OTG Daily News

Four years ago, 12-year old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache. Extreme neglect had led to an abscess that spread to his brain and killed him. The Drivers were a desperately poor family in Maryland that had trouble locating an oral surgeon who would work for Medicaid rates. But whether rich, poor or in between, regular dental care has declined as out-of-pocket costs have risen during the Great Recession. Few people know that good dental care can be the key to good overall health. According to the Mayo Clinic, a full menu of diseases can result from poor dental care, including endocarditis (an infection of the inner lining of the heart), cardiovascular disease (clogged arteries and stroke may be linked to oral bacteria) and premature birth and low birth weight babies, to name a few. In the months after the Wall Street crash of 2008 , Dr. Aziza Askari faced her own financial crisis. Patients in her Farmington Hills, Mich., dental practice began asking for refunds on prepayments for...

It’s all about the bottom line. Whether your wedding budget is $5.00 or $50.000, these savvy strategies will save you serious change. by Francesca Castagnoli/BRIDES 1-Eat dessert first. Want a big bash, but don’t have the cash? Do a cocktails-and-dessert reception instead of springing for din-din 2-Off-peak is on the money. With the exception of the holidays, dates from November through April are less coveted—so less pricey—than other times. Set on June vows? Book ‘em on an off-night, like Friday or Sunday. 3-Know who your friends are. Nipping the guest list can shrink costs big-time. To avoid offending non-invitees, pepper wedding convos with words like small and intimate. 4-Say okay to day. Throw your party before 5 p.m: Brunches and lunches mean a lower tab for the location, meal, and bar. 5-Find a furnished space. Reduce rental costs by picking a site that’s already outfitted with tables, linens and chairs. 6-Stamp out overspending. Instead of shelling out a ton on...

Jennifer Hudson has revealed she turned down the title role in " Precious " because she didn't want to pack on weight to play the abused single mom. Fresh off her Oscars victory in " Dreamgirls ," director Lee Daniels approached the singer/actress and asked her to consider playing Precious -- but she wasn't interested. In her new memoir "I Got This: How I Changed My Ways and Lost What Weighed Me Down," Hudson writes, "As much as I was moved by this film, I wanted to try a role that had nothing whatsoever to do with my weight." Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe eventually won the role as Precious, while Hudson became a weight loss icon and WeightWatchers spokesperson.

NEW YORK — Between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores will be closed, the retailer said Tuesday, after terrible holiday sales during what is the most crucial time of the year for retailers. Sears has yet to determine which stores will be closed, but there has been a clear shift in where the retailer will devote its resources. The company is moving away from its practice of propping up "marginally performing" stores in hopes of improving their performance . Sears said it will now concentrate on cash-generating stores. "Given our performance and the difficult economic environment, especially for big-ticket items, we intend to implement a series of actions to reduce ongoing expenses, adjust our asset base, and accelerate the transformation of our business model," said CEO Louis D'Ambrosio. "These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers." Sears would not discuss how many, if any, jobs would be cut. Sears H...

For the Obamas, an awkward family holiday photo just isn’t an option. The first family released a new official portrait Thursday morning, showing them dressed in their holiday best. Taken by White House photographer Pete Souza in the Oval Office, the photo captures the Obamas smiling and clasping hands with daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10. The last official portrait was taken in 2009 in the Green Room by Annie Leibovitz , and since the first daughters have grown up so much since then, the Obamas wanted an updated photo together. More recently, the White House also released a photo of Bo. The Obamas’ pet is absent from the official family portrait. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news , world news , and news about the economy

Barbara Walters made an unprecedented choice for her No. 1 Most Fascinating Person of 2011. Walters' coveted title went to Steve Jobs. This was the first time that the honor was given to someone no longer living. The Apple co-founder passed away in October after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56. Walters explained that the choice to honor Jobs was made before his death when he announced his retirement as CEO of the company he helped build. After his death, the choice remained because, as Walters simply stated, "Rules were meant to be broken." Other notable names to make the annual list include the Kardashians, Herman Cain, Donald Trump and Pippa Middleton. ET

Marriage rates are at an all-time low. Are people overthinking it? Posted by  Holly-TheNest.com I'll admit it: I always wanted to be married. I happened to find "the one" and tie the knot for love. But I'm not one of those married women. I know that a good man (or woman) is hard to find. In fact, a new study  reveals that only 51 percent of adults in the US are married. That's just half of the population, people! And it represents an all-time low: The marriage rate has dropped from 59 percent in 1960 to a mere 20 percent in the present day. And this cooling trend isn't expected to end anytime soon. I'm not sure why, but that scares me a little. Yes, many people have perfectly good reasons for staying single. Women can support themselves, so they can be pickier about whose socks they choose to pick up off the floor for as long as they both shall live. And, as the article states, women are no longer shunned by society for raising children alone . But, if g...

