Earth V Mars

Question: What do Dubai and Athens share in common? Answer: The 75th place in a recent survey benchmarking quality of life among 221 cities worldwide. Rankings are derived by evalluating living conditions and factors such as healthcare, sanitation, schools and education, public services and transportation, recreational facilities, consumer goods and housing. Surely this can't be right! As a resident of Dubai for six years and having lived in Athens for most of my life, I have a question or two and a few comments to make regarding this. First question: Are they serious? Question number two: Have they lost their minds? I won't list the reasons I feel this survey is totally out of context as those of you who have lived in or visited both cities know that the findings are too flatering for my birth place. But I would still like to make a few comments to support my critique of this report. Take sanitation for instance; Many times each year, residents of Athens wake up in the morning to go to work but they can't open the door of their building or can't cross the street because their way is blocked by mountains of rubbish piled on top the discustingly dirty green-coloured bins. Usually the reason is strikes of municipality rubbish collectors who use such tactics to ask for salary increases and more perks. But even when there is no strike, the pavements and roads of Athens are constantly littered with thousands of items, from cigarette buts and plastic bags, to aluminum tins and plastic bottles, dog/cat pooh and items far more appauling to even mention. Let's go to recreational facilities; Dubai has at least ten superbly maintained public parks which attract thousands of residents any given day who visit them for pic nic, a game of cricket, barbeques, football and so much more. It also has a dozen of world class golf courses, accessible public beaches, swimming pools, gyms, and play areas in almost every residential building. There are also countless of attractions, indoors or outdoors, for children of all ages to go and play and have great fun. What has Athens to offer at this front other than one (1, uno, ein) park which is paved with cement and littered with used heroine syringes and condoms and which is never visited after dark by people who have the slightest concern for their safety. Schools; this is where we must all laugh out loud. Hospitals; let's not even go there. Equating Dubai and Athens in terms of quality of life in general is like stating that the earth and Mars are similar because they are both planets.