The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-

Exupéry

"The Little Prince" is a beloved novella written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. The story
revolves around a pilot who crash-lands in the Sahara Desert and encounters a young
boy from another planet called the Little Prince. Through their conversations and
adventures, the Little Prince shares his journey from planet to planet, each inhabited
by a unique adult character.

As the pilot gets to know the Little Prince, he learns important life lessons about the
essence of love, friendship, and human nature. The Little Prince shares his encounters
with a conceited man, a drunkard, a businessman obsessed with counting stars, and
a geographer who knows nothing about his own planet.

During their time together, the Little Prince also speaks fondly about his own planet
and its single, cherished rose. He teaches the pilot the importance of nurturing
relationships and cherishing what is truly valuable. Eventually, the Little Prince realizes
the importance of returning to his planet, and he bids farewell to the pilot.

"The Little Prince" is a heartwarming tale that explores the innocence and wisdom of
childhood. It reminds readers of the beauty and simplicity that often get overlooked in
the complexities of adult life. Through its poetic language and profound messages, the
book invites us to reflect on the meaning of life, the power of imagination, and the
importance of connecting with our inner child.

News Story:
https://www.thejournal.ie/finland-named-happiest-country-ireland-ranked-14th-
6024044-
Mar2023/#:~:text=FINLAND%20HAS%20TOPPED%20the%20World,while%20Irela
nd%20is%20ranked%2014th.

Finland named happiest country for

sixth year in a row, with Ireland
ranked 14th
That’s according to the World Happiness Report, which ranks Afghanistan
and Lebanon as the unhappiest countries.

Mar 20th 2023, 3:06 PM

FINLAND HAS TOPPED the World Happiness Report for a sixth year running, while
Ireland is ranked 14th.

The World Happiness Report was first released in 2012 and is a publication of the
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).

SDSN is non-profit organisation that was launched by the United Nations in 2012 to
promote the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Its now-annual World Happiness Report uses six metrics to come up with its happiness
ranking.

These metrics are GDP per capita, available social supports, life expectancy, freedom,
generosity and corruption levels.

“Generosity” is evaluated by using Gallup World Poll response data to the question,
“Have you donated money to a charity in the past month?”, and cross-referencing it in
relation to a country’s GDP per capita.
The 2023 report was released today to coincide with International Day of Happiness,
a day established 11 years ago by the United Nations General Assembly to help
people realise the importance of happiness.

This year’s World Happiness Report is based on data from 2020 to 2022, and the
report’s authors note that this means “all of the observations are drawn from years of
high infection and deaths from COVID-19”.

The report also described 2022 as a “year of crises by any standard”, noting the
ongoing war in Ukraine, the Covid-19 pandemic, worldwide inflation and climate
emergencies.

When ranking the happiness of the world’s nations, the report notes that “lives have
been better where trust, benevolence, and supportive social connections have
continued to thrive”.

Finland, for the sixth year in a row, came our on top, followed by Denmark.

Iceland was ranked third, followed by Israel, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway,
Switzerland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.

The next five positions, 11-15, is held by Austria, Australia, Canada, Ireland in 14 th,
and the United States.

The rankings mean that Ireland has dropped a place from 13th since the last report in
2022.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom ranks below Ireland in this year’s ranking in 19 th place,
as does Germany and Belgium in 16th and 17th position respectively.

At the other end of the scale, war-torn Afghanistan and Lebanon remain the two
unhappiest countries in the survey, “where almost everyone is very unhappy”.

Both countries also rank someway off Sierra Leona, the third-lowest ranked country,
in terms of national happiness.

