I Was Misinformed: The Time She Tried Viagra

I have noticed, in the bragging-rights department, that “he doesn’t need Viagra” has become the female equivalent of the male “and, I swear, she’s a real blonde.” Personally, I do not care a bit. To me, anything that keeps you happy and in the game is a good thing. But then, I am proud to say, I was among the early, and from what I gather, rare female users. It happened when the drug...

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High & Low Finance: Bank of America and MBIA Revisit the Mortgage Debacle

Two villains in the financial crisis — whose negligence, or worse, caused untold suffering when the property bubble burst — are fighting it out. They are battling in the courts, and now in the bond market, where lucky owners of one bond issued by a company that may yet go broke are being offered the chance to cash out at par value. Lawyers are cleaning up.The only people who don’t seem to be doing...

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October home sales hit 3-year high; prices up 17% year over year

Consumer columnist David Lazarus talks with real estate reporter Alejandro Lazo, DataQuick analyst Andrew LePage and Bill McBride of the Calculated Risk blog about the strong October real estate numbers. ...

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'Shirtless' FBI Agent Who Hunted Petraeus Helped Stop LA Bombing

The FBI agent responsible for the downfall of two of the military’s most respected generals helped stop a terrorist from bombing Los Angeles International Airport and shot a man who attacked him with a knife at the gates of a military base. And he kicked off an investigation that not only upended Washington, it has many wondering if the FBI exceeded its authority.Meet Frederick W. Humphries...

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NBC names new “Today” show chiefs

(Reuters) – Comcast‘s NBC has appointed two executives to take charge of the “Today” show, a day after the television network announced that longtime producer Jim Bell would be leaving to take a larger role in the sports division.Don Nash, a broadcast producer who has worked on NBC’s morning show for 23 years, will become the executive producer, reporting...

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F.D.A. Seeks More Control Over Drug Compounders

Susan Walsh/Associated PressBarry Cadden, chief pharmacist for the company that made the contaminated drugs, at a Congressional hearing on Wednesday. WASHINGTON — The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday called on Congress to empower the agency to better police compounding pharmacies like the one at the center of a national meningitis outbreak. But Republican lawmakers...

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Hormone may help protect monogamous relationships

If retired Army Gen. David H. Petraeus had gotten an occasional dose of supplemental oxytocin, a brain chemical known to promote...

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Deodorizing Underwear: Why Does Japan Get All the Cool Stuff?

Soon, silent but deadly will just be … silent. At least, that’s the promise a Japanese company is making about its line of deodorizing underwear, which has reportedly become a hit among Japanese businessmen.Seiren, the company behind the Deoest underwear line, says it has been working on the garments for a few years. The deodorizing power comes from odor-absorbing ceramic...

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Man who accused Elmo puppeteer of teen sex recants

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who accused Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash of having sex with him when he was a teenage boy has recanted his story.In a quick turnabout, the man on Tuesday described his sexual relationship with Clash as adult and consensual. Clash responded with a statement of his own, saying he is “relieved that this...

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‘Dream Team’ of Behavioral Scientists Advised Obama Campaign

Chris Keane/ReutersDOOR TO DOOR Ricky Hall, an Obama volunteer, in Charlotte, N.C., last week. Late last year Matthew Barzun, an official with the Obama campaign, called Craig Fox, a psychologist in Los Angeles, and invited him to a political planning meeting in Chicago, according to two people who attended the session. “He said, ‘Bring the whole group; let’s hear what you have to say,’ ”...

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