San Diego may have expensive housing, but it still ranks as one of the 10 best U.S. cities for raising a family, according to the financial services website WalletHub.

The Miami-based company ranked 182 U.S. cities — including the 150 most populous, plus at least two cities from each state — on five measures:  affordability, education, health, socio-economics and family fun opportunities.

San Diego came in 8th, with measures of education and family fun outweighing affordability.

Five of the ten best cities were in California, including top-ranked Fremont, Irvine, San Diego, San Jose and Huntington Beach. Only one city in California’s arch-rival Texas — Plano — made the top ten. Pembroke Pines was the top city in Florida, coming in at 40.

“While not perfect — given personal preferences and the limitations of publicly available data — our findings will hopefully give movers a better sense of their options,” WalletHub said.

Other cities in San Diego County made the extended list, including Chula Vista at 43 and Oceanside at 70.

San Diego is the eighth least affordable large city for homebuyers when all costs of home ownership are considered, according to a new report by WalletHub.

The Washington, DC-based financial services company ranked cities on housing affordability, maintenance costs, real estate taxes and the chance for appreciation to arrive at the ranking.

Los Angeles was the most expensive among cities with over 300,000 population, followed by New York and San Francisco. Detroit and Pittsburgh were the two most affordable large cities.

Many of the most expensive cities of all sizes were in California, while the bargains in terms of housing affordability were to be found in the Midwest and South.

Among midsize cities, with 100,000 to 300,000 people, Glendale, Irvine and Huntington Beach were the most expensive. And for cities under 100,000, Santa Barbara and Berkeley will cost the most.

Kirk McClure, a professor of urban planning at the University of Kansas, said it’s not surprising that large and growing cities are less affordable.

“The easy prediction is that markets with strong job growth will continue to see strong housing price increases,” he said in response to the WalletHub ranking.

“The markets with strong job growth are larger — New York, Boston, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, etc. Smaller markets continue to have trouble as they compete with these larger, hotter markets for jobs and talent.”

Watch your ride: New research reveals that a staggering 1,001,967 vehicles were stolen in the US in 2022, with California ranking among the top five states with the highest rate of vehicle thefts overall.

Some key takeaways: 

• California is the state that has the third-highest rate of vehicle thefts – with 14 out of every 1,000 registered vehicles stolen
• The top 10 states with the most stolen cars saw a 13% rise in vehicle theft last year, the data reveals
• The Chevrolet Pick-Up was the model most commonly stolen with 48,206 thefts, closely followed by the Ford Pick-Up, with 47,999 thefts 

Data obtained by the National Insurance Crime Bureau and analyzed by the vehicle history check platform carVertical reveal an alarming upward trend in vehicle theft, and what specific models are most likely to be stolen.  

carVertical found that California has the third highest rate of vehicle thefts according to the total number of vehicles registered in the state as provided by Statista.

For every 1,000 cars registered in California, 14 were stolen in 2022. That roughly equates to one in every 71 vehicles being stolen. California also has the highest total of stolen vehicles at 202,685 out of 14,268,528 registered vehicles. 

carVertical found that Colorado has the highest rate of vehicle thefts, for every 1,000 cars registered in Colorado, 28 were stolen in 2022. 

Washington and Missouri are the two states that had the joint second-highest rate of vehicle theft, with both states having a stolen vehicle rate of 15 per 1,000 registered vehicles.

Texas has the second highest number of vehicles stolen with 105,015, with a stolen vehicle rate per 1,000 registered vehicles of 13. 

The overall figure for 2022 in the 10 states where this crime was most prevalent saw on average a 13% increase in vehicle thefts compared to 2021. 

The top 10 states for vehicle theft 

As for the specific car models most commonly stolen, the Chevrolet Pick-Up (Full Size) comes out on top with 48,206 thefts. That is closely followed by the Ford Pick-Up (Full Size), with 47,999 thefts. 

The Honda Civic and Honda Accord rank third and fourth recording 31,673 and 30,274 thefts respectively, while the Toyota Camry bottoms out the list with 17,270 thefts.

Pick-Up trucks have been the most stolen passenger vehicle for the last two years according to the most recent records that the National Insurance Crime Bureau has available. 

With vehicle theft on the rise so is the reselling of these stolen automobiles. A spokesperson from carVertical, a platform that is designed to prevent prospective buyers from purchasing a previously stolen vehicle, emphasized the importance of checking a vehicle’s history.

