Top 10 richest countries of the world

Here is a top 10 list of worlds richest countries according to CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia measured by GDP per capita. For those in the dark – GDP or Gross Domestic Product – is the value of all the goods that a country produces. GDP per capita stands for the value an average person produces.

10. Switzerland – $39,800 (GDP per capita)

This cheese making country is considered to be one of the most neutral countries in the world. During World War 2, people from other European countries deposited their money in the banks of Switzerland, knowing that their money would be safer there than in their home countries. Some well known Swiss companies include Nestle, Logitech, Rolex and Credit Suisse.

9. Equatorial Guinea – $44,100

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea is a country in Central Africa. Most people have never heard of it. This country flew into stardom after 1996 when large oil reserves were found in the nation of only 0,5 million people. While being one of the largest producers of oil in Africa, little has been made to improve the living conditions of the people. Corruption is widespread and ordinary people are mostly living in poverty. The gap between rich and poor is probably the largest in the world.

8. Ireland - $45,600

This member of European Union has been often admired as one of the most modern knowledge economies in the world. Ireland is the largest maker of computer software in the world. A study done by The Economist ranked the Celtic Tiger to have the best quality of life in the world.

7. United States – $46,000

What sets the US apart from most other countries in this list is its size. While most other countries in this list are among the smallest in the world the US has a population of over 300 million and a total land area of 3,79 million square miles (9.83 million sq km). The US is also home to the largest amount of billionaires in the world. It is speculated that as many billionaires live in the US as in the rest of the world.

6. Singapore – $48,900

This country tiny country consist of 63 island and some mainland with a total area of only 270 square miles (704 sq km). With Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan it is considered one of the Four Asian Tigers. Singapore has the busiest port in the world and is the 4th largest foreign exchange trading center in the world. Singapore is widely believed to be the most business-friendly economy in the world.

5. United Arab Emirates – $55,200

This oil and natural gas rich country has a highly developed economy which makes it one of the most developed in the world. Having more money than they know what to do with, they have built numerous artificial islands and just finished building the worlds highest structure – Burj Khalifa. It is 828 meters tall, being about 2 times as high as the Empire State Building in New York. It is estimated that about 1/4th of the total construction going on in the world is taking place in Dubai – one of the largest cities in United Arab Emirates.

4. Kuwait – $55,300

In Arabic Kuwait translates to “Fortress built near water”. In addition to being on the coast of the Persian Gulf this country has well known neighbors like Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Kuwait has the worlds fifth largest proven oil reserves – about 10% of the worlds total. Being a country without taxes, about 80% of the governments revenue comes from exporting oil. Having the the second-most free economy in the Middle East, Kuwait has one of the fastest growing economies in the region. (Thanks to Alsab3a from Stumbleupon for a little tip!)

3. Norway – $55,600

Norway is one of the few highly developed countries in Europe tthat are not part of the European Union. This oil and natural gas rich country has living costs more than 30% higher than in the United States. In 2006 only Russia and Saudi Arabia exported more oil than Norway.

2. Qatar – $75,900

This Arabic speaking country has less than million people and gained independence from Great Britain only in 1971. Qatar used to be a poor Islamic country but since the discovery of oil and natural gas in the 1940s, it is completely transformed. With no income tax it is one of the least taxed countries in the world, while still offering most of its services to the population for free. (Who needs tax when you have all this oil and gas money coming in).

In 2009 Qatar is also expected to be the fastest growing economy in the world!

1. Luxembourg – $80,800

This tiny country with a total population of less than 500 000 is a true European miracle. By tiny we mean the 8 smallest country in the world. From top to bottom it’s only about 50 miles and at its widest about 30 miles.

Where does the money come from?
Well, there is over 250 banks crammed into the small country! It has the largest banking concentration in the European Union and probably in the world. In addition to being rich the people are smart as well. In elementary school everyone studies in French, starting from middle school they learn in German and in highschool the main language is English.
Their own language – Lëtzebuergesch. When picking up a local newspaper be prepared to find articles in all languages.

