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Got Flu Symptoms? Google Flu Trends Help You See Flu Activities This Season

Sun — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:31:46 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Got Flu Symptoms? Google Flu Trends Help You See Flu Activities This Season

When you show any symptom that you may catch a flu, do yo go online to search flu-related terms, such flu symptoms, flue shots, flue vaccines, or flu activities in your area?

If you do (apparently many do), then the terms you searched help Google makes its own Flu Trends, which Google claims can “estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems.” That’s pretty good. The Flu Trends can also show flu activities for each individual state, as well as locations to get flu shots.

See, when you control information, you can make predications and your own trend. You can even tell people when they may get a flu

First Snow of the Season

Sun — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:41:56 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

First Snow of the Season

It’s not even November yet, but we already have our first snow of the season! I don’t remember when we had the first snow last, but sure not this early.

I am staying at home today with the kids to help them recover from the heavy jet lag. It’s so cold both outside and inside the house that I have to turn on the heat to keep them warm.

Speaking of turning on the heat, we had our first oil delivery since March yesterday. At this time last year, when we received the first delivery of the season, I was pleasantly surprised to see that we used only 27 gallons of heating oil in 5 months. This time, the total amount is much higher, 120 gallons, but it was consumed in more than 7 months! Last year, the price we paid was $2.459/gallon, now it’s $2.969 per gallon. That’s an increase of 20.7% in one year. If the crude oil price didn’t below the $70 mark (a nearly 50% decline since its peak in early July) recently, the price we pay could be much higher and the winter could be a tough one. Fortunately, it looks like we are not going to see $150 a barrel oil any time soon with the economy struggling.

Avoid These Unhealthy Kid Foods

Sun — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 02:50:45 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Avoid These Unhealthy Kid Foods

Our 3-year old daughter just loves the Fruit by the Foot snack we bought her at Costco. It’s the kind of happy food that she wants to have coming back from school, before going out for a walk, or every time we take her to the playground or out for a trip. The reason the candy quickly became her favorite is quite simple: It’s sweet. With 10 g of sugar per roll, it’s really sweet. When I tried it after we bought the first box, I felt the amount of sugar was right for me, and that’s obviously too much for a baby despite the fruity taste. But we didn’t just take it away from her (we bought two boxes for her, 42 rolls per box). She’s still a baby and loves some treats once in a while. So we only let her have half a roll, not the full foot, every time she wants one. Another her favorite is Kellogg’s Corn Pops cereal, which is coated with sugar.

We know too much sugar is not good for our children, so we are trying to limit their intake for sugar, or anything that’s nothing but sweet. In fact, none of our children is craving for sweets: They will be happy if we give them the fruit candy. If they don’t get it, they won’t complain, especially the older one. She’s a meat eater, but also likes vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, and drinks a lot low-fat milk But then, when we look at the store shelves, we can find a lot of children foods claimed by manufactures as healthy and nutritious that are not really so. Instead, what many have in common are two ingredients: sugar and salt, lot of them. Today, on Time’s website, they listed 9 kid foods that parents should avoid and the Fruit by the Foot is one of them.

According to Time, these foods have more than just vitamins and minerals that our children need. They are actually too salty for kids:

Kid Cuisine All Star Chicken Breast Nuggets
Alternative: Kid Cuisine’s Twist and Twirl Spaghetti with Meatballs.
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers
Alternative: Honey Maid graham crackers.
Campbell Soup Cars Souper Shapes Condensed Soup
Alternative: Earth’s Best Organic Elmo Vegetable Soup
Kraft Scooby-Doo! Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
Alternative: Uncle Ben’s Brown Whole Grain Rice.
Oscar Mayer Lunchables Mini Tacos
Alternative: Oscar Mayer Lunchables Chicken Dunks.

And these are just too sweet:

Kudos Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Alternative: Cascadian Farms’ Chocolate Chip Granola Bars.
Betty Crocker Fruit By The Foot
Alternative: Real fruit
Sunny Delight
Alternative: Milk

The last item on Time’s list is Earth’s Best Organic Mini Waffles, which Time says has a high level of calories from fat. The alternative, as suggested by Time, is Quaker Oats.

Do you always pay attention to the nutrition label when shopping for kid foods?

Time to Stock up Rice?

Sun — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:45:18 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Time to Stock up Rice?

Yesterday on my way to home, I heard on radio that some Costco stores in the California’s Bay area are setting limits on how much rice and flour a customer can purchase. According to Costco’s CEO, the limits were put in place after what he saw as “unusual demands” for basic items. And Costco is not alone. Today, a story in USA Today says that Costco’s rival, Sam’s Club, is also limiting the amount of rice its customers can buy.

