Obama pressures House Republicans to pass tax breaks

WASHINGTON -- President Obama used his post-election news conference to pressure House Republicans to extend expiring tax rates...

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BMW Builds the Ultimate Sledding Machine for the U.S. Bobsled Team

The people behind the ultimate driving machine are building the ultimate sledding machine.BMW of North America has invested more than a year developing a “truly improved and innovative” prototype two-man bobsled for the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Foundation. The goal is to have a race-ready ride finished in time for the 2014 Winter Games in Soichi, one that team officials said might bring the...

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Judge tosses anti-paparazzi counts in Bieber case

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A law aimed at combating reckless driving by paparazzi is overly broad and should not be used against the first photographer charged under its provisions, a judge ruled Wednesday.Superior Court Judge Thomas Rubinson dismissed counts filed under the law against Paul Raef, who was charged in July with being involved in a high-speed pursuit...

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Well: How Many Calories Do We Really Eat at Thanksgiving?

A reader writing in to The Times’s Thanksgiving Help Line asked this question: “What is the average number of calories a person consumes at Thanksgiving dinner?”The commonly cited statistic is that the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day alone. That’s according to the Calorie Control Council, which represents the people who bring you diet foods. After thinking...

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Samuel Adams Brewer Counsels Small Businesses

Gretchen Ertl for The New York TimesJim Koch, who started brewing Samuel Adams Boston Lager at his house in 1984, and Carlene O'Garro, who runs a cake business, participate in a program in which big businesses help small ones. Carlene O’Garro’s cake business was barely a month old when she arrived at the Samuel Adams brewery in South Boston recently to meet with business counselors, but she brought...

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Obama reassuring liberal allies, prepping for 'fiscal cliff' talks

WASHINGTON -- President Obama is assuring liberal allies that he will fight for the middle class during upcoming fiscal negotiations...

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U.S. Requests Rising for Google User Data

The United States’ demand for user data from Google continued to increase this year, with law enforcement agencies nationwide submitting requests 7,969 times for the first six months of the year, Google revealed Wednesday.The jump, from 6,321 demands for data during the previous six-month period, covered 16,281 user accounts compared to 12,243 accounts from the company’s previous Transparency...

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Charlie Chaplin’s bowler and cane to hit auction block

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – One of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic bowler hats and canes, the staple of Hollywood silent-era comedy, will go under the hammer in Los Angeles this weekend, auction house Bonhams said on Tuesday.Chaplin’s hat and cane – synonymous with his trademark “Little Tramp” character in films such as “City Lights” and “Modern Times” – are expected...

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‘Half-Match’ Bone Marrow Transplants Cure Sickle Cell in Trial

In her mid-20s, Yetunde Felix-Ukwu wore a Fentanyl patch that delivered enough narcotic to knock most adults out cold. Yet it barely kept her pain, caused by sickle cell disease, tolerable. Even with the patch, she was hospitalized almost every month for the pain, which she said was “like being hit with a hammer, searing, throbbing, you name it.” A debilitating genetic disorder, sickle-cell...

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I.H.T. Special Report | Oil & Money: After Years of Waiting, Virginia Wants to Make Its Name in Oil

Jason Hirschfeld/Associated PressHurricane Sandy pounding the coastline last month in Virginia Beach, Va. The state is the new epicenter of efforts by energy companies to get a toehold in the potentially vast resources hidden beneath the Atlantic. WASHINGTON — When Doug Domenech looks out at the Atlantic Ocean, he sees oil and natural gas and jobs and revenue. Standing between him and those prizes...

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