“The alarming spike in the number of car thefts makes it more important than ever for car buyers to perform a vehicle history check before making a purchase. Buyers can better protect themselves from potential fraud by examining a car’s past, including its ownership history, accident record, and whether or not it was previously reported stolen.”

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … a UFO? It could be especially here in Southern California.

Many believe UFOs and Extra Terrestrials are no longer taboo, so where in America might you feel most “among friends,” human or otherwise? Here in the Golden State.

Recently, Lawn Love ranked 2022’s Best States for UFO Fans to mark the new season of The War of the Worlds, and California is the top place to site such phenomenons.

But what does Lawn Love have to do with UFOs and aliens? 

Well, “crop circles” appear on many lawns. Sadly, they weren’t placed there by otherworldly beings, according to Lawn Love.

Here’s how California stacks up:

The survey reportedly “pored over countless X-files — sightings data, communication tower registrations, Air Force base listings — to determine which of the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia are hotbeds of extraterrestrial activity. “

The survey folks also searched for UFO clubs, conventions, and other factors that indulge the most avid UFO enthusiasts.

Let us know if you see anything weird — UFOs or ETs — in or around San Diego County.

The full ranking and analysis are available here.

With Oct. 1 is World Vegetarian Day and Nov. 1 being World Vegan Day, and with 15.5 million U.S. adults having a vegetarian or vegan diet, the personal-finance website WalletHub released its report on 2022’s Best Cities for Vegans & Vegetarians.

To determine the best and cheapest places for following a plant-based diet, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness. The data set ranges from the share of restaurants serving meatless options to the cost of groceries for vegetarians to salad shops per capita and San Diego ranks 9th best.

To determine the best and cheapest places for following a plant-based diet, WalletHub compared the 100 largest cities across 17 key indicators of vegan- and vegetarian-friendliness. The data set ranges from the share of restaurants serving meatless options to the cost of groceries for vegetarians to salad shops per capita.

The Vegetarian & Vegan Lifestyle in San Diego (1=Best; 50=Avg.):

• 34^th – % of Restaurants Serving Vegetarian Options
• 24^th – % of Restaurants Serving Vegan Options
• 5^th – Farmers Markets & CSA Programs per Capita
• 1^st – Juice & Smoothie Bars per Capita
• 10^th – Salad Shops per Capita
• 40^th – Vegetable Nurseries per Capita

How to Change Your Eating

Several experts weighed in on the topic of a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle if you’re thinking of changing.

“A plant-based lifestyle can be very affordable. Frozen or canned produce can be more affordable than fresh, especially if you are eating out of season. Frozen and canned also keep for much longer, which minimizes costs related to food waste. Making your meals will cost less than relying on prepackaged meals. Minimally processed proteins like beans, peanut butter, dairy, or tofu are less expensive than meat alternatives that are intended to replicate burgers, chicken nuggets, and so on,” said Robin M. Tucker, Ph.D., RD, FAND, associate professor at Michigan State University.

“Eating plant-based protein can be extremely economical. I recommended buying bulk dried pulses (which include beans, lentils, and peas) and stocking up when they go on sale. Dried beans are inexpensive, and using reusable bags when buying in bulk is environmentally friendly as well. To prepare dried beans, soak them overnight, simmer on medium heat for an hour in the morning, rinse them off, and store them in the refrigerator. They should last several days and they freeze well,” said Heidi Lynch, Ph.D., RDN, an associate professor at Point Loma Nazarene University.

Kids and Veggies

If you’re a parent there’s plenty you can do to get your kids to consume more veggies as well.

“One of the most important things parents can do is to model eating fruits and vegetables. Children learn to eat by watching their parents eat and their preferences reflect what they are served regularly. This means parents eat fruits and vegetables every day and incorporate them into meals and snacks that they provide to their children,” said Jane Burrell, M.S., RD, CDN, an associate teaching professor at Syracuse University.

“Parents should serve (or offer) a variety of fruits and vegetables prepared in a variety of ways including raw, with dip, cooked, roasted, and blended in smoothies and soups, etc. I believe the parent’s job is to expose the children to the food and it is the child’s job to decide how much to eat. I think eventually kids become interested in foods and will try them…Children often need to be exposed several times to a food dish before they like it. I also found that my children were more accepting of vegetables when they were blended in soups or smoothies or lightly salted and roasted in olive oil. I even hooked a few college athletes on broccoli and cauliflower by serving it broiled with garlic and olive oil. And it is so easy!” added
Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., RD, CSSD, FACSM, a professor; director, master in Nutrition and Dietetics Program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Avoid These Mistakes

If you’re wondering what the most common mistakes people make when being on a vegan or vegetarian diet, are and how can they avoid them, here are some more tips.

