Canada Is Among The Top Three Happiest Countries On Earth

The Top Ten Happiest Countries

First Published Date: June 17, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

Canada ranks third spot on the OECD happiest developed countries 2013 list. The Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) looked at various criteria such as jobs, income, safety, environment and health among the developed countries to make its the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s Better Life Index. Australia and Sweden stayed ahead of Canada on the list, ranking first and second. Here are the top ten happiest developed countries:

1. Australia

2. Sweden

3. Canada

4. Norway

5. Switzerland

6. United States

7. Denmark

8. The Netherlands

9. Iceland

10. United Kingdom

The world’s 12th largest economy Australia kept the # 1 title for third year. Both Australia and Canada are resource-rich countries that are reaping the benefits of increased demand from Asia. Australia’s top rank comes with a price, as Australians need to work longer hours and score poorly on work-life balance. More than 14% of Australian employees are working very long hours, which is well above the 9% OECD average.

Also, there is no clear-cut answer in terms of being happy. If you look at two other happiness indexes, such as The Happy Planet Index by the London-based New Economics Foundation and World Happiness Report by the United Nations, the pictures are very different there.

Cities With The Most Skyscrapers

Is New York, Hong Kong, or Dubai Has The Most Skyscrapers?

First Published Date: July 1, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

When it comes to building a skyscraper that will impress the world and stick in the minds of people, there is nothing like height that comes into consideration. And it’s no wonder that the topic “Which city has the most skyscrapers?” will always be a debated one. A skyscraper demonstrates the art of structural engineering taken to its ultimate zenith, literally and metaphorically. And there is no straightforward answer to the above question.

The cities with the most skyscrapers reward depends on how you look at the definition of skyscraper and various other factors. For example, if you consider a building at least 115 feet (35 meters or 12 stories) tall, Hong Kong stays on top of the list with close to 8000 buildings. However, if you consider one skyscraper as being a building from its own unique platform, then New York City’s close to 6000 total will be more than Hong Kong. If you follow strict rules on height and consider skyscrapers only above 300 meters (980 feet or 80 floors), Dubai, Shenzhen, New York City stay on top of the list.

So some will use certain heights to count skyscrapers, and others will only count one skyscraper even if multiple towers of sufficient height spring from the one platform on the ground. And the answers can always be argued upon whether if it’s Hong Kong, New York, or Dubai based on how you look at it.

Sources:
http://www.emporis.com/statistics/most-skyscraper-cities-worldwide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cities_with_the_most_skyscrapers#Cities

Black Tea at a Café in Cairo | Egypt Travel Blog: Day 0 (Part 5)

First Time at a Café in Cairo – Trying Egyptian Tea

Egypt Travel Blog: 10 DAYS Egypt Explorer - Felucca Cruise & Red Sea

In the last part, I talked about the Monastery and the largest churches in the Middle East. Today, I will write about the rest of my first day (Day 0) in Cairo, Egypt.

One we finished visiting all the churches, we were tired. That was a lot of walking uphill. I met an Australian couple with whom I got acquainted very well. The weird thing is they visited Canada in 2018, when I visited Australia.

Our tour guide took us to a café, which was on the 2nd floor.  This was my first time entering a café in Egypt. It looked a bit old and rundown, but that added charm to the place. The café was half full, but still noisy. I saw lots of ceiling fans running, as it was hot in winter in December.

The black tea with lots of sugar tasted unreal. I had black tea before in many places, but I was not sure why tea in Egypt tasted so good. 3 teas costed 10 LE (Egyptian Pounds), which was around $1 CAD. I also bought a beef shish kebab sandwich for 20 LE and a Dasani 750 ml water for 4 LE. So cheap!

Dinner at The Oasis Hotel Restaurant

After returning to my hotel, I had coffee in my room. I took a shower and then relaxed a little before heading out for dinner.

For dinner, I had a kebab and kofta skewer of lamb and grounded meat, Egyptian style. There was no water included and it costed 175 LE ($16 CAD), which I found expensive. The food quality was so-so and service was poor.

