Two council members assail LAFD over response times

The Los Angeles Fire Department, which has been embroiled in a months-long controversy over response-time data, has failed to...

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Lady Gaga tweets some racy images before concert

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Lady Gaga's tweets were getting a lot of attention ahead of her Buenos Aires concert Friday night.The Grammy-winning entertainer has more than 30 million followers on Twitter and that's where she shared a link this week to a short video showing her doing a striptease and fooling around in a bathtub with two other women.She told her followers that it's a "surprise for...

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Well: Meatless Main Dishes for a Holiday Table

Most vegetarian diners are happy to fill their plates with delicious sides and salads, but if you want to make them feel special, consider one of these main course vegetarian dishes from Martha Rose Shulman. All of them are inspired by Greek cooking, which has a rich tradition of vegetarian meals.I know that Greek food is not exactly what comes to mind when you hear the word “Thanksgiving,” yet why...

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Black Friday: A survival guide

Shopping The plan | The numbers | The gear | The strategy | The apps | The start Black Friday, the most buzzed-about shopping day of the year, is starting even earlier this holiday season as retailers try to get a jump on the competition. The official kickoff to the Christmas shopping rush,...

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Rockets land near Jerusalem in escalation of Gaza fighting

Rockets from Gaza hit Southern Israel on Friday, one day after rocket fire from Palestinian militants killed three Israelis. Israel continued its offensive against militants in Gaza, but offered a brief truce during the Egyptian premier's visit. ...

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Exclusive: Facebook offering e-retailers sales tracking tool

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Facebook Inc wants more credit for making online cash registers ring.Facebook will begin rolling out on Friday a new tool which will allow online retailers to track purchases by members of the social network who have viewed their ads. The tool is the latest of the new advertising features Facebook...

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Jason Mraz to make historic appearance in Myanmar

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jason Mraz will make history next month when he performs in Myanmar to raise awareness about human trafficking.Mraz will headline a free outdoor concert on Dec. 16 at People's Square in Yangon, at the base of Shwedagon Pagoda.The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is believed to be the first international artist to perform an open-air concert in the country. The show includes...

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For Alzheimer’s, Detection Advances Outpace Treatment Options

Joshua Lott for The New York TimesAwilda Jimenez got a scan for Alzheimer’s after she started forgetting things. It was positive. When Awilda Jimenez started forgetting things last year, her husband, Edwin, felt a shiver of dread. Her mother had developed Alzheimer’s in her 50s. Could his wife, 61, have it, too? He learned there was a new brain scan to diagnose the disease and nervously agreed...

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Ikea: 'We deeply regret' use of forced labor in East Germany

Ikea Group, the Swedish company known for low-cost furniture and home goods, admitted and apologized for contracting with East...

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BP settles with US for $4.5 billion in Gulf spill

BP said Thursday that it will pay $4.5 billion in a settlement with the U.S. government over the massive 2010 oil spill and...

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Erdrich wins her first National Book Award

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Book Awards honored both longtime writers and new authors, from Louise Erdrich for "The Round House" to Katherine Boo for her debut work, "Beyond the Beautiful Forevers."Erdrich, 58, has been a published and highly regarded author for nearly 30 years but had never won a National Book Award until being cited Wednesday for her story, the second of a planned trilogy, about...

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Beta Blockers May Calm Nerves, Keeping Them Banned by PGA and L.P.G.A.

Greg Norman, winner of 91 tournaments worldwide, remembers a time when panic attacks on the elite golf circuit were often alleviated with the illicit use of a common heart and blood pressure medicine, the beta blocker. “In my day, lots of guys were on beta blockers,” Norman, 57, said in an interview at the P.G.A. Championship in August. “It wasn’t openly acknowledged, but it was obvious to...

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Double dip: Eurozone falls back into recession

The Eurozone is back in a recession, its first in three years, as gross domestic product for the debt-plagued 17-nation bloc...

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Pelosi decides to remain as House Democratic leader

Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she will run to keep her job as the Democratic leader in the House. WASHINGTON...

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Petraeus affair and the role of biographers

NEW YORK (AP) — The affair between retired Army Gen. David Petraeus and author Paula Broadwell is but an extreme example of the love/hate history between biographers and their subjects.Even before their outing led to Petraeus' resignation as CIA director, Broadwell had been criticized for the rosy tone of "All In," which The Associated Press described in 2011 as "part hagiography and part defense"...

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Drug Compounders Get Help on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON — Despite two decades of dire health warnings and threats of federal intervention, the specialty drugmakers at the center of the nation’s deadly meningitis outbreak have repeatedly staved off tougher federal oversight with the help of powerful allies in Congress. Over the years, industry friends like Tom DeLay, the former House Republican leader from Texas, have come to its defense....

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Toyota Prius recall: Automaker will fix nearly 700,000 hybrids

Toyota Motor Corp. announced two safety recalls for its flagship Prius hybrid.The automaker said the steering intermediate extension...

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Mike D'Antoni plans to coach Lakers on Sunday

Mike D'Antoni won NBA coach of the year in his first full season as head coach of the Phoenix Suns. ...

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Day-Lewis heeded inner ear to find Lincoln's voice

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A towering figure such as Abraham Lincoln, who stood 6 feet 4 and was one of history's master orators, must have had a booming voice to match, right? Not in Daniel Day-Lewis' interpretation.Day-Lewis, who plays the 16th president in Steven Spielberg's epic film biography "Lincoln," which goes into wide release this weekend, settled on a higher, softer voice, saying it's more true...

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Q & A: Weighing the Evidence

Q. My husband weighs twice as much as I do, yet we take the same dose of over-the-counter medications, as recommended on the packaging. Shouldn’t weight be a factor? A. There is little information about using weight as a factor in adjusting doses of either prescription or over-the-counter medications, said Dr. Steven A. Kaplan, director of the Iris Cantor Men’s Health Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill...

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Bank of New York Mellon unit settles Madoff case for $210 million

New York Atty. Gen. Eric Schneiderman (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)...

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Mike D'Antoni to be next coach of the Lakers

Mike D'Antoni, not Phil Jackson, will be the next coach of the Lakers."We signed Mike D'Antoni to a multi-year deal," Lakers...

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Elmo puppeteer accused of underage relationship

NEW YORK (AP) — The puppeteer who performs as Elmo on "Sesame Street" is taking a leave of absence from the popular kids' show in the wake of allegations that he had a relationship with a 16-year-old boy.Sesame Workshop said puppeteer Kevin Clash denies the charges, which were first made in June by the alleged partner, who by then was 23."We took the allegation very seriously and took immediate action,"...

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Slipstream: Biometric Data-Gathering Sets Off a Privacy Debate

“PLEASE put your hand on the scanner,” a receptionist at a doctor’s office at New York University Langone Medical Center said to me recently, pointing to a small plastic device on the counter between us. “I need to take a palm scan for your file.” I balked. As a reporter who has been covering the growing business of data collection, I know the potential drawbacks — like customer profiling...

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