Online Features
Green Living
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Save money and do a world of good with reusable containers
(BPT) - Even as the country moves out of the great recession, many Americans are still in a money-saving mode – looking to conserve wherever possible. Good news. There are simple ways to save money especially if you go back to the time-honored concept of BYO – “bringing your own” container of coffee, lunch or water as ...
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Simple ways to save water, money and your landscaping this summer
(BPT) - With many states facing drought this summer , homeowners across the country will be looking for ways to save their landscaping while conserving water at the same time. Even if you’re not in a drought-affected area, it pays to keep conservation in mind when it comes to watering outdoors. Using less water is good...
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Take advantage of tax credits to stretch home improvement dollars
(BPT) - Warm weather heralds home improvement season. It’s also the season of high electric bills as air conditioners hum to life in response to rising temperatures across the country. When you’re making summer upgrades to your home, improvements that make your house more livable and attractive are even more rewarding w...
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Think outside the fuse box: Unique energy-saving home improvements
(BPT) - You’ve replaced your home’s 20-year-old windows with new, Energy Star-rated models, upgraded to electricity-sipping appliances and there’s not a single incandescent light bulb to be found anywhere in your house. You may be wondering what more you can do to further reduce your home energy bills. When you’ve cove...
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Turning energy and water into wine [Infographic]
To produce a quality bottle of wine requires many things, including substantial amounts of energy and water. For its second-annual Earth Day Report, Frei Brothers Reserve(R) is demonstrating how technology and conservation - from vine to bottling line - can help significantly reduce a winery’s energy and water footprint. This year’s updates include reducing total water usage at the winery by 5.4 million gallons, or enough H2O to supply 54 homes for an entire year. Total energy use at the Son...
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Make exterior trim part of home remodeling
(BPT) - As existing home sales continue to climb and housing prices increase, remodeling is also on the rise, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. Owners of older homes are investing more in home improvement projects that add beauty and value, especially with environmentally friendly ...
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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, upgrade 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, especially when it comes t...
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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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Greenest of the green: Top efficiency-boosting home improvements
(BPT) - Forget wondering who’s the fairest; when it comes to choosing home improvements that make your home look good – from the curb and to potential buyers – it may make more sense to ask “Who’s the greenest of them all.” Sustainable home improvements not only help reduce utility costs and boost owner satisfaction wit...
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Simple ways to save energy at home in just minutes
(BPT) - Home is where the heart is. But it’s also a place where families can be more conscious of their energy use. While conserving energy helps save the planet, it also helps homeowners save money. According to Christine Ackerson, sustainability manager at LG Electronics USA, by adopting a green mindset and taking a ...
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Five tips for spring home decorating 'eco-style'
(BPT) - As spring blossoms, so does our desire to lighten up – in life and at home. Simple eco-friendly changes to home decor can set the tone for a much fresher and brighter outlook. Here are five tips to get you started: Get a color lift Color has long been credited for its mood-changing qualities. “Color can reall...
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Preserving our planet: How to celebrate the environment every day
(BPT) - Greenhouse gases are at an all-time high. Although some gases are naturally present in the atmosphere, such as water vapor, ozone, methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, human activities have created a new set of greenhouse gases (GHG) that are negatively affecting the ozone layer. GHGs are making it easier ...
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national news
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
U.S. says surveillance thwarted NYSE attack, Somali funding

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
Oklahoma executes man convicted of killing couple in robbery
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
Journalist Michael Hastings dead at 33
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