So what’s the reason behind the action from warehouse clubs like Costco and Sam’s Club, which serve both individual shoppers and small business owners? Apparently, it has something to do with the recent surge of rice price, as well as the prices of corn and wheat. Increased media coverage on food shortage in some countries (UN’s World Food Program yesterday called the food crisis a “silent tsunami of hunger“) also fueled concerns among consumers in this country about supplies of food staples, though there’s no shortage here in the U.S.

Tonight, when I told my wife the stories I heard about Costco and Sam’s Club, she said maybe we should get a couple of bags of rice this weekend, just in case. Since a 20-lb bag of rice, which typically costs between $8 and $15, can last nearly two months in our house, I am far from in the panic mode. However, with food prices on the rise, groceries are taking a bigger and bigger share in our monthly expenses, just like gasoline.

Are you concerned?

photo credit: stevegarfield

Stop All Junk Mail

Sun — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:27:23 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Stop All Junk Mail

Do you get a lot of junks, such as catalogs, coupon books, and pre-approved credit card offers, in the mail?

According to 41pounds.org, the average adult in this country receives 41 pounds of unwanted junk mail each year. That’s a lot of junk mail!

In the May issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, the magazine listed several ways to stop the junk mail for good, including both free and paid service.

Free Services

DMAChoice.org

DMAChoice.org is Direct Marketing Association’s consumer information site. At DMAChoice, you can register to get your name removed from mailing lists, email lists, and telemarketing lists. To register, you can choose either to finish the process online or by mail, but that will cost you $1. The online registration process is quite simple, taking only a couple of minutes, and it also allows you to create an account so you can change your preference later.

After creating an account by providing name, address, user name, and password (DMAChoice will send your a confirmation email for using their Mail Preference Service) , you can set your preference on what to receive and what not, including

Catalog Option
Opt-In/Out of other Mail Offers
Opt-Out of All Mailing

For the Catalog Option, you will need to provide the name of the catalog that you don’t wish to receive. And for both the Mail Offers and All Mailing option, a valid credit card is needed in order to complete the process online, though it’s only for verification purpose and you won’t be charge. There’s a By Mail option, but, again, there’s a $1 fee.

CatalogChoice.org

Alternatively, you can also opt-out of receiving unwanted catalogs at CatalogChoice.org. The registration is straightforward, and once registered, (confirmation needed as well) you can browse thourgh a list of catalogs to find the exact name of the catalog you don’t want any more. I found this option better than that of DMAChoice (of course, if you are receiving catalogs you don’t need, you know the name already )

And what’s better of CataLogChoice is it allows users to expand their database. If you have a catalog that isn’t in their database, you can suggest it to them so people later on can find it.

The service at CatalogChoice is also free.

OptOutPreScreen.com

OptOutPreScreen.com is the official website of the Consumer Credit Reporting Industry (companies such as Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion). At OptOutPreScreen.com, you can

Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers for Five Years;
Opt-Out from receiving Firm Offers permanently;
Opt-In and be eligible to receive Firm Offers;

There’s no additional cost to opt-out, but you do need to provide personal information such as social security number and date of birth, and name and address of course, in order to complete the process.

Paid Services

The above services are basically free (except the $1 fee DMAChoice charges for mail-in registration). There are, however, a couple of other sits offer similar service, but charge a small amount of fee that is used for non-profit activities. For example, GreenDimes.com has a Premium service for $20 that will remove your name from more than two dozen junk mail lists and stop catalogs that yo don’t want to receive. Additional services also include monthly monitoring of your account to make sure your names stay off the lists and quarterly reports with details on the progress in reducing your junk mail. Plus, they will plant 5 trees on your behalf! CreenDimes also has a fee-free version that’s quite similar to the above services (opt-out junk mail lists and catalogs). Not only the service is free, GreenDimes will actually pay you $1 for protecting the environment by eliminating junk mail! Pretty cool

Another paid service is from 41Pounds.org. 41Pounds charges $41 to stop junk mail from reaching your mailbox, but, according to the site, 1/3 of the fee it collected will be donated to environmental or community groups at your choice.

photo credit: JoeBenjamin

Apparently, Your Tap Water isn’t as Clean as You Think

Sun — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 13:54:33 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Apparently, Your Tap Water isn’t as Clean as You Think

One big story over the weekend is that an Associated Press investigation found that more than 41 million Americans are drinking water contaminated by antibiotic, anti-depression medicine, and sex hormones for areas from Southern California to Northern New Jersey.

It really sounds scary when thinking of all the stuff coming out of my tap. However, the report did mention that the amount of contamination found in our drinking water is very, very small. So tiny that you may have to drink a billion, or trillion, glasses of water just to get the amount of drug from the water that’s equivalent to a dose of medicine.

The real problem isn’t what one element in the water can cause for our health, but so many drugs, OTC or prescribed, all together over the long-term. Taking one pill in my life is one thing. Taking a little bit everyday for my life is clearly another.

