Where the grass is greener

Cities in Australia and Canada are rated the most livable in the world

With low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed transport and communications infrastructure, Canada and Australia are home to the most livable destinations in the world. Four of the ten most livable cities surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit are in Australia, and two of the top five are Canadian. Vancouver is the most attractive destination, with a livability index of just 1.3% (see table).

While livability considers factors of recreational and cultural activity, the "big city buzz" can hamper the scores of some cities, although not to the extent that a city will present significant challenges. Global centers such as New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong and Paris may find themselves let down precisely because of their size and attractiveness.

Traffic congestion and higher crime rates associated with large urban centers have, to some extent, offset the obvious cultural gains of living in such locations. This has also been compounded by fears that large centers like London and New York will remain targets for high-profile terror attacks. Despite this, most major centers do not present any significant challenges to livability.

Of the 132 cities surveyed, only nine cities present the worst-case scenario in which most aspects of living quality are severely restricted, reflecting general improvements on a global scale in areas such as education, health care and infrastructure. Four of these are in Asia, mainly South Asia. The other five are in Africa (accounting for three) and the Middle East (accounting for two).

The threat of terrorism and civil unrest is a major contributing\nfactor to the cities that suffer from the worst livability scores, as\nare poor development indicators. Algiers is the least livable\ndestination in the survey, with a score of 64.7%.

The threat of terrorism and civil unrest is a major contributing factor to the cities that suffer from the worst livability scores, as are poor development indicators. Algiers is the least livable destination in the survey, with a score of 64.7%.

The King of Torts

I just finished reading John Grisham's The King of Torts (that I borrowed from Sheryza). I have to say it was a very good read.
I am a novel addict. Give me any novel and I'll eat it up as fast as I can unless it's really dumb like The Devil Wears Prada. It was so dumb I couldn't even go past the third page.

I'm not saying all John Grisham's books are good, but most of them are. Out of all his novels, the best of the best were A Time to Kill and The Pelican Brief. Those and others really left a print on my life.

Back to The King of Torts. I was so into the novel that I was dreaming about lawyers and settlements and money and yachts, and everything. One morning my husband was waking me for Fajer after I stayed up til 2 in the morning reading it, and I was so tired I slept while I was sitting up in the bed, and I had a dream: I was kind of aware that I was sitting up and that I was tired, and I told myself, if the clients want me they should come to me. I'm gonna sleep now. And so I put my head back down and sleapt. Astaghfirulla!

My husband (knowing my ways) came back and said: "I thought you said your getting up"?

Lo0o0oL. I was about to tell him about my clients and plaintiffs, but I remembered that I'm not in America, but in Saudi and I should get up quickly before the shaytan pees in my ears!

I have another John Grisham right here: The Testament, (also from Sheryza) and I'm ready to read it. Sometimes it's better to let the story sink in. Especially if the end was shocking, like in Harlan Coben's novels. I'll talk about his books on another post inshallah.

Costume Party

The kids had a costume party on Saturday.

Hajar was her great grandmother, "Siddika Sharafuddeen."

Sumayah was a scientist.

3abdul 3aziz was a Tide box!
I think he was the funniest...
We got a stationary store to scan the tide box into two huge posters and I stuck them to foam boards.

Hajar's Art Project (HOME)

Al7amdu Lillah, at the beginning of this semester we moved our kids to a private school called "Al- Fus7a," here in Madinah:

http://www.alfusha.com/vb/index.php

This school is a huge ni3ma (blessing) that Allah has blessed us with.
My kids have been so busy and they never ever want to miss a Saturday (when we usually dread going to school) or a Wednesday (too lazy to go!) because the school has so many activities everyday and especially on those two days.

Two weeks ago, Hajar (11) was late giving in this art project to build a home, their teacher gave them a head start with the building, I gave her the ideas and I made the curtains. Sumayah and 3abdul 3aziz helped too...

The curtains, and plant pots on window sills:

Laundry line:

Little pond and plants around it:

Naples...

Naples (Italian: Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule, from Greek Νεάπολη < Νέα Πόλις Néa Pólis 'New City')

Capital of the Campania region and the Province of Naples. The city has a population of about 1 million. By one count the metropolitan area of Naples is one of the largest in Italy, with more than 4,400,000 inhabitants. The inhabitants are known as Neapolitans, napoletani or poetically partenopei in Italian (napulitane in Neapolitan). It is located halfway between the volcano, Vesuvius and a separate volcanic area, the Campi Flegrei, all part of the Campanian volcanic arc.
It is rich in historical, artistic and cultural traditions and gastronomy. Neapolitan ('o napulitano) is the colourful, rich dialect that has been a trademark of southern Italy ever since the period of the Kingdom of Naples and the Two Sicilies. This history, coupled with its size, has given Naples the unofficial status of being the Capital of the South (in Italy).
The city is served by Naples International Airport at Capodichino.

