One such terror spot is the House of Shock in New Orleans.

Originally started in 1992 as a backyard party, the House of Shock has grown to become one of the nation’s top haunted houses, attracting up to 25,000 visitors every year. It features a professional pyrotechnics stage show and over 20,000 square feet of rooms depicting everything from butcher shops to swamp scenes.

House of Shock owners say it has never been about the money, but at $25 per ticket, that is $625,000 in revenues over the course of the 16 days they’re open per season, not to mention the food and beverage concessions and merchandise. House of Shock co-owner Ross Karpelman, 42, spoke to Portfolio.com about how the attraction has grown to be what it is today.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT HOUSELOGIC.COM

When Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. forces in Pakistan last month, it marked a significant milestone in what has broadly been termed the war on terrorism. But experts and analysts were quick to point out that the threat of terrorism is still very real, and that enhanced security measures put in place after 9/11 are likely to remain for years to come.

Malls and many retailers have dramatically altered their security operations over the last 10 years. The addition of personnel and technology, combined with strong collaboration with federal, state and local law enforcement, has placed a greater emphasis on prevention. And whether it’s the threat of a bomber or a gunman, strong training across all levels goes a long way toward maintaining high levels of safety at stores and malls.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT STORES.ORG

When you hit the streets after an eight-year stretch in prison and find no one wants to hire you, there isn’t much to lose in starting your own business.

Cedric Hornbuckle did just that in 2008 when he founded Houston-based moving company Moved by Love after serving eight years of a 12-year sentence for drug distribution.

Hornbuckle was 16 when he first went to jail. During his latest stint, officials moved him around from unit to unit for fighting, and he eventually wound up at the Cleveland Correctional Facility.

Interest.com

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it will cost the average American middle class family more than $220,000 to raise a child to age 18.

Then there’s college. And you know what those bills are like.

Being a good parent not only takes a lot of love and patience, it requires a lot of savvy financial planning.

Everything from the balance on your credit cards to the insurance coverage you select will go a long way toward determining the kind of life they’ll lead not only as kids, but as young adults.

Our 6 smart moves to financially prepare for parenthood can help you make many of the right decisions.

Smart move 1. Start saving for the delivery.

Get off on the right foot by having the cost of having your baby covered before you ever reach the hospital.

Depending on your insurance, deductibles for labor and delivery typically run $1,000 to $3,000.

But out-of-pocket costs can quickly rise to $15,000 or more if you encounter complications that require a C-section or a premature birth that lands your infant in neonatal intensive care.

If your doctor says you have a high-risk pregnancy, set more money aside for the bills, because there’s a much greater chance of having a high-cost delivery.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT INTEREST.COM

Removing oil from marshes not without risk

Currents and high tides can push oil deep into a marsh, saturating grasses, smothering plants and infiltrating the complex root systems which keep the fragile environment in place. Clean-up crews have been using a number of techniques to cleanse the affected areas but experts say in some cases the best option may actually be to let the marsh heal itself.

Ship Island’s pristine beaches and habitat still being impacted by oil

Seven months after the start of the Gulf oil disaster, one of Mississippi’s most pristine islands is still being impacted by oil. With large tar balls washing up daily and potential impacts in the food chain that have yet to be discovered, those familiar with the island say it may be a long time before it returns to its natural state.

MR-GO closure and restoration and wetland restoration a potential model for other manmade channels

Completed in 1965 as a shortcut between the Port of New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MR-GO) has been identified as one of the biggest contributors to coastal erosion in southeastern Louisiana. Its closure was welcomed by many in 2009 but the channel is a prime example of how manmade canals have caused catastrophic erosion in the state. What happens next may serve as a model for how such channels and canals may actually be used to replenish what they destroyed.

Oil has potential to impact wintering ducks food source in Louisiana

As duck season gets into full swing in Louisiana, many hunters are wondering exactly what impacts the Gulf oil disaster will have on waterfowl. While the risks of direct oiling to birds has now been diminished, experts believe wintering birds may find problems with their food source. That can affect not just Louisiana’s legendary duck hunting, but entire bird populations that hail from as far north as Canada.

Freshwater diversions help wetlands, fight encroaching oil

Long used as a way to partially restore the natural connection between the Mississippi River and the wetlands, Louisiana’s freshwater diversions found a new use in fighting oil during the Gulf oil disaster.

Bay Jimmy highlights impact of oil on wetland losses

More than six months after the start of the Gulf oil disaster, some areas of the Gulf Coast remain covered in oil. Nestled in the wetlands of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana, Bay Jimmy appears to have just as much oil as it did near the start of the disaster.

Are Louisiana fish kills related to Gulf oil disaster?

A number of large fish kills in Louisiana have left many wondering whether they were a result of the Gulf oil disaster. Thousands of dead Menhaden in canals and large bull redfish washing up on beaches have locals pointing fingers at BP. But authorities at both NOAA and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries have yet to document that any fish have been killed as a direct result of the oil.

Questions remain: How will the oil disaster affect the Gulf’s food web?

While the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon has come to an end, millions of gallons of degraded oil and chemicals have the potential to wreak havoc on the ecosystem. If toxic chemical compounds from the disaster impacted eggs and larvae over the summer, biologists say parts of the Gulf could see major changes in its food chain within the next few years.