Do Parents Know Their Kids?

1 Students of many different types may sit at separate tables in the cafeteria, but they all belong to the same generation. There are now 31 million teenagers, and demographers predict that there will be 35 million teens by 2010, a population bulge bigger than even the baby boom at its peak. In many ways, these teens are uniquely privileged. They have grown up in a period of sustained prosperity and haven’t had to worry about the draft (as their fathers did) or disastrous global conflicts (as their grandparents did). And the Internet have given them access to an almost infinite amount of information.Most expect to go to college, and girls, in particular, have unprecedented opportunities; they can dream of careers in everything from professional sports to politics, with plenty of female role models to follow.

2 But this positive image of American adolescence is a little like yearbook photos that depict every child as happy and perfect. In survey after survey, many children—even those on the honor roll—say they feel increasingly alone and alienated, unable to connect with their parents, teachers and sometimes even classmates. They are desperate for guid- ance, and when they don’t get what they need at home or in school, they cling to cliques or immerse themselves in a universe out of their parents’ reach, a world defined by computer games, TV and movies, where brutality is so common that it has become mundane.

3 Many teens say they feel overwhelmed by pressure and responsibilities. They are jug- gling part-time jobs and hours of homework every night; sometimes they are so exhausted that they are nearly asleep in early-morning classes. Half have lived through their parents’ divorce. Sixty-three percent are in households where both parents work outside the home, and many look after younger siblings in the afternoon. Still others are home by themselves after school. That unwelcome solitude can extend well into the evening; mealtime for this generation too often begins with a forlorn touch of the microwave.

4 In fact, of all the issues that trouble adolescents, loneliness ranks at the top of the list. One sociologist has been studying 7,000 teenagers for five years and found they spend an average of 3 hours alone every day. Teenagers may claim they want privacy, but they also crave and need attention—and they are not getting it. Another researcher in- terviewed eight teens who live in an affluent area of northern Virginia and she said every teen she talked to at length eventually came around to saying without her asking that they wished they had more adults in their lives, especially their parents.

5 Loneliness creates an emotional vacuum that is filled by an intense peer culture, a critical buffer against children’s fear of isolation. Some of this bonding is normal and ap- ropriate; in fact, studies have shown that the human need for acceptance is almost a bio- logical drive, like hunger. It is especially intense in early adolescence, from about 12 to 14, a time of “extreme self-consciousness”. They become very self-centered and spend a lot of time thinking about what others think of them. And when they think about what others are thinking, they make the error of thinking that everyone is thinking about them. Dress- ing alike is a refuge, a way of hiding in the group. When they are 3 and scared, they cling to a security blanket; at 16, they want body piercings and expensive T-shirts.

6 If parents and other adults abdicate power, teenagers come up with their own rules. Often, when there is no instruction or interference from parents or teachers, young people become involved in bullying. Bullying has become so extreme and so common that many teens just accept it as part of high school life.Emory University psychologist Marshall Duke recently asked 110 students in one of his classes if any of them had ever been threatened in high school. To his surprise, they all raised their hand. In the past, parents and teachers served as mediating forces in the classroom. William Damon, director of the Stanford Uni- versity Center for Adolescence, recalls writing a satirical essay when he was in high school about how he and his friends tormented a child they knew. He got an “A” for style and grammar,but the teacher took him aside and told him he should be ashamed of his behavior. “That’s what is supposed to happen,” Damon says. “People are supposed to tell young chil- dren that they have gone too far.”

7 When they are isolated from parents, teens are also more vulnerable to serious emo-tional problems. Some surveys of high-school students have indicated that many have actually tried to kill themselves of high-school. Often the parents or teachers don’t realize it was a suicide attempt. It can be something ambiguous like an overdose of nonprescription pills from the medicine cabinet or getting drunk and crashing the car.

