hemisphere’s darkest day

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

By The Associated Press undefined

The winter solstice is Saturday, bringing the shortest day and longest night of the year to the Northern Hemisphere — ideal conditions for holiday lights and warm blankets.

For those who would rather have more sunlight, you can try to make your way to the Southern Hemisphere, where it is summer. Or be patient: Starting Sunday, days will get a little bit longer in the Northern Hemisphere every single day until late June.

These annual changes in sunlight as the Earth revolves around the sun have been well known to humans for centuries. Monuments such as Stonehenge in England and the Torreon at Peru’s Machu Picchu were designed in part to align with solstices.

Here’s what to know about how the Earth’s march around the sun splits up the year. Continue reading

FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host despite human rights concerns

natixis-ezine

Read time : 3 mins

Level : Advanced

FILE – Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, stand for the anthem prior to opening soccer match of the 2018 World Cup between Russia and Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki stadium in Moscow, Russia, on June 14, 2018. (Alexei Nikolsky/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed Wednesday by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer, giving the oil-rich kingdom its biggest prize yet for massive spending on global sports driven by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino.

“The vote of the congress is loud and clear,” said Infantino, who had asked officials on a bank of screens to clap their hands at head level to show their support.

The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games.

The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. Continue reading

GivingTuesday estimates $3.6B was donated this year, an increase from 2023

natixis-ezine

Read time : 2 mins

Level : Intermediate

Volunteer Victoria Vasquez, 70, of Providence, R.I., center, supervises one-and-a-half year olds Scarlett Thomas, left, and Liam Echevarria Gaytan, right, in an early childcare program at Federal Hill House, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024, in Providence, R.I. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

By THALIA BEATY Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. donors gave $3.6 billion on Tuesday, an increase from the past two years, according to estimates from the nonprofit GivingTuesday.

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, now known as GivingTuesday, has become a major day for nonprofits to fundraise and otherwise engage their supporters each year, since the 92nd St Y in New York started it as a hashtag in 2012. GivingTuesday has since become an independent nonprofit that connects a worldwide network of leaders and organizations who promote giving in their communities.

“This just really shows the generosity, the willingness of American citizens to show up, particularly collectively,” said Asha Curran, CEO of the nonprofit GivingTuesday. “We are just seeing the power of collective action and particularly collective giving over and over and over again.” Continue reading