Coral damage: How long will the Gulf oil disaster impacts linger?

“Decades and decades – if not hundreds of years.” That’s how long it could take coral affected by the Gulf oil disaster to recover, according to Dr. Doug Inkley, senior scientist for the National Wildlife Federation. The new evidence of impact on corals was discovered by scientists on a research ship in the Gulf of Mexico. The research team, led by Penn State University biologist Charles Fisher, has spent hundreds of hours over the past decades studying deep corals with remotely-operated-vehicles (ROVs) and submersibles.

AOL Travel: A New Orleans vacation will be very different from a vacation elsewhere in America. A laissez-faire attitude permeates everything from the food and the music to the way the residents speak and live. The result is a city that bubbles with a culture that can only be described as intoxicating. Locals are always looking for a good time and it’s almost impossible to go anywhere in the city without hearing music or catching a whiff of something simmering on the stove. Large festivals and events such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, French Quarter Festival and Mardi Gras attract hundreds of thousands of visitors. The Big Easy also features a unique and diverse urban landscape ranging from the narrow cobblestone streets of the French Quarter to the wide oak-lined avenues of Uptown. New Orleans travel, whether for Mardi Gras or business is sure to prove entertaining.

CLICK HERE TO READ MY ENTIRE NEW ORLEANS GUIDE AT AOL TRAVEL

It’s the ability to maintain your standard of living without running out of money, no matter what happens.

Many people don’t think they earn enough money to achieve that kind of security.

But the key to building wealth is not how much you make, it’s how much you keep.

Our 5 simple steps to financial independence are all you need to get started:

Step 1. Take responsibility.

Stop blaming the fact that you’re living paycheck to paycheck on everyone from your parents to the government.

Set your get-rich-quick schemes aside. You aren’t going to win the lottery and the tooth fairy isn’t going to leave a big check under your pillow.

It’s time to accept the fact that you, and only you, are the master of your financial destiny.

You’ve got to embrace the notion that taking responsibility for your future requires discipline and sacrifice.

It means spending less and saving more. It requires you to stop buying things on credit and get out of debt.

At first glance, it may look like you’re giving up a lot. But you’re not. You’re merely learning to live with things you don’t need so that you’ll always have money for the things you do need.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT INTEREST.COM.

Before levees were built around the Mississippi River in 1920s, Louisiana’s wetlands were nurtured by the natural flow of the river through its tributaries and annual flooding. John Lopez, PhD, director of the Coastal Sustainability Program of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, said there are approximately 25 diversions on the state’s coast. They take on a variety of shapes and sizes and range from small channels that were originally cut for navigation or fisheries to complex structures solely built for water diversion. While none were originally designed to carry sediment, minor sediment flow combined with the freshwater impact of stimulating plant growth has helped slow the rate of land loss.

Monitoring data from the early ’90s showed that that due to the Caernarvon diversion in St. Bernard parish, the number of freshwater marsh plants dramatically grew over a period of three years. That, in turn, reduced marsh loss with a net increase of over 406 acres in a sampled area of 2,289 acres of marsh. Its benefits have accrued over time and other diversions such as David Pond in St. Charles Parish have shown similar results. Lopez said the diversions can be utilized in even more ways than they are now.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION.

When BP successfully placed a temporary cap on the Deepwater Horizon well on July 15, some saw it as a sign that the disaster was over. After more than 85 days and 200 million gallons of oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico, the company had finally stopped the flow. While it was a critical turning point, Gulf Coast entrepreneurs

and small businesses say it could still be a long time before things return to normal.

Untold amounts of oil are still in the gulf, the offshore drilling moratorium is still in place and scientists have yet to completely understand or predict the long-term effects. The flow of black oil has put many businesses in the red and, for many, the end of the story has yet to be written.

Long-Lasting Economic Impacts
By the time the well was temporarily capped, many entrepreneurs had already suffered irreparable damage to their businesses. The closure of fishing waters, pollution of beaches and damage to the coast’s reputation have impacted industries across the board.

Estimates vary considerably. But according to an analysis of 25 natural and manmade disasters by Oxford Economics, the effects of the oil spill on travel alone to the coast could cost the region more than $22 billion and last more than three years.

The disaster couldn’t have come at a worse time for Stephen Quinn in Fairhope, Ala.

A self-taught fabricator and welder, Quinn started Blackfyn Customs in 2007 to fabricate tops, towers and platforms for boats. His business has shown steady growth and, in the first quarter of 2010, revenue was up 300 percent compared with the first quarter of 2009. In April, just days before the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sunk, Blackfyn had turned a corner and made its first profit.

All that crashed to a halt less than four weeks later when the oil caused the closure of many fishing waters in the area. Blackfyn has not received a new order since May 7; and as Quinn worked though his backlog of work, things continued to deteriorate. In July, Blackfyn did not earn a single dollar.

“Our plan right now is that we’ll likely be shut down and out of business by the end of August. I just don’t want to ruin my and my wife’s personal credit,” Quinn says.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT ENTREPRENEUR.COM