8 Late adolescence is another transition, this time to leaving home altogether. Parents have to be able to let go and have faith and trust that they have done a good enough job as parents that their child can handle life. Parents need to share what they really believe in, what they really think is important. These basic moral values are more important than math skills or standardized tests. Parents have to seize any opportunity to talk—in the car, over the breakfast table, watching TV—and work harder to get their points across.18 As one 16- year-old child says, “I am proud of the fact that my mother deals with me even though I try to push her away. She’s still there.” So pay attention now. The children can’t wait.

Φάρμακο για να… ξεχνάμε

Βρέθηκε η ειδική ουσία που μπορεί και αφαιρεί τις άσχη …μες αναμνήσεις από τον ανθρώπινο εγκέφαλο. Ονομάζεται μετυραπόνη και επενεργώντας με συγκεκριμένο τρόπο έχει την ιδιότητα να «σβήνει» τα οδυνηρά περιστατικά που έχουμε βιώσει και έχουν χαραχθεί στην μνήμη μας προκαλώντας πόνο κάθε φορά που τα θυμόμαστε.

Την ανακάλυψη έκαναν ερευνητές του πανεπιστημίου του Μόντρεαλ και του Λουί-Λαφοντέν αμφισβητώντας έτσι την ισχύουσα θεώρηση σύμφωνα με την οποία οι μνήμες δεν μπορούν να τροποποιηθούν. Σύμφωνα με τους ερευνητές, η ουσία αυτή θα μπορεί να βοηθήσει όσους πάσχουν από μετα-τραυματικό στρες αλλά και όσους βασανίζονται από επώδυνες αναμνήσεις.

Αν και δεν είναι ακόμη απόλυτα σαφής ο τρόπος λειτουργίας του συγκεκριμένου φαρμάκου, φαίνεται πως μειώνει την ορμόνη του στρες η οποία και είναι η βασική υπεύθυνη για την ανάκληση των άσχημων αναμνήσεων. Το ενδιαφέρον στοιχείο είναι ότι η ουσία αυτή δεν επενεργεί σε όλες τις αναμνήσεις αλλά μονάχα σε αυτές με αρνητικό και επώδυνο περιεχόμενο.

Η μετυραπόνη δοκιμάστηκε πειραματικά σε 33 εθελοντές στους οποίους δόθηκε τόσο η ειδική ουσία όσο και ένα φάρμακο placebo ώστε να ελεγχθεί αν πράγματι έχει αποτελέσματα. Τα αποτελέσματα ήταν εντυπωσιακά: οι συμμετέχοντες τέσσερις μέρες μετά την χορήγηση του φαρμάκου αδυνατούσαν να θυμηθούν τις αρνητικές πλευρές μιας ιστορίας, αλλά δεν είχαν κανένα πρόβλημα να ανακαλέσουν τις ουδέτερες που δεν προξενούσαν οδύνη. Ακόμα και όταν η δράση της ουσίας έπαυε, οι εθελοντές εξακολουθούσαν να μην μπορούν να θυμηθούν τα επώδυνα περιστατικά.Ωστόσο, ορισμένοι επιστήμονες υποστηρίζουν ότι η ουσία αυτή μπορεί να έχει ως παρενέργεια την διαστρέβλωση και τη μερική απώλεια της μνήμης.

Όπως και να έχει, τονίζουν ότι είναι απαραίτητο να γίνουν και άλλες μελέτες πριν το φάρμακο δοκιμαστεί σε ασθενείς.

Η απιστία κάνει κακό στην καρδιά

Σύμφωνα με τον ερευνητή του πανεπιστημίου του Κέιμπριτζ, Ντέιβιντ Γκρέιντζερ, σιγά σιγά ξεδιαλύνεται το τοπίο σχετικά με τους πιθανούς παράγοντες που θα μπορούσαν να οδηγήσουν σε ένα καρδιαγγειακό νόσημα.

