Forbes recently examined the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the United States to figure out which housing markets have yet to reach bottom. Spending power, unemployment, housing and credit availability for the last 27 years were factored into the mix.

Using calculations from Moody’s, it was determined how much each area’s home prices would have to drop to create a state of balance. For some, that means more bad times to come.

Which areas can anticipate the biggest decline?

Here’s the list:

T10. New York City: 23 percent

T10. San Diego: 23 percent

T8. Oakland, Calif.: 25 percent

T8. Las Vegas: 25 percent

6. Phoenix: 27 percent

5. Los Angeles: 29 percent

4. Tampa: 36 percent

3. Jacksonville: 39 percent

2. Miami: 53 percent

1. Orlando: 48 percent

To check out the details on why things are looking so bleak in these communities, visit Forbes.

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Despite the housing market struggles and a downturn in gaming revenues, Las Vegas still beckons to people looking for a fresh start, according to an analysis of moving requests from 2008 by Relocation.com. The data revealed that on a per-capita basis for cities with more than 1 million people, Las Vegas retained its top spot as the No. 1 destination for people looking to make a long distance state-to-state move.

Although the recession has spared no one area of the country, cities in the West and South continue to appeal to people relocating, whether it is moving to take a new job or finding a new home with more solid economic opportunities.

Here are the top cities that people are expected to move to:

1. Las Vegas
2. Denver
3. Charlotte, N.C.
4. Phoenix/Mesa
5. Portland, Ore.
6. Seattle
7. Orlando, Fla.
8. Washington, D.C.
9. Atlanta
10. Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg, Fla.

Based on requests for moving quotes in 2008 and leading into 2009, the data is a strong indicator of consumer behavior for the coming year. Michigan and Ohio are declining likely due to automotive industry and other manufacturing job losses. However, North and South Carolina have gained and are expected to keep gaining.

For every 100 people looking to move to Michigan, 210 were looking to move out of the state. Ohioans also saw more people relocating: for every 100 people looking to move to Ohio, 150 requested moving quotes to move out of state.

The biggest beneficiary of these population displacements is North Carolina, which saw nearly 80 percent more requests to move to North Carolina than to leave (for every 100 people requesting moving quotes to leave the state, 180 indicated they wanted to move to it). South Carolina also saw a jump with nearly 70 percent more requests to move to the state than to leave, while Texas saw 66 percent more, and Georgia saw 36 percent more.

Relocation.com analyzed nearly 500,000 moving quote requests in 2008 to determine where people are moving. Figures from the U.S. census bureau indicate that 34 million people moved between 2007 and 2008. The company estimates that about three out of four people who make an inquiry on the Relocation.com family of sites, actually move within 12 months, representing nearly 3 percent of all Americans who move. The Census Bureau says the vast majority of movers in the U.S. make local moves; according to 2006 data, 62 percent of people making a move stayed within the same county, while 20 percent moved to a different county but within the same state. Fourteen percent moved state to state, while 3 percent moved from abroad.

Source: Relocation.com

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That’s why it is disturbing, to say the least, to return to the spot where you left it and discover that it is no longer there.

This happens more frequently in some communities than others. Forbes decided to find out where you are most likely to experience that sinking feeling.

Here are the 10 worst places to leave a car on its own:

10. Tucson, Ariz.

9. Yakima, Wash.

8. Phoenix/Mesa/Scottsdale, Ariz.

7. Albuquerque, N.M.

6. Laredo, Tex.

5. San Francisco/Oakland/Freemont, Calif.

4. Stockton, Calif.

3. San Diego/Carlsbad/San Marcos, Calif.

2. Las Vegas/Paradise, Nev.

1. Modesto, Calif.

To check out some facts and figures on these auto-pinching meccas, visit Forbes.

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Want to stay at a verifiably green hotel for your next vacation? Soon you’ll be able to choose from among dozens of hotel and resort projects, in various stages of construction or remodeling, that have registered with the US Green Building Council, aiming to achieve silver, gold or platinum LEED certification.

