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Sure-grow guidance for first-time gardeners
(BPT) - Each year, thousands of first-timers will join the millions of seasoned gardeners who already know the satisfaction of picking a perfect tomato at its peak, serving up salads from greens just grown right outside the back door, or harvesting home-grown peppers and specialty herbs never even seen at the grocery st...
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Selling your home? Make it more appealing to buyers
(BPT) - You’ve made the decision to sell your home – now you want to position yourself for a quick and successful sale. What’s the most important thing you can do to entice buyers? “The most important thing you can do is to make your home look welcoming when people drive by,” says Kimber Powell, Realtor and sales manag...
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What is weighing us down? [Infographic]
Obesity is one of the most challenging health issues in the U.S. One of the primary contributors to obesity and being overweight is calorie imbalance, or when people consume more calories from food and beverages, than they burn through physical activity. This graphic is intended to provide information about where calories are coming from in the American diet and why physical activity has declined. It shows that managing weight is all about balancing calories in with calories out.
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Boomers: Your credit profiles matter more now than ever
(BPT) - Maintaining a good credit profile is important at all stages of life, even for baby boomers who may have paid off their mortgages and don’t anticipate the need for more big-ticket loans. But it’s important to remember credit scores are used for more than just borrowing money, and you never know when an opportuni...
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Practice water conservation at home
(BPT) - Home is the place a person can always escape for some rest and relaxation. This year, celebrate Earth Day by upgrading your home to be a place that also helps you conserve water and be a better environmental steward. Technology has come a long way in improving performance and efficiency in household fixtures, e...
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The impact of rare diseases on patients and caregivers in the United States [Infographic]
The first-of-its-kind Rare Disease Impact Report, commissioned by Shire HGT, uncovers the health, psycho-social and economic impact of rare diseases in patient and medical communities. Based on survey responses from a multi-stakeholder sample of more than 1,000 patients, caregivers, physicians, payors and thought leaders, the report shows that the patient journey to diagnosis can take up to seven-plus years in the United States. While on this journey, a patient typically visits up to eight d...
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Make your summer sizzle
It seems that the minute summer gets underway, your calendar fills up with graduation parties, family get-togethers and backyard barbecues - and that’s not counting the things you’ve already planned. Before you work yourself into a frazzle, let the experts at www.countrydoor.com give you a few tips (and delicious re...
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Companies lose more than data from visual privacy concerns [Infographic]
Often overlooked by today's mobile workforce is the importance of safeguarding confidential data from prying eyes. A recent study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, commissioned by 3M, the maker of privacy filters for computers and mobile devices, reveals that employees are 50 percent less productive when they feel their visual privacy on their computer or mobile device screen is at risk. Based on this finding, lost productivity due to employee visual privacy concerns is potentially costing...
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Rare Disease Impact Report quantifies patient and caregiver challenges on journey to diagnosis and beyond
(BPT) - Getting a diagnosis is just the first of many challenges patients with rare diseases – and their caregivers – face. “We went through a number of specialists until we found a team that finally looked at my daughter, Hannah, as a patient with unique needs,” says Carrie Ostrea of Las Vegas, Nev. “The process was f...
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Garden detective: Clues to determine and deter unwanted animals in your yard and garden
(BPT) - Holmes and Watson, Riggs and Murtaugh, Starsky and Hutch – when it comes to sleuthing out just what critter is munching on your spring garden, you may feel like your partnership with Mother Nature is as contentious as any that ever graced the big, or small screen. After all, how are you supposed to fight the “cr...
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Five budget-friendly outdoor living space solutions
(BPT) - As summer approaches, you’re probably dreaming of a luxurious outdoor retreat ideal for al fresco lunches, cookouts with friends or lazy afternoons spent sunbathing. While you also may be wondering if this project fits within your budget, it is possible to construct a completely customized outdoor oasis without ...
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Tips on how to use Craigslist safely and responsibly
(BPT) - Need a bike to start getting into shape? Looking for a new job? Interested in renting a condo for that long-desired trip? Every day, millions of Americans turn to Craigslist.org to buy and sell items, find jobs, meet other people or find a vacation property to rent. More than 60 million people use the website  ...
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national news

Boy Scouts statue titled Trail to Manhood outside the National Scouting Museum in IrvingBy Marice Richter GRAPEVINE, Texas (Reuters) - The Boy Scouts of America voted on Thursday to lift a ban on openly gay scouts that had been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history, capping weeks of intense lobbying on both sides, the group said in a statement. More than 60 percent of the group's National Council, composed of some 1,400 delegates, voted to end the ban effective January 1, 2014. A prohibition on openly gay adult leaders remains in place. ...


Thu May 23 18:30:11 UTC 2013

Protester Benjamin interrupts U.S. President Barack Obama as he speaks about his administration's counter-terrorism policy at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The woman who interrupted President Barack Obama's speech on counterterrorism policy on Thursday is well-known around Washington as a perennial protester on national security issues. Medea Benjamin, a founder of anti-war women's group Code Pink, began demonstrating years ago on Capitol Hill, becoming an almost routine presence at hearings where high-ranking officials of the Bush administration appeared to talk about the Iraq war. ...


Thu May 23 19:43:20 UTC 2013

U.S. President Barack Obama pauses during speech at the National Defense University in WashingtonBy Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Thursday he directed Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a review of Department of Justice guidelines for investigations that involve journalists and report back by early July. Obama has come under criticism for his administration's pursuit of journalists who have reported leaked material. In recent weeks, it emerged that the Justice Department seized Associated Press phone records as part of a probe into leaks about a 2012 Yemen-based plot to bomb a U.S. ...


Thu May 23 17:52:12 UTC 2013
[Updated at 6:55 p.m. CT] DALLAS – The Boy Scouts of America, one of the country’s largest and oldest youth organizations, decided on Thursday to break 103 years of tradition by allowing openly gay members into its ranks. The controversial move was approved by more than 60 percent of the approximate 1,400 votes cast by [...]
Thu May 23 18:55:38 UTC 2013