Ένας απ’ αυτούς είναι τα χαμηλά επίπεδα τεστοστερόνης σε έναν άντρα. «Τέτοια επίπεδα συναντώνται συχνά σε οικογένειες με πολλα αρσενικά μέλη. Αν έχεις πολλά αρσενικά αδέλφια, είναι πολύ πιθανό να έχεις χαμηλά επίπεδα τεστοστερόνης», εξηγεί ο βρετανός επιστήμονας.Η απιστία και τα αφροδίσια νοσήματα είναι ακόμη δυο παράγοντες που εκτιμάται πως ευθύνονται για θανάτους από καρδιά. Ένας άντρας ενδέχεται να καταφύγει στην απιστία, λόγω κατάθλιψης, η οποία είναι γνωστό πως ευθύνεται για εμφράγματα.

Επισης, όταν κάποιος έχει κολλήσει χλαμύδια, σύμφωνα με μια άλλη καναδική έρευνα, ενδέχεται να παρουσιάσει μια βλάβη στο ανοσοποιητικό του σύστημα κι ειδικά στις αρτηρίες γύρω από την καρδιά του. Ακόμη και οι… κολλημένοι λοβοί αυτιών ευθύνονται για πολλούς θανάτους από καρδιαγγειακές παθήσεις. Σουηδοί επιστήμονες βρήκαν πως το 80% των ανθρώπων κάτω των 40 ετών που πέθαναν από κάποια καρδιακή πάθηση είχαν κολλημένους λοβούς.

Τέλος, δυο ακόμη παράγοντες είναι το να κοιμόμαστε μετά τις 12 τα μεσάνυχτα και να πεταγόμαστε απευθείας από το κρεβάτι το πρωί, χωρίς πρώτα να μεσολαβήσει μια μικρή χρονική περίοδος να συνηθίσει το σώμα μας το πρωινό ξύπνημα.

Το μποτιλιάρισμα στρεσάρει τους άντρες

Μπορεί να υπερηφανεύονται ότι παρκάρουν πάντα με μαεστρία και δεν πολυκαταδέχονται να ζητήσουν πληροφορίες για μία διεύθυνση, αλλά φαίνεται πώς οι άντρες οδηγοί «χάνουν» κατά κράτος από τις γυναίκες όταν πρέπει να παραμείνουν ψύχραιμοι στη διάρκεια ενός μποτιλιαρίσματος.Σύμφωνα με μελέτη που πραγματοποιήθηκε παγκοσμίως σε 10.000 οδηγούς, για λογαριασμό μεγάλης εταιρίας κατασκευής συστημάτων GPS τα επίπεδα στρες των αντρών οδηγών όταν πέφτουν σε κυκλοφοριακή συμφόρηση είναι επτά φορές υψηλότερα από εκείνα των γυναικών.Όπως αποκαλύπτεται, οι άντρες τείνουν να θυμώνουν και να αγανακτούν περισσότερο όταν κολλούν στην κίνηση, ενώ το «ωραίο» φύλο εκτονώνει την πίεση, για παράδειγμα ακούγοντας μουσική και τραγουδώντας.

Οι ψυχολόγοι που διενέργησαν την έρευνα μέτρησαν τις χημικές ουσίες του στρες στο σάλιο οδηγών που είχαν ακινητοποιηθεί μέσα στα οχήματά τους. Διαπίστωσαν ότι οι γυναίκες παραμένουν σχετικά ήρεμες, με τα επίπεδα άγχους τους να αυξάνονται κατά μόλις 8,7% κατά μέσο όρο όταν παραμένουν πίσω από το τιμόνι. Οι άντρες όμως εξαγριώνονται, με τα επίπεδα άγχους τους να χτυπούν κόκκινο, καθώς αυξάνονται ως και 60%!

