The Neediest Cases: Single Mother Battling Breast Cancer Takes Strength From Her Children

She had not expected her fingernails to feel as if they had been hollowed out. Suzanne DeChillo/The New York TimesJosmery Batista, 34, with her children: Analisse, 4, left; Erika, 10; and Jeremy, 1. Ms. Batista is receiving chemotherapy treatment. For the past 100 years, The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund has provided direct assistance to children, families...

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Medicare paid $1.5 billion in improper therapy claims in 2009

A new federal report says skilled-nursing facilities overbilled Medicare for therapy and other care, costing taxpayers $1.5...

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U.S. to become world's largest oil producer before 2020, IEA says

This post has been corrected. See below for details.The U.S. will become the world’s top producer of oil within five years,...

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Judge halves slander verdict won by casino mogul

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge has slashed a damage verdict favoring casino mogul Steve Wynn in a slander case against "Girls Gone Wild" founder Joe Francis.Superior Court Judge Joanne O'Donnell issued the ruling Friday invalidating certain claims and trimming the damage amount from $40 million to $19 million.The move comes after lawyers for Francis argued that O'Donnell erred when she allowed jurors...

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Personal Best: Quitting Smoking for Good

Few smokers would claim that it’s easy to quit. The addiction to nicotine is strong and repeatedly reinforced by circumstances that prompt smokers to light up.Yet the millions who have successfully quit are proof that a smoke-free life is achievable, even by those who have been regular, even heavy, smokers for decades.Today, 19 percent of American adults smoke, down from more than 42 percent half...

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Google announces $199 Acer laptop

Google has announced yet another computer for its line of Chromebooks, this one built by Acer with a sticker price of $199.The...

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Times investigation: Legal drugs, deadly outcomes

Terry Smith collapsed face-down in a pool of his own vomit.Lynn Blunt snored loudly as her lungs slowly filled with fluid.Summer...

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10 Adorable Clips of Sesame Street Satire

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Bond soars with record $87.8M 'Skyfall' debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) — James Bond's "Skyfall" has extended its worldwide box-office rule to North America, hauling in a franchise-record $87.8 million in its first weekend at U.S. theaters.Adding in $2.2 million from Thursday night previews at IMAX and other large-format theaters, "Skyfall" has taken in $90 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday.That lifts the worldwide total for "Skyfall"...

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Lenders, title insurers find new ways to delay or kill mortgages

Do you know the difference between credit rescoring and credit repair?Apparently, some lenders don't. As a result, they are...

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