But so far only a handful of resorts, hotels and lodges, 13 at last count, have completed the LEED certification process. These get-aways, which include upscale, urban hotels; trendy spas and woodsy lodges, have met the LEED standards, which requires that building projects consider the environment in how they locate their structures; choose materials with a lighter environmental impact; recycle or reduce construction waste, and conserve energy and water.

The 13 green pioneers:

• Avalon Hotel and Spa — Portland, Ore., US (pictured)
  
• GAIA Napa Valley — San Francisco, Calif., US
  
• Kandalama Hotel — Damulla, Sri Lanka
  
• Len Foote Hike Inn — Dawsonville, Ga., US
  
• Orchard Garden Hotel — San Francisco, Calif., US
  
• Snowmass Golf Clubhouse — Aspen, Colo., US
  
• The Ambrose — Santa Monica, Calif., US
  
• The John James Audubon Lodge & Camp — Charlotte, N.C., US
  
• The Lodge and Spa at Callaway Gardens — Pine Mountain, Ga., US
  
• University of Maryland Inn & Conference — Adelphi, Md., US
  
• Vancouver Conference Center & Hotel — Vancouver, Wash., US
  
• Palazzo — Las Vegas, Nevada, US
  
• Unity Village Hotel - Kansas City, Missouri, US

**LEED certification of building projects differs from the certification by the Green Hotels Association. While LEED focuses on construction and energy consumption; the GRE, which also looks at energy conservation, more closely analyzes daily operations, giving points for hotels that use bulk soaps, low-toxic cleaners, natural pesticides and less food packaging.

Chart source: The US Green Building Council.

For more on green living, go to greenrightnow.com.

Copyright © 2008 | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Thomson Reuters released its annual study identifying hospitals that demonstrated the fastest, most consistent improvement in the nation over five consecutive years. Nine of the 100 leading hospitals are in Texas. Florida and New York are each home to eight, and Pennsylvania boasts seven. Kentucky and Tennessee each have six winning hospitals, and California and Michigan have five apiece.

The study rated hospitals on eight factors — patient mortality, medical complications, patient safety, length of stay, expenses, profitability, cash-to-debt ratio, and use of evidence-based medicine. Researchers evaluated 2,867 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals grouped into five categories: major teaching hospitals, other teaching hospitals, large community hospitals, medium-sized community hospitals, and small community hospitals.

Here are the winning hospitals, by category:

Major Teaching Hospitals

• University Medical Center – Tucson, AZ
• Christiana Care Health System – Wilmington, DE
• Shands at the University of Florida – Gainesville, FL
• University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics – Iowa City, IA
• Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center – Boston, MA
• Baystate Medical Center – Springfield, MA
• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center – Boston, MA
• Henry Ford Hospital – Detroit, MI
• The Mount Sinai Medical Center – New York, NY
• New York Hospital Queens – Flushing, NY
• Westchester Medical Center – Valhalla, NY
• Duke University Hospital – Durham, NC
• Allegheny General Hospital – Pittsburgh, PA
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center – Nashville, TN
• Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center – Houston, TX

Teaching Hospitals

• St. Bernards Medical Center – Jonesboro, AR
• St. Anthony Central Hospital – Denver, CO
• Florida Hospital – Orlando, FL
• Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare – Tallahassee, FL
• OSF Saint Francis Medical Center – Peoria, IL
• Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center-South Bend – South Bend, IN
• Via Christi Regional Medical Center – Wichita, KS
• Bronson Methodist Hospital – Kalamazoo, MI
• St. Joseph Mercy Oakland – Pontiac, MI
• McLaren Regional Medical Center – Flint, MI
• St. Cloud Hospital – St. Cloud, MN
• Valley Hospital Medical Center – Las Vegas, NV
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center – Livingston, NJ
• Altru Hospital – Grand Forks, ND
• Providence St. Vincent Medical Center – Portland, OR
• Saint Vincent Health Center – Erie, PA
• Heritage Valley Beaver – Beaver, PA
• PinnacleHealth – Harrisburg, PA
• Robert Packer Hospital – Sayre, PA
• Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis – Memphis, TN
• CHRISTUS Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi – Corpus Christi, TX
• Methodist Dallas Medical Center – Dallas, TX
• Medical Center Hospital – Odessa, TX
• Corpus Christi Medical Center – Corpus Christi, TX
• Meriter Hospital – Madison, WI

