10 American Cities with the Most Millionaires

New York’s millionaire population has now surpassed the boom times of 2007. According to the new Metro Wealth Index, created by consulting firm Capgemini, the New York Metropolitan area had 650,000 high-net worth individuals, or people with $1 million or more in investible assets in 2009. That is 18.7% higher than in 2008. More after the break...

Once again, the New York area topped the list of metro-area wealth centers. Its total was greater than the combined total of the next three runners up — Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington. Of the top 10, Houston posted the the fastest growth, at 28.9%. But all enjoyed strong growth. Here are the tallies of millionaires for the top 10, along with the percentage growth:

01. New York — 667,200, +18.7%

02. Los Angeles — 235,800, +13.3%

03. Chicago — 198,100, +15.1%

04. Washington, D.C. — 152,400 +19.3%

05. San Francisco — 138,300 +14.5%

06. Philadelphia — 104,100, +20.1%

07. Boston — 102,300, + 14.4%

08. Detroit — 89,100, +12.1%

09. Houston — 88,200, +28.9%

10. San Jose — 86,500, +24.5%

Via — Link

American Idol Winners From Season 1-9

Season 1 – Kelly Clarkson

Born in April 1982, Kelly Clarkson was the first ever to win the American Idol award in the year 2002. Nearly 50 million people had tuned in to watch this girl take the Idol crown for the first time. The other runner up in that season was Justin Guarinin.
A person who has been to the American Idol  and had even won the title, the first important thing that they get is publicity. Not only the winners, even those who never make it to the top rank, win some publicity and have a huge number of fans following them. Besides this, some might even get an opportunity to work in some good show or company or maybe with a good music director. More below are the list of American Idol Winners from season 1-9.

Season 2 – Ruben Studdard

Born in September 1978, Ruben Studdard was nicknamed ‘Velvet Teddy Bear’ by the judges. He was the second one to win the American Idol in the year 2003. He defeated Clay Aiken by 134,000 votes. Ruben went ahead to make 4 studio albums after winning this award.

Season 3 – Fantasia Barrino

Hers was the third name to be added to the American Idol winner list after she defeated Diana DeGarmo in the finals. One of the other well known finalists was Jennifer Hudson. ‘Fantasia’, as she was popularly known, went on to be nominated for 8 Grammy awards and has even acted in some movies. She really deserves to be a winner, not only because of her voice but also because of all the hardships that she had faced before coming to the show.

Season 4 – Carrie Underwood

If anyone’s name deserves to be put after Kelly, then it’s Carrie. From Oklahoma, Carrie won the award in the year 2005. The person who she defeated was Bo Bice. After winning the award, she went ahead to win 5 Grammy awards.

Season 5 – Taylor Hicks

Not once in the entire show was Hicks’s in the bottom three zone. Sometimes he wrote (and he still does) write his own songs. In this season he had defeated Katharine McPhee to win this award. Later on he also went ahead to release his two albums.

Season 6 – Jordin Sparks

Born in December 1989, Jordin became the 6th American Idol winner in the year 2007. She won with a new record of 74 million votes. After winning the award, she even has been on tours with Alicia Keys and Jesse McCartney. On the final day, she had defeated Blake Lewis.

Season 7 – David Cook

The next name to be added to the American Idol winners list was that of David Cook. He had defeated an equally worthy contestant, David Archuleta. After the award, Cook had also been on The Declaration tour. He had come to the show and had won it, despite several problems in his personal life.

Season 8 – Kris Allen

After defeating Adam Lambert, Kris became the 8th winner of the American Idol. Not just singing, Kris is also interested in paying the viola.

Season 9 – Lee DeWyze

The recent winner of this show is Lee DeWyze, who won it in 2010. He defeated Crystal Bowersox. After winning the Idol he never had to look back. He had sung the national anthem for the Games 2 of the 2010 NBA Finals in June.

