5 Most Eco-Friendly Cars of 2014

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BOSTON (TheStreet) -- Whether you're looking to increase the amount of "green" on the planet or just in your wallet by reducing your gasoline consumption, here's a look at 2014's most eco-friendly automobiles.

"Consumers are becoming more savvy in understanding what a given car can offer in fuel benefits, and I think auto manufacturers are responding by providing a large array of [eco-friendly cars]," says Shruti Vaidyanathan of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, which recently released its 17th annual Greenest Vehicles list.

The ACEEE compiled this year's rundown by estimating how much pollution every 2014 model sold in America will create over the vehicle's lifetime -- not just on the road, but also during the car's construction and eventual disposal.

Vaidyanathan says consumers who buy eco-friendly models not only create less air pollution, but help make green cars more popular and encourage manufacturers to develop even-cleaner offerings.

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5 Most Eco-Friendly Cars of 2014

Final Fantasy X HD Remaster – Part 3 – Blue skies and sandy beaches (PS3) – Video

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Final Fantasy X HD Remaster - Part 3 - Blue skies and sandy beaches (PS3)
Final Fantasy X Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL51AEMznk63E-f5dvz16qhXKZ99Kq92U7 Please remember to like, favorite, comment and subscribe. ...

By: DavetheUsher

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Final Fantasy X HD Remaster - Part 3 - Blue skies and sandy beaches (PS3) - Video

Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach makes travellers' choice top five beaches worldwide

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White sand, pristine beaches and crystal clear water have helped a remote beach in Queensland's Whitsundays to be named as one of the best beaches in the world, according to travellers.

Tourism website TripAdvisor has released its list of the best beaches worldwide for 2014 as chosen by its users, and Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island in tropical north Queensland has made it into the top five.

Two West Australian beaches - Turquoise Bay in Exmouth and Broome's Cable Beach - also made it into the world's top 25 beaches, coming in at 20th and 22nd respectively.

The results were based on ratings and reviews contributed to the website by travellers over a 12-month period.

Out of the top 25 beaches in Australia, Shelly Beach in Sydney came in fourth, Burleigh Heads in Queensland was rated fifth and Manly in Sydney placed seventh.

According to research from Tourism Queensland, the Whitsundays region hosted 671,000 domestic and international visitors in the year ending September 2013.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council chief executive Daniel Gschwind says Queensland should be proud of its beaches, and Whitehaven Beach is remarkable.

"It's the outstanding natural beauty of it, the blue, the coastline, the sand... the bay that's immediately adjacent to the beach with the estuary of the river that flows into the ocean there," he said.

Whitsunday Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and is a National Park itself.

Mr Gschwind says the cooperation between tourism operators and government authorities has allowed the beach to retain its untouched character.

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Whitsundays' Whitehaven Beach makes travellers' choice top five beaches worldwide

Christian Ministry Hits Beaches With Spring Breakers

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Once a year, hundreds of thousands of college students descend on the beaches of the Southern coast for spring break, but on a debauchery-fueled, booze-filled battleground in South Padre Island, one small group is going to parties to spread the word of God.

For the past 34 years, Buddy Young has led a Christian ministry called "Beach Reach" to the Texas island and notorious spring break hotspot to talk about Jesus.

"I'm not on the sin team anymore, I'm not on the party team, but I want to come back and help my party people get to the team they all want to be at," Young said.

And he's not alone. His ministry consists of college-age spring breakers with a much different purpose -- to pray for the partiers. Nate, 23, and his friends drove down to South Padre Island from Michigan, a roughly 30-hour ride.

"I've been pretty hammered," he said, surveying the crowds. "I usually don't get this drunk, but it's spring break... this place is out of control."

Watch the full story on "Nightline" tonight at 12:35 a.m. ET

Between flights, hotels, car rentals and other expenses, college students spend an estimated $1 billion to go on spring break, a rite of passage, where there are no rules, only expectations to get drunk, naked and hook up. But sometimes they end up in more trouble than they bargained for.

Fueled by large amounts of alcohol, and sometimes drugs, these vacations quickly can become dangerous. Almost 2,000 college-age kids die every year from alcohol-related injuries.

Young said his ministry's biggest goal is to make sure the students have a safe spring break.

"We realize students come to spring break and they just want to blow off some steam and have fun," he said. "But in the midst of that, there are tons of safety issues."

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Christian Ministry Hits Beaches With Spring Breakers

Astronomy Forecast – NEO, Harvard’s Annoucement, Venus, Comet P/17 Holmes – Video

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Astronomy Forecast - NEO, Harvard #39;s Annoucement, Venus, Comet P/17 Holmes
March 17, 2014 2014 AY28 0.0429 AU 16.7 LD Size 120-260m Close Approach 3:34 a.m. UT 2014 EL45 0.1280 AU 49.8 LD Size 290-640m Close Approach 6:04 a.m. UT 16...

By: Sarah Hockensmith

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Astronomy Forecast - NEO, Harvard's Annoucement, Venus, Comet P/17 Holmes - Video

Did scientists really have to go to the South Pole to spot those Big Bang waves?

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The cold, dry climate of Antarctica is perfect for astronomy, say scientists.

Antarctica may not be very conducive for living, but it is probably the best spot on Earth for stargazing.

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It was using the BICEP2 telescope in Antarctica that scientists detected the gravitational waves that were imprinted on the thermal radiation left over from the Big Bang some 14 billion years ago. The observations were made possible because of the cold, dry atmospheric conditions typical for the region

"The South Pole is the closest you can get to space and still be on the ground," said John Kovac, a radio astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the lead discoverer. "It's one of the driest and clearest locations on Earth, perfect for observing the faint microwaves from the Big Bang."

Vladimir Papitashvili, the US Antarctic Program's astrophysics and geospace sciences program director agrees. "The South Pole is an excellent place for Cosmic Microwave Background observations during the long, dark, and very cold winter," Dr. Papitashvili said in a press release.

Dry conditions (precipitation is roughly 2 inches every year) prevent growth of trees. Vegetation in the region consists mainly of algae, mosses, and lichens.

Last year, temperature on the East Antarctic Plateau plummeted to as low as 133.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 92 degrees Celsius), according to NASA.

With an average elevation of more than 2,000 m (6,500 ft.), the high altitude is a huge advantage for the astronomers. It means, "theres less atmosphere to look through," according to Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists. "The cold, dry air makes for minimal water vapor and less atmospheric emission of infrared light, both of which interfere with observations. Best of all, 24-hour darkness in winter means no daily temperature oscillations, reducing air currents."

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Did scientists really have to go to the South Pole to spot those Big Bang waves?