While many people are paying little attention to the Mayan prediction of the end of the world on Friday, businesses have had a bit more fun with the latest Doomsday prediction.


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Read more: Businesses Market Around End of World

By MICHAEL FALCONE (@michaelpfalcone) and AMY WALTER (@amyewalter) NOTABLES: OBAMA PROMISES ACTION: At his news conference on Wednesday President Obama pledged action to prevent gun violence, ABC’s Jake Tapper reported for “World News” and “Good Morning America” Obama said, “I will use all the powers...


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Read more: The End Of The World As We Know It (Fiscally Speaking)

  BEIJING – An exotic bird is in solitary confinement at a Chinese Zoo after spewing a toxic expletive involving one’s mother. It started out innocently enough. In an apparent attempt to cash in on the human weakness for talking birds, the Jiufeng Mountain Forest...


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Read more: Foul-Mouth Bird Banned to Solitary

The quick thinking of a 20-year-old Washington skier who was buried beneath an avalanche for up to 15 minutes managed to keep breathing by scooping the snow away from her mouth so she could breathe until rescuers arrived.


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Read more: Avalanche Survivor Saved by Left Hand

Review 2012's top news, celebs and trends.


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Read more: 'The Year With Katie Couric' Full Episode

You may have noticed them on 'Mad Men,' starring in their own sitcoms, or rocking the red carpet at the American Music Awards: curvy women, from Christina Aguilera to Christina Hendricks, are raising their profile in Hollywood.


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Read more: Are Curvy Celebs Here to Stay?

The manhunt for the two bank robbers who escaped from a downtown Chicago prison this week intensified overnight, with police chasing multiple leads as new footage shows the men getting into a taxi minutes after their brazen escape.


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Read more: Footage Shows Escaped Robbers Boarding Cab

A pre-Christmas blizzard is battering at least eight states.


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Read more: Watch: Winter Storm Slams Middle of the Country

Speaker Boehner is putting his plan, which is not supported by Democrats, up for a vote.


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Read more: Watch: 'Fiscal Cliff' Negotiations: Boehner's Plan B

Eighty nine contestants competed at the 61st annual pageant.


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Read more: Photos: Miss Universe 2012 Competition