Μία πιθανή εξήγηση για τη διαφορετική συμπεριφορά των δύο φύλων θα μπορούσε να είναι σύμφωνα με τους ερευνητές το γεγονός ότι οι άντρες λειτουργούν στις στρεσογόνες καταστάσεις είτε αντιμετωπίζοντάς τις είτε απομακρυνόμενοι από αυτές. Όταν όμως βρίσκονται εγκλωβισμένοι πίσω από το τιμόνι δεν μπορούν να κάνουν τίποτε από τα δύο με αποτέλεσμα να αγανακτούν και σε πολλές περιπτώσεις μόλις «απελευθερώνονται» από το μποτιλιάρισμα να υιοθετούν επικίνδυνη οδηγική συμπεριφορά.

Από την άλλη οι γυναίκες είναι καλύτερες στο να διαχειρίζονται τα αισθήματα πίεση και άγχους και να παραμένουν σχετικά ήρεμες καθ’ όλη τη διάρκεια της διαδρομής τους.

Παρά το γεγονός ότι αυτή η αύξηση είναι ικανή να επιβαρύνει την καρδιά, να προκαλέσει ζαλάδα και πρόσκαιρα αναπνευστικά προβλήματα, το αξιοπερίεργο είναι ότι οι γυναίκες και άντρες οδηγοί δεν συνειδητοποιούν καν ότι στρεσάρονται : τα δύο τρίτα των γυναικών και οι μισοί άντρες ανέφεραν ότι δεν ένιωσαν να πιέζονται όταν παρέμειναν κολλημένοι επί 20 λεπτά στην κίνηση, παρόλο που οι μετρήσεις των επιστημόνων έδειξαν το αντίθετο.

Why Does My Child Have No Friends?

There are many reasons why a child at school may lack friends. A child who has just moved to a new school district may simply need time in order to establish a social base. However, other things can also get in the way of a child making friends. Extreme shyness and low self-esteem, high intelligence, poor social skills, notable differences between the child and his peer group, and learning disabilities can all make establishing friendships challenging.

Some children suffer from painful shyness. Even around children they know fairly well, they may hesitate to comment or participate. Teachers can help the shy child by praising the child when he or she does choose to participate. Parents can also help by establishing play dates in a neutral setting with one other child. Alternately, the child may feel more confident on his or her home turf, and a play date in your home may offer a less crowded way to get to know other children.

Highly intelligent children may also have difficulty making friends. Their intelligence, especially in verbal language may make it difficult for other children to understand them. However, there is usually more than one child in a classroom with high intelligence. Pairing two very verbal children together can be an excellent way of helping children establish friends. Teaching them social skills, like actually listening to another’s reactions, and responding appropriately, can also help the very verbal child more easily make friends.

Sometimes children are behind in social development, and merely lack the skills required to make friends. Learning how to be a friend, and learning skills like listening, sharing, and cooperating can help the child without friends. However, sometimes these children may take some time to learn and develop social skills.

Pairing them with a younger classmate, or with a student from a grade or two below the student may help the child gain confidence and be better prepared to make friends with children of his or her own age. Schools often assist children who lack social skills by forming friendship groups. Participation in these groups, especially with other children, can be an excellent way to enhance social development.

A child with distinct physical differences may also have no friends. Other kids may think of children with significant health impairments that limit their participation in school activities, as “weird” or “different." A child with a facial disfigurement might also be seen as an outsider. Kids do tend to gravitate toward other children who are like them. It can be helpful to look for the kids in school who are particularly sensitive and least likely to discriminate based on looks or ability. These children may make the best potential friends for a child who faces the challenges of being “different.

Learning disabilities also may mark out a child as different. A child whose hyperactive behavior frequently gets him or her in trouble may be seen as having limited friend-making potential. Children who struggle in school and show emotional responses like crying, especially when they are male, may also have limited access to friends due to their behavior. Teaching social skills to these children is again important, and matching them with other students with less social panache may also be helpful.

