Tuesday 24 June 2014

The Good Country Index

Ireland is the ‘goodest’ country in the world, according to a new survey which measures what 125 nations contribute to the planet and humanity.

The UK made it to the seventh place in the overall index but was crowned as the best country in the world for its contribution in terms of technology and science.

The Good Country Index, conceived by policy adviser Simon Anholt, analyses 35 different types of data from the UN, the World Bank and other international organisations and NGOs.

This includes information such as freedom of the press, the number of refugees hosted, the amount of weapons exported and the number of Nobel Prize winners. This it the first time the Index is published.

Countries are then ranked according to their contribution to science and technology, culture, international peace and security, world order, the planet and climate, prosperity and equality, and the health and well-being of humanity.

Sunday 22 June 2014

We're All In This Together

The cost to taxpayers of refurbishing the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s Kensington  Palace apartment has quadrupled – to £4million.

Building work on the 22-plus room home has soared by more than 3million pounds in the last year and includes the bill for William and Kate’s new kitchen and several bathrooms.

Although the couple are thought to be personally paying for all fixtures and fittings like curtains, carpets and furniture, the cost of building their new bedroom and even Prince George’s new nursery has come from the public purse.

One Royal courtier  insisted that the Kensington Palace project actually offered taxpayers ‘great value’ given the state of the crumbling apartment.

Compare and contrast this with ordinary decent people having to pay the bedroom tax.

Thursday 5 June 2014

Home Is Where The Heart Is

America's Billionaires could afford to buy entire Cities according to a new survey.

Walton Family
Wal-Mart
$154.8 billion Seattle, WA
241,450 homes
$111.5 billion
Koch Brothers
Oil
$86.0 billion Atlanta, GA
286,629 homes
$78.1 billion
Bill Gates
Microsoft
$77.5 billion Boston, MA
114,212 homes
$76.6 billion
Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway
$63.5 billion Charlotte, NC
280,214 homes
$56.1 billion
Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg LP
$31.8 billion Anaheim, CA
69,167 homes
$31.4 billion
Larry Page
Google
$30.8 billion Boca Raton, FL
99,964 homes
$29.5 billion
Jeff Bezos
Amazon.com
$30.5 billion Napa, CA
57,923 homes
$29.5 billion
Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook
$27.7 billion Saint Paul, MN
139,124 homes
$26.8 billion
Steve Ballmer
Microsoft
$20.4 billion Littleton, CO
64,516 homes
$20.0 billion
Phil Knight
Nike
$18.3 billion Falls Church, VA
37,838 homes
$18.0 billion
Paul Allen
Microsoft
$15.9 billion Durham, NC
92,290 homes
$15.8 billion
Rupert Murdoch
media
$13.6 billion Peoria, AZ
60,894 homes
$13.5 billion
Elon Musk
Tesla Motors
$8.8 billion Centreville, VA
23,789 homes
$8.8 billion
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
$7.1 billion Worcester, MA
44,385 homes
$7.1 billion
Dustin Moskovitz
Facebook
$6.6 billion Wheaton, IL
21,365 homes
$6.6 billion
Jan Koum
WhatsApp
$6.4 billion Laguna Hills, CA
10,892 homes
$6.4 billion
S. Truett Cathy
Chick-fil-A
$6.3 billion Brick, NJ
30,541 homes
$6.3 billion
Charles Schwab
Discount brokerage
$6.0 billion Spotsylvania, VA
25,925 homes
$6.0 billion
George Lucas
Star Wars
$5.0 billion Homestead, FL
44,400 homes
$5.0 billion
Donald Trump
Television, real Estate
$3.9 billion Commerce City, CO
17,527 homes
$3.9 billion
H. Ross Perot Sr
Computer services
$3.6 billion Dover, DE
24,197 homes
$3.6 billion
Steven Spielberg
Movies
$3.4 billion Sun City West, AZ
18,934 homes
$3.4 billion
Jerry Jones
Dallas Cowboys
$3.1 billion Longview, WA
18,645 homes
$3.1 billion
Oprah Winfrey
Television
$2.9 billion Mokena, IL
10,625 homes
$2.9 billion
Mark Cuban
Online media
$2.6 billion Forney, TX
13,286 homes
$2.6 billion
Ted Turner
Cable television
$2.2 billion Jonesboro, GA
28,981 homes
$2.2 billion
Howard Schultz
Starbucks
$2.1 billion Lake Wales, FL
23,045 homes
$2.1 billion
Meg Whitman
Ebay
$2.0 billion Winder, GA
19,818 homes
$2.0 billion
Donald Sterling
Real estate
$1.9 billion Randallstown, MD
10,421 homes
$1.9 billion
Bruce Nordstrom
Department stores
$1.4 billion Florence, AZ
10,878 homes
$1.4 billion