democracies

The Economist just published a new "Democracy Index," in which it ranks 167 countries around the world according to their degree of democracy. The report Here's the top 5: 1. Sweden 2. Iceland 3. Netherlands 4. Norway 5. Denmark Notice any pattern? :)

This site, by a patholigist with varied interests, including role playing games, contains a long essay prefacing his section on violent injuries which is a really interesting piece to read, even if you don't agree with everything he says. www.pathguy.com It included one phrase which jumped out...

GENEVA (Reuters) - Nordic countries have some of the world's most competitive economies, despite high taxes and extensive social security systems, with Finland in the lead, according to a study issued Wednesday. In the study, the Geneva-based World Economic Forum set the United States second...