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Despite having food, wine, and scenery that are the envy of the world, a new study has revealed the French to be the most downbeat people on the planet.

The annual survey, carried out by the polling institute BVA-Gallup for the daily newspaper Le Parisien, spoke to the residents of 51 countries across all five continents to measure levels of optimism and pessimism. The survey found that wealth has little to do with overall happiness, with the gloomiest people found in Europe while the happiest were mostly in Africa and Asia.

The unhappiest countries were in Europe, with France at the top, receiving a negative score of 79. (Source)

 

Iceland is the cleanest country in the world. According to researchers at Yale and Columbia Universities, the Nordic island ranks first out of 163 countries on their Environmental Performance Index.

Researchers ranked countries based on 25 indicators, including water and air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and the impact of the environment on the health of the population. A score of 100 is excellent. Sierra Leone ranks at the bottom of the list with a score of 32. The U.S. ranks in the middle of the pack with 63.5. Iceland took top honors with a score of 93.5 thanks to ample clean water, lots of protected nature areas, good national health care, and a plenitude of usually clean geothermal power. (Source)

 

The Economist created an index showing the countries where women are most likely to be treated equally at work based on the labor-force participation rate, the wage gap, the proportion of women in senior jobs, and the cost of child care compared to wages, among other factors. New Zealand comes out on top, and other notorious lady-paradises such as Finland and Sweden also score highly. The countries where working women have it worst are South Korea and Japan, largely because so few women are in top jobs. The U.S. is roughly in the middle of the pack.

The biggest gender gaps in employment, though, are in Ecuador and Saudi Arabia. (Source)

 

The concept of peace is difficult to define – and even more difficult to measure. However, since 2006 the Global Peace Index has defined peace as the "absence of violence" and has sought to determine what cultural attributes and institutions are associated with states of peace. The most recent ranking in 2012 has Iceland as the most peaceful country, followed by Denmark and New Zealand. At the other end of the spectrum, Somalia is considered the least peaceful country, followed by Afghanistan and Sudan. (Source)

 

Based on a study conducted by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the 10 countries with the highest proportion of college-educated adult residents. Topping the chart is Canada — the only nation in the world where more than half of its residents can proudly hang college degrees on their walls. In 2010, 51% of the population had completed a tertiary education, which takes into account both undergraduate and graduate degrees

Snagging the number two most-educated spot was Israel, which trailed Canada by 5%. Japan, the U.S., New Zealand, and South Korea all ranked, with more than 40% of their citizens having a higher-education degree. (Source)

 

When you're traveling, some countries just don't like you, or at least it can certainly feel that way. A new report released in March 2013 by the World Economic Forum has ranked which countries roll out the welcome mat to travelers, and which give the cold shoulder.

Among the extensive analyses, one of the most interesting rankings was how welcome tourists are in each country. So, what is the world's most unfriendly country according to the data?

Bolivia took the dubious honor, scoring a 4.1 out of seven on a scale of "very unwelcome" (0) to "very welcome" (7). Venezuela and the Russian Federation were next.

Which countries are the most welcoming to foreigners? That would be Iceland, New Zealand, and Morocco. (Source)

 

Forbes Magazine recently created and published a list of the richest countries in the world. In the ranking of the World's Top 10 Richest Countries as of October 2012, Qatar came in first, topping Luxembourg which was positioned second. Qatar is an oil rich country with an abundance of natural resources, such as natural gas.

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Hey guys, you wanna go shopping at H&N with me and then grab some SFFCCCKS coffee? It's across from the Appla store. Your brain might have corrected those brands to read “H&M,” “Starbucks,” and “Apple,” but if you were walking down the street in Wuxi city in China you'd be wrong. That's actually how all of the signs read. It kind of feels like a lame parallel universe. Oddly enough, these aren't companies just ripping off their competition—they're fake street signs on empty shops meant to give potential buyers a sense of what the area could look like. Unfortunately, the idea kind of backfired and the street has become a big joke on the internet in China. (Source)

 

When people talk about Gràcia it is really the Vila de Gràcia, the historic old center, to which they are referring. This place is probably the coolest suburb in Barcelona.

The main streets of Gran de Gràcia, Torrent de l'Olla, and Travessera de Gràcia are always a hive of activity, but it is the squares that give Gràcia its unique atmosphere.

The way Gràcia is laid out makes it ideal for street parties, and the Festa Major in August is the most important in Barcelona after La Mercè. The competition for the Best Decorated Street is always hard fought and big stages are set up in the major squares offering some of the best bands around. (Source)

 

Agueda in Portugal is the setting for this wonderful installation by Sextafeira called Floating Umbrellas. This colorful creation is a part of the Agitagueda art festival.

