Is Jerusalem having fun yet

Jerusalem marked its 43rd anniversary this week. For a city estimated to be at least 3015 years old, these "slightly" different figures might sound strange; but on the other hand, what's a few thousand years here and there as long as we are assured that we're happy?

Yes, happy. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics 90 percent of the secular population and 97% of haredim claim to be happy. And guess who else is happy here? The Replica watches Arab residents. Statistically, 83% of them - 1% more than last year - are happy.

While the local, national and foreign press are busy reporting a barrage of bad news and horrifying reports - poverty, threats of war, delinquency, sex crimes and corruption - it turns out that we're not feeling so bad. Whether it is because none of us ever bothers to read these depressing reports or because there's a secret to life out here, the CBS is adamant about its findings: The residents of Jerusalem are happy, they like their lives here and they even think their lives have improved since last year.

But a few things remain puzzling. Ninety percent of the secular residents are happy - those same secular residents who do not miss an opportunity to declare how fed up they are with the city - and yet many plan to leave it (19,900 Jerusalemites left the city last year). And 89% of the young generation, aged 20 years and under are reported to be happy - the same youth who are considered the main reason behind their parents' departure from here because they can't really live a good life in Jerusalem.

Forty-two percent of the city's residents are also claimed to be satisfied with the level of cleanliness in the capital's streets - the same streets that are usually depicted as the closest thing we have to looking like a Third World nation.

And as if these figures were not enough to drive us completely mad, here is another one: 97% of the haredim living here are happy to do so. This writer can already anticipate readers' reactions: "Well, of course haredim are happy to live here. Haven't they made our lives miserable with their demonstrations, bins set on fire and segregated buses and all Replica watches accesses to public venues? Of course! But besides that, they did lose the city to a secular mayor, they did have to watch quite a few of their leaders dragged off to court on suspicion of corruption, and they even lost their case to the American vice president, who took the construction projects in one of their neighborhoods (Ramat Shlomo) as a personal insult.

And we haven't mentioned anything about the Arab residents' happiness. Could it be that, after all, they do feel some affection toward the Jewish residents in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan? Could it be that all the ugly stories we have been told about a dangerous antagonism between Jews and Arabs in neighborhoods like French Hill, Pisgat Ze'ev and Neveh Ya'acov were mere lies and propaganda? Otherwise, how else can we explain that the CBS has found that 83% of the Arab residents are happy with their life in Jerusalem?

If this is the statistical reality, then who are the masses that are dissatisfied, suffering and even hate this city and their life here? Who represents the Replica watches ever-growing numbers of residents who pack up their homes and take the high road to the center of the country?

So are we happy here or not?

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IRON MAN

THEY told him he needed a fourth spinal operation, then cut Replica watches open his throat and inserted a titanium disc.

Even when the threat of paralysis was removed and he was back on his feet, Phil Vickery had no idea if, or when, he would play again.

That was four months ago when the prospect of England's warrior prop appearing in a major European club semi-final was somewhere between slim and non-existent.

Guess what he's doing on Saturday night, when Wasps take on Cardiff at Adams Park for a place in the Amlin Challenge Cup final? You've got it. Why does a 34-yearold veteran of 11 operations, who has already won everything worth winning in the game, keep coming back for more? "Simple really," he said yesterday. "I have a passion for rugby. Yeah we get paid well, but you have to love what you do because in this game you're in a serious amount of pain.

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"If you played solely for money, just searching for a pot of gold, you'd be in serious trouble. You've got to get enjoyment out of it more often than not."

It seems nothing can deter a man whose 73 caps include two World Cup Finals, one as captain, a Grand Slam and Heineken Cup and Premiership titles.

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't have the hunger still to do it," Vickery added. "I'm still enjoying playing and trying to get better. But you can't be silly about it. With these sorts of injuries you can't be so blinkered that you are stupid in the relentless pursuit of doing something you can't do.

"You have to be realistic and the reality for me was that I might not have been able to play again."

Once given the all-clear, however, there was only one thought in the mind of Raging Bull - to return to what he terms his "fantastic job".

"We can all moan about games, about training, the food, travelling, rules, ref, relegation, preseason, time off," he said.

"You get on with it or you do something else. Because that's reality. The machine keeps going and you either drive it or get off and let someone else do it.

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"Sometimes it's only when you get an injury that you step back, look at what we do and think: 'Bloody hell, what a fantastic job'.

"There's a lot of people who would love the opportunity to be in our shoes. I never lose sight of that."

Vickery will take his place this weekend alongside Tom Rees, who was yesterday backed by Lawrence Dallaglio to captain England on the forthcoming tour to Australia.

"We need someone whose going to be a breath of fresh air, someone like Tom," Dallaglio said.

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Parsons' Wager Named to Counci

Parsons is pleased to announce that Todd K. Wager, Parsons Group President, has been named to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Brazil Founded in 1921, CFR is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, policymakers, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.

Mr. Wager joined Parsons in 1996 and has since held a succession of project management and business development positions throughout the corporation both in Europe and the United States. He was appointed to his current position as President of one of Parsons' four global business units in September 2009. In this capacity, he is responsible for the business unit's worldwide operations, which consists of providing Parsons' federal government customers with full-service engineering, construction, and management services in handbags-g the defense, energy, environmental, infrastructure, security, intelligence, and international sectors.

"We congratulate Todd for being named to the Council on Foreign Relations," said Chuck Harrington, Parsons' Chairman and CEO. "This recognition reflects his experience, knowledge, and leadership with our federal government customers both domestically and abroad."

Mr. Wager holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois, a master's degree from Georgetown University, and is a graduate of the International Security Program at Stanford University. http://www.wubags.com/handbags-u/ He is based in Parsons' Pasadena, California, corporate headquarters.

Parsons, celebrating more than 65 years of growth in the engineering and construction industry, is a leader in many diversified markets with a focus on infrastructure, environmental, and defense/security. Parsons delivers design/design-build, program and construction management, professional services, and innovative alternative delivery solutions to private industrial customers worldwide, as well as federal, regional, and local government agencies. For more about Parsons, please visit .

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