If tap water is “dangerous,” what about bottled water or filtered water? They are not “safe” either, thee report says.

Even users of bottled water and home filtration systems don’t necessarily avoid exposure. Bottlers, some of which simply repackage tap water, do not typically treat or test for pharmaceuticals, according to the industry’s main trade group. The same goes for the makers of home filtration systems.

Looks like we got nowhere to hide but live in this dangerous world

Does this study make you think twice every time you get a glass of “clean” water fro your tap from now?

photo credit: ac94

Save on Heating Oil, but Spend on Electricity

Sun — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:46:48 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Save on Heating Oil, but Spend on Electricity

Part of our efforts to save on heating oil and reduce the overall energy bill in the winter is use radiators in the evening so the temperature in the house can be kept low. While we may have lowered heating oil consumption so far this winter, the spending on electricity certainly went up, a lot, and that makes me wondering if the trade-off is worth it.

We bought two oil-filled radiators (a Delonghi TRD0715T and a Honeywell HZ-709 7) in the past two winters to heat the two bedrooms. This winter season, we fired up our radiators early last November when the outside temperature dropped to the 40-degree range. Inside the rooms, the radiators are on 11 hours from 8:00 pm to 7:00 am the next morning. The temperature on the radiators is set at 70 degrees, while the thermostat is at 61 degrees.

After the first two months of this winter, which was actually quite *warm* so far with no major snows, we saw our electricity usage surged to a record level. I just paid our December electricity bill of $125.15, the largest ever for us.

When we think of winter energy bill, our concern is always on the ever increasing price of heating oil/natural gas. In early November when we received our first oil delivery, the price we paid was more than 30% higher than what we paid last winter. If relying entirely on heating oil, the price tag could be quite high for staying warm this winter, especially when the oil price is hovering around $100 with no sign of easing. So we turned to radiators, but only to spend much more on electricity.

When the winter is over, I wonder how much, if at all, we saved on heating with the radiators.

BTW, the Honeywell HZ-709 7 radiator with digital control is much better than the Delonghi TRD0715T. the Delonghi radiator has a mechanical programmable timer. When we first bought it, it was quite. However, after a few month, the timer’s click got louder and louder and we had to unplug the radiator when not using it to slow the deterioration

America’s Most Dangerous and Safest Cities

Sun — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:26:28 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

America’s Most Dangerous and Safest Cities

Morgan Quitno Press recently published its annual City Crime Ranking which ranks 384 cities with 75,000 population or more across the country based on per-capita crime rates reported by the FBI. Serious crimes considered in the study include murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary and motor vehicle theft. According to the publisher, each crime is weighted equally and the weighted numbers in each category are added together to generate an overall score.

After falling to the second place behind St. Louis, MO in WCBS880.com, the top 25 dangerous cities with their respective scores are:

Detroit, MI: 407.2
St. Louis, MO: 406.2
Flint, MI: 381.0
Oakland, CA: 338.9
Camden, NJ: 323.8
Birmingham, AL: 268.8
North Charleston, SC: 254.3
Memphis, TN: 245.6
Richmond, CA: 245.1
Cleveland, OH: 244.4
Orlando, FL: 237.4
Baltimore, MD: 236.7
Little Rock, AR: 233.8
Compton, CA: 223.6
Youngstown, OH: 222.0
Cincinnati, OH: 218.3
Gary, IN: 214.0
Kansas City, MO: 203.4
Dayton, OH: 201.5
Newark, NJ: 197.3
Philadelphia, PA: 192.9
Atlanta, GA: 189.9
Jackson, MS: 188.8
Buffalo, NY: 187.8
Kansas City, KS: 187.6

At the other end of the spectrum are cities with lowest crime rates, including

Mission Viejo, CA: -82.1
Clarkstown, NY: -81.0
Brick Township, NJ: -78.7
Amherst, NY: -75.4
Sugar Land, TX: -75.4
Colonie, NY: -74.6
Thousand Oaks, CA: -73.8
Newton, MA: -73.5
Toms River Township, NJ: -72.7
Lake Forest, CA: -71.7
Irvine, CA: -71.1
Orem, UT: -70.6
Round Rock, TX: -69.4
Cary, NC: -68.6
Greece, NY: -68.5
Chino Hills, CA: -63.2
Coral Springs, FL: -62.0
Troy, MI: -61.8
Farmington Hills, MI: -61.7
Centennial, CO: -61.3
Glendale, CA: -59.2
Broken Arrow, OK: -58.8
Parma, OH: -58.8
Sterling Heights, MI: -58.5
Simi Valley, CA: -58.5

As you can imagine, the cities in the most dangerous list are not happy about the ranking, which only took the raw numbers without any context. And the publication of the report has been criticized by U.S. Conference of Mayors, as well as the FBI. However, I do feel the report has values, though itself is not perfect. If a city has a crime rate that’s 100 times higher than the city I am living in, I’d think twice before considering a relocation.

