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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

It's All Politics

Farm Bill Becomes Fodder In 'Fiscal Cliff' Wrangling

A customer shops for nectarines at a farmers market in San Francisco.

December 12, 2012 Farm-state lawmakers are urging leaders to include a farm bill as part of any budget deal to avert year-end tax increases and spending cuts. But others argue that Congress shouldn't toss the farm bill into a giant package because it would very likely stifle debate and amendments.

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Shots - Health News

Democrats Draw Line On Medicaid Cuts

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, speaks Tuesday as Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., and Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., listen during a news conference on Capitol Hill calling for no reduction in the Medicare and Medicaid budgets as part of the year-end budget talks.

December 12, 2012 Democrats are worried that cuts to the program will go beyond the impact on the people it serves. It will also affect the Affordable Care Act, which calls for expanding Medicaid to as many as 16 million more people. The states are watching closely because the federal government has promised it will pay most of those additional costs.

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The Salt

A Sign From Above? Needing New Roof, Monks Sell Rare Beer In U.S.

Beers made by Trappist monks at St. Sixtus Abbey's Westvleteren Brewery in Belgium are sought by connoisseurs. For the first time, the monks are exporting the beer overseas, including to the U.S.

December 12, 2012 Westvleteren 12, a Belgian beer often called the best in the world, officially hits U.S. store shelves for the first time Wednesday. But fans of the beer may want to act quickly: The Trappist monks who brew it are only selling enough overseas to raise money to pay for a new roof and other renovations.

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Books

Oprah's Book Club Turns Over A New Page

Oprah Winfrey's revamped book club uses her magazine and OWN cable network as platforms.

December 12, 2012 Oprah Winfrey says her Book Club grew out of a desire to talk to authors after finishing their books. While the original version of the club ended when Winfrey's television show went off the air in 2011, it has now been rebooted online and on the new Oprah Winfrey Network as Book Club 2.0.

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Animals

Scientists Mourn Popular Wolf Shot By A Hunter

The Lamar Canyon pack's alpha female (right) was shot and killed by a hunter on Dec. 6.

December 12, 2012 The wolf known as 832F was taking a rare jaunt outside the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park when she was killed last week. Though her death is a blow to those who followed her story, some say hunting is a necessary part of the future of wolves in the West.

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The Record

Ravi Shankar, Who Brought Eastern Music To Western Legends, Dies

Ravi Shankar circa 1960 in the U.K.

December 12, 2012 When he was just 10 years old, Shankar began performing in Europe and the US with his family's Indian dance troupe. But at age 18, Shankar gave up all the glitter to study with a guru who taught him the sitar. He became a master, and introduced the West to his country's music.

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Sweetness And Light

NHL Lockout Leaves Fans Out In The Cold

Mike Bolt, keeper of the Stanley Cup, takes it off the ice on Dec. 7, 2012, in Vancouver, British Columbia. The NHL lockout enters its 88th day on Wednesday.

December 12, 2012 Hockey fans are living their lives, going about their business, but their days are a little paler. Commentator Frank Deford says fans deserve a little sympathy when their sport is taken from them.

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Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Economy

What Happens If We Fall Off The 'Fiscal Cliff'?

A boy jumps into the sea from high above in the harbor of Mousehole, Cornwall, England.

December 11, 2012 President Obama and congressional Republicans have been trying to negotiate a deal to avert the automatic tax hikes and spending cuts known as the "fiscal cliff." But what happens Jan. 1 if no agreement is reached? Some experts say not much will happen — at least not immediately.

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