Sumary of Article:
The World Happiness Report has named Finland as the happiest country for the sixth
consecutive year, while Ireland has been ranked 14th. The report, published by the
Sustainable Development Solutions Network, uses metrics such as GDP per capita,
social supports, life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption levels to
determine the happiness rankings. The 2023 report, based on data from 2020 to 2022,
acknowledges the challenges faced during this period, including the COVID-19
pandemic and global crises. Trust, benevolence, and supportive social connections
are highlighted as factors contributing to happier lives. Finland, Denmark, and Iceland
emerged as the top three happiest countries. On the other hand, Afghanistan and
Lebanon ranked as the unhappiest countries. Ireland dropped one place since the
previous report, while the United Kingdom, Germany, and Belgium also featured in the
rankings.
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/world-happiest-countries-2023-
wellness/index.html#:~:text=Finland%3A%20For%20the%20sixth%20year,Street)%2
0in%20Helsinki%20is%20pictured.&text=2.,measures%20used%20to%20determine
%20happiness.

The world’s happiest countries for

2023
Updated 9:21 AM EDT, Mon March 20, 2023

There’s cause for optimism in the latest report on world happiness.

For one, benevolence is about 25% higher than it was pre-pandemic.

“Benevolence to others, especially the helping of strangers, which went up

dramatically in 2021, stayed high in 2022,” John Helliwell, one of the authors of the
World Happiness Report, said in an interview with CNN.

And global happiness has not taken a hit in the three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Life evaluations from 2020 to 2022 have been “remarkably resilient,” the report says,
with global averages basically in line with the three years preceding the pandemic.

“Even during these difficult years, positive emotions have remained twice as prevalent
as negative ones, and feelings of positive social support twice as strong as those of
loneliness,” Helliwell said in a news release.

The report, which is a publication of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions

Network, draws on global survey data from people in more than 150 countries.
Countries are ranked on happiness based on their average life evaluations over the
three preceding years, in this case 2020 to 2022.

The report, which was released on Monday, identifies the happiest nations, those at
the very bottom of the happiness scale and everything in between, plus the factors
that tend to lead to greater happiness. March 20 is the International Day of Happiness,
a day designated by the United Nations that’s marking its 10th anniversary in 2023.
Six-year winning streak for world’s happiest nation
For the sixth year in a row, Finland is the world’s happiest country, according to World
Happiness Report rankings based largely on life evaluations from the Gallup World
Poll.

The Nordic country and its neighbors Denmark, Iceland, Sweden and Norway all score
very well on the measures the report uses to explain its findings: healthy life
expectancy, GDP per capita, social support, low corruption, generosity in a community
where people look after each other and freedom to make key life decisions.

But since we can’t all move to Finland, is there something other societies can learn
from these rankings?

“Is it, are they doing things that we wish we’d seen before and we can start doing? Or
is it something unique about their climate and history that make them different? And
fortunately, at least from my perspective, the answer is the former,” said Helliwell, who
is a professor emeritus at the Vancouver School of Economics, University of British
Columbia.

Taking a holistic view of the well-being of all the components of a society and its
members makes for better life evaluations and happier countries.

“The objective of every institution should be to contribute what it can to human well-
being,” the report says, which includes accounting for future generations and
preserving basic human rights.

Israel moves up to No. 4 this year from its No. 9 ranking last year. The Netherlands
(No. 5), Switzerland (No. 8), Luxembourg (No. 9) and New Zealand (No. 10) round out
the top 10.

Australia (No. 12), Canada (No. 13), Ireland (No. 14), the United States (No. 15) and
the United Kingdom (No. 19) all made it into the top 20.

While the same countries tend to appear in the top 20 year after year, there’s a new
entrant this year: Lithuania.

The Baltic nation has been climbing steadily over the past six years from No. 52 in
2017 to No. 20 on the latest list. And the other Baltic countries, Estonia (No. 31) and
Latvia (No. 41), have been climbing in the ranks, too.

“It’s essentially the same story that’s playing out in the rest of Central and Eastern
Europe,” Helliwell said.

Countries in those regions “probably have normalized that post-1990 transition and
[are] feeling more solid in their new identity” as the years pass, he said.

France dropped out of the top 20 to No. 21 in this year’s report.