History

Naples was founded between the 7th and 6th centuries BC by the Greeks and was given the name Neapolis.During the period of Roman domination, the town preserved its Greek language and customs. Following the Roman period, the city was dominated by many different groups of people (Byzantines, Lombards, Normans, Swabians, Angevins, Aragonese, Spaniards, Austrians, Bourbons and revolutionary French). Nowadays one can see the traces of all those rulers in the monuments, in the culture and in the habits of the town. In 1266 the Angevins moved the capital of the Kingdom of Sicily from Palermo to Naples. Sicily soon parted and formed an independent Kingdom of Sicily. After the Congress of Vienna Naples became the capital of the united Kingdom of Two Sicilies. After a long period of decline following the creation of the Italian State over 100 years ago, the city is making strides in recovering its eminence as a center for culture.

Climate
Naples has a typical Mediterranean climate. This means mild winters and hot summers. Rains concentrate during November and December and between March and April. Average temperature during the coldest month is 8° C. (48 F. ) whilst average temperature in July is 24° C. (75,2 F.). The mild climate and the geographical and morphologic richness of the bay of Naples made it famous during Roman times when emperors chose the city as a favorite holiday location.

Beneath Naples
Subterranean Naples consists of old Greco-Roman reservoirs dug out from the soft tufo stone on which, and from which, the city is built. Approximately one kilometer of the many kilometers of tunnels under the city can be visited from the well known "Napoli Sotteranea" situated in the historic centre of the city in Via dei Tribunali. There are also large catacombs in and around the city and other visits such as Piscina Mirabilis, the main cistern serving the bay of Naples during Roman times. This system of tunnels and cisterns cover most of the city and lies approximately thirty metres below ground level. Moisture levels are around 70%. During World War II these tunnels were used as air raid shelters and there are inscriptions in the walls which depict the suffering endured during that time.

Food and drink

Naples is by tradition the home of pizza. It is the birthplace of the Pizza Margherita, which traditionally is made with mozzarella cheese, pomodoro (tomato) and basil -representing, respectively, the red, white, and green of the Italian flag. The pizza was named when it was served to Queen Margherita during a visit to the city. La vera pizza ("true pizza") is made in a wood-burning oven similar to a Tandoori oven. There is a certification body that issues recognition to pizza places around the world that have been deemed to make true Neapolitan pizza.
Melanzane alla parmigiana is a bake of layers of fried slices of eggplant (aubergine, very often coated in egg and flour, or in a light batter), alternated with mozzarella, tomato sauce and parmesan (parmigiano) cheese (a less common version does not include mozzarella).
Naples offers several kinds of unique pastry, the most famous of which is perhaps the Pastiera, a cake prepared for Easter. The babà (also known as savarin) is a mushroom-shaped piece of leavend sweet pastry, soaked with an orange flavoured mixture of ruhm and water. Choux is a small "bubble" of leavened pastry stuffed with light cream, usually coffee or chocolate flavored. The Pastiera is a cake with a complicated recipe, varying by the county in which it is prepared. The ingredients are typically annealed grain, eggs, and sometimes cream (it is sometimes made with boiled rice instead of grain in the area of Salerno), in a sort of short crust pastry with strips of pastry on the top making a sort of grid. Another typical Neapolitan pastry is the Sfogliatella (riccia or frolla).
Naples is also known for its ice cream (in Italian gelato).
Neapolitan food forms the basis for much Italian-American cuisine.

Lock-Pickin’ Business Card

By Andrew Liszewski-
I used to attend a lot of trade shows and on the last day before I checked out of my hotel room I always made sure to chuck all the business cards I had collected because quite frankly it was one less thing I had to deal with when I got back to the office. However I can guarantee I would have never thrown out a card like this.
Designed by Jeni Mattson this business card was created for someone named Melvin who is apparently known as a “hacker” and “all around mischief maker.” …Right. Well apparently he wanted something to give to friends and clients that best represented his line of work so the lockpick concept was chosen. Besides being just plain cool the various tools can also be removed from the card and used for all your breaking & entering needs.
While I have no idea what the per unit cost for something like this would be, there’s no doubt it would make quite an impression on people.

Source: www.ohgizmo.com