First cracks in GOP resolve on tax rates

WASHINGTON (AP) — The first cracks are developing among Republicans over whether to accept a quick deal with President Barack Obama on allowing the top two income tax rates to expire, even as an administration official said the White House was stepping up behind-the-scenes negotiations.Conservative Oklahoma GOP Rep. Tom Cole told GOP colleagues in a private meeting Tuesday that it's better to make...

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Grocery giant Kroger wins $567 million tax fight

(Reuters) - Kroger Co said Thursday it won a tax battle with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, which has dropped an effort to collect $567 million in disputed deductions from the grocery giant.The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals earlier this month dismissed the government's claims against Kroger, the Cincinnati-based company disclosed in a securities filing.The dismissal by a three-judge panel...

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Barea, Wolves snap Thunder's 12-game streak

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder have been blowing the doors off the rest of the Western Conference in these first two months, playing with the swagger born of their run to the NBA Finals last season.J.J. Barea and the Minnesota Timberwolves tried to send a message on Thursday night that a second straight trip isn't going to come easy.Playing with the tenacity that made...

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Timberwolves end Thunder's 12-games winning streak

(Reuters) - The Minnesota Timberwolves, boosted by a brilliant fourth quarter from diminutive guard J.J. Barea, got a welcome shot of confidence with a 99-93 win over Oklahoma City on Thursday to snap the Thunder's winning streak at 12 games.The uplifting win for the T-Wolves, coming off a pair of losses on a California road trip, snapped their own 12-game losing streak against Oklahoma City.The NBA-leading...

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Cheap New York Knicks Tickets: The New York Knicks Have Been Playing Great Basketball This Season, and Whiztix.com Helps Users Get The Best Deals Possible on Tickets

Tickets to see the New York Knicks are a hot commodity in New York City this season. Whiztix.com, a ticket comparison site, can help get the best deals possible on seats.Ardsley, New York (PRWEB) December 21, 2012It was believed the Knicks would be a playoff team this season, but no one believed they would have the best record in the eastern conference, especially with Amar’e Stoudemire hurt. The...

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Thursday's Scoreboard

Thursday's GamesNBAMinnesota 99 Oklahoma City 93Miami 110 Dallas 95Portland 101 Denver 93--AHLLake Erie 4 Houston 3Peoria 5 Charlotte 4 (SO)--U.S. College FootballPoinsettia Bowl at San DiegoBrigham Young 23 San Diego State...

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NBA standings

Dec 21 (Infostrada Sports) - Standings from the NBA on Thursday EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. NY Knicks 19 6 .760 - 2. Brooklyn 13 12 .520 6 3. Boston 13 12 .520 6 4. Philadelphia 12 14 .462 7 1/2 5. Toronto 8 19 .296 12 CENTRAL DIVISION W L PCT GB 1. Chicago 14 10 .583 - 2. Milwaukee 13 11 .542 1 3. Indiana 14 12 .538 1 4. Detroit 7...

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Spanish poet wins Cervantes literature prize

MADRID (AP) — Spanish poet and essayist Jose Manuel Caballero Bonald has won the 2012 Cervantes Prize, the Spanish-speaking world's highest literary honor.Education Minister Jose Ignacio Wert said Thursday the 86-year-old was chosen for the contribution his life-long work has made to enriching Spanish-language literature.The €125,000 ($167,000) prize generally alternates between Spanish and Latin...

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Review: 'Golden Age' offers a sneak pique at opera

NEW YORK (AP) — Jealous sniping has always been in fashion, whatever the century.The backstage passions and vanities of a quartet of popular opera singers, plus a revered diva and a couple of renowned composers illuminate the New York City premiere of "Golden Age," Terrence McNally's play about an important evening in the life of 19th-century Italian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini.A mischievously...

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London's Dickens Museum reopens after makeover

LONDON (AP) — Charles Dickens' London home has gone from "Bleak House" to "Great Expectations."For years, the four-story brick row house where the author lived with his young family was a dusty and slightly neglected museum, a mecca for Dickens scholars but overlooked by most visitors to London.Now, after a 3 million pound ($4.8 million) makeover, it has been restored to bring the writer's world to...

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