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Most corrupt countries

Bill Sullivan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:40:00 +0000

Watchdog group Transparency International is out with a list of the most and least corrupt countries in the world. The “Corruption Perceptions Index” was published Nov. 17.

Here’s the list of the world’s most corrupt countries:

1. Somalia
2. Afghanistan
3. Myanmar
4. Sudan
5. Iraq
6. Chad
7. Uzbekistan
8. Turkmenistan
9. Iran
10. Haiti

To read more about these rankings, visit Transparency International.

Least corrupt countries

Bill Sullivan — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:35:57 +0000

Watchdog group Transparency International is out with a list of the most and least corrupt countries in the world. The “Corruption Perceptions Index” was published Nov. 17.

Here’s a look at the least corrupt countries:

1. New Zealand
2. Denmark
3. Singapore
4. Sweden
5. Switzerland
6. Finland
7. Netherlands
8. Australia
9. Canada
10. Iceland

To read more about the ratings, visit Transparency International.

10 poorest states

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:55:41 +0000

While Wall Street may be trumpeting a big economic recovery, Main Street is still feeling the pinch, according to a new report issued by the Pew Center on The States.

The organization has come out with a list of states suffering the most under current economic pressures. Several factors were considered, including lost revenue, budget gaps, unemployment and foreclosure rates, poor money management practices, and state laws governing the passage of budgets.

According to Pew, the 10 most troubled states are:

Arizona
California
Florida
Illinois
Michigan
Nevada
New Jersey
Oregon
Rhode Island
Wisconsin

Source: CNN Money

Top vacation deals from Orbitz

GetListy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:34:06 +0000

Here is a list of the top vacation packages from Orbitz:

Latest hotel deals from Orbitz

GetListy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:25:59 +0000

Here is a list of the latest hotel deals from Orbitz:

Best job markets

Bill Sullivan — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:15:46 +0000

Finding a job these days isn’t easy, but some cities are faring better than others. Indeed.com recently took a look at the 50 biggest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and assessed how many unemployed people were competing for posted jobs.

Here are the cities with the best jobs-to-job seekers ratios:

1. Washington, D.C.: 6-1
2. Jacksonville, Fla.: 3-1
3. Baltimore: 1-1
4. Salt Lake City: 1-2
5. New York: 1-2
6. San Jose: 1-2
7. Hartford: 1-2
8. Oklahoma City: 1-3
9. Austin: 1-3
10. Boston: 1-3
11. New Orleans: 1-3
12. San Antonio: 1-3
13. Seattle: 1-3
14. Denver: 1-3
15. San Francisco: 1-3

Fastest growing U.S. metro areas

Bill Sullivan — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 16:22:21 +0000

The Raleigh-Cary area in North Carolina and the Austin-Round Rock region in Central Texas were the two fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States in the year ended July 1, 2008, according to figures compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Here’s a list of the Top 10:

Metro Area	July 1, 2008	July 1, 2007	Pct. Inc.
1. Raleigh-Cary, NC	1,088,765	1,043,961	4.3
2. Austin-Round Rock, TX	1,652,602	1,592,590	3.8
3. Kennewick-Pasco-Richland, WA	235,841	227,905	3.5
4. Palm Coast, FL	91,247	88,178	3.5
5. Gainesville, FL	184,814	178,620	3.5
6. Provo-Orem, UT	540,820	522,831	3.4
7. Charlotte-Gastonia-Concord, NC-SC	1,701,799	1,646,431	3.4
8. Idaho Falls, ID	122,995	119,133	3.2
9. Logan, UT-ID	125,070	121,153	3.2
10. St. George, UT	137,589	133,447	3.1

Source: U.S. Census Bureau

AARP’s best places to live

Bill Sullivan — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 11:45:24 +0000

You don’t have to have one foot in the grave to start thinking about where you might want to spend the rest of your days. Affordable? Laid-back? Plenty of fun people to meet and things to do?

Sounds good to us.

AARP The Magazine is out with its list of “Best Places to Live the Simple Life.” Most of ‘em sound pretty good, even if you aren’t all that geezed yet.

Here’s who made the cut:

Tucson, Arizona

Greenville, South Carolina

Montpelier, Vermont

Logan, Utah

Ames, Iowa

So, what makes these places more desirable? Check out the criteria by visiting AARP.

Top party schools 2009

Bill Sullivan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:30:51 +0000

College administrators outside Central Pennsylvania can breathe a sigh of relief: For them, the annual release of the Princeton Review’s list of the nation’s top party schools will not bring a dubious No. 1 ranking.

This year, that distinction goes to none other than Penn State, which moves to the top spot after a respectable third-place finish in 2008. Last year’s winner, Florida, drops to second.

Who else made the Top 20? Here’s the list:

1. Penn State University, State College, Pa.
2. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
3. University of Mississippi, Oxford, Miss.
4. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
6. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
7. University of Texas, Austin, Texas
8. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wis.
9. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
10. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
11. University of Colorado, Boulder, Colo.
12. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
13. Union College, Schenectady, N.Y.
14. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
15. DePauw University, Greencastle, Ind.
16. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
17. Sewanee: The University of the South, Sewanee, Tenn.
18. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, N.D.
19. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
20. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.

Source: Associated Press

Best American cities to visit

Bill Sullivan — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:13:34 +0000

Still trying to figure out where to go this summer? It’s not too late to put together a trip, and you don’t need a passport to explore an interesting city or two.

Here’s our totally arbitrary list of the best American towns to visit:

1. New York: Central Park. The Theater District. Times Square. Food. History by bus, boat or foot. Two new baseball stadiums. What more do you need?

2. Chicago: Architecture. The Arts. A cool downtown river scene. The lake. And, oh yes, the Cubs!

3. San Francisco: Okay, so Mark Twain said the coldest winter he ever spent was a summer in San Francisco. Pack a sweater and get over it. A great town with a rich and diverse population and just about any kind of food you’d ever imagine consuming. Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. Drive out to the Wine Country. Drink Irish coffee at the Buena Vista. You can hit the treadmill when you get back.

4. Boston: Arguably America’s best walking town. You can take in a huge chunk of American history on foot, stopping only for the occasional microbrew and maybe a lobster. If you like baseball, pay what it takes to mix in a Red Sox game at Fenway. You won’t be disappointed.

5. Seattle: There’s a myth that it’s always raining in Seattle. Not so. When the sun is out, in fact, this is one of the prettiest towns around. It’s not close to much of anything, and the locals seem to like it that way. Check out Pike Market and catch a sunset over the Sound. It’s worth the trip.

6. Denver: You can get a car and head out to the mountains, but there’s plenty to do in town as well. A really cool zoo. A much improved restaurant and bar scene. And few baseball stadiums can rival the backdrop of Coors Field, which offers an impressive view of the real Rockies.

7. Austin: The Texas capital and home of the University of Texas isn’t the sleepy college town it used to be. Check out Sixth Street, or soak up some real Texana at the Texas Chili Parlor. If you want to be outside, Lake Travis is a short drive West, or you can get more ambitious and venture out into the Hill Country. There’s a good reason Austin has the most educated waitperson population in America — no one wants to leave.