Hi Hooooooooooooo!

[davywavy]

A few weeks ago I got pointed at The Economist's study of relative 'Quality of Life' in nations around the world. I was immediately struck by the top five; Ireland, Switzerland, Sweden, Luxembourg and Norway and wondered what it was which made them so great - what was the common feature to each of them? Apart from geography, not much is the same; aside from being Democracies in the Western mould, political and economic systems are different in each. What, I wondered, was the thing that all those countries had in common? Could it be that they're all hefty beneficiaries of Eurozone support and loans? No, because Switzerland isn't. Could they all be refusing to give back that money from WW2? Nope once again. What then, I asked myself. What?
Then it struck me: The little people.
Be it Leprechauns, Kobalds, Gnomes or The Smurfs, all these countries have legends of benevolent dwarves who cheerfully work hard and help people in trouble.
It's a sobering thought that quality of life is built on the backs of perspiring midgets and piles of fairy gold, but facts don't lie.

Comments

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

Which country are the smurfs from?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

If they aren't from Luxembourg, they bloody ought to be.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

I want to live in Switzerland, they have great mountains and great chocolate

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

They're all heavily tooled up, and they don't have to listen to what Peter Mandelson tells them to do. It's like heaven!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Belgium, in fact.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I reckon Benelux counts :)

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

HA! Told you so! ner ner ner ner ner!

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I intend to launch the Elf Preservation Society, which will campaign for an end to midget mistreatment and economic exploitment.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

I think gnomes may be in need of your protection

http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/10/28/offbeat.gnomes.reut/

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

That's why France isn't in the list. They're not kind with their gnome.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

Not kind at all

Switzerland is nice to their gnomes, they have gnome clubs and everything

http://www.gnomereserve.co.uk/links.htm

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Further proof of the 'PORG theory of happiness'.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

PORG?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Person of Restricted Growth.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

I'm a person of restricted growth (well according to my brother anyway). Do I have to go and work in Switzerland? If I do, will I be happy or just the Swiss people I am working for?

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Quality of life only accounts for 'people', and, as everyone knows, Dwarves aren't real people. The Swiss would have you down the chocolate mines quicker than you could say 'knife'.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

I think maybe being forced to spend all my time down a chocolate mine may not be that bad :)

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

You aren't allowed to eat your way out.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

*sulks*

[faerierhona.livejournal.com]

there IS no exploitation - it's a harmonious way of working together

Here's your badge

[jonnyargles.livejournal.com]

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Clearly this is another case of lies, damned lies and statistics. A recent study showed that eating dark chocolate every day helps to prevent cancer. Do you know how they found that out? By a chance correlation. Bloody statistics.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Nonsense! Why do you think Switzerland is so rich and healthy? Because they have Dwarves making chocolate! Ah! Case proved!

[azekeil.livejournal.com]

Now if there is a lower incidence of cancer in the Swiss then I might start sitting up and taking notice... wait.. no.. DAMMIT! DAMNED STATISTICS! BEGONE!!

[the-mendicant.livejournal.com]

So Ms Rowling was on to something with her house elves then? Though I can't say the quality of life in the wizarding world is that great, they always seem to be getting attacked by you know who!

[(Anonymous)]

Ooompa Loompas. I rest my case. Chocolate Tcho Tchos. Unnatural health & chocolatey prosperity in return for selling your soul to Cthulhu.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I hear the Quality of Life on the Plateau of Leng is superlative. Apart from the human sacrifices, but what do they matter?

[(Anonymous)]

I suspect their gold is scavenged from lost Atlantis by deep ones. Oooh, what's that light in the sky?

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

LMAO

* is now a cheerful invalid *

Thank you!

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Down with ruthless eploitation of our little cousins!

[miss-s-b.livejournal.com]

Is this a conversion to Lefty-ism I see before me? ;)

Like somebody above has already said, mate, you need to join SPEW.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

I refer you here, o invalid.

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

I have a legion of mighty flat brownies that do my washing.
I will not let you unionize them.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

you mean creatures from the woods or 7-10 year old girls in dodgy uniforms?

I think the best types of brownines are those that are made out of chocolate. I found a recide for jelly bean chocolate brownies the other day, mmmmm

[vulgarcriminal.livejournal.com]

There are creatures from the woods?

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

I don't know, isn't that where brownies come from?
My supernatural lore isn't all it should be

The Colonial Response

[adventink.livejournal.com]

After checking with the State Department, I have been able to get the following "unofficial" response from the Vice President:

"What does that Wade person mean? We have very similar 'benevolent dwarves who cheerfully work hard and help people in trouble.' Why didn't he mention the Mexicans? Wait, that recorder isn't on is it?"

Re: The Colonial Response

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

Ha!

[applez.livejournal.com]

But what happened to Germany then? I recall Nibbilungen (sp?) are along Das Rheingold. ;-)

[http://users.livejournal.com/_grimtales_/]

It's also the reason the Star Wars prequels were shit.

No midgets, just CGI.

[davywavy.livejournal.com]

So what you're saying is that quality of product is directly proportional to the number of midgets involved in the production?
Well, I thought LJ had improved since Torley showed up...

[http://users.livejournal.com/_grimtales_/]

It seems to be a law for Star Wars and for quality of living in countries, I wonder how many other things?