First Heating Bill of the Season

Sun — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:00:59 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

First Heating Bill of the Season

Last year, when I got our first heating oil bill after the summer, I was pleasantly surprised that from May to October, we only used 27 gallons of oil! Sure, the usage of heating oil probably dropped to the minimum in the summer (not the electricity bill though ), but still 27-gallon was just a super low number.

Anyway, the last oil delivery we got was in June and the price we paid was $2.709/gallon. Last night, we received our first delivery of this season of 51.5 gallons. Though the quantity almost doubled what we consumed in the May to October period last year, it isn’t too bad considering that we already turned on the heat since early this month when the temperature dropped to around 50 degrees in the evening. Then, the price of the oil.

The price we paid in October 2006 was $2.459/gallon. This year, it goes up to $3.249 a gallon, an increase of 32% in a little over a year. Of course, we didn’t get any help from the $90+/barrel crude oil this time around. In fact, according to a recent Energy Information Administration projection, US households are expected to spend $339, or 22%, more on average on heating oil this winter than the last.

Last winter from October 25, 2006 to February 28, 2007, we used a total of 260 gallons of heating oil at the cost of $670. Since nobody was at home from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm, we were able to set the temperature low during the day time. In the evening, we used two oil radiators to keep the bedrooms warm and other areas of the house relatively cold. All of these helped us reducing the total consumption of heating oil. This year, I don’t expect we will be using more oil. So even if the price is $1 higher than last year, the increase in total cost to stay warm this winter won’t have a material impact on our spending.

*Photo from abclocal.go.com.

Three Keys to be Happy

Sun — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:07:09 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Three Keys to be Happy

An article on Time a couple of days ago offered three pieces of advice from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi on happiness. Dr. Csikszentmihalyi (pronounced Chick-Sent-Me-High-ee) is a leading researcher on life well-being and director of Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA. He recently established what he called the world’s first Ph.D. program at CFU which focus on positive psychology and the analysis of happiness.

So what are the keys to be happy?

Be attuned to what gives you genuine satisfaction. Although many people assume that popular activities like watching TV are enjoyable, their own reports generally indicate that they feel more engaged, energetic, satisfied and happy when doing other things.

Study yourself. To better understand their own happiness, Csikszentmihalyi says, people should systematically record their activities and feelings every few hours for a week or two. In recording your observations, try to focus on how you actually feel, rather than what you think you ought to be feeling or what you expect to feel. Afterwards, note the high points, particularly, and the low ones. Then try to adjust how you spend time according to your findings.

Take control. Repairing unhappy conditions requires active effort. People often assume external conditions will change for the better or let chance determine their response. That’s a mistake. “Get control,” Csikszentmihalyi says. When things aren’t right, “you have to put in the same effort you would if your business were in trouble. Just as markets move, life changes too.”

*Picture from eslkidstuff.com

My Most Expensive Ticket So Far

Sun — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 13:43:50 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

My Most Expensive Ticket So Far

just cost me $220 yesterday, but didn’t buy me anything to enjoy because it was a speeding ticket!

Two months ago I was pulled over on my way to work after dropping off my daughter at day care. The officer asked if I had any idea how fast I was traveling and I said no. In fact, I never really paid attention to the speed limit on that road, though I have been living around that area for nearly four years. It’s a local road near residential area, so the limit couldn’t be high. The officer then told me my speed was 51 mph and the limit is 35. 51? I knew I was speeding but was I really that fast? But why exactly 16 miles over the limit? I didn’t dispute and didn’t ask for the radar readings (I don’t know if I could).

In the past ten years, I didn’t have any accident except once I was hit by a guy on my left trying to make a right turn, but that was my fourth speeding ticket. I guess I always tend to drive a faster, but to some extent, who doesn’t speed? How many people actually follow the posted speed limit?

Anyway, after postponing the court appearance twice, I eventually decided to go yesterday to see my chance of getting the case dropped or downgraded. Outside the court room, I found the officer’s name appeared as witness on a long list of cases and after meeting him in the hallway, I knew I can’t expect a no-show. The best chance for me, thus, was to try to get the charge reduced. With my last ticket three years ago, I played the delay game three times and when I called to get another extension, I was told over the phone I didn’t have to come if I agreed to double the fine and they could reduce the charge from speeding to a less severe reckless driving with no point.

The talk with the prosecutor didn’t last long and he agreed to amend the charge to a 14-mile over the limit instead of 16, but that’s still worth 2 points! He said he can remove the points if there were only two (0 to 14 miles over the limit), but couldn’t go from 4 to zero. Fine!

So what did this costly ticket teach me? First, don’t speed. It could put people in danger. Next, if I do need to go a little faster for various reasons, don’t exceed the limit more than 14 miles.