“I feel the most common mistake of eating a vegan or vegetarian diet is the motivation behind the change. If a person drastically changes their eating (in any form) due to a strongly held desire to lose weight, or change their body size, then I would categorize this as a ‘diet’. From the research, we know that dieting or restriction with eating is not successful long-term (i.e., not greater than a couple of years at most). If, however, a person is motivated to eat a vegetarian or vegan diet due to moral, ethical, religious, or just food preferences, they are less likely to be affected by a scarcity mindset, and more likely to continue eating vegetarian or vegan. Eating in a way that aligns with your core values is less likely to feel restrictive. Whereas, removing food in hopes that it will lead to weight loss feels the restrictive and long-term success of maintaining this eating pattern is diminished. With restriction we often see the pendulum swing in an equal and opposite direction, leading to an increased desire to eat the restricted foods even more,” said Alisa Dodds, MS, RDN, a senior lecturer at Loyola Marymount University.

“A common mistake I see is that people just cut out animal foods and do not replace them with other plant-based foods. This can leave someone without enough calories to be satisfied. Also, being vegetarian does not mean that whole food groups should be eliminated, instead, look for alternatives in each one. For example, replace meat or chicken with beans and rice and substitute soy milk or yogurt for cow’s milk and yogurt. Another thing I see is the reliance on processed plant-based foods instead of cooking or using whole foods. Processed food of all types has added sugars and sodium that most people do not need more of,” Burrell said.

For the full report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-vegans-vegetarians/39706/

If you’re into casino games you might find a new study that reveals poker is the most searched-for online casino game in California.

The research by casino streaming community CasinoGrounds analyzed Google Search data to discover the most popular casino games online in each state, and poker took the top slot.

According to results, in addition to poker ranking No. 1, the other most popular casino games in California are:

1 — Poker

Probably the most famous casino game out there, poker attracts millions of gamblers online and in person every year, and it tops the list as California’s most Googled online casino game. Some of the most popular versions of poker include Texas Hold’Em and five-card draw. The game is also massively popular as a spectator sport, with high-stakes tournaments offering millions of dollars in prize money.

2 — Blackjack

This ultra-famous and the easy-to-play game is second in the ranking of California’s most Googled casino games. Using a 52-card deck, the object of this game is to have a hand closer to 21 than the dealer. There are plenty of variations of Blackjack such as Pontoon and Blackjack Switch. 

3 — Bingo

Bingo is the third most popular online casino game in California. In this game, each player matches the numbers printed in different arrangements of cards. Modern bingo exists in different variations, and the rules change according to each jurisdiction.  

4 — Baccarat

Baccarat ranks as the fourth most popular online casino game in California. There are different variants of the game, the most popular ones are baccarat banque, punto banco, and baccarat chemin de fer. 

5 — Keno

Keno is a lottery game played in casinos, and the online version attracts the fifth highest level of searches in the state of California. The game, of Asian descent, dates back at least 2,000 years and sees players wager by choosing numbers that they hope will match those drawn at random.

“It is fascinating to see how many people search for gambling games online. With an average of 30,000 searches each month for “online poker” in the United States, online poker is the most popular online casino game in America, so it’s fascinating to see the variation in interest in classic games across different states,” according to the report.

“The Internet has brought together people who love gambling in a huge community online, where people can play a vast array of games without having to be at a casino physically.”

Casinogrounds.com conducted the study

Nothing gives a home more warmth and greenery than a houseplant and new research has revealed the most Instagrammable houseplant, is the Aloe Vera plant, taking the top spot in the rankings.

The research conducted by Hollywood Hills real estate experts RubyHome established the most common houseplants and succulents on Instagram and analyzed the number of hashtags for both the scientific name of each houseplant and the more commonly used names.

The analysis revealed that the Aloe Vera plant (scientifically known as the Aloe barbadensismiller) had the highest number of hashtags on Instagram, making it the most Instagrammable.

