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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'America's Got Talent' to Hold Chicago Tryouts

NBC's top-rated summer show will be holding auditions in Chicago at McCormick Place on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27.

Last season, "American's Got Talent" had three unique finalists: A comedian, a family dog act and a one-of-a-kind musical instrument. The winner? A group of dogs that danced, performed jump rope tricks and even some gymnastics. "Chicago is an important city for 'America's Got Talent,'" said senior casting producer Jason Shuler. "We have had several top talent audition at our Chicago open calls. Among them are Chicago group Footworkingz and the piano player from Edon from our most current season." Notable winners who auditioned in Chicago: Neal E. Boyd from season three and Kevin Skinner from season four. The show will be holding auditions on Jan. 26 and Jan. 27 at McCormick Place, 2301 Lake Shore Dr. Entrances can be found at Gate 4 or …

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Need Some Laughs This Weekend? Head to Chicago for SketchFest!

Office of Homeland Obscurity performed last weekend, and they'll join the rest of York High School's Sketch Comedy Troupe, S-Cubed, this Sunday for more fun at Sketchfest in Chicago.

York High School's Sketch Comedy group, S-Cubed, will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday at SketchFest 2013, at Stage 773 in Chicago's Lake View neighborhood. Department of Homeland Obscurity, featuring York's Clark Pavlik, Ryan Doyle, Dan Sonenberg and Colin MacGregor, performed their act last Sunday, Jan. 6, at SketchFest, along with Just Bust a Move, featuring Kirsten Mose, Michelina Boehmer and Lizzie Rudakas. (Check out a little DOHO in the attached video.) They'll be joining the rest of the York crew, a total of about 20 clever kids, this weekend for the S-Cubed performance. The brain child of York's Sketch Comedy troupe is senior Rachel Michaud. Her mom, Laura Michaud, is chairman of Stage 773, and her uncle, Brian Posen, is its founder, …

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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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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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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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Jeff Ward: Notes on West Suburban Civilization

Jeff Ward: Why I Won't Set Foot in Chicago

A commuter tax? What will they think of next?

I refuse to set foot in the city of Chicago. Even if it means having to endure a decade long yearning to gaze upon that Wrigley Field ivy, I won’t do it. That’s how serious I am. I may miss the Lyric and long to see Mr. Muti and his crew, but they, the Planetarium and the Field Museum will just have to get along without me. My aversion to the “City that Works” started with the installation of 200 red-light camera intersections, most of which have seen their yellow light times reduced to the legal three-second minimum—or less! It continued with privatized street parking rates that make the most hardened loan shark blush, and it ended with a 10.25 percent sales tax, the highest in the nation. The only force on the planet that can make me …

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MaryfromIL

5:58 pm on Sunday, January 6, 2013

Jason, It is a myth that CPS test scores aren’t improving. According to the state in 2012, C.P.S. has steadily improved in all areas of the ISAT test. In fact, in 2002 the overall picture was 41.1%, which is failing. In 2012 C.P.S. leaped to 74%. That is an 80% increase in 10 years! http://www.examiner.com/article/chicago-public-school-test-scores Here is the State Report Card link for those test…   more ›