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Insight and inspiration for GED seekers
(BPT) - More than 39 million Americans 16 and older lack a high school diploma, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. And while a new survey indicates their reasons for dropping out range from lack of parental support to becoming parents themselves, those seeking a second chance at an education often find hope in General E...
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Setting up a home office that fuels productivity
(BPT) - One of the biggest mistakes businesspeople make is assuming that working from home will automatically result in a higher level of productivity. Unless you carefully construct your home office environment, you may find that working from home is less productive than you anticipated. Staples, the world’s largest o...
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Packing, eating and reheating: Food safety from the store to the table
(BPT) - Today’s busy families are always on the go, which means less time for shopping, preparing and eating food. However, there is one thing you can’t skimp on no matter how fast you’re going, and that’s food safety. From grocery shopping to reheating leftovers, you can use several tips to ensure that the food you eat...
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What Millennials know, don't know and should know about saving for retirement
(BPT) - While it’s never a good idea to make blanket assumptions about any group of people, Millennials, in particular, are defying stereotypes. Take, for example, the convention that holds young people are too busy spending their income to think about retirement. A recent survey by Prudential Financial indicates this...
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Top 5 hot food trends for 2013
(BPT) - Grab your fork and knife. Amateur and professional foodies alike highly anticipate the newest food trends, and 2013 will not disappoint. Throughout the country, restaurants and home cooks are utilizing their creativity to make food that satisfies the palate and leaves a lasting impression. Indulge your passion ...
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Five things you may not know about hearing aids
(BPT) - Hearing aids – those two words alone may conjure up images of unattractive, beige devices that your father or grandmother once wore before finally throwing them in a drawer, never to be seen again. And who could blame them? In the past, hearing aids were big, bulky and fragile – incapable of getting wet or dirty...
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Preventing the spread of germs when away from home
(BPT) - Eighty percent of infections are spread by dirty hands, and when you’re at home, limiting your exposure to germs with an active hand cleaning schedule can become a familiar endeavor. But it becomes a different matter when you’re out in public, where hand-washing isn’t as routine and germs are more prevalent due ...
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How to make your proposal perfect
(BPT) - You’ve picked the perfect ring. You’ve practiced the words you’ll use when you propose. But you know she would be livid if you asked her on the big screen at a sporting event. Making an engagement truly memorable will win you points for a lifetime each time she retells your engagement story. These tips will hel...
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Use the new year as an opportunity for a fresh start
(BPT) - The flip of the calendar year is the perfect opportunity to make personal and lifestyle changes. One of the most popular resolutions that people make is to improve their health and exercise routine so they can make a fresh start and get into better shape. Now is the time to develop fitness goals for a new you th...
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Veterans with hearing loss experience renewed hope
(BPT) - As our nation’s heroes continue to return home from the fronts of two major wars, it is a great time to recognize the tremendous toll service to our country can have on the brave men and women who selflessly choose to protect our freedoms throughout the world. While there are many devastating effects of war, th...
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Dining out drives U.S. job growth
(BPT) - Did you know that when you and your family dine out, you are helping your community’s economy and the economy at large? That’s because restaurants employ millions of Americans nationwide. Overall, unemployment remains high as the nation slowly makes its way out of recession. One bright spot in the jobs picture ...
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Families battle bullying behavior with an unexpected ally: military school
(BPT) - Bullying is reaching epidemic proportions in North America, with 83 percent of American girls and 79 percent of boys saying they’ve experienced harassment, according to the National Education Association. Adults typically respond to bullying issues with concern, outrage and frustration, and for many, the only ...
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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 will vote on Thursday on a proposal to remove its ban on openly gay scouts that has been in place throughout the organization's 103-year history. The vote by more than 1,400 delegates comes amid intense lobbying by gay-rights activists and members of conservative organizations. The proposal would not remove the organization's ban on gay adult leaders. Representatives from both sides have rallied in Grapevine, Texas, near Dallas, where the scouting organization is hosting its national annual meeting. ...


Thu May 23 11:36:01 UTC 2013

Candidates hold U.S. flags during a naturalization ceremony to become new U.S. Citizens at Convention Center in Los AngelesBy Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Supporters of U.S. immigration reform are hoping that the smooth and drama-free passage of their legislation through a Senate committee - a departure from almost everything that has happened in Congress over the past four years - will boost the likelihood of the bill winning full Senate approval. Even Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee who voted against the immigration bill on Tuesday, told Reuters TV that the "very fair" debate by the panel "does improve its chances. ...


Wed May 22 17:29:42 UTC 2013

Hagel takes part in a news conference on efforts to eliminate VA claims backlogs, at the U.S. Capitol in WashingtonBy Jane Sutton MIAMI (Reuters) - Military and civilian lawyers for prisoners at the Guantanamo naval base urged U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to improve conditions for detainees, putting more pressure on the Obama administration to make good its promise to close the camp. The plea from 18 lawyers representing "high-value" prisoners came before a speech by President Barack Obama on Thursday when he will address counterterrorism measures such as drone strikes and closing Guantanamo. ...


Wed May 22 21:30:47 UTC 2013
MOORE, Okla.—Some of the photos are crumpled. Others coated in crud. But what the monster tornado couldn’t obliterate are the memories captured in the images. A girl playing kitchen with her pink toy stove. Colleagues clowning around the office. A father posing with his young girls at a daddy-daughter dance. “These are things insurance can’t [...]
Thu May 23 12:10:56 UTC 2013