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Take three laps for kids' good dental health with NASCAR star Greg Biffle
(BPT) - What can a kid do in two minutes? If they want good oral health, they’ll spend that time brushing their teeth twice a day, recommends the American Dental Association. When it comes to racing, NASCAR driver Greg Biffle can do a lot in those two minutes – run three laps in his racecar, do nine pit stops or two vi...
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'Summer-ize' your home to look and smell wonderful in warmer weather
(BPT) - The three R’s aren’t just reading, ‘riting and ‘rithmatic. In the summer, they refer to “reorganizing,” “restyling” and “reviving” your home. It’s the perfect time to bring a summery, comfortable feeling to your home’s interior. Luckily, you don’t need to redo every room or throw out all your furniture to get a ...
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New baby checklist: Tips to start securing your child's future
(BPT) - Your new bundle of joy has just arrived. In addition to midnight feedings and changing diapers, new parents need to take important steps to set up their children for success in the years to come. According to FindLaw.com , the nation’s leading website for free legal information, the first and most important st...
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Surviving summer vacation: 5 tips for an enjoyable season with family
(BPT) - With summer ahead, parents are busy making plans for camps, sports and vacations. This time of year can be challenging, but there are ways to make it more enjoyable. Learn to love this summer with your family using these five easy tips: 1. Eat foods that keep you going Nutrition has a way of impacting almost ...
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College career services go social to connect students and employers
(BPT) - College students need little encouragement to use social media to interact with their classmates, family and friends, but many are still leery of using the platforms when it comes to seeking employment. Only 20 percent of college career center professionals felt students were enthusiastic about using social med...
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Accessorizing secrets for a beautiful home and a beautiful you
(BPT) - Accessorizing is a beautiful thing; the right accessories can make your home exciting and inviting, and give you confidence and style. Yet accessorizing can be intimidating as well. With so many options in terms of design and color, it can be difficult to refine your personal style – and express your tastes in y...
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The man cave: Give Dad a space all his own
(BPT) - Man cave, manspace, manctuary ... whatever he calls it, it’s Dad’s special place away from the rest of the house. This Father’s Day, give Dad the ultimate gift and make him his own man cave. It’s easier than you think, and a thoughtful gift that says to Dad, “I love you, and you can run away from us now.” Step ...
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Revealed: keys to getting kids to eat more veggies
(BPT) - Incorporating veggies into your family’s diet this summer can be easier than you ever thought. How? Creative parents know that adding flavor and making veggies a crunchy, fun treat can result in pleas for “more veggies please!” Keep your kids busy on warm summer days with activities like picking vegetables out ...
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Simple summertime DIY ideas 'built' just for kids
Summertime is here, which means warm weather and longer days. For parents, it also means finding ways to keep kids entertained and busy during the out-of-school months.    Rest assured - there are plenty of easy, fun, do-it-yourself activities for kids that can be created by using simple odds and ends from around the h...
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Four simple, smart ways to save toward summer travel
(BPT) - Americans may still be cutting back in other areas, but when it comes to summer travel they’re willing to start spending again. Economic uncertainty aside, 78 percent of Americans plan to take a vacation this summer, and one in four of them plan to spend more this year on summer travel, according to a recent su...
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One thing you don't want to bring back from vacation
(BPT) - Before going on a trip, most of us are not thinking about what we’ll bring back with us other than souvenirs and digital snapshots. But with bed bug infestations on the rise in many travel destinations, it’s important to take precautions to avoid bringing these unwanted guests home. Bed bugs have been found in ...
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Dining outdoors? Tips for keeping food safe and delicious
(BPT) - Al fresco dining is one of the great pleasures of warm weather. Whether you’re hosting a neighborhood barbecue or an intimate dinner party on your deck, outdoor dining is a great way to savor good food, company and the great outdoors. To ensure your meals are safe and enjoyable, it’s important to know how to pre...
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national news

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

A street sign for Wall Street hangs in front of the New York Stock ExchangeBy John Shiffman and Mark Hosenball (Reuters) WASHINGTON - U.S. intelligence officials on Tuesday identified two of the more than 50 classified cases in which they say National Security Agency eavesdropping helped thwart terrorist plots including a planned attack on the New York Stock Exchange. The other, a San Diego money laundering investigation tied to financing for a Somali militia, is among the 27 cases cited in a Reuters report Tuesday in which the U.S. government filed public notice that it used a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant. ...


2013-06-18 19:28:15 -0500
By Heide Brandes OKLAHOMA CITY (Reuters) - Oklahoma executed a man on Tuesday convicted of stabbing an elderly couple to death during a robbery in 2000 that netted about $73, some of which he and convicted accomplices used to buy tacos. James Lewis DeRosa was pronounced dead at 6:07 p.m. CDT (1907 ET) after a lethal injection, a spokesman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said. He was the second person executed in Oklahoma this year and the 16th in the United States. ...
2013-06-18 19:12:23 -0500
Michael Hastings, the journalist whose explosive 2010 Rolling Stone profile of U.S. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal ("The Runaway General") led to McChrystal's ouster, died in an early morning car accident in Los Angeles on Tuesday, 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