The Most Peaceful Countries in the World

If you want to travel to a beautiful place and be sure that everything goes well, you might want to check out the list of the safest countries in the world according to the Global Peace Index. The survey conducted this year ranks countries according to 23-point criteria. The criteria of foreign peace accounted for sixty percent of the ranking, while the remaining forty percent include the analysis of internal factors such as crime and availability of weapons. The criteria of foreign peace included wars over the last 5 years and relationships with neighbors. The list includes 144 countries. The Global Peace Index survey was carried out by the British Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). Below you will see characteristics of several countries that represent all continents.

New Zealand

The island nation for quite a long time has been considered the best places on earth. It always featured among the top nations of the Global Peace Index. This year the Global Peace Index lists New Zealand as the leading nation among the best countries to live in. The conducted survey gave New Zealand the least points in terms of violence and violent crimes. In addition, the nation scored very low on hostility to foreigners.

Denmark and Norway

The two northern nations had the same score on the Global Peace Index, being listed second after New Zealand. The best results were shown in the fields of human rights and political stability. In addition, both Denmark and Norway had low scores on gender discrimination.

Iceland, Austria and Sweden

The fourth in the list of the safest countries is Iceland, which has a very high score in literacy and civil liberties. The country is followed by Austria that has a very high score on democracy and education. Sweden comes sixth with high scores in democracy. It is worth mentioning that Scandinavian countries, including Finland (ranked 9th), were all at the top of the list, showing high scores by every criterion.

Japan

The land of the rising sun has the best scores among all Asian countries. It has a very low score on military spending and the number of armed service workers.

Canada

Note that this is the only country from North America that was able to make it to the top ten of the Global Peace Index. Being ranked eighth, Canada boasts the highest percentage of women in Parliament.

Slovenia

Slovenia was ranked tenth, being considered the most peaceful country from the former Yugoslavia. The rest of countries found in the Western Balkan region showed the following results: Croatia 49th, Bosnia-Herzegovina 50th, Albania 76th, Serbia 78th, Macedonia 88th and Montenegro 91st.

Qatar

Together with Oman, which was listed 21st, Qatar is the most peaceful nation among all Arab countries in the list, having high scores on relationships with neighbors.

Australia

The green continent was ranked 19th in the list. It would've been higher in the rankings if it wasn't for the latest news that reported about racists assaults on Indian students. Still, the country remained quite attractive for foreigners due to a relaxed immigration procedure as well as good indicators of human development.

Chile

Chile was listed twentieth, being the most peaceful country from the South American continent. The country showed a good score in terms of relations with the neighboring countries and the number of armed services personnel per 100,000 people.

China

The country with the fastest development pace was able to make it to the 74th position. Its government scored very low on political rights and human rights, but there were some pretty good results in terms of material wellbeing and overall development. It is worth mentioning that Summer Olympic Games did not improve the country's position in the list, China going down five positions from 2008.

Royal Resorts: 10 Outrageous Hotels For The Mega-rich

Most of us have simple demands when it comes to travel lodging– a bed, a bathroom, a TV and wi-fi. There are others, however, whose demands far eclipse the simple convenience of your basic hotel room. When the world’s most wealthy travelers take a vacation for their own, they are treated to suites that cover entire floors of a hotel building, rooms that include a personal butler, hell– some even come with their own private helicopter. Take a peek into the experience of the world’s most wealthy travelers. Here are 10 of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world.

10. $15,500 a night – Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt-Vendôme

Paris, France

Situated on the second floor of the Park Hyatt-Vendôme’s Haussmanian building is the hotel’s 750 square-foot Imperial Suite. Thise pricey suite has high ceilings, a dining room, kitchenette and bar. When visitors tire of toiling, they relax with an “In Suite Spa” that comes outfitted with a steam room, Whirlpool and built-in massage table.

9. $16,000 a night – Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V
Paris, France

The George V in Paris boasts a pair of “sumptuous” Royal Suites that each come with private terraces and rooms filled with antique furniture. Each suite has a marble entrance, a full kitchen, a sauna and a separate bathroom for guests. The expensive 2,600 square-foot suites are split into separate spaces for sleeping and entertaining, both of which also have a private office.