BTW, here’s an article on LifeHacker on how to beat a speeding ticket. I read it but didn’t beat it, :((.

*Picture from Pointts.com

My Microwave Sponge Experiment

Sun — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 04:24:20 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

My Microwave Sponge Experiment

Last night on my way home from work, I heard WCBS radio mentioned that the best way to kill bacteria in kitchen sponge isn't wash it in dishwasher, but put in microwave oven for 2 minute at full power. That sounded a fine and simple idea to me as we only use hot water and dishwashing liquid to wash our sponges, those Scotch-Brite scrub sponge we bought from Costco.

When I got home, I tried this new method to see how it works. The sponge I put in the microwave oven was wet since I felt it won't be a good idea to put a dry sponge in the microwave. So I washed it and put it in a bowl. After only about forty seconds, the oven was full of steam and I stopped it. The sponge was fine, except that it was very hot. Then I put it back and let it finish the time. But I smelled something was burning and had to stop the microwave with a few seconds left on the clock. The sponge side was totally dried out. On the blue fiber side, however, there was a small black hole.

This apparently isn't a small story as LifeHacker.com also mentioned it today and there's a story on CNN.com tonight reporting several incidents when people put dry sponge in the microwave oven, trying to follow the recommendation to kill sponge germs. University of Florida, which recommended this method, issued the following advisory:

To guard against the risk of fire, people who wish to sterilize their sponges at home must ensure the sponge is completely wet. Two minutes of microwaving is sufficient for most sterilization. Sponges should also have no metallic content. Last, people should be careful when removing the sponge from the microwave as it will be hot.

My sponge was wet but still got ruined.

So Money Can Indeed Buy (Limited) Happiness

Sun — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 19:38:55 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

So Money Can Indeed Buy (Limited) Happiness

So much have we heard what money can buy and can't buy and top the list of can'ts is happiness.

Yesterday an article on USAToday, however, offered the opposite: Money can indeed buy happiness, though only to some limited extent. The conclusion (only one among many) is supported by findings from a research conducted by economist Andrew Oswald in England, who claimed that there's no doubt money makes people happier. The main debate is by how much.

If you are among people who still believe happiness has nothing to do with income or net worth, another article on AP Health has some simple actions you can take to make your life happier:

Think of three good things that happened that day every night, and analyze why they occurred.
Discover your personal strengths (through a specialized questionnaire [registration required]) and choose the five most prominent ones and apply one or more of your strengths in a new way every day.
Write down what you want to be remembered for, to help you bring your daily activities in line with what's really important to you.
Think about the happiest day in your life over and over again, without analyzing it, and write about how you'll be 10 years from now.

However, no matter which practice you want to choose, always keep in your mind that happiness is "about work and striving." As psychologist Ed Diener of the University of Illinois said:

Happiness is the process, not the place …… So many of us think that when we get everything just right, and obtain certain goals and circumstances, everything will be in place and we will be happy…. But once we get everything in place, we still need new goals and activities. The Princess could not just stop when she got the Prince.

Chocolate Milk, the Next Sports Drink?

Sun — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 23:20:58 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Chocolate Milk, the Next Sports Drink?

Apparently, chocolate milk not only tastes good, it can also speed up your recovery from strenuous exercises, at least that the conclusion of a study conducted by some scientists at Indiana University (the study, however, was supported in part by Dairy and Nutrition Council).

According to AP Health news, athletes who drank chocolate milk had long lasting (about 49% to 54%) energy than those who drank carbohydrate drink instead. So what made chocolate milk superior than sports drink, which is a mixture of "water, carbs, proteins, maybe minerals and electrolytes"?

"The same thing. There's no reason it shouldn't be as good for recovery as a carb drink."

Besides, chocolate milk is cheaper as well:

To get 75 grams of carbohydrate, you'd need about 18 ounces of chocolate milk, three scoops of a carb drink or about 17 ounces of a fluid-replacement drink. The milk option would cost around 49 cents, which is about 95 cents less than the carb drink and about 9 cents less than a 17-ounce serving of Gatorade.

Want to Live to Age 85? You Could if

Sun — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 20:24:49 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Want to Live to Age 85? You Could if

you are

not being overweight
having low blood pressure
having low blood sugar levels
having low levels of bad cholesterol
not drinking alcohol excessively
not becoming overweight
not smoking
having a strong grip
achieving a high level of education

and finally

being married

according to a 40-year study of nearly 6,000 Japanese-American men living in Hawaii.

How Safe is Your City? Here’s the Best, Worst, and in Between

Sun — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 15:16:51 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

How Safe is Your City? Here’s the Best, Worst, and in Between

When buying real estate, everybody knows "location, location, location." However, the difference between locations shouldn't just be neighborhoods in the city, the city itself should also be on your mind. You certainly don't want to live in one of those "most dangerous" cities, even though you may find a perfect location in the city.

