Breathing Easier in Chile

It’s been a long time coming but, as of March, visitors to Chile – and Chileans themselves - will be able to enjoy cleaner indoor air. At long, long last, this week the Chilean Congress approved a law expanding current tobacco-control legislation to the entirety of restaurants, bars, discos and most other enclosed locations. Tentatively taking effect at the start of the school year, it will also restrict tobacco advertising in a country that, unfortunately, suffers one of the highest nicotine addiction levels in the Americas. more >>

Comparing Urban Amenities: Buenos Aires v. Santiago

Every year, the international consulting company Mercer publishes a survey that ranks cities of the world according to their quality of life and infrastructure. The 2012 survey covers some 221 cities around and, while the entire document is only available for a hefty price, some of the publicly accessible information deserves a look.

Invariably, the highest rated cities are in Europe, with a handful in North America (such as Vancouver) and Asia (such as Hong Kong and Singapore). I won’t go over the standards in detail, but eight US cities rank in the top 50 for quality of living (Honolulu is highest at No. 28), and nine for infrastructure (Atlanta is highest at No. 13). For quality of living, the world’s worst is Baghdad, while the worst for infrastructure is Port-au-Prince. more >>