The plant has 5,155,019 combined hashtags on the platform to date. The plant has been a household favorite for centuries due to its medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The Aloe Vera plant secures its top spot by totaling over 5 million posts on Instagram from the use of the following hashtags: ‘#aloebarbadensismiller, ‘#aloevera’, ‘#aloeveraplant’, and ‘#aloeverasucculent’.

Agave Americana, otherwise known as Agave, places second with 1,835,178 posts on the platform. Agave plants have a multitude of uses, but their main benefit is that their sap and juices can be used to treat many gut-related issues. It is also rich in nutrients which is why many see it as a more natural alternative to honey and sugar.

The third most Instagrammable plant is the Haworthia plant. Scientifically known as  Haworthiopsis attenuata, the plant has a total number of 824,048 posts on Instagram. The plant’s popularity is due to its ease of care, as it can tolerate many different lighting conditions and can last long periods in dark spaces.

The fourth most Instagrammable houseplant is Sedum which is also known as Stonecrop. The plant is extremely popular among beginners as its appearance is exceptionally versatile; not only is this a great selling point for the plant, but it can also endure harsh conditions and survive prolonged periods without water. The plant has 704,823 posts in total on Instagram.

In fifth place is Mammillaria, also known as Pincushion Cactus, with a total of 529,729 posts. With only 175,000 fewer posts than a Stonecrop plant, the pincushion cactus is popular among cactus lovers because of its small size and ease of care.

The Dracaena trifasciata is the sixth most Instagrammable plant, with 513,093 posts. The plant is also nicknamed the Snake Plant, and they are popular for its interesting skills of purifying the air and releasing oxygen during the nighttime.

The seventh most Instagrammable houseplant is the Hoya Plant, otherwise known as Wax Plant. The popularity of the Wax Plant is due to its sweet scent, attractive and lengthily leaves, and pretty floral accents. To date, the plant has 303,440 posts on Instagram, which secured its seventh position.

In eighth place is the Curio rowleyanus plant, also known as String of Pearls. Despite being an extremely delicate plant, String of Pearls is a beautiful addition to any plant collection. Similar to many other succulents, the plant is straightforward to maintain and has 233,711 posts on Instagram.

Crassula ovata, also known as the Jade Plant, ranks ninth by a whisker with 233,151 Instagram posts, just 560 fewer than the String of Pearls. The Jade Plant is extremely popular, especially in Asia, as it is thought to bring financial luck. Its gorgeous vibrant green leaves are another selling point of this plant which is a beautiful addition to any plant lover’s collection.

The 10th most Instagrammable houseplant belongs to the Schlumbergera bridgessii, otherwise known as the Christmas Cactus. The plant has a total of 189,128 posts on Instagram, which secures its tenth position. It is a colorful, exciting plant that blooms bright pink or lilac flowers in indoor spaces around Christmastime.

A spokesperson from RubyHome commented on the findings: “Houseplants are an incredible way to incorporate life and color into any living space, which is why they are an essential part of creating a calm and zen atmosphere in any home.

“It is fascinating to see such large numbers of hashtags for so many houseplants, showing how many social media users love watching their homes spring to life with their easy-to-maintain plants. It also proves just how popular the social media platform is for sharing insights into their interior design choices.”

Do you prefer your burger with bacon, lots of ketchup and skip the pickles, all on a sesame bun? Whatever your favorite is you’re not alone.

So, to celebrate the fan fave burger what not take part in National Cheeseburger Day this Sunday, Sept.  18?

According to the Burger Index – a study on consumption preferences and trends in America conducted by market research Top Data — there has been a significant increase in demand for burgers in the country. And Americans’ better half is the traditional cheeseburger so much so that this classic American food has grown by 10.6%, as consumer visits to 12 of the largest burger chains have increased since last year. Also, the highest consumption figures in the country were reported in May.

Burgers are the classic American meal, with french fries or onion rings … everyone in the country loves them! Do you know what California’s favorite chain is?

No. 1 In-N-Out Burger

The favorite burger chain in 3 states including Utah, and Arizona.

No. 2 McDonald’s

No. 3 A&W Restaurants

No. 4 Culver’s

No. 5 Carl’s Jr.

Even though In-N-Out is tops in California, Burger King is the chain with the highest growth in visits this year, compared to the 4 most popular chains in America.

What’s your favorite?

Read more here.

Methodology

TOP Data used a combination of GPS tracking data from the largest burger chains mixed with a survey of 1,000 Americans to determine the favorite burger chains.