Morgan Quitno Press, a private research and publishing company specializing in state and city reference books, just released its 13th annual "City Crime Rankings." This year's report, compiled with FBI crime data of 2004 and 2005, put St. Louis, MI (did they just win the world series?), as the most dangerous city in the nation, followed by Detroit, MI, Flint, MI, Compton, CA and Camden, NJ. And the honor of the safest goes to Brick, NJ, followed by Amherst, NY, and Mission Viejo, CA.

In the past couple of years (2004 and 2005), Camden, NJ, which is about 60 miles from where we live and also has a Rutgers University campus in town, topped the list of most dangerous cities and because of the ranking, the campus saw a sharp decline in enrollment. Officials of the city complained that the list failed to recognize the improvement made by the city and left people with very bad impression. This year, Camden is off the hook, though not by far.

So how safe is your city? Here's the complete list from WCBS:

    1. Brick, N.J.
    2. Amherst, N.Y.
    3. Mission Viejo, Calif.
    4. Newton, Mass.
    5. Troy, Mich.
    6. Colonie, N.Y.
    7. Irvine, Calif.
    8. Cary, N.C.
    9. Greece, N.Y.
    10. Coral Springs, Fla.
    11. Thousand Oaks, Calif.
    12. Orem, Utah
    13. Round Rock, Texas
    14. Dover, N.J.
    15. Lake Forest, Calif.
    16. Sterling Heights, Mich.
    17. Simi Valley, Calif.
    18. Roswell, Ga.
    19. Lee's Summit, Mo.
    20. Broken Arrow, Okla.
    21. Chino Hills, Calif.
    22. Gilbert, Ariz.
    23. Edison, N.J.
    24. Cranston, R.I.
    25. Port St. Lucie, Fla.
    26. Sandy, Utah
    27. Nashua, N.H.
    28. Danbury, Conn.
    29. Huntington Beach, Calif.
    30. Orange, Calif.
    31. Hamilton, N.J.
    32. Parma, Ohio
    33. Overland Park, Kan.
    34. Santa Clarita, Calif.
    35. Stamford, Conn.
    36. Cheektowaga, N.Y.
    37. Livonia, Mich.
    38. Sunnyvale, Calif.
    39. Murrieta, Calif.
    40. Canton, Mich.
    41. Plano, Texas
    42. Warwick, R.I.
    43. Torrance, Calif.
    44. Clifton, N.J.
    44. Newport Beach, Calif.
    46. Woodbridge, N.J.
    47. Fargo, N.D.
    48. Norman, Okla.
    49. Olathe, Kan.
    50. Boca Raton, Fla.
    51. Livermore, Calif.
    52. Centennial, Colo.
    53. Fremont, Calif.
    54. Clinton, Mich.
    55. Vacaville, Calif.
    56. Tracy, Calif.
    57. Bellevue, Wash.
    58. Carlsbad, Calif.
    59. Pembroke Pines, Fla.
    60. Farmington Hills, Mich.
    61. Richardson, Texas
    62. Rancho Cucamon., Calif.
    63. Boulder, Colo.
    64. McKinney, Texas
    65. Rochester, Minn.
    66. Beaverton, Ore.
    67. Santa Clara, Calif.
    68. Daly City, Calif.
    69. Lewisville, Texas
    70. Napa, Calif.
    71. Burbank, Calif.
    72. Arvada, Colo.
    73. Alexandria, Va.
    74. Virginia Beach, Va.
    75. Ann Arbor, Mich.
    76. Quincy, Mass.
    77. Glendale, Calif.
    78. Ventura, Calif.
    79. Provo, Utah
    80. Fullerton, Calif.
    81. Lawrence, Kan.
    82. Scottsdale, Ariz.
    83. Carrollton, Texas
    84. Hillsboro, Ore.
    85. Somerville, Mass.
    86. Kenosha, Wis.
    87. Davie, Fla.
    88. Chino, Calif.
    89. Sunrise, Fla.
    90. Cape Coral, Fla.
    91. Henderson, Nev.
    92. Billings, Mont.
    93. Cedar Rapids, Iowa
    94. Plantation, Fla.
    95. Costa Mesa, Calif.
    96. San Mateo, Calif.
    97. Garland, Texas
    98. Madison, Wis.
    99. Corona, Calif.
    100. Clovis, Calif.
    101. Yonkers, N.Y.
    102. Alhambra, Calif.
    103. Buena Park, Calif.
    104. Odessa, Texas
    105. Chandler, Ariz.
    106. Norwalk, Conn.
    107. Upper Darby, Pa.
    108. Peoria, Ariz.
    109. Westminster, Calif.
    110. Roseville, Calif.
