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2013 tax season tips
(BPT) - It’s tax season and, as always, there are many new rules that can create traps for the unwary. But with a few tips and tricks, you can help minimize your taxes and maximize your overall long-term financial position. Consider the following five tax tips from Robert Fishbein, vice president and corporate counsel, Prudential Financial , who has more than 25 years of experience in tax law. 1. Last minute retirement funding - You can still make a $5,000 2012 contribution to your tradit...
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Five common credit report errors to watch out for
(BPT) - Everyone makes money mistakes. Some are harmless – like writing last year’s date on checks or buying a big-screen TV the day before they go on sale. Others can be downright harmful, especially when they could mean the difference between getting a good interest rate and paying thousands more in interest over the ...
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Knowing your health heritage: the familial link of diseases
(BPT) - Family members can have many things in common, including physical characteristics and personality traits. While some traits are obvious, like having red hair or blue eyes, some shared traits are not as obvious, such as the risk for developing a common medical condition, like high cholesterol, or a rare disease. ...
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Honeymoon encore: The big move in
(BPT) - It may come as a surprise to young engaged couples, but the excitement of the wedding and honeymoon doesn’t end when it’s all over. In fact, after the honeymoon, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and plan the big move – the joining of two households. It’s a herculean task finding the perfect location with great...
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How to take advantage of home improvement tax rebates before time runs out
(BPT) - When U.S. lawmakers made a deal to keep the country from going off the “fiscal cliff” at the end of 2012, they reinstated a tax break of up to $500 to help homeowners earn money back for energy efficient home improvements. The tax credit included in the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 is the first home impr...
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Water cooperation case study [Infographic]
The world’s most precious finite resource is not oil, but water – essential to life, human and economic development, and geopolitical stability. According to the United Nations, nearly 1 billion of the Earth’s 7 billion-plus people do not have access to clean water. This integrated water management model demonstrates how dwindling water supplies can be managed more efficiently through public-private collaborations.
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Taking the intimidation out of saving for retirement
(BPT) - Saving for retirement is a scary prospect for many Americans. In fact, just 14 percent feel confident they will have enough money to live on when they retire, according to the 2012 Retirement Confidence Survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute . And 60 percent say they have less than $25,000 saved for ...
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Ask the Pharmacist: Poison prevention starts at home
(BPT) - It’s a serious problem with a simple solution. Nearly 1 million children under the age of 5 are exposed to potentially poisonous medicines and household chemicals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There is no better time than now to learn more about preventing accidental and u...
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Don't miss a beat this college basketball season
(BPT) - The college basketball tournament is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans across the country, so much so that workplace productivity takes a nosedive. According to a survey by MSN and Impulse Research, 30 percent of people spend three hours or more per day following the tournament during work – that’s almost half of the average work day! Whether you’re watching from your desk or from your couch, the following tips can help you stay in the know this season...
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Season's cleanings - tips to keep your home clean and clutter free
(BPT) - To get your home in tip-top shape this summer, start by breaking down your to-do list room by room. With a little planning, you can create easily achievable goals that will leave your house looking fabulous and you feeling refreshed. Restore beauty in the bath The bathroom may be one of the smallest rooms in t...
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Medical device innovations lead to extraordinary advances
From custom prosthetics to minimally invasive surgery, innovations in medical devices are leading to some astonishing advances. One example: an artificial heart that uses plastic tubes instead of heart valves to move blood in and out of two plastic ventricles. Implanted in more than 1,000 patients, this plastic heart ...
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Helping the brain use alternative fuel may ease symptoms of Alzheimer's
(BPT) - Whether a patient faces a simple health problem, such as a head cold, or one as complex as Alzheimer’s disease, relieving the symptoms is often as important as resolving the issue itself. Yet for the more than 5 million Americans affected by Alzheimer’s, treating the symptoms is even more vital. Some of the ear...
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national news
Massachusetts police search NFL player's home in homicide probe: report

Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez talks on a phone during media day for the NFL Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis(Reuters) - Massachusetts State Police searched the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Tuesday as part of a probe into a suspected homicide, according to ABC News. Hernandez was initially uncooperative with police after the body of a 27-year-old man was found in an industrial park near his home in North Attleborough on Monday, ABC News said, citing unnamed law enforcement sources. A police spokesman confirmed there was a homicide investigation under way in North Attleborough, but declined to give further details. ...


2013-06-18 22:07:10 -0500
Pentagon unveils plans for moving women into combat roles

U.S. soldiers from the NATO-led coalition force relax beside a basketball court as night falls at the Kandahar Air Field, AfghanistanBy David Alexander and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. military official declared "the days of Rambo are over" as the Pentagon unveiled its plans on Tuesday for integrating women into combat infantry positions following 12 years of war in which they fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan while barred from front-line fighting jobs. The plans, which call for gender-neutral job requirements like scaling walls and lifting 55-pound (25-kg) tank ammunition, will require more years of study, education and training before some services open combat jobs to women. ...


2013-06-18 19:08:19 -0500
New York state announces plan for board to help cash-strapped cities

New York Governor Cuomo arrives for meeting with Appropriations Committee on Capitol Hill in WashingtonNEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state lawmakers on Tuesday announced plans to create a financial restructuring board and binding arbitration process to help struggling municipalities manage their finances. The legislation, which will be taken up by the state legislature soon, is designed to shore up fiscally distressed communities with shrinking tax bases and high expenses. ...


2013-06-18 20:48:26 -0500
Journalist Michael Hastings dies in car crash at 33
Michael Hastings, the award-winning journalist whose explosive 2010 Rolling Stone profile of U.S. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal ("The Runaway General") led to McChrystal's resignation, died Tuesday in an early morning car accident in Los Angeles, the magazine said. He was 33. "Hard-charging, unabashedly opinionated, Hastings was original and at times abrasive," Rolling Stone, where he [...]
2013-06-18 19:23:00 -0500