Due to the fact that the same idea was used the year before this is the second time the streets of this town have been covered with loads of vivid umbrellas, providing shade as well as a wonderful sight. The people loved it so much that the repetitive nature of the installation does not carry the risk of becoming boring, but rather turning into a wonderful tradition. (Photo)

 

Roombeek is a commercial street and also the urban core of the district. The small stream, which gives its name to the street and has in the past flowed underground, has been restored and brought up to the surface again. Now, the water is part of the urban environment and has become the district's new central point. Its asymmetrical design, which widens and narrows along the street, accentuates its different spatial features. The base of the stream is treated with a rough structure that reduces the flowing speed of the water and creates a constant reflective pattern on the water's surface. A distinctive composition of sharp edged stepping stones refers to the randomness of natural processes and is also a reference to the fireworks explosion (the street was partially destroyed by a fireworks explosion on May 13, 2000). (Source)

 

The Canary Island of Tenerife, off the coast of Africa, may be better known for the fun in the sun reputation of its southern tourist resorts. However, anyone looking for more than just a suntan should head north, especially to the historic and noble township of La Orotava where in June the streets are decorated with elaborate flower carpets during the Corpus Christi celebrations.

The streets of its old town remain perfectly preserved; beautiful 17th and 18th century town houses with exquisitely carved wooden balconies border narrow cobbled streets. It's a feast for the eyes at the best of times, but during Corpus Christi, when the cobbles are covered with evocative images created from rose and geranium petals, the town literally blooms.
Technically, this isn't a flower carpet at all; it's entirely made from volcanic sand taken from Las Cañadas del Teide in the Mount Teide crater, which makes the subtle skin tones and lifelike expressions on the faces of the people depicted in the tapestry all the more astounding. In 2007, the sand tapestry deservedly achieved worldwide recognition when it was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest sand painting in the world. (Photo)

 

Every year, the small Switzerland ski town village of Vercorin asks artists to come and create works during the summer months. They're not looking for a singular sculpture, they're interested in creative projects that incorporate the entire village.

In 2010, Lang/Baumann was asked to take on this challenge. "Most of the houses and their facades are very old, historical wood surfaced and it seemed interesting to us to contrast them with bright colors on the street," Sabina Lang of Lang/Baumann explained.

Using only maps, they first measured everything out. Then, "we started at the point of the geometry of the street directions leading to this central village square," Lang says. "This was the base for a grid out of which we developed our drawing."

What resulted was a stunning street painting that ran through the entire village and got the whole town buzzing. "Many of the village inhabitants passed by and followed the process of painting," says Lang. "They used it in a very playful way later, especially the children used it to cycle or skate or walk on the lines." (Source)

 

Lisbon's urban project to rehabilitate the Cais do Sodré area resulted in a new epicenter for creative and cultural industries that works 24 hours a day.

In the project created by José Adrião in collaboration with Lisbon's City Council and Cais do Sodré Association, the architect decided to have the pedestrian street painted in a vibrant pink. In addition, panels have been place along the sidewalk as an outdoor art gallery. (Source)

 

Savoy Court street, where the luxury Savoy Hotel is located, is the only named street in the United Kingdom where vehicles are required to drive on the right. This is said to date from the days of the hackney carriage, when a cab driver would reach his arm out of the driver's door window to open the passenger's door (which opened backwards and had the handle at the front) without having to get out of the cab himself. Additionally, the hotel entrance's small roundabout meant that vehicles needed a turning radius of 25 ft (8 m) to navigate it. (Source)

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Canadian skeleton athlete Sarah Reid displays her eerie helmet during her training session at the Sanki Sliding Centre. (Source)


Gillian O'Blenes is a 17-year-old Calgary girl who turned to art to help pull her through her battle with cancer.

During the young dancer's treatment she was introduced to Brad Spence, a Sochi-bound skier who broke his leg just before the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin. It was during one of his regular visits to the hospital to see O'Blenes that the skier caught the 17-year-old girl doing something "amazing." O'Blenes uses "zen doodling" to pass the time while in hospital.

So inspired by her doodles, Spence commissioned O'Blenes in December 2013 to create something special for his trip to Sochi — a helmet with a one-of-a-kind design.

This was the result. (Source)


British skeleton racer Shelley Rudman's toothy helmet at the World Cup in Koenigssee, Germany.


Canada's John Fairbairn speeds down during an unofficial men's skeleton progressive training at the Sanki sliding center in Rosa Khutor, sporting a bright, neon brain on his helmet.


If hotels falling apart, people busting into rooms in the middle of the night and the general air of unease around Sochi isn't enough excitement for you, Russian snowboarder Alexey Sobolev has found a novel way of keeping entertained.

The 22-year old Russian has put his phone number on the side of his helmet, just to see what happens.

The result?

The young snowboarder has received about 2,000 texts: ”I've got a collection of pictures,” he said. “It's really boring in the Olympic Village, you know?” Looks like he might be in for some entertainment, responding to whatever it is people have sent him – especially if it means using some of the 100,000 condoms distributed to the athletes village (apparently Putin was serious about keeping Sochi safe). (Source)


Patriotic Eric Neilson had two eyes and Canada's iconic maple leaf drawn on his helmet.


Katie Uhlaender and a bald eagle.


Canadian Olympic athlete Mellisa Hollingsworth and her horse skeleton. ()