    111. Lakewood, Calif.
    112. San Jose, Calif.
    113. Honolulu, Hawaii
    114. El Paso, Texas
    115. Santa Barbara, Calif.
    116. Temecula, Calif.
    117. Cambridge, Mass.
    118. Pasadena, Texas
    119. Brownsville, Texas
    120. Boise, Idaho
    121. Garden Grove, Calif.
    122. Mesquite, Texas
    123. Westminster, Colo.
    124. Manchester, N.H.
    125. Whittier, Calif.
    126. Westland, Mich.
    127. McAllen, Texas
    128. Lincoln, Neb.
    129. Pasadena, Calif.
    130. Columbia, Mo.
    131. Midland, Texas
    132. Chesapeake, Va.
    133. Santa Rosa, Calif.
    134. Spokane Valley, Wash.
    135. Anaheim, Calif.
    136. Athens-Clarke, Ga.
    137. Green Bay, Wis.
    138. Irving, Texas
    139. Fort Collins, Colo.
    140. Escondido, Calif.
    141. Miramar, Fla.
    142. Concord, Calif.
    143. West Covina, Calif.
    144. Hampton, Va.
    145. New York City
    146. Denton, Texas
    147. Palm Bay, Fla.
    148. Sioux City, Iowa
    149. Sioux Falls, S.D.
    150. Thornton, Colo.
    151. Salem, Ore.
    152. Hialeah, Fla.
    153. Baldwin Park, Calif.
    154. Erie, Pa.
    155. San Angelo, Texas
    156. Oxnard, Calif.
    157. Oceanside, Calif.
    158. Austin, Texas
    159. Evansville, Ind.
    160. Lakeland, Fla.
    161. Laredo, Texas
    162. Raleigh, N.C.
    163. El Monte, Calif.
    164. Waterbury, Conn.
    165. Vista, Calif.
    166. Murfreesboro, Tenn.
    167. Fontana, Calif.
    168. Grand Prairie, Texas
    169. Fort Wayne, Ind.
    170. Santa Ana, Calif.
    171. Santa Monica, Calif.
    172. Lexington, Ky.
    173. Colorado Springs, Colo.
    174. Suffolk, Va.
    175. Hollywood, Fla.
    176. Eugene, Ore.
    177. Norwalk, Calif.
    178. Santa Maria, Calif.
    179. Downey, Calif.
    180. Abilene, Texas
    181. Chula Vista, Calif.
    182. Ogden, Utah
    183. Melbourne, Fla.
    184. Clarksville, Tenn.
    185. Sparks, Nev.
    186. San Diego, Calif.
    187. Carson, Calif.
    188. Vancouver, Wash.
    189. Greeley, Colo.
    190. Springfield, Mo.
    191. Mesa, Ariz.
    192. Moreno Valley, Calif.
    193. Tyler, Texas
    194. Dearborn, Mich.
    195. Des Moines, Iowa
    196. Lowell, Mass.
    197. San Antonio
    198. Corpus Christi, Texas
    199. El Cajon, Calif.
    200. Salinas, Calif.
    201. Fairfield, Calif.
    202. Lakewood, Colo.
    203. Redding, Calif.
    204. Ontario, Calif.
    205. South Gate, Calif.
    206. Topeka, Kan.
    207. Arlington, Texas
    208. Lawton, Okla.
    209. Riverside, Calif.
    210. Antioch, Calif.
    211. Long Beach, Calif.
    212. Anchorage, Alaska
    213. West Valley, Utah
    214. Hawthorne, Calif.
    215. Yuma, Ariz.
    216. Louisville, Ky.
    217. Omaha, Neb.
    218. Clearwater, Fla.
    219. Independence, Mo.
    220. Spokane, Wash.
    221. Reno, Nev.
    222. Grand Rapids, Mich.
    223. Pueblo, Colo.
    224. Hayward, Calif.
    225. Tuscaloosa, Ala.
    226. Berkeley, Calif.
    227. Las Cruces, N.M.
    228. Mobile, Ala.
    229. Worcester, Mass.
    230. Palmdale, Calif.
    231. Modesto, Calif.
    232. Wichita Falls, Texas
    233. Lubbock, Texas
    234. San Leandro, Calif.
    235. Amarillo, Texas
    236. Bakersfield, Calif.
    237. Columbus, Ga.
    238. Gainesville, Fla.
    239. Gresham, Ore.
    240. Charleston, S.C.
    241. Tempe, Ariz.
    242. Lynn, Mass.
    243. Lafayette, La.
    244. Newport News, Va.
    245. High Point, N.C.
    246. Fort Worth, Texas
    247. Salt Lake City, Utah
    248. Jacksonville, Fla.
    249. Portland, Ore.
    250. Los Angeles
    251. Victorville, Calif.
    252. Bellflower, Calif.
    253. Glendale, Ariz.
    254. New Bedford, Mass.