8. $17,500 a night – Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richemond
Geneva, Switzerland

Le Richemond’s Royal Armleder Suite reopened in 2007 after an extensive restoration of the hotel’s seventh floor, which the luxury suite occupies the entirety of. The suite is bedecked in gold, mosaics and parquet floors and has a 300 square-foot terrace with stunning views of Geneva and the nearby Alps.

7. $18,000 a night – Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A two-story suite that centers around an epic staircase, Burj Al Arab’s Royal Suite has Carrara marble floors, mahogany furniture and a master bedroom with a rotating four-post canopy bed. Guests enjoy Hermes bathroom products, Faubourg fragrances, their own private elevator and cinema and for a bit extra– a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce or helicopter.

6. $18,200 – Ritz-Carlton Suite, The Ritz-Carlton
Moscow, Russia

Floor-to-ceiling windows outline the Ritz-Carlton Suite at the hotel chain’s Moscow location. Imperial furniture fills the 2,500 square-foot suite, which comes with a heated floor, a grand piano and a library. The suite has views of the Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral and visitors get to enjoy five meals a day and their very own KGB-approved autonomous energy supply system and secure telecommunications array.

5. $25,000 a night – Bridge Suite at The Atlantis
Paradise Island, Bahamas

The 10-room Bridge Suite at Bahamian resort The Atlantis fills the entire space linking the hotel complex’s two flagship towers. Forbes reports the suite has hosted guests including Oprah and Michael Jackson. [pic via flickr]

4. $33,000 a night – Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel
Geneva, Switzerland

President Woodrow Wilson reportedly suffered from high blood pressure, so it’s safe to assume he would have appreciated a stress-free stay at President Wilson Hotel’s Royal Penthouse Suite. Consuming the entire top floor of the hotel, the four-bedroom suite can hold up to 40 guests in its cocktail lounge and is said to be the best digs for heads of state wanting to make an impression when they’re in town on United Nations business. [pic via guardian uk]

3. $34,000 a night – Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons
New York

The Ty Warner Penthouse practically floats in Manhattan. Floor-to-ceiling windows surround all sides of the massive suite, surrounding guests in 360-degree views of the city skyline from atop Manhattan’s tallest hotel. The nine-room suite has walls inlayed with mother of pearl, gold and platinum-woven fabrics, and the room itself includes a private butler, unlimited global calling and TVs programmed to receive every channel in the entire world.

2. $40,000 a night – Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort
Las Vegas

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy-themed suite at the Palms Casino resort has a $700,000 jacuzzi that cantilevers out above the Las Vegas strip. The 10,000 square-foot, two-story suite comes with around-the-clock butler service and (of course) a rotating bed set beneath a mirrored ceiling. [pic via guardian uk]

1. $50,000 a night – Royal Villa at Grand Resort Lagonissi
Athens, Greece

The Grand Resort’s Royal Villa gives the world’s most exclusive guests a private version of everything imaginable. The only other people lucky guests have to see while secluded in their heated pool, steam room or private beach is the suite’s dedicated butler, chef and pianist.

By Joe Wertz

We're watching Internet more than TV, poll finds

Canadians are spending more time online than they are in front of their television sets, the first time Internet usage has jumped ahead of TV watching, a new survey by the Ipsos Reid polling firm suggests.

But they're still watching TV on their computers as more shows migrate online, said Mark Laver, associate vice-president of Ipsos Reid.

"We're not necessarily watching less television," Laver said Monday from Calgary.

"We're watching television in a different form in a different medium. Some of that increase in Internet usage is coming from people watching shows online."

Overall, Canadians are now spending more than 18 hours a week online, compared with 16.9 hours watching television, says the Interactive Reid Report.

Internet usage is up from 14.9 hours last year, while the number of hours watching television also rose in the last year, from 15.8 hours in 2009. Use of newspapers, radio and magazines have all remained relatively stable in the last year.

Some industry watchers have noted the cost of watching TV is rising as cable TV companies and satellite operators raise the monthly cost of service. As that happens, more people are watching TV online for free.

On Monday, the CRTC gave financially ailing TV networks a victory, ruling that the networks can seek payment from cable and satellite companies for the right to carry broadcast signals.

The CRTC said the networks can even choose to withhold their signals from a cable company if negotiations go bust.

But the federal broadcast regulator said before negotiations can get going, it wants the Federal Court of Appeal to rule on whether the new system is legally sound.

The Ipsos Reid poll was done in the last quarter of 2009 and questioned 839 Canadian adults.

by: The Canadian Press

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