CI Launches Guaranteed Retirement Cash Flow Series start

CI Guaranteed Retirement Cash Flow G5/20 Series

First Published Date: July 16, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

As stock markets continue their rollercoaster ride and the once-considered safe haven gold loses it luster, baby boomers and regular investors continue to search for products that offer predictable, guaranteed income with peace of mind. To capture this segment of the market, CI has come up with a product called the G5/20 series. Let’s look at some features this product offers.

What Is CI G5/20 Series

You can think of it some sort of hybrid of an annuity and a mutual fund.  The G5/20 series is an actively-managed mutual fund consisting of global and Canadian equities alone with some fixed income securities to provide 20 years of guaranteed income. For example, let’s say you have 2 investments: A and B. Investment A is $100,000 invested in CI G5/20 series and Investment B is another $100,000 invested elsewhere such as stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, etc. In case of a global market meltdown, theoretically, Investment B could go down to $60,000 or even less. However, Investment A, CI G5/20 Series, are guaranteed and protected against any such loss.

Some CI G5/20 Series Features

– Each Series has a 25 years lifespan.

– Each Quarter Will Offer a new series

– The first five years is called accumulation phase. In this phase, the investor will invest and watch the growth. There will be no payments. The principal amount investor invested can not go down even if the market tanks due to its guarantee.

– The next twenty years is called distribution phase. Investors will get back 5% each year for twenty years based on their initial investment or investment + accumulated growth from five years, whichever is greater.

– The portfolio and active asset allocation are managed by CI.

– The income flow of G5/20 is guaranteed by the Bank of Montreal.

– The risk management segment (to reduce volatility and enhance growth) to the portfolio is managed by Chicago-based Nexus Risk Management.

Is the CI G5/20 Series For You?

This is suitable for those who are looking for an actively-managed, risk-adjusted product managed by those who have the expertise and guaranteed by a well-known bank to provide income for 20 years in exchange for 2.77% MER (before taxes).

Link: CI Retirement Cash Flow Series

Some Other Alternatives Providing Guaranteed Income

BMO LifeTime Cash Flow Product

Manulife Income Plus

How To Avoid Vacation Rental Scams

Holiday Rental Scams

First Published Date: July 23, 2013 ADawnJournal.com

As vacation rental bookings via the Internet take off, so are scammers’ and con artists’ innovative fake listings to steal money. The vacation rental scam is one of the easiest scams to make money and there are various techniques scammers use. For example, they will use pictures copied off the Internet or sometimes real pictures from real listings to create fake listings. Today, I will go through some tips you can use to avoid vacation rental scams.

1. Use Vacation Rental Sites – Avoid free ad sites like Kijiji or CraigsList and use specialized vacation rental sites such as VacationHomeRentals.com. Although it may not be guaranteed, you will have lesser chances of being scammed with a legitimate rental site. The above site guarantees up to $10,000 in case of misrepresentation.

2. Obtain Contact Information – Gather as much information as you can about the advertiser. Talk to the owner and ask for the property management office phone number, copy of a utility bill, references, etc. to verify. Ask questions about the vicinity and what’s available nearby such as restaurants, malls, tourist attractions, and so on.

3. Search Engine and Email – Do not communicate via email. Use search engines to search for the email address, properly listing, and name of the owner to check for fraudulent activities. Use an online map to see if the property really exists. 

4. Do Not Wire Money – Do not send money using anonymous wire transfers such as Western Union, bank wire transfer, etc. Do not pay using cheques, as this way scammers will have your banking information to scam you even further later on. Use only credit cards and PayPal, which have some sort of protection against fraudulent activities.

5. Use Common Sense and Vigilance – Your best defence is your own common sense and vigilance. Look for suspicious behaviour and other elements from the property owner such as a foreign phone number, bad grammar or heavy foreign accent, unable to describe anything nearby, unable to provide any verification, and so on.

Learn how Internet and investment scams work by reading some articles here: Internet & Investment Scams. If you ever believe you have been a victim of fraud and scams, contact your local law enforcement authority and any other agencies that deal with online scams in your respective country.