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Technology can turn $25 into a family giving tradition
Technology has been connecting families for generations. The invention of the phone let us hear voices of loved ones far away, and the creation of the Internet helped us to see them. Today, those same technologies that we’ve used to bring our families closer together are helping us to connect with and support families w...
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Organ donation: gift of a second chance at life
(BPT) - While organ transplantation is a remarkable story in the history of medicine, the need for organs is vastly greater than the number available for transplantation. Any way you figure it, the math doesn’t add up to a promising picture. In 2012, there were more than 115,000 people in the U.S. awaiting an organ tra...
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Naval ROTC pays for college and guarantees a career following graduation
(BPT) - College students interested in the Navy can focus on their academic careers while eliminating much of the financial burden of paying for school. With more than 160 colleges and universities across the United States offering Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) programs, students have many opportunities ...
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How to support your friend in a split
(BPT) - When a marriage ends in divorce, it’s not just the couple who is involved. Friends and family members are also part of the process and often play many different parts – from objective confidant to reliable “vent-ee.” If you’re suddenly or unexpectedly thrown into this role, what help are you prepared to offer? S...
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Tips to navigate the real estate landscape and find the perfect home
(BPT) - For most Americans your home is the biggest ticket item you will ever purchase. It’s no wonder that people can take months, and sometimes even years, to find the perfect home. When you walk into a house that’s on the market, many times the homeowner or real estate agent has “staged” it to ensure that you focus o...
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DIY for your IRA: What you should know about self-directing
Ups and downs in the current market and recent corporate and banking scandals have prompted many people to seek ways to have more control over their retirement funds. Self-directed IRAs allow consumers to use their knowledge and expertise to invest in assets beyond stocks, bonds and mutual funds. While self-directed IRA...
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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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Laser spine surgery helps seniors find relief from lumbar spinal stenosis
(BPT) - Two recent clinical studies bring good news to the aging population. If you have lower back pain, burning pain or numbness in your legs you are probably one of the many people suffering with Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) – a condition affecting a vast majority of the over-60 age group – and this good news app...
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What happens to a business when the power goes out?
(BPT) - Losing power leads to instant anxiety: when will it return? Aside from the absence of everyday luxuries like turning on the TV or connecting to the Internet, you may worry about the food in the fridge spoiling, and wonder when you’ll be able to take a hot shower. While these types of events present real problems...
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Getting girls excited about science and math
(BPT) - “My research experiences have shown me that, in spite of what statistics say about women in science, any girl with a passion for exploring unanswered questions can and should be persistent in pursuing that work,” says Sara Volz, 17. “Being female should not hold anyone back from science or engineering.” Volz wo...
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Tips for parents to protect kids from cyber bullying
(BPT) - Bullying has been present in schools since society started educating children in groups. In the old days, the bully’s weapons of intimidation might have been simply stealing another child’s lunch money, or shoving a victim down on the playground. Modern bullying is a high-tech type of antagonism – one that can r...
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Financial planning insights for the LGBT community
(BPT) - Over the last decade, many companies have paid increasing attention to the buying power and consumer habits of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) market. But until recently, little attention has been focused on the financial experience of LGBT individuals. The groundbreaking “LGBT Financial Experience 2012-2013 Research Study” by Prudential Financial takes an in-depth look at the financial challenges and concerns of LGBT Americans, and provides eye-opening insights fo...
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national news
Theft of F-35 design data is helping U.S. adversaries: Pentagon

Handout photo of three F-35 Joint Strike Fighters flying over Edwards Air Force BaseBy David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The theft of sensitive design data by hackers targeting programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter takes away a big U.S. advantage by allowing rivals to speed up development of their own stealth aircraft, a top Pentagon official said on Wednesday. Defense acquisitions chief Frank Kendall told a Senate hearing he was reasonably confident that classified information related to the development of the F-35 was well-protected. "But I'm not at all confident that our unclassified information is as well-protected," he said. ...


2013-06-19 13:41:54 -0500
Michelle Obama lays roses at bloodiest site along Berlin Wall

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and her daughter Sasha place flowers as they visit the Berlin Wall memorial in Bernauer Strasse in BerlinBy Sarah Marsh and Alexandra Hudson BERLIN (Reuters) - Michelle Obama and her daughters threaded roses through the narrow slots of a Berlin Wall memorial on Wednesday, honoring those who died trying to cross the Cold War barrier at a site which holds special poignancy in the once divided city. Accompanied by Angela Merkel's husband Joachim Sauer, who like the German leader hails from the former East Germany, President Barack Obama's family toured the Bernauer Strasse memorial where desperate residents of East Berlin once tried to jump from their windows into the western half of the city. ...


2013-06-19 10:24:45 -0500
Confessed killer says did not dictate deal to turn on 'Whitey' Bulger

Undated handout photo of Bulger holding Martorano's youngest son, John Jr., during his Christening ceremonyBy Daniel Lovering BOSTON (Reuters) - An altar-boy-turned-gang-enforcer told jurors at the trial of accused mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger on Wednesday that he did not set the terms of a deal with prosecutors allowing him to serve just 12 years in prison for 20 murders in exchange for details against his former boss. The witness, John "The Executioner" Martorano, was the first member of the ruthless Winter Hill Gang to testify against Bulger, who is on trial for charges including racketeering and 19 murders that occurred in the 1970s and '80s. ...


2013-06-19 10:25:54 -0500
TWA Flight 800 crash not due to gas tank explosion, former investigators say
The producers of an upcoming documentary on TWA Flight 800—which exploded and crashed into the waters off Long Island, N.Y., on July 17, 1996, killing all 230 people on board—claim to have proof that a missile caused the Paris-bound flight to crash. And six former investigators who took part in the film say there was [...]
2013-06-19 09:16:24 -0500