Last 20 Miss USA Titleholders

Miss USA in 1991

Kelli McCarty (born September 6, 1969; Liberal, Kansas) is an American model, actress and @dult; film performer who was crowned Miss USA in 1991 Link

Miss USA 1992

Shannon LaRhea Marketic (born January 14, 1971), is a former beauty queen from Phoenix, Arizona who became Miss USA 1992. In 1997 she filed a lawsuit against a prince of the ruling family of Brunei, alleging that he had compelled her into performing sexual acts for guests at a party he organized. Link

Miss USA 1993

Kenya Summer Moore (born January 24, 1971) is an American film and television actress, producer, model and author. Moore was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan by her grandmother (and primary inspiration). She is of African-American and Native American ancestry, and is a graduate of Cass Technical High School; whose other notable alumni include Diana Ross, David Alan Grier, Lily Tomlin, and Miss USA 1990 Carole Gist (the first African American to win). After high school, she went to Wayne State University where she majored in Psychology. Link

Miss USA 1994

Lu Parker : An extraordinary and intelligent woman, the perfect example that beauty and intelligence, do go hand in hand. Funny, humble, dedicated and very professional, she is Lu Parker, Miss USA 1994, who happily agreed to grant us an unforgettable interview here at “El anecdotario”. The only woman among three brothers,  "a certified tomboy",  in her own words, born in South Carolina, Lu Parker obtained her Bachelor of Arts in English at the College of Charleston and furthermore a Master's Degree in Education from the prestigious military academy “The Citadel”. Link

Miss USA 1995

Shanna Lynn Moakler (born March 28, 1975) is an American model, actress, reality television star and a former beauty queen. She was the winner of the Miss New York USA pageant in 1995 and was originally the first runner-up at Miss USA 1995. She was later crowned Miss USA after Chelsi Smith won Miss Universe. Moakler began modeling at age 15 and was later chosen as a Playmate of the Month for Pl@yb0y; magazine in December 2001. Link

Miss USA 1996

Ali Germaine Landry (born July 21, 1973) is a former Miss USA (1996), model and actress. She is recognized as the Doritos Girl from her popular 1998 Super Bowl commercial. In 1998, she was named by People magazine as one of 50 most beautiful people in the world. Link

Miss USA 1997

Brandi Sherwood : In 1997, she won the Miss Idaho USA title and represented her state at Miss USA 1997. She became first runner up to eventual Miss USA, Brook Mahealani Lee. Sherwood assumed the Miss USA title when Lee was crowned Miss Universe 1997 in Miami. Sherwood held the titles of Miss Idaho Teen USA and Miss Idaho USA. To date, Sherwood is the only woman to have held the titles of both Miss Teen USA and Miss USA. During her reign as Miss USA, Sherwood worked with Special Olympics. She has also worked with the DARE program and continues to volunteer her time speaking to students about resisting drugs and violence.Link

Miss USA 1998

Shawnae Jebbia (born September 13, 1971) is an entertainer and former beauty queen from Mansfield, Massachusetts who won the Miss USA title in 1998. Jebbia won the Miss Massachusetts USA title in 1997, in her first attempt at a pageant title.[2] She went on to represent Massachusetts in the Miss USA 1998 pageant, becoming that state's first Miss USA winner.[3] Whilst Jebbia had little prior experience, her first runner-up Shauna Gambill had previously held the Miss Teen USA 1994 title. Jebbia's "sister" titleholder, Miss Massachusetts Teen USA 1998 Susie Castillo, went on to hold the Miss Massachusetts USA title and became Massachusetts' second Miss USA titleholder in 2003. Link

Miss USA 1999

Kimberly Pressler (born May 21, 1977) is an entertainment presenter and former Miss USA. She is one of few women to win both the Miss New York Teen USA and Miss New York USA titles. Link

Miss USA 2000

Lynnette Cole (born February 9, 1978), won the title Miss Tennessee USA in 2000. She went on to become the first woman from that state to win the Miss USA pageant, which was held in Branson, Missouri on February 4, 2000. Link

Miss USA 2001

Kandace Gayle Krueger Matthews (born May 27, 1976) is an American television personality and former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title. She was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Link

Miss USA 2002

Shauntay Hinton is an actress and former beauty queen from Starkville, Mississippi who won the Miss USA title in 2002.  Link

Miss USA 2003

Susie Cintron Castillo (born October 27, 1979), is a former beauty queen who has held the Miss USA title and who has competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. She pursued a career in the media, and as such, has made various television appearances and hosted shows such as MTV's Total Request Live as a VJ. Link

