Obama administration eases pain of Medicare cuts

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Millions of seniors in popular private insurance plans offered through Medicare will be getting a reprieve from some of the most controversial cuts in President Barack Obama's health care law.

In a policy shift critics see as political, the Health and Human Services department has decided to award quality bonuses to hundreds of Medicare Advantage plans rated merely average.

The $6.7 billion infusion could head off service cuts that would have been a headache for Obama and Democrats in next year's elections for the White House and Congress. More than half the roughly 11 million Medicare Advantage enrollees are in plans rated average.

Migraine doesn't keep Wade out of Game 2

MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade's migraine "nightmare" ended in time for Game 2 of the playoffs.

Wade had 14 points and six rebounds for the Miami Heat as they took a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round series against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 94-73 victory on Monday night - one day after he missed practice with a migraine headache.

Wade considered wearing tinted glasses to protect his eyes from bright light, a known migraine trigger, but decided to play the game without any accessories. None were needed, and he logged 34 minutes with no obvious problems.

How Health Insurance Can Help You

Health insurance plans may seem like an added expenses that you might not actually need. Nevertheless, health insurance might be helpful for a number of reasons. You can research through health insurance plans to find the best one for you, whether it is something that only covers the a few and far-between doctor's visits you may need throughout the year, or disability coverage that takes into account any serious health issues that you may have. Health insurance, if it is the right plan, can serve as a hugely good separate of maintaining you healthy.

Johnson, Hawks stun Magic 103-93 in Game 1

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- The Atlanta Hawks' dominance over the Orlando Magic this year is not just a regular-season phenomenon.

For now, it also includes the postseason.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford finished with 23 and Atlanta beat Orlando 103-93 in Game 1 of their playoff series on Saturday, overcoming a monster night by Dwight Howard.

Atlanta was eliminated by Orlando in last year's playoffs in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history, but this one was much different. The Hawks led by as many as 18 points while running multiple bodies at Howard all night, and the rest of the Magic failed to step up.

A Consumer's Guidebook to Health Care Modernize

The six-month day of remembrance] of the personation of the health care modernise, several of the law's preparations will be in force. Nearly consumers, nevertheless, will not insure whatever alterations till later on January 1, once their recently health insurance plan class gets.

Meantime, employees will be driving prepare for drops "open enrollment" period, once they choice their health coverage for the adopting year. Additionally, folks who purchase their ain health insurance will be exploring their picks. Medicare benefactive roles will be able to alter their coverage future these class if they need.

Here's a deal how the law involves people who get their coverage at work, buy their own health insurance or are entered in Medicare.

Busch knocked out in opening round of NHRA event

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- Former NASCAR champion Kurt Busch climbed out of his dragster with a huge smile on his face, then got mobbed by crewmembers.

He might as well have been in Victory Lane.

Busch celebrated a narrow defeat in his professional drag-racing debut Sunday, far from the emotions he would have shown had his day ended so early in a NASCAR race.

But Busch was a rookie in his first pro event, facing a seasoned veteran and merely trying to have some fun during NASCAR's open weekend. So this loss was a big win - for Busch, for the NHRA Gatornationals and for the often-overlooked Pro Stock division.

Walker shoots No. 21 UConn past No. 3 Pittsburgh

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jim Calhoun drew up a play in the Connecticut huddle that gave Kemba Walker two options for the final shot. He could either take it himself in the closing seconds against Pittsburgh, or kick it to Jamal Coombs-McDaniel if he was covered.

As soon as Walker put the ball on the floor, Calhoun knew which choice he'd made.

The star point guard used a crossover and shoulder roll to shuck his defender right to the ground, then stepped back and swished the winning basket at the buzzer, lifting the No. 21 Huskies to a 76-74 victory over the third-ranked Panthers in the Big East quarterfinals.

Makeityourring Diamond Engagement Rings : Endless Love

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Libya Unrest Sparks Migrant Debate in the EU

As protest violence continued across Libya, European officials on Thursday debated how to handle a possible influx of migrants into Europe from the North African country.

Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni warned that Libya's political unrest could create a "catastrophic" humanitarian crisis.

Maroni told reporters in Brussels that the EU border agency Frontex estimates that as many as 1.5 million refugees could pour into Italy, a number, he says, would "bring any state to its knees."

Nigerian Student Athlete Finds Success in US

Exchange programs that give American high school students the opportunity to study for a year in another country are quite common. But it is rare to find American high schools that have the resources to bring international students to the U.S. on full multi-year sports scholarships. Episcopal High School outside Washington D.C. is an exception. During the past several years, the private boarding school has brought a number of students from African countries to study there with great success. The African students have succeeded in the classroom and on the playing field.

High school basketball is often full of thrills. This evening, Episcopal High School is hosting Saint Albans. Both are private schools in the Washington D.C. area. But not all of the players in this game are American. Two are from Africa. Jim Fitzpatrick has been the basketball coach and associate director of admissions at Episcopal High School for the past six years.

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20 More Killed in Libyan Crackdown on Protests

Hospital officials in Libya say at least 20 people were killed Sunday when Libyan security forces again opened fire on anti-government protesters.

Witnesses in Libya's second-largest city, Benghazi, said the security forces shot at mourners attending a Sunday funeral for protesters killed a day before. Security forces also fired Saturday on crowds gathering for the funerals of slain activists.

Earlier Sunday, a U.S.-based rights group (Human Rights Watch) said Libya's death toll from five days of unrest had risen to at least 173.

Vines Choking Americas' Forests

In the American tropics, thick woody vines called lianas are outpacing trees. They're sucking up soil, nutrients and water, leaving less resources for the trees around them.

University of Wisconsin plant ecologist Stefan Schnitzer studies these aggressive, fast growing vines known as lianas.

"They are structural parasites," he says. "They use the architecture of the tree. They climb up the tree, and they put their leaves on top of the tree's leaves."

Lianas help animals traverse the forest, escape predators and get food.

Iraq suicide bombing kills 38

Baghdad (CNN) -- At least 38 people were killed and 74 others wounded Saturday when a suicide bomber stepped onto a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims in Iraq and detonated himself, police officials said.

The attack -- which occurred between Baghdad and Samarra -- was the second targeting pilgrims in the last three days.

The suicide bomber detonated at least 10 kilograms of explosives concealed in his vest, Samarra police officials said.

Most of the casualties were Shiite pilgrims heading back south to Nasiriya from Samarra in the north. Some of the wounded were on other buses waiting at the security checkpoint where the attack occurred.

Princess Diana's chef predicts the royal wedding menu

He prepared Prince William's favorite meals at Kensington Palace and served Fergie strawberries and cream on her wedding day. So what does former royal chef Darren McGrady expect to see on the April 29 wedding menu?

McGrady, who served as Senior Chef at Buckingham Palace and later worked in the kitchen at Kensington Palace for the remainder of Princess Diana's life, expects a mix of traditional English fare and Prince William and Kate Middleton's favorites.

Immediately following the 11 a.m. ceremony, guests will be invited back to Buckingham Palace for a wedding breakfast of champagne, canapes and heavy h'ors d'oeuvres, such as smoked salmon, pate and mini sausage rolls which were, "always popular at the Palace -- one of the first to go," notes McGrady.

Rep. John Lewis to write graphic novel on civil rights

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., has inked a deal to help write a graphic novel about his experience during the 1960s civil rights movement.

As a young man, Lewis was beaten in Selma, Ala., on the day in 1965 that has become known as Bloody Sunday. Marchers were on their way from Selma to Montgomery when Lewis and others were beaten by Alabama state troopers on the Edmund Pettus bridge.

Top Shelf Productions will publish the novel, called March, in 2012. Top Shelf, a graphic novel and comics publisher, said the agreement with Lewis is a first for a sitting member of Congress.

"It is not just a story of struggle; it is a story of involvement," Lewis said in a statement posted on Top Shelf's website. "It shows the ups, the downs, the ins and the outs of a movement."

Sarah and Bristol Palin apply for trademarks

Sarah Palin and her daughter, Bristol, are taking steps to protect their brand.

