Tag: and

Travel: Finding happiness in Salamanca and Toledo

Loknath Das

I have passed too many autumns to be excited about a toy train ride. Even during my childhood in Kolkata, I hardly ever jumped on a toy train because of two reasons. One, I had a better option: trams. Two, there was just one such train in Communist-ruled Kolkata. But in Toledo, a ride in the city’s tourist toy train from Plaza de Zocodover is the best way to see the medieval marvel that sits pretty on an undulating terrain like an umbrella food cover with the Tagus river wrapped…

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Andrew Yang’s Education Ideas And Plans Aren’t Bad, They’re Much Worse Than That

Loknath Das

Andrew Yang is running for President where his policy ideas such as universal basic income are earning him a growing cadre of followers. And unlike many other candidates, Yang’s proposals are rich and detailed, which is great. Yang’s rich and detailed plans for higher education, though, are not great. They are all at once incorrect, dishonest, dangerous and likely the most hostile to higher education proposed by any candidate in a generation. In many ways, what Yang proposes for higher education would be worse than what President Trump has already done As examples, Yang supports cutting funding…

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In Chhattisgarh, health and education are top concerns

Loknath Das

RAIPUR/BILASPUR/DURG (CHHATTISGARH): As Shahnawaz Khan waited for his wife’s turn in the snaking queue for tests at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Raipur, his thoughts turned to another queue —one they will join on Tuesday to vote in the general elections. And, like Khan, the thoughts of many voters are focused on two priorities —health and education—in one of India’s poorest states, with a large tribal population. With seven Lok Sabha constituencies—Raipur, Durg, Bilaspur, Korba, Janjgir-Champa, Raigarh and Surguja—going to polls on Tuesday, Khan and thousands like him wait with renewed…

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Student discounts you can get on holiday travel and at tourist destinations

Loknath Das

Book flights and hotels in advance, travel in the shoulder season and take the DIY approach. We are all familiar with such travel tips to keep our vacation budgets under control. However, there’s more money to be saved during family holidays if you have a school or college-going child. You can grab student discounts on entry fees to heritage sites and airfare. Then there are additional benefits like special travel cards that are designed exclusively for students. These discounts should not be confused with concessions that are offered to children in general.…

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Bridging the gap for women in science and technology

Loknath Das

The theme of #BalanceforBetter for this International Women’s Day, is very apt as there is a great need for a more gender balanced world. In the field of science and technology although much efforts are being made to reduce gender disparity, there is still much to be done. Barely 22% of artificial intelligence (AI) professionals globally are female, according to The World Economic Forum 2018. Despite a critical demand for AI skillsets there is a gender gap of 72%. While women have made incredible breakthroughs in science and technology for centuries, they are often unknown…

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Bloomberg Media has developed technology to connect its TV and digital ad inventory

Loknath Das

One of the most valuable pieces of technology in ad-supported media today is the tech that can connect media companies’ linear TV and digital advertising businesses. That technology doesn’t fully exist yet, but it’s beginning to take form. Bloomberg Media has developed a technology called Bloomberg Interlink that, as the name suggests, will enable the media company to link its ad inventory across its linear TV network and digital properties. The company will initially use the technology to update the banner ads that appear on screen during its TV shows,…

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Best Travel Tips And Vacation Spots For 2019

Loknath Das

The Polar Vortex this week was good for one thing: giving many of us incentive to ponder where we’d like to vacation to get away from the big chill. Soon! After spending two days at The New York Times Travel Show in New York City recently, I have some suggestions as well as ways to save money when you take a trip in 2019. Where to Go in 2019 “The world is on sale,” said Mark Murphy, president and CEO of Travalliance Media. “The dollar is strong against every foreign…

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Bringing People And Technology Together Will Help Us Win The Cyber Battle

Loknath Das

Not one day into 2019 and the year’s first data breach was reported by the Victoria Premier’s Department in Australia, and a couple of days letter a truck load of high-profile German politicians and other individuals found their personal data had been leaked on Twitter. Seven days into the New Year and I have no doubt cyber security professionals are already exhausted at the prospect of what the next 53 weeks of 2019 holds. Cyber security is frequently referred to as a ‘cat and mouse’ game and while it’s certainly…

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Tech travel tips to keep you sane and your devices charged

Loknath Das

The Christmas and New Year holidays are behind us, but China and a couple of other countries in Asia are now gearing up for the Lunar New Year holiday. The Chinese New Year, or Tet in Vietnam, is the biggest holiday on the calendar over here. It triggers the largest human migration in the world as millions of Chinese working in the metropolises of Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and other buzzing cities head back home to visit their families. I’ll be leaving town, too, which got me thinking about the…

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Snow, ice and slippery travel to precede next round of Arctic air in midwestern US

Loknath Das

Snow and ice will sweep through the midwestern United States into Wednesday ahead of the next blast of Arctic air poised to arrive late this week. The same storm that blanketed the interior West with a fresh round of snowfall to start the week is sweeping through the Central states. The storm produced blizzard conditions over the High Plains of Colorado during Monday night to Tuesday morning. A small home was blown over amid blizzard conditions in Cripple Creek, Colorado, the Cripple Creed Fire Department said on Facebook. One person and two…

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