“Idol” judges Mariah Carey, Nicki Minaj play nice after feud

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – New “American Idol” judges Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj shrugged off their widely publicized feud on Tuesday as a “trumped-up thing” that was merely a passionate difference of opinion over the TV talent show‘s contestants.In their first big media appearance ahead of the hit show’s return to Fox television on January 16, the two pop stars showered each other with praise while...

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Gaps Seen in Therapy for Suicidal Teenagers

Most adolescents who plan or attempt suicide have already received at least some mental health treatment, raising questions about the effectiveness of current approaches to helping troubled youths, according to the largest in-depth analysis to date of suicidal behaviors in American teenagers. The study, in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, found that 55 percent of suicidal teenagers had received...

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A Financial Service for People Fed Up With Banks

Steve Dykes for The New York TimesShamir Karkal, left, Like many people, Josh Reich got fed up with his bank after it charged him overdraft fees and he endured painful customer service calls to fight them. But unlike most people, Mr. Reich, a software engineer from Australia, decided to come up with a better way to bank. Mr. Reich and a co-founder, Shamir Karkal, created Simple, an online...

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Wendy Greuel walks tightrope in mayor's race

One big advantage for a Los Angeles city controller aspiring to higher office is the ability to make news with a steady flow...

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Brad Pitt Joins China's Version of Twitter, Creates Confusion

World-traveling man of intrigue Brad Pitt has joined China’s version of Twitter — Sina Weibo — and in his first message hinted that he could be making a visit to the country, which he had reportedly been banned from visiting. Or maybe not.In a mysterious message posted to Pitt’s account the actor simply stated: “It is the truth. Yup, I’m coming.” The tweet of sorts got thousands of comments,...

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NBC chief braces for ratings drop after strong fall season

PASADENA, California (Reuters) – NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said he expects the network’s ratings to slip in the coming months after an unexpectedly strong fall season, though he hopes some coming new shows will break out to help stem the decline.The Comcast-owned network made a surprise comeback in the final months of 2012 after years in the ratings basement. The network’s viewership...

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Oil Sand Industry in Canada Tied to Higher Carcinogen Level

Todd Korol/ReutersAn oil sands mine Fort McMurray, Alberta. OTTAWA — The development of Alberta’s oil sands has increased levels of cancer-causing compounds in surrounding lakes well beyond natural levels, Canadian researchers reported in a study released on Monday. And they said the contamination covered a wider area than had previously been believed. For the study, financed by the Canadian...

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DealBook: Banks Reach Settlements on Mortgages

Correction Appended11:38 a.m. | Updated Bank of America agreed on Monday to pay $11.65 billion to Fannie Mae to settle claims over troubled mortgages that soured during the housing crash, mostly loans issued by the bank’s Countrywide Financial subsidiary.Separately, federal regulators reached an $8.5 billion settlement on Monday to resolve claims of foreclosure abuses that included flawed paperwork...

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Syria President Bashar Assad makes clear he won't step down

BEIRUT — Ignoring mounting casualties and dwindling support, Syrian President Bashar Assad made clear to the world Sunday in...

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Looney Gas and Lead Poisoning: A Short, Sad History

Author’s note: Most people don’t realize that we knew in the 1920s that leaded gasoline was extremely dangerous. And in light of a Mother Jones story this week that looks at the connection between leaded gasoline and crime rates in the United States, I thought it might be worth reviewing that history. The following is an updated version of an earlier post based on information from my book...

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