Especially in elementary schools, students spend much of their time socially engaging with each other. The child without friends can feel distanced, lonely and apart from the crowd when no friends exist to include him or her. This can manifest in depression at home, disinterest in school, and lack of desire to learn. Thus the child without friends needs help from parents and the school. Even one friend to see when one gets to school can significantly impact the way a child views education, and the way a child develops socially into an adult.

When kids hear parents having sex ....

Parents, are you sure your kids don’t hear you when you are having sex?

We learn a lot from our children. It never occured to me that our kids think we have no sex life. Just because we have reached our 40′s doesn’t mean sex life is over.

 I found their candid answers quite helpful and amusing. Remember, these are teens’ opinions from all over the world.

The forum question was:

I have never heard my parents have sex, and I’m pretty sure they don’t anymore. What about the rest of you? Do you ever hear them?

The replies from teens:

1. No. hehe. But I think it’s sweet that parents still have that passion and affection for each other.

2. I think it’s horrid enough hearing them talk about it…

3. i don’t really want to imagine parents having sex. but i hope that when i reach their stage, i would still have sex. it sucks to have no sex life.

4. Oh Lordy… I have walked in on my dad and my mom…a few years later.. I walked in on my dad and my stepmom..and I’ve heard them many, many… MANY times. There should be a law or something..

5. I’ve heard them before, really shouldn’t sleep in the bedroom right beside theirs…

6. lol. well, i would be glad that they still have sex. it’s so good they’re so loving. but i really don’t want to think about it.

7. as their kids, there are some things we just don’t need to know! and it just seems perfectly fine when we do it, no?

8. we have double standards when it comes to sex.

9.Never heard them.Never walked in on them.Never want to.I’d like to thank the people who made our walls as thick as they can be for having never experienced such a horrific thing. And I knew my parents were having sex because there’s a 12 year gap between me & my next sibling!

10. I walked in on my mom and dad…and I saw more than any child should. I have walked in on my mom and step-dad as well. Funny thing is…I’ve only walked in when they were making babies in the living room. I still have the scars. Oh, and I’ve heard them a few times to. So yeah, I know my parents are still “active”.

11. i hope i’ll still be living a life full of passion and romance at that age. i wouldn’t want to be all dried up like some grandmas.

12. No, my mother and father aren’t very affectionate. And my mother sleeps with my younger brother rather than my father. sheesh. I don’t want to witness the act, but they could at least treat each other like they’re actually a couple, no?

13. i don’t think my parents do it anymore either. but one time when i was younger, i swore i caught them one saturday morning because i just busted into their room to go sleep next to them.. but i think i’m blocking that memory into some dream i had or something, haha.

14. I used to hear them .. when I was little. Not anymore. On a popular radio station called K92.. well.. popular over here… They had a special called, “Grandparents Do IT To” it was halarious.

15. I ‘ve heard it. No big deal. Frankly I’m more disturbed when I don’t hear anything. My parents aren’t aliens and I like to be constantly reassured of that fact.

16. Yes I have it was embarrassing they obviously didn’t know I was home. It was horrible my mom was talking really dirty.

17. I’ve heard my dad and my stepmother but never my mom and stepfather. I was going downstairs in the middle of the night to get a magazine I had left and I over heard them and I just scurried upstairs before anything more happened that I didn’t want to see or hear. I laughed to myself though thinking… dad still has it going on… good for him! LOL Besides, there will be pleny of payback when I bring my girlfriend/wife home for the holidays some time in the future.

18. Nope, never heard my parents doing it…. They probably do it when I’m not around.

Now it’s my turn to say my piece on this :

1. Parents, it’s fine to espouse sex education to our kids, if you’re comfortable with the topic.
2. Sex education doesn’t mean talking about our sex life to them.
3. It’s alright to show affection to our spouse . At least our kids know we are loving to each other.
4. It’s not okay for our kids to hear us having sex. We have to learn to lock our doors or ensure thicker walls to our rooms, and other privacy measures as some kids can get shocked.