Blog Posts by Forbes.com

by Zack O'Malley Greenburg

Ten urban centers closely associated with unmitigated joy.

Ever since Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in the 1933 film Flying Down to Rio, the world has been fascinated with Rio de Janeiro. Popular perception of the city is infused with images of starry-eyed youngsters dancing into the dusk, backed by imposing mountains and dark sea.

That view has propelled Rio to the top of our list of the world's happiest cities. Famous for its annual Carnaval festival (starting Feb. 13 next year), the second-largest metropolis in South America finished first among 50 cities in a recent survey conducted by Simon Anholt, an author and policy adviser.

"Brazil is associated with all these qualities of good humor and good living and Carnaval," says Anholt. "Carnaval is very important--it's the classic image that people have of Rio, and it's an image of happiness."

Next on the list is the top city from Down

By Lauren Sherman

These spots offer up the ultimate in global cuisine.

Paris is known for its patisseries, Michelin-starred restaurants and perfectly prepared steak frites. In Rome, square slices of pizza topped with zucchini, Caprese sandwiches and of course, gelato, tempt foodies. In Tokyo, upscale favorites like sashimi and robatayaki rule alongside street food mainstays like Gyudon, a beef and onion mixture served over rice.

Tradition is a powerful sentiment. That's why these pillars of global cuisine remain the top cities for foodies.

In Depth: World's Best Cities To Eat Well

Behind The Numbers

The list is derived from the 2009 Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index, released in June. It surveyed 10,000 people from 20 countries--each chosen for geographic and economic diversity--in April of this year. It asked them to rank 50 cities on such varied subjects as climate, physical attractiveness, restaurants and nightlife. Cities were judged on lifestyle, buzz,

By Rebecca Ruiz

There's no one-size-fits-all approach for sleep problems, but some treatments are more reliable than others.

Americans are increasingly restless sleepers, and they've taken to the Internet with their frustrations. In the past year, inquiries like "I'm tired," "I need sleep," "Why can't I sleep?" and "Help me sleep" have increased by 15% to 30%, according to Google's internal search data.

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center and released last week found that one-quarter of Americans had trouble sleeping and that a third napped throughout the day.

In Depth: Eight Things Keeping You Awake At Night

It's no wonder that the sleep-aid market, which includes over-the-counter drugs like Tylenol PM, herbal supplements, devices like sound machines, ear plugs and even aromatherapy candles, is estimated by the research firm Packaged Facts to be worth at least $20 billion.

The diverse choices may be comforting, but they often distract from proven treatments

By Rebecca Ruiz

Prescription drug rates are highest in places where preventable chronic diseases are the norm.

Much of the American South is ailing, with West Virginia the worst off--at least, if the rate of prescription drug use is any indication. The state filled 17.7 prescriptions per capita compared to a national average of 11.5, according to Verispan, a health care information company.

Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky and Missouri also have prescription drug-use rates well above the national average.

In Depth: America's Most Medicated States

Dr. Jane Barlow, vice president of medical strategy and clinical quality for Medco Health Solutions, one of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit manager, says there's a reason these states use more medication: Their rates of heart disease, obesity and diabetes are higher than the national average, particularly in West Virginia.

"The growth in prescription drug use," says Barlow, is driven in

By Sarah Lynch

Sinking property values, high unemployment and prices, and poor environments add to the pressure felt by residents in these metros.

Few enjoy their commute. Just ask Stephen Dinwiddie, M.D., a psychiatrist at the University of Chicago.

"I think anybody who, like I do, commutes on the Kennedy on a daily basis knows exactly what stress is," he says, of his daily home-to-work commute on Chicago's expressway that extends from the Chicago Loop to O'Hare International Airport. "It takes anywhere from 30 minutes to several centuries--at least subjectively."

In Pictures: America's 40 Most Stressful Cities

But more pressing factors make Chicago for the second year in a row the country's most stressful city. Crowding, poor air quality, a high 11% unemployment rate and free-falling home values have created a cocktail of constant worry affecting many in the Windy City.

Los Angeles, Calif., ranks second, followed by New York, N.Y., Cleveland, Ohio, and Providence,

By Rebecca Ruiz

Back-to-school season is an opportunity to teach your child about nutrition at school and at home.

The 14,300 students served by the public school cafeterias in Lee's Summit, Mo., have delicious yet healthy options.

Among the menu items are fresh watermelon, fresh carrots with low-fat ranch dixp, baked chicken nuggets, chilled (frozen) strawberries, low-fat mashed potatoes with non-fat gravy, and pizza with whole grain crust and low-fat cheese. They even enjoy roasted, shredded pork sandwiches with homemade whole grain rolls dressed in a low-sodium barbecue sauce--perhaps no surprise for a district that resides in the Kansas City metropolitan area.

8 Ways To Get Kids To Eat Healthy

"We're educating them through the meals we provide," says Jane Hentzler, a registered dietitian and director of nutrition services for the school district. The healthy fare, she says, is designed to teach the schoolchildren about the proper ratio of nutrients and how to create

By Rebecca Ruiz

Spending is far above average in these markets.

When it comes to their health, patients in the Miami area have plenty of options.

There are 3.7 hospital beds per 1,000 Miami-Dade County residents compared to a national average of 2.7. There are 47 medical specialists per 100,000 residents, just above the national average of 45. The metro area is also at the forefront of cutting-edge technology. Miami-Dade County has two Gamma Knives, a non-invasive neurosurgical radiation tool that costs as much as $5 million. By 2012, the Miami area will be home to at least one $150 million proton beam, also used for radiation treatments.

In Pictures: Most Expensive Places For Health Care

What Miami patients may fail to realize, however, is that their care is the most expensive in the country. The cost of treating the average Medicare patient was $16,351 in 2006, the last year for which data was available. That's twice the national average. (Medicare data provide the

by Hana R. Alberts, Forbes.com

How West Point beats the Ivy League.

America's Best Colleges
College senior Raymond Vetter gets up at dawn to fit in a run or a workout. Then, hair shorn neatly and pants pressed, he marches into breakfast, where he sits in an assigned seat. After six hours of instruction in such subjects as Japanese literature and systems engineering, two hours of intramural sports and another family-style meal with underclassmen, Vetter rushes to return to his room by the 11:30 p.m. curfew.

Most college students, we think, do not march to meals. A goodly number of them drink into the wee hours, duck morning classes and fail to hit the gym with any regularity. But Vetter, 21, is a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., where college life is a bit different.

According to students, alumni, faculty and higher education experts, the undergraduate experience at West Point and the other service academies is defined by an intense work ethic and a drive to succeed