TIME magazine revealed the 2011 choice for its iconic Person of the Year cover live on TODAY Wednesday. The Protester is this year’s choice, managing editor Rick Stengel told Matt Lauer and Ann Curry. “There was a lot of consensus among our people,” Stengel told the TODAY anchors as he revealed the magazine’s cover. “It felt right.” As it has for the past 84 years, the weekly newsmagazine selected the person (or sometimes group, or thing) that its editors deemed had the single greatest impact during the past year, for better or for worse. TIME’s Person of the Year has been a perennial topic of year-end debate ever since aviator Charles Lindbergh was chosen the first Man of the Year back in 1927 (the title was amended to Person of the Year in 1999). But the title is not necessarily an accolade; while many presidents, political leaders, innovators and captains of industry have been cited, some of the more notorious Persons of the Year include Adolf Hitler in 1938, Joseph Stalin in ...

AP reports : HANOI, Vietnam — A psychedelic gecko and a monkey with an "Elvis" hairdo are among 208 new species described last year by scientists in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia, a conservation group announced Monday. The animals were discovered in a biodiverse region that is threatened by habitat loss, deforestation, climate change and overdevelopment, the WWF said in a report. The newly described species include a "psychedelic gecko" in southern Vietnam and a nose-less monkey in a remote province of Myanmar that looks like it wears a pompadour. "While this species, sporting an Elvis-like hairstyle, is new to science, the local people of Myanmar know it well," the Switzerland-based group said in its report. The region is home to some of the world's most endangered species, including tigers, Asian elephants, Mekong dolphins and Mekong giant catfish, the group said. "This is a region of extraordinary richness in terms of ...

Ask 50 people about jobs they held during their 30s and you'll likely get 50 unique stories. While some workers spend that decade progressing in a field they entered in their 20s, others change career paths altogether or modify their employment to better align with their personal life. Here, individuals reflect on how their jobs during that stage differed from jobs they held when they were younger and how these jobs influenced the rest of their lives. Balancing career and family During her 20s, Margaret Miller of El Paso, Texas taught English at private high schools in New England . But when she became a mom at 30, she decided to pursue a different path. "In my 30s, I was a stay-at-home mom and wrote articles about parenting and education to help pay the bills," Miller says. "This was ideal since I could work from my house and be there with my kids when they were young." Now that her kids have grown up and are out of the house, Miller has opted to blend...

If you named your new baby  Aiden  or Sophia this year, you had a lot of company. Those monikers topped  Babycenter.com’s list  of the 100  most popular baby names  for  boys and girls in 2011. Aiden took the top spot for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Jackson and Mason. For girls, Sophia took the prize, with Emma and Isabella (inspired by ”Twilight,” perhaps?) close behind. Boys’ Names: 1. Aiden 2. Jackson 3. Mason 4. Liam 5. Jacob 6. Jayden 7. Ethan 8. Noah 9. Lucas 10. Logan Girls’ Names: 1. Sophia 2. Emma 3. Isabella 4. Olivia 5. Ava 6. Lily 7. Chloe 8. Madison 9. Emily 10. Abigail

A South Florida man willed his historic house worth $1 million to the U.S. government to help eliminate the country's growing debt. The Miami Herald reports that Uncle Sam put the Coral Gables house up for auction Saturday. The winning bid was $1.175 million.   The house belonged to James H. Davidson Jr. who lived there from his teenage years until he died last December at 87. He also left $1 million to the government. The Herald reports Davidson had nieces and nephews who live in the area. Barbara Perez was high bidder on the 1929 Spanish style home. Officials say 700 people toured the home last week and 15 registered to participate in the auction. The government will auction off the contents on the home in January. Copyright Associated Press

Florida children in grades six through eight are required under current law to take one semester of physical education  every year, but the state is now  considering a bill  to eliminate that mandatory class. The bill's sponsor, Republican State Rep.  Larry Metz , said in an email to ABC News that one of the main reasons behind the proposed law is to leave the decision to offer physical education up to local school districts, not the state. He is not opposed to physical education, he said, and the bill would not affect the current physical education requirement in elementary schools. "Simply because an idea may have merit for some does not mean that we should use the power of government to mandate it for all," Metz wrote. "Some physically fit and active  middle school  students might rather use that time in their school day to take another elective." He added that it was difficult for some schools to accommodate the additional time required for physical edu...

HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A tea party group in Kansas says its depiction of President Barack Obama as a skunk is satire, not racism as the leader of a civil rights group alleges. Hutchinson-based Patriot Freedom Alliance says on its website that like the president, the skunk is “half black, half white, and almost everything it does stinks.” The Hutchinson News reports local NAACP president Darrell Pope sees no humor in the depiction, which he calls a blatant statement of racism. Local tea party supporter Chuck Sankey says former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has been the target of worse insults than what’s on the website. Patriot Freedom Alliance meets regularly and has hosted rallies in the Hutchinson Sports Arena. ___ Information from: The Hutchinson News

PEOPLE ARE GROSS... A restaurant boss who offered women college scholarships in return for being allowed to spank them has been jailed for two years. Henry Allen Fitzsimmons of Virginia pleaded guilty to sexual battery after five victims claimed they had been assaulted by him. The 54-year-old set up a scholarship programme that he claimed was aimed at helping young women get into college. Those who signed up had to agree to a set of rules - and be spanked if they broke the rules. One woman claimed she met Firzsimmons at a hotel for what she thought was a counseling session but instead endured a 20 minute spanking session that left her covered with welts and bruises. The victim told police she thought she was being offered a monthly allowance and place to live. Fitzsimmons used a fibre glass paddle and riding crop to beat the women. Several other women said they were short of cash when they signed on for what Fitzsimmons called the Spencer Scholarship Program. Pro...

The roads are safer today than ever. For several reasons -- older drivers, better cars, graduated licensing for teens -- fatal accidents in the U.S. have been falling for years. In fact, the government reported this month that highway fatalities had fallen to their lowest level since 1949 . Yet we are totaling far more cars. In 2000, about 9% of the cars appraised for repairs were judged totaled, says car insurance claims analyst CCC Information Services. In 2010, that number rose to 14%. We're not having more wrecks. And we're not having worse wrecks. We're having a recession. "Totaled" to the average driver means a wreck with a "holy cow" amount of damage. But "totaled" to your car insurance company means simply that repairs to the car don't make financial sense. That decision hinges on the car's value, its age and the repair costs. The Great Recession has done a number on all three. Why we're buying and insuring old...

 By NBC News and wire services A commercial airliner has landed safely after being diverted to a Colorado airport when one of its two engines stopped working due to low oil pressure, NBC affiliate KKCO-TV reports. The Federal Aviation Administration says United Airlines Flight 321 declared an emergency due to right engine failure and diverted to Grand Junction Regional Airport, where it landed safely at 11:44 a.m. FAA spokesman Ian Gregor says the Boeing 757 was flying from Denver to Los Angeles on Sunday when the right engine shut down. United spokesman Charlie Hobart says the plane was carrying 125 passengers and crew. Passenger Jim Schreckengast tells the Associated Press the pilot announced over the public address speakers that the engine had lost oil volume. He said passengers remained calm and no one appeared to be afraid. "There was some applause when we landed," he said. "I think the crew handled it very well." Another plane has left Denver to...

While the Internet has since moved on to such awkwardly awkwardly posed photos such as horsemaning, coning, owling, Tebowing or whatever, in Wisconsin you can still get arrested for planking . Two brothers were charged with disorderly conduct after police came across Facebook photos and a YouTube video of the two on a "planking spree," which included stiff-as-a-board poses atop a memorial monument, a police squad car, a bank ATM machine, and merchandise displays at Walmart and Lowe's stores, " the Smoking Gun reports . Approached individually by the police, both Alexander Hart, 19 and Ryan Hart, 21, first claimed the photos were Photoshopped before finally fessing up. Planking, in review , is the apparently super-fun practice of having one's photo snapped while lying board-stiff in an awkward location, for the purpose of uploading that photo to Facebook. The fad originated in the UK, but blew up big in Australia earlier this year after the Planking page ...

The Duggars were given heartbreaking news on Thursday. According to People , during a routine check-up where Jim Bob and Michelle were supposed to find out the sex of their 20th child, their doctor was unable to find the baby's heartbeat. Michelle was told that she had miscarried in her second trimester. "After the appointment, we came back home and told the children," the 45-year-old mother of 19 told the mag. "We had just been talking about baby names last night and they were getting excited about naming a boy or a girl. It has been a real sad disappointment." Jim Bob also released a statment confirming the tragic news to Access Hollywood , saying, "Earlier today at a routine doctor's appointment, Michelle and I received the sad news that we lost the baby. Michelle is resting comfortably at home with the support of the entire family. We are grateful for all the thoughts and prayers, but ask for privacy during this difficult time." The Dug...

You walk into a restaurant to meet a friend and remember you were supposed to meet somewhere else. You leave your boss's office and, quick as that, forget the deadline she gave you for a new project. You had your keys in your hand, you were just holding them, and now they're gone -- again. What's going on? Here, nine possibilities for why your mind is wandering, and expert advice on how to get your concentration back. 1. Your numbers are low. Fuzzy mindedness could signal a vitamin or hormone deficiency, especially if you're also feeling unusually tired. For example, hypothyroidism -- too-low levels of thyroid hormone -- could be to blame, says Robert Orford , MD, consultant at the Mayo Clinic's Preventive Medicine Division in Scottsdale, AZ . "If there's a deficiency in thyroid hormone, metabolism slows, which reduces blood flow and cellular function in various parts of the brain," Dr. Orford says. B-12 deficiency and related anemia can have simil...