Worlds Best Cities to Live

A new study released by Mercer into quality of life in cities around the world has revealed the top 50 places to live. The study assesses 221 of the worlds major cities, using factors such as crime, political stability, hospitals, transport, food and drink, leisure, climate and personal freedom to calculate the overall quality of life for those living in each city.

The Winner? According to the survey, Vienna in Austria is the best city in the world to live in with the highest quality of life, for the second year in a row. European cities dominate the top 30, with Zurich & Geneva of Switzerland scoring second and third respectively. Vancouver in Canada and Auckland in New Zealand are tied at fourth place, with German Cities Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Munich completing the top 8.

Other rankings include Sydney Australia at number 10, Copenhagen in Denmark at 11 and Amsterdam in the Netherlands at 13 (take that Bill O’Reilly you massive idiot). Canada scores well above the USA with Vancouver at 4th, Ottawa at 14th, Toronto at 16th, Montreal at 21st and Calgary at 28th.

Both the UK and the USA scored pretty poorly compared to the rest of the world. The only city from England to make the top 50 was London at number 39, out placed by Dublin at 26th. The highest ranking city for the USA is Honolulu at number 31, followed by San Francisco in joint 32nd. Japan’s highest entry was Tokyo at number 40. Paris was France’s highest scoring city at number 34, just ahead of Helsinki of Finland and Brisbane Australia.

New York City and Seattle rounded up the bottom of the top 50, just behind Chicago and the USA capitol Washington. In the Middle East, Dubai and Abu Dhabi scored 75th and 83rd respectively, and last place on the list of 221 countries went to Baghdad in Iraq. Iraq’s score improved slightly from last year, but remained in last place due to it’s lack of security and stability.

A second list was also released showing the top 50 Eco-Friendly cities in the world. Canadian City Calgary scored highest, with Canada also achieving 3rd (Ottawa) and joint 13th (Vancouver & Montreal). Aberdeen is the cleanest UK city in at number 19, with Belfast (30) and Glasgow (47) also making the top 50. Surprisingly, Eco capital of the world Copenhagen in Denmark made only 8th on the list.

You can see the complete lists here

Lost Until Now

Once every now and then, something comes along that defines the very age we live in. Phenomenons that capture the attention and imagination of people the world over. If you live in the western world, you will not have gone through the last 6 years without at least hearing about the Phenomenon that was the TV show ‘LOST’.

Lost followed a seemingly random group of survivors of a flight from Australia to Los Angeles that crash landed on a mysterious Island before reaching it’s destination. The show told the story of  their struggle to survive on the Island, as well as the stories of the characters previous lives via flashbacks.

My first memory of Lost is the first UK trailer in the summer of 2005. Living in the UK, I missed the initial launch of the first season in the USA, yet the hype had made it across the sea sooner than its August 2005 UK premier. Lost was an instant hit the world over and for many reasons. Perhaps the most important of all was the timing. The dawn of the digital age was in full swing and the Internet was the driving force behind changes in pretty much everything, and the revolution of the way we communicate.

The past decade saw Television move in a new direction. As technology progressed, it became easier and cheaper than ever to get movie quality special effects into television budgets. Still this didn’t stop Lost’s Pilot episode becoming the most expensive TV episode of all time. But to this day it is still hailed as one of the best episodes of any TV show ever. It set the tone of action packed, mystery filled drama that immediately got audiences asking questions and craving answers. This was not your business as usual American TV Drama.

It was closer to a movie than a TV show in both quality and scale. This was not the story of one man, or one island. It was the story of a big group of people, who had to discover each other at the same as time we discovered them. It had everything, and yet was unlike anything else that had ever been on television before. The first season was flawless, arguably the best series of any TV show still to this day. It was perhaps the mystery written into the show that made it really stand out. Each week would leave the audience with more questions than answers. And it was these questions that go people talking.

The timing of the show, coinciding with the way the internet was revolutionising the way we communicate, that played right into it’s hands. Everyone wanted to know why there was a polar bear on the island, or what was in the hatch. Everyone had a theory. The internet meant that we were no longer confined to talk about last nights TV around the water cooler, but could share thoughts and ideas with people anywhere in the world at any time. The show had been very well thought out and the continuity and consistency was unparalleled. The writers made it knowing that every single part of every episode would be scrutinised for clues to solve some of the mysteries of the show. Every line, every prop, every single frame could hold a clue from the writers to the fans. The writers knew it and played along with it. It was this communication between the writers and the fans, and vies versa, that really took Lost to the next level.

Fans flocked to the internet to find answers and share their ideas on the mysteries of the show. It was truly the first show to create a real community on the web, with sites like DarkUFO and Lostpedia becoming havens of information on the subject. It was also the dawn of the Podcast and fans flocked to download the latest theories from the biggest names in the community. The writers paid close attention to fans reactions to every twist and tale. Never before did an audience have so much of a say into what they wanted from a scripted show. It lead some critics of the show to claim that the writers were making it up as they were going along. The claim, denied by the writers, may have been true to a small extent, but certainly worked in the shows favour when it came to eliminating dull characters (Nikki & Paulo in Season 3) that fans quickly grew tired of. But the writers never really deviated from the overall path of the show.

