Holiday

A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tradition of cultural or religious significance. Holidays may be designated by governments, religious institutions, or other groups or organizations. The degree to which normal activities are reduced by a holiday may depend on local laws, customs, the type of job being held or even personal choices.

The concept of holidays has most often originated in connection with religious observances. The intention of a holiday was typically to allow individuals to tend to religious duties associated with important dates on the calendar. In most modern societies, however, holidays serve as much of a recreational function as any other weekend days or activities.

In many societies there are important distinctions between holidays designated by governments and holidays designated by religious institutions. For example, in many predominantly Christian nations, government-designed holidays may center on Christian holidays, though non-Christians may instead observe religious holidays associated with their faith. In some cases, a holiday may only be nominally observed. For example, many Jews in the Americas and Europe treat the relatively minor Jewish holiday of Hanukkah as a "working holiday", changing very little of their daily routines for this day.

Michael McIntyre

Michael Hazen James McIntyre (born 21 February 1976) is an English comedian, actor and presenter. In 2012, he was reported to be the highest-grossing comedian in the world.

In addition to stand-up, McIntyre has hosted his own BBC One comedy programme Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow, has featured in three episodes of Live at the Apollo and, in 2011, was a judge on Britain's Got Talent.

Personal life

McIntyre resides in Hampstead, London with his aromatherapist wife, Kitty, who is a daughter of actor Simon Ward and sister of actress Sophie Ward. The couple have two sons.

McIntyre's father, Ray Cameron, was a Canadian comedian who wrote for Kenny Everett's television shows. In 1993, McIntyre's father died by committing suicide in Hollywood, something that was kept hidden from McIntyre for 17 years. His mother, Kati, is Hungarian. His mother's father was Jewish. He is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur. McIntyre is also a keen cricket fan and has appeared on Test Match Special to discuss the sport.

Crowne Plaza

Crowne Plaza is a chain of full service, upscale hotels catering to business travelers and to the meetings and conventions market. It forms part of the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands, which include InterContinental Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, and operates in 52 countries with more than 400 hotels, usually located in city centers, resorts, or near major airports.

History

Originally branded as "Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza", the first United States Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel was opened in Rockville, Maryland, in 1983. Within a couple of years the brand was spun off as an independent chain (still owned at the time by Holiday Inn). The first Crowne Plaza Resort opened in Madeira, Portugal in 1999.

Today, the brand represents over 392 hotels globally in 52 countries with 108,307 rooms (as of March 2013) and an expanding 98 hotels in the pipeline. In 1990, the InterContinental Hotels Group purchased the Holiday Inn family; today its portfolio includes the luxury brand InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, the upscale boutique brand Hotel Indigo, the upscale extended stay brand Staybridge Suites, the midscale extended stay brand Candlewood Suites, the midscale, full service brand Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, EVEN Hotels, HUALUXE Hotels & Resorts, and the midscale limited service brand Holiday Inn Express.

Tan Cheng Bock

Dr. Tan Cheng Bock (simplified Chinese: 陈清木; traditional Chinese: 陳清木; pinyin: Chén chīngmù; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Chheng-bo̍k; born 26 April 1940) is a Singaporean politician and medical practitioner. He was formerly a member of Singapore's governing People's Action Party (PAP) and a Member of Parliament from 1980 to 2006. He was the first non-Cabinet minister elected into the PAP Central Executive Committee (1987–96). He stood for the 2011 presidential election and won the second highest number of votes at 34.85% among all four candidates, losing marginally to the winner Tony Tan.

Early life

Born to a Hokkien-speaking family, Tan was educated at Radin Mas Primary School and Raffles Institution, before going on to study at the University of Singapore where he graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 1968. He was a backbencher in the Singapore Parliament from 1980 to 2006 as a member of the People's Action Party (PAP). In early May 2011 he resigned from the PAP to stand as a candidate in the 2011 presidential election.

Free Parking

Free Parking is a Parker Brothers card game inspired by the "Free Parking" space of the Monopoly board game.

Game play

The game is played by two to four players, and game play focuses around using time on a parking meter to gain points; the first to 200 points wins. Each player has their own parking meter and a hand of cards. A player begins a turn by drawing a card, always drawing enough to reach six cards in their hand. The player then plays one of the following cards on his turn: