Its report grades cities using, in part, the EPA's color-coded Air Quality Index, as well as its own weighting system that ranks the severity of pollution on a daily basis.

FORBES: Life

What about all the other outcome measures that are relevant to evaluating the performance of a medical system and on which the U.S. ranks very high?

FORBES: 5 Myths in Steven Brill's Opus on Health Costs--Part 1

Using a series of stock screens, Gerstein identifies of 50-150 attractive stock options, which he then ranks using a proprietary system based on quality, value, growth and momentum.

FORBES: LinkedIn Will Be Below $3 Within 10 Years

Meanwhile, university officials in California voted earlier this month to overhaul their current admissions system, which guarantees a student a place at a UC campus if he ranks in the top 4% of his high-school class or in the top 12.5% of the graduating class statewide.

ECONOMIST: Affirmative action