    255. Pomona, Calif.
    256. Racine, Wis.
    257. Aurora, Colo.
    258. Elizabeth, N.J.
    259. Rialto, Calif.
    260. Savannah, Ga.
    261. Paterson, N.J.
    262. Seattle
    263. Albany, Ga.
    264. Southfield, Mich.
    265. Lancaster, Calif.
    266. Waco, Texas
    267. Fresno, Calif.
    268. Killeen, Texas
    269. Greensboro, N.C.
    270. San Francisco
    271. Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
    272. Durham, N.C.
    273. Fort Smith, Ark.
    274. Tallahassee, Fla.
    275. South Bend, Ind.
    276. Lansing, Mich.
    277. Federal Way, Wash.
    278. Huntsville, Ala.
    279. Albuquerque, N.M.
    280. Visalia, Calif.
    281. Winston-Salem, N.C.
    282. Providence, R.I.
    283. Everett, Wash.
    284. Davenport, Iowa
    285. Hammond, Ind.
    286. Roanoke, Va.
    287. Norfolk, Va.
    288. Fayetteville, N.C.
    289. Kent, Wash.
    290. Akron, Ohio
    291. St. Paul, Minn.
    292. Wilmington, N.C.
    293. Portsmouth, Va.
    294. Oklahoma City
    295. Columbia, S.C.
    296. Canton, Ohio
    297. Knoxville, Tenn.
    298. Montgomery, Ala.
    299. Allentown, Pa.
    300. North Las Vegas, Nev.
    301. Beaumont, Texas
    302. Las Vegas, Nev.
    303. Denver
    304. Yakima, Wash.
    305. Syracuse, N.Y.
    306. Longview, Texas
    307. Pittsburgh
    308. Tucson, Ariz.
    309. Bridgeport, Conn.
    310. Inglewood, Calif.
    311. Pompano Beach, Fla.
    312. Albany, N.Y.
    313. Phoenix
    314. Boston
    315. Chattanooga, Tenn.
    316. Tampa, Fla.
    317. Jersey City, N.J.
    318. Milwaukee
    319. Miami Beach, Fla.
    320. Indianapolis, Ind.
    321. Shreveport, La.
    322. Sacramento, Calif.
    323. St. Petersburg, Fla.
    324. Tacoma, Wash.
    325. Houston
    326. Columbus, Ohio
    327. Miami
    328. Baton Rouge, La.
    329. Charlotte, N.C.
    330. Jackson, Miss.
    331. Toledo, Ohio
    332. Macon, Ga.
    333. Nashville, Tenn.
    334. Rochester, N.Y.
    335. Tulsa, Okla.
    336. Stockton, Calif.
    337. Hartford, Conn.
    338. Dallas
    339. Miami Gardens, Fla.
    340. Buffalo, N.Y.
    341. Springfield, Mass.
    342. Kansas City, Kan.
    343. Philadelphia
    344. West Palm Beach, Fla.
    345. Minneapolis
    346. Dayton, Ohio
    347. Orlando, Fla.
    348. San Bernardino, Calif.
    349. Little Rock, Ark.
    350. Newark, N.J.
    351. Reading, Pa.
    352. North Charleston, S.C.
    353. Washington
    354. Cincinnati
    355. Atlanta
    356. Kansas City, Mo.
    357. Richmond, Va.
    358. Trenton, N.J.
    359. Memphis, Tenn.
    360. Baltimore
    361. Richmond, Calif.
    362. Gary, Ind.
    363. Youngstown, Ohio
    364. Oakland, Calif.
    365. Cleveland
    366. Birmingham, Ala.
    367. Camden, N.J.
    368. Compton, Calif.
    369. Flint, Mich.
    370. Detroit
    371. St. Louis

Ooops ……

Sun — Sat, 14 Oct 2006 18:01:58 +0000

Original Post on The Sun's Financial Diary

Ooops ……

I think I missed a couple of pages of that Kiplinger's 2006 Best list. Somehow I didn't turn the page when I saw an author's name. Anyway, here's the rest that were missing from the original post:

Best Energy Saving Gizmo: Smart Strip Power Stirp
Best E-Books: Audible
Best Chef's Knife: Misono UX10 Gyuto
Best Last-Minute Travel Site: Site59
Best Airfare Site: Kayak.com
Best Luxury Hotel Site: Priceline.com
Best Train Experience: The Rocky Mountaineer
Best Stemware: Schott Zwiesel Tritan
Best Tennis Racquet: Flexpoint Radical
Best Dark Chocolate: Felchlin's Cru Sauvage
Best Steak: Lobel's
Best Flowers: Flowerbud.com
Best Wrinkle-Free Shirts: Brooks Brothers
Best Walking Sneakers: New Balance 843
Best Crab Cakes: The Crab Place

Now that's a complete list!