Lost not only worked for the hardcore fans that delved themselves into the mythology of the show, it also appealed to the casual viewer. TV shows before Lost generally followed the idea that you had to dumb down the narrative to make it appeal to a large audience. Lost managed to prove that that was no longer the case. It may have been the overall story ark that brought the hardcore fans back every week, but they did not make up for even half of it’s millions of weekly viewers. Lost managed to intertwine an amazing map of story arks both long term and short term. And it was perhaps these easier to understand short term character plots & developments that consistently kept the average viewer tuning in.

Despite all its hype, all it’s mystery and it’s massive external community, it was Lost’s characters that were the real stars of the show. What a lot of people failed to realise, despite constant reassurance from the writers, was this was a story about these individuals and not about the island or the mysteries behind it. It was these people, these flawed individuals forced to live together or die alone, that really made Lost excellent Television.

So when it came to the final season, we were promised the answers that everyone craved. The writers knew they would never please everyone, and the fans knew that they couldn’t all be right. The writers wanted a legacy. They would never end Lost in such a way to ruin its status they had worked so long on building. True fans of the show (myself included) could figure out that we would never get all the answers to everything on the show. But that’s not what the show was about. It was about the characters and their path to redemption. And that is exactly what they got.

After watching the finale, I can comprehensively say that it gave me everything I wanted as a Lost fan. It was the damn near perfect way to end the perfect TV show. There were no big mythological answers or huge revelations, just the very emotional and sombre endings of the stories of these characters. The writers made it very rewarding for those of us who have been there since the very beginning and ended it the way they clearly set out to from the start. It was probably the strongest emotion reaction I have ever felt from TV or film and one I feel is unlikely to be beaten. I hope that when I die I get to hang out in a room with all the cool people from my life.

So for me personally, Lost has to go down as one of, if not THE best TV show of all time. It consistently pushed the boundaries of TV and was consistently flawless on almost every level. So Thank you all to everyone involved! Well Played Chaps!

One Dead in Paris after Facebook Party

As every month passes, Facebook becomes more powerful, more popular, more relevant and more a party of our daily lives. It is quite simply, one of the most powerful and effective methods of communication in our history.

It’s understandable then that Facebook can regularly make the headlines, often being criminalised for something it didn’t personally do. Much like how Grand Theft Auto will get blamed for every crime committed by anyone who has ever played it. But that’s another story.

Facebook has hit the headlines big time in France recently as a new craze sweeps the nations capital of Paris.  Dubbed “Facebook aperitif” in France, it is basically a cocktail party that gets listed as an event on the website, which gets shared between friends and that anyone can attend. Recent parties have been attended by an estimated 10,000 people each night in Paris and Montpellier.

A Facebook organised Party in the London Underground, after it was announced drinking was to be banned.

But before we can all go jumping on a flight to Paris, take a minute to morn the sad death of a young man at one such party yesterday. A 21 year old male died after sliding down a bridge railing and hitting his head whilst heavily intoxicated. It is obviously a tragic accident. A very similar thing happened to a man of the same age who went to my school not long ago so I can certainly appreciate how tragic it must be for the people involved. But already people are blaming Facebook and the parties for the death.

On the same night, authorities who got wind of the event banned the sale of alcohol but it was impossible to enforce. Fifty-seven people were hospitalized for drinking too much and 41 people were jailed. Sounds like a average night out in Cardiff to be fair. If you are flying to France anytime soon, be aware that the next party is planned for May 23rd at the Champ de Mars near the Eiffel Tower. Police have already issued warnings on Facebook claiming the party will be illegal, and are expected to be their in force

The State of Things – UK Government

Those of us in the UK today woke up to a new country. A country with a new government that only one day, or one week ago, no one could have predicted. A government lead by a man that only 34,000 people voted for.

Yesterday, in the wake of a breakdown of talks between Labour and the Liberal Democrats, Primeminister Gordon Brown stepped down from his role, opening the door for Conservative leader David Cameron to essentially take control of the country. After Brown yesterday announced that he was to step down as Labour leader, all expected to see a Labour – Lib Dem Coalition to take control of parliament. But before it became apparent that talks between the two parties had failed, Brown announced that he was conceding leadership and was off to see the queen. Less than 2 hours later and we have a new Primeminister in David Cameron. Less than another 2 hours later and we have a new cabinet. That’s British Politics.

So we now have a Commander in Chief that only 34,000 people voted for. That is the 34,000 people in his constituency of Witney. No one else voted for him. Only 36% of the country voted for his party. And this is supposed to be democracy. The country voted for no single party, so that means the people we did not vote into power get to make up their own mind about who runs the country. It’s the system that is broken, not the country.

