The New Old Age Blog: Officials Say Checks Won't Be in the Mail

The jig is up.Two years ago, the Treasury Department initiated its Go Direct campaign to persuade people still receiving paper checks for their Social Security, Veterans Affairs, S.S.I. and other federal benefits to switch to direct deposit.“At that point, we were issuing approximately 11 million checks each month,” or about 15 percent of the total, Walt Henderson, director of the campaign, told me.After...

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Claims for Jobless Benefits Drop

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits tumbled to a five-year low last week, while housing starts surged, the government said Thursday in a pair of new economic reports. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell 37,000 to a seasonally adjusted 335,000, the lowest level since January 2008 and the largest weekly drop since February 2010,...

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Helicopter crashes in central London, killing at least two people

LONDON -- A helicopter apparently crashed into a crane atop a high-rise building in central London during the morning rush hour...

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Here They Are — The Best Comic Books of 2013!

Okay, fine: Comic books aren’t the most predictable things ever. We've seen fantastic comics take a sudden turn and become all but unreadable, and seen comics no one heard of until two seconds ago skyrocket to greatness. But we can still make some pretty good guesses about the most promising comics, graphic novels, and collected editions on the horizon -- or even if we can’t, we’re about to give it...

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Steve Harvey signs long-term, expanded deal with Clear Channel

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Steve Harvey has re-upped with Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, entering a five-year contract that will continue his nationally syndicated radio program “The Steve Harvey Morning Show” and add new facets to his relationship with the media giant, Clear Channel said Tuesday.Under the new agreement, Harvey and Clear Channel will work on a number of joint ventures, including...

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The New Old Age Blog: In Flu Season,Use a Mask. But Which One?

Do face masks help prevent people from getting the flu? And if so, how much protection do they give?You might think the answer to this question would be well established. It’s not.In fact, there is considerable uncertainty over how well face masks guard against influenza when people use them outside of hospitals and other health care settings. This has been a topic of discussion and debate in infectious...

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DealBook: Goldman Sachs Earnings Soar

8:36 a.m. | Updated Goldman Sachs on Wednesday reported a fourth-quarter profit of $2.89 billion, or $5.60 a share, a significant jump from the period a year earlier. It was also well ahead of analysts’ expectations of $3.78 a share, according to Thomson Reuters. Analysts had been anticipating a fairly decent quarter for Goldman, and its results were buoyed by strong trading and investment banking...

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SoCal Edison destroyed downed poles before inspection

A state probe into the widespread power outages caused by a furious 2011 windstorm was unable to determine whether toppled utility...

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Software That Gives a Voice to What You Love (and Hate) About Work

Every human-resources manager not trapped in some Mad Men time warp will tell bosses and employees alike to ask for, and offer, feedback on a frequent basis. Of course outside of infrequent performance reviews, it rarely happens. With inspiration from Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard, San Francisco-based startup 15Five was founded to make sure it does, and not just once a year, but once a...

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Matt Damon “thrilled” for Ben Affleck’s movie awards triumphs

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Ben Affleck is storming through the Hollywood awards season with his movie “Argo,” and no-one could be happier than his old friend Matt Damon.“Argo,” which Affleck directed, produced and stars in, won best drama movie and best director awards at both the Golden Globes on Sunday and the Critics Choice last week. It is also nominated for seven Oscars.The story of the rescue of...

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