Medicare paid $5.1B for poor nursing home care

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Medicare paid billions in taxpayer dollars to nursing homes nationwide that were not meeting basic requirements to look after their residents, government investigators have found.The report, released Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services' inspector general, said Medicare paid about $5.1 billion for patients to stay in skilled nursing facilities that failed to...

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Iran upbeat on nuclear talks, West wary

ALMATY (Reuters) - Iran gave an upbeat assessment of two days of nuclear talks with world powers that ended on Wednesday, but Western officials said Tehran must start taking concrete steps to ease mounting concerns about its atomic activity. The first negotiations between Iran and six world powers in eight months ended without a breakthrough in Almaty, but they agreed to meet again at...

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Titanic to Sail Again - But Will You Get Onboard?

By Stephen M. Silverman 02/27/2013 at 09:15 AM EST Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, in Titanic Paramount Pictures/AP It's the biggest Oscar winner of all time, but it's also a code word for disaster: Titanic.Now, an Australian billionaire plans to recreate the legendary ship, and charge...

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Vt. lye victim gets new face at Boston hospital

BOSTON (AP) — A Vermont woman whose face was disfigured in a lye attack has received a face transplant.Doctors at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital say 44-year-old Carmen Blandin Tarleton underwent the surgery earlier this month.A team worked 15 hours to transplant the facial skin, including the neck, nose, lips, facial muscles, arteries and nerves.The 44-year-old Tarleton, of Thetford, Vt., was...

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Wall Street little changed ahead of Bernanke testimony

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street opened little changed as investors awaited a second round of testimony in Congress by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for clarity on the longevity of the Fed's economic stimulus program. Calming some jitters over the euro zone, Italian debt prices and European stocks rose on Wednesday after Italy sold the maximum amount of bonds it planned to offer...

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Jennifer Lawrence Dyes Her Hair Jet Black

By Tim Nudd 02/26/2013 at 09:15 AM EST Jennifer Lawrence, blonde (left) and brunette Jason Merritt/Getty; AKM-GSI Oscar's golden girl, Jennifer Lawrence, has gone brunette – almost jet black, in fact! The day after winning Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence, 22,...

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Koop, who transformed surgeon general post, dies

With his striking beard and starched uniform, former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop became one of the most recognizable figures of the Reagan era — and one of the most unexpectedly enduring.His nomination in 1981 met a wall of opposition from women's groups and liberal politicians, who complained President Ronald Reagan selected Koop, a pediatric surgeon and evangelical Christian from Philadelphia,...

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Wall Street opens higher after drop on Italian vote

DEAR ABBY: "Harold" and I have been married for more than 20 years and have three children ranging in age from teen to toddler. We are both college graduates and held middle-management jobs until recently.Two years ago, Harold was offered a temporary job in an exotic location in another country. We jumped at the chance. I can't work due to the regulations here, but the money is good.Now that I'm not...

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Powers to offer Iran sanctions relief at nuclear talks: U.S. official

ALMATY (Reuters) - Major powers will offer Iran some sanctions relief during talks in Almaty, Kazakhstan, this week if Tehran agrees to curb its nuclear program, a U.S. official said on Monday. However, the Islamic Republic could face more economic pain if the standoff remains unresolved, the official said ahead of the February 26-27 meeting, speaking on condition of anonymity. ...

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Jennifer Lawrence: Her Most Memorable 2013 Awards Season Moments

By Dahvi Shira 02/25/2013 at 10:00 AM EST Jennifer Lawrence at the Golden Globes (left), the SAG Awards and the Academy Awards Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP; Kevin Winter/Getty It wasn't just Jennifer Lawrence's wins making news during 2013's awards season.The Silver Linings Playbook star, 22,...

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