Large Community Hospitals

• Jackson Hospital – Montgomery, AL
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Oakland, CA
• St. Bernardine Medical Center – San Bernardino, CA
• Saddleback Memorial Medical Center – Laguna Hills, CA
• NCH Downtown Naples Hospital – Naples, FL
• Flagler Hospital – St. Augustine, FL
• Boca Raton Community Hospital – Boca Raton, FL
• Rockford Memorial Hospital – Rockford, IL
• Hardin Memorial Hospital – Elizabethtown, KY
• Western Baptist Hospital – Paducah, KY
• Shady Grove Adventist Hospital – Rockville, MD
• Allegiance Health – Jackson, MI
• Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare – New Hartford, NY
• Orange Regional Medical Center – Goshen, NY
• Rex Healthcare – Raleigh, NC
• Genesis HealthCare System – Zanesville, OH
• Saint Thomas Hospital – Nashville, TN
• Citizens Medical Center – Victoria, TX
• CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System – Texarkana, TX
• Providence Everett Medical Center – Everett, WA

Medium Community Hospitals

• Brooksville Regional Hospital – Brooksville, FL
• Oconee Regional Medical Center – Milledgeville, GA
• Adventist GlenOaks Hospital – Glendale Heights, IL
• Mary Greeley Medical Center – Ames, IA
• Murray-Calloway County Hospital – Murray, KY
• Ephraim McDowell Regional Medical Center – Danville, KY
• Saint Joseph East – Lexington, KY
• Grenada Lake Medical Center – Grenada, MS
• Bolivar Medical Center – Cleveland, MS
• San Juan Regional Medical Center – Farmington, NM
• Olean General Hospital – Olean, NY
• St. James Mercy Hospital – Hornell, NY
• Rutherford Hospital, Inc. – Rutherfordton, NC
• Medcenter One Hospital – Bismarck, ND
• Pocono Medical Center – East Stroudsburg, PA
• Cookeville Regional Medical Center – Cookeville, TN
• Paris Regional Medical Center – Paris, TX
• Carilion New River Valley Medical Center – Christiansburg, VA
• Aurora West Allis Medical Center – West Allis, WI
• Aurora BayCare Medical Center – Green Bay, WI

Small Community Hospitals

• St. Elizabeth Community Hospital – Red Bluff, CA
• Doctors Hospital of Manteca – Manteca, CA
• Jackson County Hospital District – Marianna, FL
• The King’s Daughters’ Hospital & Health Services – Madison, IN
• St. Joseph Regional Medical Center-Plymouth – Plymouth, IN
• Newton Medical Center – Newton, KS
• Mercy Regional Health Center – Manhattan, KS
• Baptist Hospital Northeast – LaGrange, KY
• Falmouth Hospital – Falmouth, MA
• Trace Regional Hospital – Houston, MS
• Hannibal Regional Hospital – Hannibal, MO
• Northern Montana Hospital – Havre, MT
• Corning Hospital – Corning, NY
• INTEGRIS Baptist Regional Health Center – Miami, OK
• Gettysburg Hospital – Gettysburg, PA
• St. Mary’s Healthcare Center – Pierre, SD
• St. Mary’s Medical Center of Campbell County – LaFollette, TN
• Baptist Hospital of Cocke County – Newport, TN
• Ennis Regional Medical Center – Ennis, TX
• Aurora Medical Center – Two Rivers, WI

For more information, go to Thomson Reuters.

Source: Thomson Reuters

Well, maybe you can but should you? Get out of the casino, get some fresh air. It will be good for you. Las Vegas rises from the spectacle of the great America desert and beauty is all around.

Hoover Dam  is a dazzling feat of engineering, it’s only about an hour from town, and it lends gravitas to your Vegas vacation.

You can have lunch, visit Red Rock Canyon and be back at the tables before dinner. Climbers love the red cliffs and the canyon has scenic driving loops, hiking trails and wild burros (the last of which are best admired from afar).

A day trip to the West Rim Grand Canyon includes the chance to walk out on the glass bottom Skywalk (if you dare), built by the Hualapai Tribe. Drive yourself (about three hours) or take a tour.