Nations ranked lower for happiness
At the very bottom of the list is Afghanistan at No. 137. Lebanon is one rank above at
No. 136. Average life evaluations in these countries are more than five points lower
(on a scale from 0 to 10) than in the 10 happiest countries.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine put both countries very much in the global spotlight as
the 2022 report was released.

So where do these two nations stand, according to the latest surveys?

Well-being in Ukraine has definitely taken a hit, but “despite the magnitude of suffering
and damage in Ukraine, life evaluations in September 2022 remained higher than in
the aftermath of the 2014 annexation, supported now by a stronger sense of common
purpose, benevolence, and trust in Ukrainian leadership,” the report says.

Confidence in their governments grew in both countries in 2022, the survey says, “but
much more in Ukraine than in Russia.” And Ukrainian support for the leadership in
Russia fell to zero.

In this year’s rankings, Russia is No. 70 and Ukraine is No. 92.

Looking forward
The disruptions of the pandemic have spurred a lot of reflection.

“People are rethinking their life objectives,” Helliwell said. “They’re saying, ‘I’m going
back, but what am I going back to? What do I want to go back to? How do I want to
spend the rest of my life?’”

He’s hoping this “move towards thinking about values and other people more explicitly”
will affect not just factors such as which jobs or schools people choose, but also how
they operate within those environments.

“It isn’t really about the grades or the salary, it’s about cooperating with other people
in a useful way. And of course, that’s useful for the world, but the whole point of this
happiness research is that it’s also good for the people doing it.

“In other words, you do end up feeling better about yourself if you’re actually looking
after other people rather than number one.”

World’s happiest countries for 2023

1. Finland

2. Denmark

3. Iceland

4. Israel

5. Netherlands
6. Sweden

7. Norway

8. Switzerland

9. Luxembourg

10. New Zealand

11. Austria

12. Australia

13. Canada

14. Ireland

15. United States

16. Germany

17. Belgium

18. Czech Republic

19. United Kingdom

20. Lithuania

Summary of Article:
The World Happiness Report for 2023 brings encouraging news about global
happiness. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, benevolence
towards others has increased, and overall happiness levels have remained resilient.
The report ranks countries based on various factors such as life evaluations, healthy
life expectancy, GDP per capita, social support, low corruption, generosity, and
freedom. Finland continues its winning streak as the world's happiest country for the
sixth consecutive year, followed closely by Denmark, Iceland, and other Nordic
countries. Israel made a significant jump to the fourth position this year. Australia,
Canada, Ireland, the United States, and the United Kingdom also feature in the top 20.
Notably, Lithuania has emerged as a new entrant in the top 20, showcasing its steady
progress in happiness rankings. On the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan and
Lebanon are ranked the lowest in terms of happiness. The report emphasizes the
importance of holistic well-being and the role of institutions in contributing to human
well-being, preserving human rights, and considering future generations. The findings
encourage societies to prioritize values, cooperation, and the well-being of others, as
these factors contribute not only to a happier world but also to individual fulfillment.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-
41097814.html#:~:text=It's%20official%20%E2%80%94%20Finland%20is%20the,six
th%20year%20in%20a%20row.

Finland top; Ireland ahead of UK but

both down on world's happiest
country list
MON, 20 MAR, 2023 - 19:27

It’s official — Finland is the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row.

Ireland has slipped down the ranking of happiest countries by one place, to number
14, while the UK has fallen two places to 19th, according to the latest World Happiness
Report.

The report placed Denmark and Iceland in the top three, behind Finland, with
Switzerland having slipped from third spot last year to eighth place.

Researchers ranked countries after analysing data over three years, including gross
domestic product per capita, social safety nets, life expectancy, freedom to make life
choices, generosity of the population, and perceptions of internal and external
corruption levels.

Afghanistan and Lebanon have been deemed the least happy countries in the world,
according to the report.

Lithuania is the only new country in the top twenty — having climbed more than 30
places since 2017.