Miss USA 2004

Shandi Ren Finnessey (born June 9, 1978; Florissant, Missouri, U.S.) is an American beauty queen, model and television hostess. She is best known for winning the Miss USA title, as Miss Missouri USA. She had previously held the title of Miss Missouri 2002 and competed in Miss America where she won a preliminary award.Link

Miss USA 2005

Chelsea Cooley (born October 30, 1983) is a beauty queen from Charlotte, North Carolina who has competed in the Miss Teen USA, Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants and who has held the Miss USA 2005 title. Link

Miss USA 2006

Tara Elizabeth Conner (born December 18, 1985) is an American beauty queen and model, who was Miss USA 2006 and has also competed in the Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants. Apart from her role as Miss USA, Conner has been employed as a model. She was a featured model on the HDNet series Bikini Fantasies in 2004, posing for the cameras in Lake Tahoe. She has held the titles Miss Kentucky Teen USA 2002, Miss Kentucky County Fair 2004, Miss Kentucky USA 2006 and Miss USA 2006. Link

Miss USA 2007

Rachel Renee Smith (born April 18, 1985 in Panama) is an American beauty queen and television personality from Clarksville, Tennessee, who won the Miss USA pageant in 2007 [1] and who previously had competed in the Miss Teen USA pageant. Link

Miss USA 2008

Crystle Danae Stewart (born September 20, 1981), from Missouri City, Texas, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2008. Link

Miss USA 2009

Kristen Jeannine Dalton (born December 13, 1986), from Wilmington, North Carolina, is an American beauty pageant titleholder who won Miss USA 2009. Link

Miss USA 2010

Rima Fakih (born October 2, 1985) is an American beauty pageant contestant, and winner of the 2010 Miss USA title. She represented the state of Michigan in the Miss USA 2010 pageant, having previously won the 2010 Miss Michigan USA competition. A native of Lebanon, as a child Fakih moved to the United States with her family. As a Muslim and an Arab, she is reputed to be the first person of her nationality, ethnicity or religion to be named Miss USA. In 2008, she traveled back to Lebanon to compete in the Miss Lebanon Emigrant pageant, placing third.

10 American Rivers at Risk

1. The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta

The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in California was second on the list. American Rivers cited two efforts to reenginer the water supply and flood control systems as threats to the delta. This photo shows the Sacramento River. This post features a list of 10 American rivers which are according to from the U.S. environmental group American Rivers are really endangered. More images after the break...

2. The Upper Colorado River

The Upper Colorado River could become “a shadow of its former self” if two new water diversion projects proceed, according to a report from the U.S. environmental group American Rivers. The river is on a list of the 10 most endangered waterways compiled by the group.

3. Coosa River in Alabama

Seven hydropower dams were built on the Coosa River in Alabama in the mid-1900s, but American Rivers wants the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to insist on protections for wildlife in the license for Alabama Power Co. to operate the dams for the next 50 years.

4. Cedar River in Cedar Rapids

A June 2008 image shows flooding along the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The report says outdated flood management by the Army Corps of Engineers is hurting fish and wildlife habitat.

5. Gauley River

U.S. regulators should stop mountaintop mining in West Virginia that is hurting the Gauley River, American Rivers says. The river is known for its whitewater rafting.

6. Monongahela River

The view from the Hot Metal Bridge of downtown Pittsburgh, where the Monongahela River meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio. The Monongahela is threated by pollution created by natural gas extraction.

7. Eastern Idaho’s Teton River

Eastern Idaho’s Teton River provides habitat for Yellowstone cutthroat trout, but there’s a proposal to rebuild the Teton Dam, which collapsed in 1976, killing 11 people and causing more than $1 billion in damage.

8.The Upper Delaware River

The Upper Delaware River is at the top of American Rivers’ endangered list. The group says the river in New York state, source for drinking water for 17 million people, is threatened by chemicals from natural gas drilling and poor flood management.

9. National Wild and Scenic Chetco River

National Wild and Scenic Chetco River in Oregon’s Kalmiopsis Wilderness and one of the areas proposed for mining.

10. North Carolina’s Little River

North Carolina’s Little River provides drinking water and irrigation supplies. A proposed dam would hurt the river’s health, American Rivers says. Via : Link