Well: Expressing the Inexpressible

When Kyle Potvin learned she had breast cancer at the age of 41, she tracked the details of her illness and treatment in a journal. But when it came to grappling with issues of mortality, fear and hope, she found that her best outlet was poetry.How I feared chemo, afraidIt would change me.It did.Something dissolved inside me.Tears began a slow drip;I cried at the news storyOf a lost boy found in the...

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Fed Official Sees Tension in Some Credit Markets

WASHINGTON – Some credit markets are showing signs of overheating as investors take larger risks in response to the persistence of low interest rates, a senior Federal Reserve official said Thursday. Kevin Lamarque/ReutersJeremy Stein, a Federal Reserve governor, said some credit markets were showing signs of overheating. The official, Fed Governor Jeremy...

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DealBook: R.B.S. to Pay $612 Million Over Rate Rigging

LONDON – The Royal Bank of Scotland on Wednesday struck a combined $612 million settlement with American and British authorities over accusations that it manipulated interest rates, the latest case to emerge from a broad international investigation.In an embarrassing blow to the bank, its Japanese subsidiary also pleaded guilty to criminal wrongdoing in its settlement with the Justice Department....

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Monopoly fans vote to add cat, toss iron tokens

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) — The Scottie dog has a new nemesis in Monopoly after fans voted in an online contest to add a cat token to the property trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced Wednesday.The results were announced after the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck and neck for elimination in the final hours of voting that sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their...

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The New Old Age Blog: For Women, Reduced Access to Long-Term Care Insurance

“This was a very, very good business for a short time, with people buying long-term care insurance like it was candy in a candy store,’’ said Michael Perry, a vice president at the Opus Advisory Group, a strategic financial planning firm in Purchase, N.Y.No more. Mr. Perry has sold only one long-term care policy in the last six months and is “backing off from marketing’’ them as he watches this corner...

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Tool Kit: Protecting Your Privacy on the New Facebook

Facebook is a personal vault that can contain photos of your firstborn, plans to bring down your government and, occasionally, a record of your indiscretions. It can be scoured by police officers, partners and would-be employers. It can be mined by marketers to show tailored advertisements. And now, with Facebook’s newfangled search tool, it can allow strangers, along with “friends”...

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Judge Denies Request for Delay in Trayvon Martin Case

MIAMI – A judge on Tuesday rebuffed George Zimmerman’s request for a five-month delay of his trial in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, saying it would begin as scheduled on June 10. “We are four months away from a trial date,” Circuit Judge Debra Nelson told defense lawyers during a contentious hearing. “I don’t see any of your issues to be insurmountable.” The decision came on...

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Slain Navy SEAL sniper had new book in the works

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A publisher says a former top Navy SEAL sniper and best-selling author who was fatally shot at the weekend had a second book in the works.Sharyn Rosenblum says Chris Kyle was working on "American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms" with co-author William Doyle. Rosenblum is a spokeswoman for publisher William Morrow.Kyle's book, "American Sniper," written with Scott...

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Personal Health: Effective Addiction Treatment

Countless people addicted to drugs, alcohol or both have managed to get clean and stay clean with the help of organizations like Alcoholics Anonymous or the thousands of residential and outpatient clinics devoted to treating addiction.But if you have failed one or more times to achieve lasting sobriety after rehab, perhaps after spending tens of thousands of dollars, you’re not alone. And chances...

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Bits Blog: Most Facebook Users Have Taken a Break From the Site, Study Finds

Facebook is the most popular social network in America — roughly two-thirds of adults in the country use it on a regular basis.But that doesn’t mean they don’t get sick of it.A new study released on Tuesday by the Pew Research Center‘s Internet and American Life Project found that 61 percent of current Facebook users admitted that they had voluntarily taken breaks from the site, for as many as several...

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