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Celebrate the grads in your life with financial gifts
(BPT) - Do you have a child in your life who will be graduating this spring? Whether it’s from kindergarten or college, graduation marks the completion of one chapter in a young person’s life and the start of a new adventure. Honor your grad’s achievement by helping him or her save for the future with a digital U.S. Sa...
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Why, how, what to compost [Infographic]
Compost is a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing and conditioning land. Home composting reduces the need for water, fertilizers and pesticides, and encourages a higher yield in crops. Consisting of nutrient-rich brown and green material, compost creation is low-maintenance and can be done on both small and large scales. Creating your own compost will save you money and is easy to do. With compost starters like Ringer Compost Plus available t...
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Top tips for avoiding injury and strain while gardening
(BPT) - Fresh packets of seeds, the dirt between your fingers, and the smell of freshly churned earth – gardening season has officially begun. Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or a newbie to home planting, gardening is a great activity that provides both physical and mental health benefits. Enthusiasm for gardenin...
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Planting, growing and harvesting times [Infographic]
Home vegetable and fruit gardening participation has increased exponentially in the past decade. In 2011, U.S. households spent a total $29.1 billion on their lawns and gardens. A study conducted in 2008 projected that a family who gardens would get on average a 25-1 return on their investment. With benefits like better food, saving money and spending time outdoors, it is no wonder more Americans are getting involved in growing their own produce. This infographic , brought to you by Avant ...
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Secrets of what's driving American travelers this season
(BPT) - Now that spring has sprung, drivers will be hitting the road in earnest to enjoy the warmer weather. In fact, according to Hankook Tire’s latest Quarterly Gauge Index, 56 percent of Americans are planning to take a road trip that involves driving 50 miles or more. On average, they estimate they will drive 1,02...
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Smarter snacking for spring and summer
(BPT) - The air turns mild and warm, people gladly shed winter coats, and the days grow longer – everything about spring is lighter and brighter. Since the warmer months bring about many occasions to enjoy the best of backyard cookouts and boardwalk fare, the season’s more indulgently delicious offerings may cause us to...
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Toddlers and tech: reasons to share your smartphone
(BPT) - A lot of things change when you become a parent. The shows you watch, the restaurants you go to and the concept of sleep as you once knew it all evolve when your family structure transforms from a “me” to a ”we.” And increasingly, personal gadgets like smartphones are following the same trend. “One day I looked...
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Tips to select the right camp for your child
(BPT) - Soccer camps, wilderness camps, chess camps, language camps – whatever interests your child, there’s a camp for him or her. Whether you’re looking for a local day camp or an overnight experience far from home, the key to finding the right camp involves research. That means not only learning about all the option...
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Five reasons Asian Americans should get tested for hepatitis B
(BPT) - More than 1 million Americans have a lifelong, or chronic, infection of hepatitis B. This includes one out of every 12 Asian Americans. If you or your parents were born in Asia or the Pacific Islands, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you get tested for hepatitis B. Hepatitis ...
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A small investment returns a safer and healthier home
(BPT) - Warm weather is here, which means many homeowners are beginning new DIY projects. Have you included home safety on your list? Almost every home in the U.S. has a smoke alarm, but most do not have enough. Fire experts recommend installing alarms on every floor and inside and outside of every sleeping area. A rec...
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The food and the fun that define summer
(BPT) - When the weather warms, there are plenty of fun outdoor activities to enjoy, which means there’s also a bounty of summer fare to eat. From the traditional to the intriguing, you never know what interesting food choices you may find while out and about. What better way to kick off summer than with a few fun activ...
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Protecting and prolonging the life of your leather investment
Mother Nature isn’t always kind to your leather goods. Dirt, salt, dry air and other harsh winter elements can damage leather if they’re left to set in for months on end. Summer days mean more exposure to damaging UV rays, so it’s important to protect all leather, including car seats, from the harsh rays of the summer s...
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national news
Tornado insured losses estimated at $2 billion-$5 billion

Jason Owen digs through debris as he helps his mother to salvage items from her uncle's home after it was almost destroyed by a tornado in Moore, Oklahoma(Reuters) - Tornadoes that struck the United States from May 18 to May 20 caused between $2 billion to $5 billion of insured losses, disaster modeling company Eqecat said late Thursday. At the high end of the range, the tornado outbreak may rank as the second-worst ever in terms of insured losses, behind the late-April 2011 twisters that devastated Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and other communities. Eqecat said most of the losses were attributed to the tornado that devastated Moore, Oklahoma, on Monday. ...


Fri May 24 07:55:01 UTC 2013
Truck crash may have caused Washington state bridge collapse

I-5 Bridge Collapses On Skagit River In WashingtonBy Jonathan Kaminsky OLYMPIA, Washington (Reuters) - A truck crashed into a four-lane freeway bridge in Washington state Thursday evening and may have caused it to collapse, sending vehicles and drivers tumbling into a frigid river, officials said. A U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigation into what led part of the Interstate 5 bridge to fall into the Skagit River 55 miles north of Seattle was expected to continue on Friday. Three people were rescued from the river and no one died, officials said. Two of those rescued were hospitalized with hypothermia. ...


Fri May 24 08:11:25 UTC 2013
Magnitude 5.7 quake strikes Northern California
(Reuters) - A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck Northern California on Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter of the quake was 6 miles northwest of the town of Greenville, and near the smaller community of Canyondam, the USGS said. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Allen Shephard, a hunting and fishing guide at Quail Lodge at Lake Almanor in Canyondam, said the quake knocked him "right off the couch and onto the floor." The floor of the lodge was littered with broken dishware, and cabinets were in disarray, said Shephard, 62. ...
Fri May 24 01:53:09 UTC 2013
Police in Australia issue warning on 3-D printed gun
The DIY 3-D gun may not be quite ready for prime time. According to Techworld, the police commissioner in Australia’s New South Wales, Andrew Scipione, has issued a warning after his officers tested one of the firearms—dubbed the "Liberator"—and experienced a “catastrophic misfire” (no one was seriously injured). According to the website, the NSW police [...]
Fri May 24 10:48:51 UTC 2013