Free Republic

Mayor Shirley Franklin disputes a political blog’s ranking of Atlanta as the nation’s second most dangerous municipality, reiterating her claim that the city is “safer now than it has been in decades.” “The blog’s rankings are based on incorrect data; they are contrary to the findings of reputable authorities on crime data; and they ignore Atlanta’s 7-year track record of crime reduction,” Franklin said Monday in a press release. The ranking, compiled by the Web site Real Clear Politics, was derived by dividing the total crimes detailed in the FBI’s 2008 Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report by city population. Real...

Healthy cities mean happy living“SELF” Magazine rates more than 200 U.S. cities Oct. 1 — Wondering which city in America boasts the happiest people? Or the healthiest living? For the third year in a row, “SELF” Magazine has researched and compiled information on more than 200 metro areas in the United States. Editor in Chief Lucy Danziger reports the survey findings below. “SELF” conducted the survey by consulting epidemiologists, physicians and experts from the CDC, NIH, FBI and EPA, along with other experts in women’s health and fitness to help rank the factors that most contribute to a healthy lifestyle....