For three decades, students, educators and employers have debated the relative merits of the MBA program rankings conducted annually by U.S. News & World Report as well as other publications and institutions.

As not all endowments are created equal, the rankings are not a level playing field. Those affiliated with highly ranked schools tend to value these third-party assessments, while those associated with lower-ranked institutions are more likely to question their relevance.

With COVID-19 reshaping higher education and the economy in ways that were previously unimaginable, the debate surrounding MBA program rankings is raging anew. The presidents of the Graduate Management Admission Council, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business and the European Foundation for Management Development joined forces in April to co-author a letter calling a the pause of the rankings. On May 7, Bloomberg Businessweek followed through by suspending its MBA rankings for this year, citing the academic associations’ letter and the requests it received from “many schools” to take that step.

Many stakeholders in the business school community have already critiqued the rankings for years, arguing that they tell an incomplete story about the value of a business degree in general and the reputation of individual MBA programs. In light of COVID-19, the rankings are based on metrics that can no longer be considered comprehensive and reliable indicators of success, such as standardized test scores, employment rates and starting salaries of recent graduates. Many schools are now dropping standardized test score requirements; many graduates are now at risk of entering a job market with fewer opportunities and lower salaries.

The rankings also fail to account for whether graduate-level business programs are preparing students to be the innovative problem-solvers society urgently needs during a pandemic. Today’s high school and college students are among the most passionate the U.S. has ever seen when it comes to addressing challenges related to social justice, the environment, civic engagement and now public health. Test scores and salaries are certainly part of the picture, but for many members of the younger generation, they can be secondary concerns.

When business school leaders make admissions decisions, they are forced to weigh the impact of those choices on the rankings. That could contribute to not admitting an entrepreneurial-minded candidate with a low standardized test score or GPA, or a candidate seeking to work in the non-profit sector (with its lower average salaries) over the for-profit world. These considerations make it exceedingly difficult for business programs to be bold and innovative in building their incoming classes.

The MBA programs that fail to recruit and nurture innovative, entrepreneurial, socially minded students may not survive this era. Even as many well-funded public institutions or larger private universities possessing the safety net of an endowment do not face existential crises as a direct result of coronavirus, business programs at smaller private schools are likely to experience steep financial challenges.

Business schools cannot afford to return to a pre-pandemic state of affairs once the current crisis subsides. Tomorrow’s MBA students will demand a more socially responsible education that focuses on topics like public health, climate change, globalization and economic inequities. Business programs, in turn, must respond by providing their students with more meaningful and holistic approaches to problem-solving and leadership.

Instead of focusing on measurements such as test scores and salaries, they should be measuring and emphasizing the impact their graduates can have on society as a whole. The rankings, however, reinforce an antiquated business school model. They have long defined the relevance and success of business education, but they no longer serve that purpose.

As additional publications and organizations mull the possibility of suspending their rankings, a one-year pause would likely have a limited impact on the business school landscape. Should rankings return with the same methodology, schools will again face undue influence over their decision-making and will be distracted from focusing on mission-critical priorities.

Instead, those who publish rankings now have an opportunity to change the way they evaluate business schools in the long run. A new methodology can address the rankings’ past limitations, while more accurately reflecting the role of business education in the post-pandemic future.

Shaun Carver is former assistant dean for graduate programs at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management, and a member of Liaison International’s BusinessCAS advisory board. Robert Ruiz is managing director of BusinessCAS.

The business schools at both the University of San Diego and UC San Diego received high marks in a recent nationwide ranking by Bloomberg Businessweek.

The survey of masters of business administration programs ranked the USD program as the best in San Diego and 7th best in California.

UC San Diego’s program ranked just behind USD at 8th in California, but came in 10th nationally for entrepreneurship.

“The Rady School’s success in focusing on entrepreneurship has been measured by the establishment of over 180 operational companies founded by Rady School alumni and students that have contributed more than $2 billion to the economy,” said Dean Lisa Ordóñez.

Barbara Lougee, interim deat at the USC School of Business, noted that her school strives to provide business students with “hands-on learning, personalized career counseling and vast networking opportunities to ensure our graduates are prepared to make an impact in the business world.”

The rankings of 94 top business schools were based on data compiled from more than 9,000 students, 14,920 alumni, 900 corporate recruiters, and compensation and job-placement data from each school considered.