Russian Bill Worries Adoptees and Families in U.S.

As word spread last week that a house of the Russian Parliament had voted to prohibit adoptions of Russian children by American parents, Russian adoptees in the United States made appeals to President Vladimir V. Putin, asking Russia not to hold needy children hostage to international politics. With the proposed ban apparently rolling through Russia’s legislature, a loose network of hundreds...

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Facebook’s SnapChat-Style Sexting App Is Called Poke (Seriously)

Oh, well would you look at Facebook, trying to make a Christmas funny with its SnapChat copycat app. It’s called Poke! Get it? Because SnapChat is what the kids are all using for their sexting these days, apparently, and Poke — you know, that once kinda flirty Facebook future that’s now pretty much useless — can kind of do the same thing, and it kind of sounds like some bad sexual pun, too! Funny,...

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Eric Ladin Welcomes a Son

Mom & Babies Celebrity Baby Blog 12/23/2012 at 12:00 AM ET Noah Graham/Noah Graham PhotographyEric Ladin is one killer new dad.The former Killing actor and his wife Katy welcomed their first child, son Maxfield David Ladin, on Friday, Dec. 21 in Los Angeles, his rep confirms to PEOPLE exclusively.“Wow!...

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Predicting who's at risk for violence isn't easy

CHICAGO (AP) — It happened after Columbine, Virginia Tech, Aurora, Colo., and now Sandy Hook: People figure there surely were signs of impending violence. But experts say predicting who will be the next mass shooter is virtually impossible — partly because as commonplace as these calamities seem, they are relatively rare crimes.Still, a combination of risk factors in troubled kids or adults including...

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Crowd gathers at Griffith Observatory to mark non-apocalypse

In the end, chances of a Maya apocalypse Friday night were infinitesimal — in fact nonexistent, according to a group of NASA...

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Obama Nominates Kerry for Secretary of State

WASHINGTON — With a patrician bearing, nearly three decades of service on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a highly decorated combat career in the Vietnam War, even a father who was a diplomat, John Kerry is the very picture of a secretary of state. “In a sense, John’s entire life has prepared him for this role,” President Obama said on Friday at the White House, as he nominated Mr....

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See If You Can Spot the One Color That Popped on the Carpet This Week

Stylewatch Style News Now 12/21/2012 at 12:00 PM ET Getty; Splash News Online; WireImageEven though we didn’t see as many stars on the red carpet this week as last — it’s quiet in Hollywood this holiday season! — we still saw some...

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AP IMPACT: Big Pharma cashes in on HGH abuse

A federal crackdown on illicit foreign supplies of human growth hormone has failed to stop rampant misuse, and instead has driven record sales of the drug by some of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies, an Associated Press investigation shows.The crackdown, which began in 2006, reduced the illegal flow of unregulated supplies from China, India and Mexico.But since then, Big Pharma has been...

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CalPERS not allowed to sue bankrupt San Bernardino

A federal bankruptcy judge Friday rebuffed an effort by the state's pension system to sue San Bernardino and force it to meet...

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Syria Uses Cluster Bombs to Attack as Many Civilians as Possible

MAREA, Syria — The plane came in from the southeast late in the afternoon, releasing its weapons in a single pass. Within seconds, scores of finned bomblets struck and exploded on the homes and narrow streets of this small Syrian town. After the screams and the desperate gathering of the victims, the staff at the local Freedom Hospital counted 4 dead and 23 wounded. All were civilians, doctors...

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The X Factor: Who Won the Show?

The X Factor 12/20/2012 at 10:10 PM EST from left: Fifth Harmony, Tate Stevens and Carly Rose Sonenclar Ray Mickshaw/FOX The X Factor ended on a particularly high note for one of the show's finalists Thursday night.After performing live one last time the night...

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AP IMPACT: Steroids loom in major-college football

WASHINGTON (AP) — With steroids easy to buy, testing weak and punishments inconsistent, college football players are packing on significant weight — 30 pounds or more in a single year, sometimes — without drawing much attention from their schools or the NCAA in a sport that earns tens of billions of dollars for teams.Rules vary so widely that, on any given game day, a team with a strict no-steroid...

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Audit finds L.A. County sheriff's officials improperly used aircraft

An audit released Thursday found that Los Angeles County sheriff's managers improperly used department aircraft, including a...

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India Ink: India's Congress Party Close to Winning Himachal Pradesh in State Elections

Himachal Pradesh, a small, hilly state in northern India, seems poised to oust its Bharatiya Janata Party government, with its main challenger, the Congress party, leading in more than half of the state’s 68 constituencies.At 11 a.m., Congress was leading in 36 constituencies, while the incumbent B.J.P. was ahead in 25. (Check the most recent results on the Election Commission website.) Smaller parties...

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The X Factor: Finalists Sing for Votes One Last Time

TV Watch The X Factor By Aaron Parsley 12/19/2012 at 10:40 PM EST from left: Fifth Harmony, Tate Stevens and Carly Rose Sonenclar Ray Mickshaw/FOX Who's going to get a $5 million recording contract?The X Factor's season 2 finale got underway Wednesday night with...

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Experts: Kids are resilient in coping with trauma

WASHINGTON (AP) — They might not want to talk about the gunshots or the screams. But their toys might start getting into imaginary shootouts.Last week's school shooting in Connecticut raises the question: What will be the psychological fallout for the children who survived?For people of any age, regaining a sense of security after surviving violence can take a long time. They're at risk for lingering...

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Rogue pharmacists fuel addiction

Joey Rovero's quest for pills ended at Pacifica Pharmacy.It was the same for Naythan Kenney,Matt Stavron and Joseph Gomez. ...

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IHT Rendezvous: To Japan-China Row, Add One Potential Provocateur

HONG KONG — The idea that armed conflict could break out in the Pacific over a handful of godforsaken islands is almost unthinkable, not only for the violence involved but also for the potentially calamitous economic and political repercussions. Political leaders, military officials and security analysts can barely utter the W-word out loud for fear they might be unbottling the genie.But the dispute...

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Leak reveals Polaroid’s Android-powered camera with interchangeable lenses

Samsung’s (005930) Galaxy Camera and Nikon’s (NINOY) Coolpix S800c are just the beginning of a swath of Android-powered cameras. Newly leaked images and specs point to Polaroid reviving its camera business with what could be the world’s first Android camera with interchangeable lenses. With no official name yet, the tentatively named IM1836 camera will reportedly feature...

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The Voice Crowns a Winner!

TV Watch By Julia Haskins 12/18/2012 at 11:20 PM EST From left: Terry McDermott, Cassadee Pope, Nicholas David and host Carson Daly Tyler Golden/NBC The Voice has a new winner! After several powerful performances the night before, the top three singers – Nicholas...

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Experts: Kids are resilient in coping with trauma

WASHINGTON (AP) — They might not want to talk about the gunshots or the screams. But their toys might start getting into imaginary shootouts.Last week's school shooting in Connecticut raises the question: What will be the psychological fallout for the children who survived?For people of any age, regaining a sense of security after surviving violence can take a long time. They're at risk for lingering...

Read More..