Get out on the water in the desert. Lake Mead Cruises is the only licensed tour company sailing the waters of Lake Mead.

Cards getting cold? Death Valley, the hottest place in the United States, is about two hours from Vegas. 

When the desert city bakes, drive a few minutes out of town and you can reach the cooler climes of Mt. Charleston. Plan ahead to explore the hiking trails of this wilderness or just drive up for lunch at the Mt. Charleston Lodge.

Sponsored list:

• Hotel offers under $99 (feed)

“What’s for dinner?”

Great cities and great restaurants tend to go hand in hand. That’s why Forbes put together its list of 10 Best Restaurant Cities.

You can probably guess at least a few of them. We’ll give you Nos. 6-10:

6. Houston

7. Washington, D.C.

8. Atlanta

9. Boston

10. Las Vegas

Ready to see who filled the top slots? To see those, and to read more about these cities and the selection criteria, visit Forbes.

Mancations are nothing really new. We used to call them fishing trips. But these days, you don’t have to sit on a lake all day for a good mancation. Manliness is many-faceted and the world is full of ways you and your buddies can meet up, catch up, hang out and be guys together. It hardly matters what you do. It’s about the bonding, buddy.

Some mancation ideas that don’t necessarily involve sleeping in the woods:

Create a sporting ritual: Some guys travel to get together for the opening game of every baseball season. Some wouldn’t miss their college alma mater homecoming game. Rituals like these can start at any time. Pick a game, any game, and make it yours.

Arizona’s Cactus League has a comprehensive web site for planning a trip to cheer your guys during spring training trip. Companies such as PrimeSport sell packages to sports events of all kinds, including the Super Bowl and other big deal games.

Play like a kid: Golf and skiing are classic mancations, but how about mountain biking or whitewater rafting? An adventure outfitter can tailor an adventure for everyone’s comfort and you can sleep in a bed that night.

Santa Fe Mountain Adventures has a menu of hiking, biking, rafting and more and can customize your gang’s adventures for a few hours, a day or longer.

Tell friends back home that you’re going mountain biking and rock climbing and then check into Red Mountain Spa, where you can do both and more with experienced local guides. Finish your days with a soak and massage.

Be urban manly: There’s nothing sissy about a city.

Maybe Chicago, the Windy City of the Big Shoulders, for beer, brats Cubs and Sox and Bears. And the Web site 10Best directs you to the city’s best sports bars.

Or Memphis, for blues, BBQ and The King, of course. The official Elvis site has Memphis music packages that include Graceland, Sun Studio, Stax museum and more.

Or Cleveland for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and chili.

And we don’t have to explain Las Vegas, just behave yourself.

Invent a quest: A goal can give direction to your travels. Choose a local specialty and seek out the best, or create a theme for the trip. Debate, argue, create a rating system, do that competitive thing men do so well.

Texas Monthly assesses the 50 best barbecue joints in Texas, so if that’s your plan, start here.

Route 66 is a road trip icon. Explore America’s mother road with the help of the Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide – 12th Edition.

The best bar in New York City? Depends on what you’re looking for, but New York magazine has recommendations to get you started. Pace yourselves.

Sponsored list:

• Hotel offers under $99 (feed)

Ellis Island – Immigration is the essence of America and the stories told here are deeply moving. You can see the Statue of Liberty from here, too, which brings it all home.

Grand Canyon – It’s a hundred times bigger, grander and more stirring than your imagination can devise.

Las Vegas — Love it or hate it, it’s over-the-top and quintessentially American.

USS Arizona Memorial — Here, the bombing of Pearl Harbor feels raw and emotional, as if it happened just yesterday.

New York City — Though more like a European city than an American city, its energy is unmatched anywhere.

Mount Rushmore — Kitsch wrought enormous, this large scale hero-worship is exciting and moving.

Disney World — See “Las Vegas,” above.

Monument Valley — The spectacle of this land, which lies within the Navajo Nation, speaks directly and viscerally to American Indian spirituality.

Los Angeles and surrounds — Hollywood, of course. But also Santa Monica, Malibu, Venice. This is the America the whole world knows from TV and movies.

Washington D.C. — The heart of our government beats here. Feel the power.