2005 Year in Review

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you go?

It's just my opinion, but it sort of depends on what you are looking for.

A single man: Brazil. The natives are friendly. If you have blonde hair and blue eyes you will have to beat off the most beautiful women in the world with a stick. If you are just plain ugly, no problem, the women will still love you. I'm not kidding. Brazilian women learn sex appeal before they reach kindergarten. They've never been hampered by Puritan ethics.

A single woman: Italy. The natives are overly friendly. Still it is a great ego builder. Does age or beauty matter here? Don't worry about it if you are rich.

A theater lover: London, England. London has the best stage productions in the world, hands down. New York comes in a very close second, but unless you like to play the stock market too, London is the place to be.

A gambler: Monte Carlo. I'm sure Las Vegas ranks right up there and with the exchange rate what it is and all, but MC just has that international charm that you can't find out in the desert. Move to Hong Kong if you are a speculator and play the stock market and futures markets.

A sport fisherman: Alaska. Throw your line in and pull back a big fish every time. You don't see any skinny bears in Alaska because the fishing is so good.

A food lover: France. Julia Child wasn't skinny either. Her recommendation is good enough for me and I was never disappointed eating out in France. It could have something to do with the wine.

In need of affordable and good medical care: India. American trained physicians and prices out of reach of the majority of the population, but readily available to anyone spending dollars and easily 20% of what it would cost you here in the USA.

A thrill seeker: Iraq. A Muslim country, home of ancient civilizations, a spotted political scene, but lots of potential with oil reserves and the faint hearted will not be hanging around.

Something different: Gabon. Beautiful weather and beaches and tropical rainforests and a small population with a little bit of a French accent. A real get-away-from-it-all kind of place and some serious cultural diversity, like Pygmies and Watusi's, and the world's largest snakes.

According to the United Nations Development Report 2001 the best places to live are: 1. Norway 2. Australia 3. Canada 4. Sweden 5. Belgium 6. United States 7. Iceland 8. Netherlands 9. Japan 10. Finland 11. Switzerland 12. Luxembourg 13. France 14. UK 15. Denmark 16. Austria 17. Germany 18. Ireland 19. New Zealand 20. Italy

I'm not sure of all the criteria and details that they used to come up with this ranking, but I'm sure it has something to do with standard of living, crime/security, education, health care, the environment and the economy.

by Marc Adami, Guest Columnist
March 7, 2005