I am however glad to see Nick Clegg taking an important role as the Deputy Primeminister. I am also glad to see him apparently getting on with Cameron, dispute my personal opinions of him. No body wants to see a dysfunctional government. I am glad to see what is hopefully the end of Peter Mandleson. William Hague as foreign secretary? Is that really the impression you want to give to the world? New Equality Minister Theresa May voted against the repeal of section 28.  And Osborne for chancellor? No thanks. If you are actually serious about combating the deficit, then why are you going to spend £100 billion on replacing the ageing Trident Nuclear missiles? I WILL NOT continue to live in a country that would rather spend that much money on something that can only be used to kill thousands of people, than on health-care or schooling or public services. We do not need nuclear weapons. Period.

The one good thing that could come from this is a compromise of the all the voiced of the British people might be achieved. But it’s early days, and it has never worked before and is unlikely to now. In the run up to the election, the Tories had almost opposite views to the Lib Dems. Are we supposed to believe that they can now run a country in harmony? We can only hope.

We don’t need electoral reform. We need social political reform. Will we get it? No. Because that’s not what politicians do and that is certainly not what Conservatism is about.

Conservative: “Disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change.”

A vote for change my arse. Enjoy the furniture in No.10 Cameron. Who knows how long you will sit there. Cold War Kids – Hospital Beds

Decision Time for UK Voters

Sorry if things have been a little slow of late here at Global Changes. I have been off on my travels and struggled to find flights to London due to a rather prolific volcano in Iceland. But I’m back, and just in time for one of the biggest weeks in British politics for Decades.

Tomorrow will be the first General Election where any of the 3 leading parties could actually win in (my) living memory. But this is not a good thing. We are not choosing between 3 worthy candidates, we are being forced to choose the lesser of many evils. Our votes are not being cast for who we agree with the most. Instead people are more motivated to vote for who they disagree with the least. This is not democracy. This is Politics: a outdated, irrelevant, pompous, ignorant farce. Giving us the public the illusion that we actually get a say in our country.

So lets take a look at the “Options” for those about to Vote:

Labour

Labour are massively incompetent, quite ignorant and fairly stupid. They have not broken Britain as the Tories will claim, they have simply made us broke. Labours biggest crime of their previous years in office has been their hideously wasteful spending. For more on this you can read my previous post on the Failings of Government. Labours spending behaviour often resembled that of how I imagine a group of pre-school children, were they given No.10’s annual budget. Spending Millions on things that seem cool, that they then get bored of after 10 minutes and end up throwing away. Their intentions are good (well at least they think they are), but Labour have not supplied us with a satisfactory form of democracy or government in their term in office, and for this reason you should not vote for them. Rewarding a lesser failure than the previous administration should not be acceptable.

Conservatives

The Tories are severely outdated, irrelevant, ignorant, prejudice old men that should have no place in politics or this country. They are a dying breed of Brits from a dying time and they know it. They however do have one thing on their side. Wealth. And they are using it to try to persuade the country that a vote for them is a vote for change. The only change it would bring is the change back to the old ways of feeding the rich and repressing the poor.

Make no mistake. A vote for the Conservative party is a vote against years of progress. It is not a step back. It is a giant leap back. Do not think that it is your only option if you do not want to vote Labour. Both Tories & Labour will tell you that a vote for the Lib Dems is a wasted one. But that is because they both know that this time they actually have a chance.

Liberal Democrats

For the first time in years, the Lib Dems actually have a realistic shot at winning the election. But only if people lose the stigma of them being inexperienced and unable to handle themselves in government. A stigma maintained only by the opposing parties. A Facebook poll of 500,000 voters put Nick Clegg with 41% of the votes yesterday, way ahead of both Gordon Brown and David Cameron. This is the only real vote for change. A vote for other parties would simply mean business as usual. Nick Clegg fared far better than his counter parts in the live debates and actually has policies that seem to be in the best interests of everyone. If you are going to vote, vote Lib Dem.

As for myself. I am not voting. I am not voting for a system I don’t believe in. Our political system doesn’t work. Politicians ignorantly spend more time trying to justify their jobs than they do doing them. The theatre of parliament is grotesque, outdated and irrelevant. I will not vote to keep it.

Coldplay – Politik

Obama Rallies House To Pass Healthcare Reform

Progress and politics are two things that rarely go together. Its been well over a year since Barack Obama became the first black president of the United States, telling the world that America was ready for change. 14 months on and it has been business as usual for the duration of his term in office, that is until now.

After a year of stalling a scare tactics from the opposing Republican party, the Democrats have finally managed to pass their own bill of Healthcare reform threw the house by a tiny majority of 219 to 212. The bill had no Republican backing, further showing how the Democrats have wasted so much time when they have had the majority vote all along.

The bill extends coverage to 32 million more Americans, and marks the biggest change to the US Healthcare system in decades. It is the first real achievement of the Obama administration after a year of frustrating and often crass opposition from the Republican Party, making a mockery of the political system.

“We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things. This legislation will not fix everything that ails our Healthcare system, but it moves us decisively in the right direction.” Obama

The new legislation means health insurance will be extended to nearly all Americans, paid for by new taxes imposed on the wealthy, and restrictive insurance practices such as refusing to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions will be outlawed. A move that really anyone with a soul could not refuse. The Republicans have vowed to continue fighting it.