The possible GOP presidential candidate and her Dancing with the Stars child have filed applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark "Sarah Palin" and "Bristol Palin," according to AOL's Politics Daily.

The blurring of celebrity and politics has added to the bank accounts of mother and daughter.

Sarah Palin, fresh off her 2008 vice presidential bid, inked a deal reportedly worth $7 million to write her first book, Going Rogue. Her second book, America by the Heart, also spent time on best-seller lists.

Diabetes in pregnancy a risk for mom years later

A type of diabetes that strikes during pregnancy may disappear at birth, but it remains a big red flag for moms' future health - one that too many seem to be missing.

Roughly half of women who've had gestational diabetes - the pregnancy kind - go on to develop full-fledged Type 2 diabetes in the months to years after their child's birth.

Yet new research shows fewer than one in five of those women returns for a crucial diabetes test within six months of delivery. That's the first of the checkups they're supposed to have every few years to guard against diabetes' return, but no one knows how many do.

Dispute over gay group splits GOP conservatives

Some Republican presidential hopefuls and prominent groups such as the Family Research Council are skipping the largest gathering of conservatives next month because a gay group is involved with the conference.

The New York Times reports today on the boycott of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) , set for Feb. 10-12 in Washington, and a dispute among conservatives over the planning role of GOProud, a group of gay conservatives that supported repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, who is thinking of running for president, hasn't yet responded to an invitation from the American Conservative Union to speak at CPAC, which has been held since the 1970s.

BlackBerry PlayBook to get 4G on Sprint,in summer

Blackberry Playbook. RIM reasserted that it would have got a 4G-aware variant of the BlackBerry PlayBook by Sprint. A version of the seven-inch tablet might be ship on built-in WiMAX to better the download accelerates of the dual-core tablet. The upgraded ticket would not ship until the summer, however.

The delay is a expected hit to RIM's competitiveness in the tablet space. Most of its competitors, admitting Apple's iPad, and Android tablets like the Motorola Xoom, already have got 3G built-in to at least a few models. Despite the lower cost of Wi-Fi only versions, 3G tablets have often been the most popular with a mix for iPads bruited to be as eminent as two thirds in favour of the 3G version.

In its current form, the Blackberry PlayBook is partialy depending on a BlackBerry, both to get a cellular online connection and to get concluded approach to contacts and e-mail.

Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas Reunite for New Duet Track

Miley Cyrus is reportedly going to hook up with Nick Jonas once again for a studio project (Miley Cyrus and Nick Jonas Reunite). The "Hannah Montana" actress previously joined forces with him and his Jonas Brothers bandmate in 2009 song "Before the Storm" which comes along among "Lines, Vines and Trying Times" materials.

"coming back to the studio w/ Miley Cyrus & Nick Jonas on 1/14," tweeted Shakur Green who once worked with Miley in her "The Time of Our Lives [Walmart EP]". He additionally wrote, "Can't release any other info about the project other then it's going to be one of the top albums of 2011."

"We're only recording 7-10 records. She has other producers she working with besides myself!" the music producer went on spilling more beans on the joint record. "I will share this info: It's going to be a double disk duet album!"

Selena Gomez win Favorite Breakout Artist

Selena Gomez cenceitedly shows off her honor for favorite breakout artist at the People's Choice Awards 2011 on Wednesday (January 5) ,The ceremonial detained Wednesday night at the Nokia Center in L.A. Calif., was streamed live on CBS.

The 18-year-old singer and performer picked up the praise following performing "A Year Without Rain" with her band, Selena Gomez & The Scene.

one more Latina Disney sensation who won last night was pop on stage sensation Selena Gómez and her band "The Scene," winners of the "People's Choice Award" as "Favorite Breakout Artist."

On the carpet, Selena wear a one shoulder pink cocktail dress with ruffle detail at shoulder from Paule Ka with Giuseppe Zanotti pumps.

Behind the scnenes, Selena met up with fellow winner Taylor Swift and joked that the country star was taking over the world! Taylor then said the same thing about Selena!