7 Jobs that Make the World a Better Place

Want to make a real difference in the world? Consider one of these seven "green" careers that help protect—and improve—our planet. Provided by Jobs at AOL.

The following story was provided by AOLJobs.com. By Debra Auerbach for CareerBuilder Have you ever had an itch to quit your job and instead do work that makes a real difference in the world? In honor of Earth Day on April 22, we've compiled a list of seven jobs that help people live a better life – from the buildings they work and live in, to the energy that fuels their homes, to the air they breathe.  1. Conservation scientist: Conservation scientists are hired to help preserve and protect natural habitats. They usually work with landowners and federal, state and local governments to find the best ways to use and improve the land while conserving the environment.* 2. Energy auditor: When a building is cooled or heated, it uses energy. …

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VIDEO: Obama Supporters Celebrate Win

McCormick Place is filled with celebration as the race is called.

LIVE from McCormick Place: Patch reports live from the Chicago celebration. Comments on this post are set for pre-publication review.

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Orionids Meteor Shower 2012: Tips for Watching in the Chicago Area

Shooting stars will be flying this weekend in the Chicago area. The Orionids meteor shower promises to be a show worth watching, according to info from the Adler Planetarium.

The offspring of Halley's Comet are about to put on quite a show in the skies around Chicago. Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet beginning Monday, which will give us the benefit of the annual Orionids meteor shower—though you probably won't see much until a bit later. According to Adler Planetarium, the shower is expected to peak in the Chicago area just before midnight Saturday, Oct. 20, and continue until just before dawn Sunday, Oct. 21. The moon sets early that night, which will keep the sky dark enough that—barring cloud cover—you should be able to see about a dozen meteors per hour, according to Adler's information. "Despite not being the most spectacular meteor shower, the Orionids have the most well …

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Patch to Open Soon on Chicago's North Side

Five new neighborhood sites in the city of Chicago will open later this month as Patch expands its Chicago-area offerings.

Patch is coming to the North Side of Chicago. Residents of Lincoln Park, Lake View, Roscoe Village, North Center, Bucktown, Wicker Park and Lincoln Square will be the first North Siders to get Patch's unique brand of news, conversation and community celebration later this month. Our web sites operate on the philosophy that an informed, engaged community is a better community. In the summer of 2010, Patch Media set up shop in the Chicago suburbs. Today, 62 Patch sites serve communities from the North Shore to the South Suburbs, from McHenry and Lake counties in the north to Kane, Will and Kendall counties in the west and southwest. For two years, Chicagoans have asked us, "When will Patch come to the city?" To meet the demand, in August, we…

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Corruption In the Suburbs?

A new study says corruption is not just a Chicago problem and calls for the policing of suburban politics.

Suburbanites used to throw stones at Chicago for its political corruption. But suburbanites live in glass houses, according to a new University of Illinois (UIC) study. The University of Illinois-Chicago Political Science Department's sixth Anti-Corruption Report released Monday says that political misbehavior in the suburban ring around Chicago is equally prevalent, but faces far less scrutiny. Which is why, according to the Huffington Post, the head of the department and co-author of the study, former Chicago alderman Dick Simpson, called for the creation of an independent Suburban Inspector General to police suburban politics at a press conference Monday. At that conference, Simpson released the study's findings, which included detailed…

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Downers Grove Featured on 'Mob Wives Chicago'

Bits of downtown DG and a long scene inside Bello Tea featured in show's first episode.

Did you happen to catch the first episode of Vh1's new series "Mob Wives Chicago"? If you didn't, you missed a cameo appearance by downtown Downers Grove and Bello Tea. The show doesn't mention it's Downers Grove, but it is, and there's no mistaking the appearance of Bello Tea, where an entire scene takes place. Unfortunately, the owner of Bello Tea is on vacation, so we'll have to wait a few days to see what she has to say about the experience. Never miss a headline—sign up for Wheaton's free daily newsletter. Then like Wheaton Patch on Facebook! Or, if you're in Glen Ellyn, don't forget Glen Ellyn's free newsletter and Facebook page! While we're waiting for that, though, check out the full episode of the show here. If you just want to …

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Business Beat

Local Resale Shop Colorfully Adds a Bold Twist

Gather and Collect is a resale shop in downtown Glen Ellyn that adds a colorful punch to old pieces.

With an eye for design and a love for adding a colorful punch to resale items, two Glen Ellyn residents are attracting more and more customers of varying financial means to their vintage shop. Buying vintage has become fashionable in this depressed economy, according to Julie Spiller and Jessica Moran, owners of Gather and Collect. The two recently open their own resale shop in downtown Glen Ellyn and have carved out a niche for unique home decor on North Main Street.   “We're not a typical antique store,” Moran said. “ We've thrown in a lot of color. You walk into a lot of antique stores and you see real heavy wood. We definitely have some natural wood pieces, but we have a lot of colored pieces to brighten up a space.” Gather and Collect…

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Jeff Ward: Notes on West Suburban Civilization

Jeff Ward: The Smart People Really Do Live in the Suburbs

When it comes to comparing the suburbs and the big city, Chicago doesn't have a sporting chance.

It always amazes me how a non sequitur sentence in a column can set off some overly sensitive, surly and snooty comments. To wit, in my recent Patch piece concerning the city of Chicago’s rabid revenue raising ruses, I uttered this simple, but obvious truth: “The smart people live in the suburbs for a reason.” And after they got a suburbanite to read the column to them, those Second City citizens shrieked and howled almost as if I'd said that Starbucks stopped serving Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Mochas. (Chicagoans drink some rather strange things.) So now we know why they call it the “Windy City.” Ah, well! I suppose having to face a bitter truth can be difficult for folks who have to inhale bus fumes on a regular basis. In their …

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Haunted Haunts

VIDEO: Paranormal Research Team Investigates Unrequited Love Haunting

A Chicago area restaurant is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who died after an affair gone wrong.

The Country House in Clarendon Hills is known in the Chicago area for its burgers, but it’s also known for something else. “I took a ghost tour once, many years ago, and one of the stops was this restaurant,” said Diana LaPointe, who has been a longtime patron of the restaurant. Lynn Banks, the restaurant's manager, has worked there for 29 years. She said in that time she's frequently felt the sensation of being watched. "I've seen shadows go by, and you go look and nobody’s there besides you," said Banks. "We’ve had customers that have made comments, especially about the women’s bathroom. They’ll be in one stall then they’ll hear the other one open and close, and they’ll see a shadow or something, but nobody else is in there.” Because of …

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Frank Medina

4:41 pm on Friday, October 28, 2011

This is an amazing love story!   more ›

Haunted Haunts

Spirits Haunt Cuba Road, White Cemetery?

Patch takes a look at stories about paranormal activity taking place along Cuba Road near White Cemetery in Barrington.

Have you ever driven down Cuba Road in Barrington and thought you saw something out of the ordinary? Even ghostlike? You aren’t alone. Dozens of people have claimed to see ghosts and other paranormal activity along Cuba Road, specifically around White Cemetery. The so-called haunted cemetery dates back to the 1800s, and its past is teeming with spooky legends. Chicagoland ghost researcher Dale Kaczmarek explains the paranormal activity associated with this spot. “There are a lot of old local legends associated with the cemetery, first of all, including one that was actually started in the 1960s by a Palatine school teacher of a hooked spirit, a man with a hook, that’s been seen out here. It’s an urban legend, it’s nothing more than an …

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