MELISSA DAHL

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Move that muffin top to your chest?

Like so many of us, Liliana Huerta wished someone, somehow, could transform the pudge around her middle to something a little more useful.

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Swine flu makes a foolproof excuse for slackers

Some slackers among us see a silver lining to the global swine flu pandemic: a rock-solid excuse for getting out of absolutely anything.

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Tanning junkies soak up new cancer warning

Doctors have tried warning young people away from tanning beds for years, but their threats of skin cancer typically fell on deaf (but bronzed) ears. Until yesterday, that is, when it seems something clicked.

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Junior status: Sharing dad’s name a mixed bag

When he was a kid, being Jose Martinez, Jr., was often a little annoying. He was always Little Jose to his dad's Big, and he could never tell which Jose callers wanted (especially after his voice changed).

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Skinny jeans give thigh nerve a painful pinch

Five-inch stilettos, too-heavy handbags, a wedding dress that seemingly weighed as much as a small child — Parmeeta Ghoman admits she’s no stranger to suffering for fashion. “I’m the kind of person who buys shoes two sizes too small just because they’re cute — and they’re on sale,” says Ghoman, who's 28 and lives outside of San Francisco.

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Ditching shampoo a dirty little beauty secret

Andrea Lynch can’t exactly remember the last time she shampooed her hair. Maybe it was last summer? No, more like September. She thinks.

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Super acne? Drug-resistant zits on the rise

It sounds like the stuff of teenage nightmares: super strong, freakishly clever, mutant acne.

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Hard times forcing families apart on holidays

For the first time in his life, Ryan Burns can’t afford to go home for the holidays. During Christmases past, he and his wife and two kids have traditionally spent much of the day in the car driving from their home in Orlando, Fla., to gatherings with their parents and grandparents, who live in various towns in Georgia.

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Your happiness could be contagious

Feeling inexplicably cheery today? Thank your friends. And your friends’ friends. And your friends’ friends’ friends.

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Why Election Night was best spent in a crowd

In moments of extreme elation, such as the way Barack Obama supporters felt Tuesday night after his historic victory, we get the urge to do things we normally avoid in public: Scream. Dance. Cry. Hug someone — anyone.

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Young voter turnout likely sets record

Young Americans can finally shake off their reputation for civic apathy. Young people appear to have voted in higher numbers than ever before, preliminary reports show. And analysts say this demographic’s heavy tilt toward Barack Obama was a determining factor in his historic victory.

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Youth vote may have been key in Obama's win

Early reports are indicating that the youngest members of the country's electorate voted Tuesday in higher numbers than in the last presidential election — and they voted more Democratic. Youth turnout appears to be exceeding 2004 levels, which was itself a year with a big surge in voters ages 18 to 29.

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In mom-daughter disputes, politics is personal

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Karen and Kristen Ingraham, who’ve always been more BFF than mother and daughter, were united in their rabid support of Sen. Hillary Clinton. But when it became clear that Sen. Barack Obama had clinched the Democratic nomination, mom headed right — but daughter stayed left.

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Buh-bye, back rolls: Surgery battles the bulge

After gastric bypass surgery and the subsequent tummy tuck, Tracy Wilkinson became obsessed with an area of her body she’d never before worried about: her back. The 100-pound weight loss left her with droopy folds of excess skin that bulged beneath her bra line.

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When moms criticize, dads back off of baby care

When Jeremy Adam Smith's infant son, Liko, woke up in the middle of the night screaming, Smith wanted to help calm him down. While his wife tried to sleep, he'd take the baby into another room and sing, coo and plead with his son to quiet down.

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The plight of the older sibling

There are two Jones brothers, Joshua and Justin. But when something breaks — like the time a soccer ball crashed through a garage window — it’s usually Joshua who gets the lecture: You’re the oldest, his parents remind him. You need to set an example. Your younger brother is watching.

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Not just lip service: Gloss can invite skin cancer

Right now, 23-year-old Laura Brown has at least six lip glosses on her. They’re in her backpack, her purse, her pocket, her makeup bag — and just in case, she keeps a couple of spares at her desk and in her bathroom.

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Looking for love or lust? Your face gives it away

It’s no use being coy. If you’re looking for a fling, it might just be written all over your face.

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Scientists put a price on happiness

For Ellie Couch, happiness is colored black and red, with a 4-inch heel — she feels it with every glance at her brand-new pair of Christian Louboutins.

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Moms' bizarre ritual is hard to swallow

In the first few days of her baby’s life, Devorah Shalev was weepy. Then giddy. Then stressed. Then hungry. But mostly, overwhelmed — the 31-year-old mom from Las Vegas was hit hard with a case of the baby blues.

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How depressed is your state?

Cheer up, Utah. That state, with West Virginia and Kentucky close behind, were just named the saddest in the country in a new report by Mental Health America.

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