Resilience
The survey notes that despite several overlapping crises, most populations around the
world continue to be remarkably resilient, with global life satisfaction averages in the
covid-19 years 2020-2022 just as high as those in the pre-pandemic years.

The report was launched to mark the 10th International Day of Happiness.

The top ten happiest countries are: Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands,
Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, New Zealand.

Ukraine is ranked at 92nd in the list of happiest countries, while Russia stands in 70th
place.

One of the researchers who compiled the report, Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of
the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, said: “The devastating
impact of the war is evident to all, and so we also find that well-being in Ukraine has
taken a real hit.

"But what is surprising, however, is that well-being in Ukraine fell by less than it did in
2014 when Russia annexed Crimea, and this is thanks in part to the extraordinary rise
in fellow feeling across Ukraine as picked up in data on helping strangers and
donations — the Russian invasion has forged Ukraine into a nation.”

Summary of Article:
The World Happiness Report has confirmed that Finland maintains its position as the
happiest country for the sixth consecutive year. However, Ireland has slipped one
place to 14th, and the UK has fallen two places to 19th on the list. Denmark and
Iceland secured spots in the top three alongside Finland, while Switzerland dropped
to eighth place from last year's third spot. The rankings were determined by analyzing
various factors, including GDP per capita, social safety nets, life expectancy, freedom
of choice, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. Afghanistan and Lebanon were
identified as the least happy countries. Lithuania emerged as the only new addition to
the top 20, experiencing significant progress since 2017. The report also highlights the
resilience of global populations, with life satisfaction levels during the COVID-19 years
remaining similar to pre-pandemic times. The rankings were released to coincide with
the 10th International Day of Happiness. The top ten happiest countries include
Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland,
Luxembourg, and New Zealand. Ukraine is ranked 92nd, while Russia stands in 70th
place. The report acknowledges the negative impact of the war in Ukraine but notes
that the country's well-being has been somewhat resilient, partly due to increased
solidarity and acts of kindness among its citizens.
Investigation:

The Vital Role of Physical Exercise in Human Life.

Physical exercise plays a crucial role in the life of human beings. It is essential for
maintaining good health and overall well-being. Regular physical activity offers
numerous benefits that positively impact both the body and mind.
Firstly, engaging in exercise helps to improve physical fitness. It strengthens muscles
and bones, enhances cardiovascular health, and increases flexibility and endurance.
Regular exercise can also assist in weight management by burning calories and
reducing the risk of obesity.
Moreover, physical activity contributes to mental well-being. Exercise stimulates the
release of endorphins, also known as "feel-good" hormones, which elevate mood and
reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. It can boost self-confidence and improve
cognitive function, memory, and focus.
Furthermore, regular exercise promotes better sleep patterns. Physical activity helps
regulate sleep cycles and promotes deeper, more restful sleep, leading to increased
energy levels and improved overall productivity during the day.
Engaging in physical exercise also offers social benefits. Participating in group
activities or sports allows individuals to interact with others, build friendships, and
foster a sense of belonging and community.
Additionally, exercise plays a vital role in preventing various health conditions. It lowers
the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain
cancers. Regular physical activity also strengthens the immune system, reducing the
likelihood of illness and enhancing overall resilience.
It is important to note that incorporating exercise into daily routines does not require
intense workouts or excessive time commitments. Simple activities such as walking,
jogging, cycling, or even household chores can contribute to a healthier lifestyle.
In conclusion, exercise holds great significance in the lives of individuals. It benefits
both the body and mind, promoting physical fitness, mental well-being, better sleep,
social connections, and disease prevention. By prioritizing regular physical activity,
individuals can enhance their overall quality of life and enjoy the numerous advantages
that come with a physically active lifestyle.
 MY TIE LOGBOOK

Investigation: The Vital Role of Physical Exercise in Human Life.

News Story: The world’s happiest countries for 2023
Book: The Little Prince
PRESENTED BY: Baasa Ferraz Lima