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Bridal trends transform grandma's china from vintage to vogue
(BPT) - New brides are transforming something old into something new. That’s according to the latest bridal tabletop trends. While in recent years brides have been registering for casual dinnerware, lately industry experts are seeing brides returning to fine china. Sales indicate they’re opting for porcelain and bone c...
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Top three reasons to find your banking bliss
(BPT) - What would you do with an extra hour this week? Maybe you would sit down to watch your favorite TV program, jump back into that book you’ve been dying to finish, or pick up the phone to catch up with an old friend. Gaining an hour this week may be as simple as having a good relationship with your bank. “A recen...
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Safety tips for seniors: reducing risk, increasing peace of mind
(BPT) - If you’re just entering retirement, chances are you have many years of good health and independence ahead. But the normal aging process still brings limitations that we all need to prepare for - such as slower reaction times and declining vision - which can lead to accidents and injuries. Many accidents are pre...
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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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Don't let spring cleaning weigh you down: Here's how to spring forward
(BPT) - Spring is the time to shed your winter layers, dust off the cobwebs, open the windows and embrace the beginning of a new season. Aside from spending more time outdoors, the sunshine and warm weather often energize us to do the things we put off during the cold winter months, such as cleaning and organizing. Spring cleaning doesn’t need to be a daunting task. The key is to take small steps and designate time to complete them – don’t try to do it all in one fell swoop. Linda Rothschil...
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What to do when your drinking becomes a problem
(BPT) - There's no denying that drinking is a widely accepted element of social life in America. Cocktail parties, evenings out, formal functions, and even a drink or two with dinner are customary practices. However, alcohol abuse is a major problem in this country and, on a different level, many "social drinkers" proba...
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Pregnancy can be a beautiful thing
(BPT) - The big news that a baby is on the way is a time for celebration, excitement and planning. Many couples choose to keep this information quiet for the first couple of months, so they can celebrate the upcoming change in their life together. But sometimes, morning sickness for the mom-to-be can let the news out of...
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A strong financial education makes good 'cents'
(BPT) - Millennials, also known as Generation Y or those born between 1978 and 1994, are money movers. They’re wielding more purchasing power, spending $200 billion annually, and are expected to outspend the baby boomer generation by 2017, according to Kelton Research. At the same time, they face an increasingly complex...
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Relax while planning your wedding with these financial and budgeting tips
(BPT) - Planning and organizing a large and complex special event can quickly overwhelm a bride and groom-to-be, especially if the couple has no previous experience or training in large event organization. In addition to all the details of the invite list, the location for all activities for the big day and the special ...
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Money and marriage: Tips to achieve financial happiness
(BPT) - Fights over finances are a commonly known cause of stress and divorce, and a new survey indicates that while the average couple fights over money five times a year, they discuss finances reasonably fewer than two times a month. Every couple knows there are some topics you just don’t bring up – his mother’s dre...
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How to manage money when you're between jobs
(BPT) - Though the U.S. economy has been gradually improving, job changes - both involuntary and voluntary - remain a fact of American working life. “It's also a fact that bills need to be paid whether you're employed or not,” says J.J. Montanaro, a certified financial planner with USAA . To help you cover expenses and protect your finances as you transition from one job to the next, Montanaro offers these tips. 1. Decide how to collect your final pay If leaving your job wasn't your ide...
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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
After court rules, California gay marriage fight may go on

A man carries flags at a rally in support of same-sex marriage at the State of California Supreme Court in San FranciscoBy Peter Henderson SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The fight over legalizing gay marriage in the most populous U.S. state may go back to the ballot box in 2014 with California voters asked once again to settle the matter even after the Supreme Court's expected ruling this month on the issue. Experts believe the top court is unlikely to proclaim a national right to same-sex marriage in its decisions. The court is set to rule on a challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage and on a provision of federal law denying certain benefits for married same-sex couples. ...


2013-06-19 00:11:14 -0500
Analysis: Hospital investors sold on U.S. health reform despite bumps
By Susan Kelly CHICAGO (Reuters) - Shares of U.S. hospital operators have been on a tear this year, on average posting triple the gains of the broader stock market, as investors tallied up the benefits of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform. While some on Wall Street have held back amid signs of trouble as U.S. states prepare to implement the reform law, long-term investors still see more reward than risk on the horizon for hospital stocks. They expect company earnings to strengthen as more Americans gain insurance coverage and hospitals lose less money treating the uninsured. ...
2013-06-19 00:05:37 -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