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Simeon Mitropolitski is a Canadian analyst, of Bulgarian origin, and a former syndicated columnist with the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA). He is the author of several hundred articles dealing with hot political and economic topics, both national and international.

He was part of the first group of Bulgarian intellectuals and students that began the opposition movement that finally put an end to the communist regime in this country in 1989, and in 1996-1997 participated in international observation teams during the elections in several Balkan countries - Romania, Albania and Bulgaria.

In 2002 Simeon and his family moved from Bulgaria to Canada where they live now in Montreal, province of Quebec. Simeon is a Master of Political Science from McGill University and a B.A. of Political Science and History.

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The castle of Alnwick

The market town, also known for its medieval castle (also used in the movie as the wizardry school of Harry Potter) has come to the top in a survey published in British Country Life magazine. It found that residents of Alnwick, just a 30-minute drive from Newcastle, enjoy the highest living standard in the country.

Alnwick was declared to be the best town following numerous measurable criteria such as the affordability of house prices, the low crime rate and the quality of the local amenities. On the balance were also put many other criteria such as the local character, the quality of local production, the free time and outdoor opportunities, the healthy weather and the presence of the historical and cultural buildings. Even the small details weren't forgotten, e.g. the town scored high for its second-hand bookshop, considered to be among the best in the country.

The survey, made by Country Life magazine, didn't measure the economic prosperity and the population incomes. The mixture of beauty and communal spirit was considered far more important than the income of the residents. When you look for quality of life and if you want one, then the high income simply doesn't matter, point out the authors of the survey.

The magazine said Alnwick scored well on local history** and the castle was a trademark of the town especially as it has been used as a background for numerous films, most recently as the location for Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter movie. Learning about the great news and the high honor the small town received, the 12th Duke of Northumberland told reporters that the most special features of the town of 8,000 are "the fantastic landscape, the good beaches, the great fishing and the traffic, that isn't as bad as in London".

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* - Alnwick has been rated first followed by Midhurst in West Sussex. The joint third place was attributed to Cornish fishing village Fowey, and Tetbury, Gloucestershire, which is close to Prince Charles' Highgrove home.

** - Alnwick has been a home to the Dukes of Northumberland since 1309.

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