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A cream allowing erectile dysfunction drugs to be applied directly to the skin could one day make them safer to use, say New York scientists. Studies in rats suggest that Viagra, Levitra and Cialis could pass through the skin in tiny capsules, they say. The research, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, could mean fewer side-effects, and even significantly speed up the drug's action.

THE widespread tendency in Brazil for men to remarry women several decades younger than them, called the "Viagra effect", is undermining the country's pension system. The report, by Brazil's National Social Security Institute, showed that a trend of men in their sixties marrying women half their age was leaving a big pool of young widows collecting benefits for much longer than anticipated. "The social security system was planned so that the wife receives her husband's pension for only 15 years or so," the author of the study, Paulo Tafner, said. "With growing life expectancy and remarriages with much younger women,...

Arguing that having sex is essential to a reasonable quality of life, a Swedish court has ordered local authorities to subsidize a 30-year-man’s prescription for the potency drug Viagra. The case involves a man from Gothenburg in western Sweden who recently emerged from a 15-year addiction during which he was treated with a medicine that left him impotent, the Göteborgs-Posten (GP) newspaper reports. The issue of whether or not he was entitled to assistance originally came about because he did not have specific medical advice recommending that he needed to take the potency medication. The local support unit in the...

... Buffett, a supporter of President Barack Obama during last year's election campaign, said a second economic stimulus package might be needed. The Obama administration says it does not see a need for a second stimulus yet. "I think a second one may well be called for. It is not a panacea. A stimulus is the right thing. You hope it doesn't get watered down," he said. He likened the first $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress to "half a tablet of Viagra and then having also a bunch of candy mixed in --- it doesn't have really quite...

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's health authorities have seized over 20,000 dollars worth of coffee mixed with sildenafil, the main ingredient in erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, a report said Sunday. "The coffee mixture had been distributed in sachets nationwide," an official was quoted as saying by the New Sunday Times newspaper. "Officers found 900 boxes containing more than 9,000 sachets of the coffee mixture which retailed for more than 80 ringgit (23 dollars) per box," the officer added without naming the coffee brand in question. Enforcement officials said the coffee was mixed with sildenafil to "perk up" drinkers beyond the usual...

"A shipment of nearly 9,000 Viagra tablets was confiscated during a routine check at a post office by customs officials near Malmö in southern Sweden."

President Barack Obama talks with Judge Sonia Sotomayor after announcing her as his choice to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, May 26, 2009. Obama nominated Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday, selecting a woman who would be the court's first Latino. Obama's choice of the liberal Sotomayor, a 54-year-old judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York, was unlikely to change the ideological balance of the high court because Souter, 69, was part of the panel's liberal wing. REUTERS/Larry Downing President Obama...

Women, the maker of Viagra has found, are a lot more complicated than men. After eight years of work and tests involving 3,000 women, Pfizer Inc. announced yesterday that it was abandoning its effort to prove that the impotence drug Viagra improves sexual function in women. The problem, Pfizer researchers found, is that men and women have a fundamentally different relationship between arousal and For men, arousal almost always leads to desire. So by improving a man's ability to have erections, Viagra measurably affects his sexual function. But arousal and desire are often disconnected in women, the researchers found, to...

Okay, just the threat of healthcare reform has industry promising to stop excluding the sick, to stop discriminating against women, and to hand over 2 trillion dollars to Obama. What else can they offer us, a kidney? Um, try a little further south. Today Pfizer offered America Viagra. Free! For a year!If, that is, you can prove a) that you've been on it for three months, and b) you have lost your job. Clearly there's no longer any reason to feel unmanned by a lay-off. You can still hold your head high.The PR for this move is phenomenal - tales...

You’ve all seen them. Those ubiquitous TV ads where a simple little pill transforms a man suffering from erectile dysfunction, or ED, into a virile tiger who puts a smile on the face of his now beaming wife. Well, Representative Jim Moran (D-VA) has seen them too, and you’d be hard pressed to see a smile on his face when he talks about the ads. “A number of people,” he says, “have come up, including colleagues, and said I’m fed up. I don’t want my three or four-year old grandkid asking me what erectile dysfunction is all about. And I...

I have never done a vanity before but today I just needed to let my FREEPER FRiends that I turned 40 today and am stunned. I just can't believe that I remember my parents turning 40. Enjoy life cuz it is short. I tell you my life has been enhanced with my membership to Free Republic. Thank you to all of you and my family Julie (Mrs. NAPS), Nick, Kyle, Alex, and Abby. May 2, 1969 as a lucky day for the world...lol. Just kidding.

"There is a mysterious cycle in human events. To some generations much is given. Of other generations much is expected. This generation of Americans has a rendezvous with destiny." -- FDR We Americans, complain though we may, are a generation to which much has been given. We have enjoyed a level of power and prosperity that has exceeded anything known by human beings in world history. Our military has been impossible to defeat in conventional battle and our industry has been the engine of the world economy. Not only do we feed the world, we make much of its medicine...

An 82-year-old Italian man who took a Viagra pill scared his wife so much she called the police. Giovanni di Stefano, from Palermo, was so excited his wife thought he would have a heart attack and dialled 999. "The police didn't do anything but their presence had the desired effect. He lost interest in his love life pretty quickly," said a family friend. Terrified wife Carla, 69, told police: "He is 82-years-old and so I thought so much love could have lethal consequences."

Call it breaking down stiff resistance.It could also be called a successful tactic in the War Against Islamo-Fascist Terror... that is, maybe until now.With a veritable smorgasbord of potential rim-shots waiting to be thwacked at the idea of using Viagra as a means of getting an upper hand in the war, the more serious matter of exposing a successful gambit while the battle is still ongoing becomes the front-burner issue.The Washington Post is reporting that the "little blue pill" has proven to be an effective tool (no pun intended) in helping to gain information from otherwise tough-to-crack Afghani warlords...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - CIA agents are offering the potency drug Viagra and other gifts to win over Afghan warlords in the US-led war against Taliban insurgents, the Washington Post reported on Friday......

In an effort to win over fickle warlords and chieftains in Afghanistan and get information from them, CIA officials are handing out Viagra pills in exchange for their cooperation, the Washington Post reports. "Whatever it takes to make friends and influence people - whether it's building a school or handing out Viagra," an agency operative, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Post.

The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift. Four blue pills. Viagra. "Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam. The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza of information about Taliban movements and supply routes -- followed...

Operatives' bribes to warlords also include visas, tooth extractions, toys The Afghan chieftain looked older than his 60-odd years, and his bearded face bore the creases of a man burdened with duties as tribal patriarch and husband to four younger women. His visitor, a CIA officer, saw an opportunity, and reached into his bag for a small gift. Four blue pills. Viagra. "Take one of these. You'll love it," the officer said. Compliments of Uncle Sam. The enticement worked. The officer, who described the encounter, returned four days later to an enthusiastic reception. The grinning chief offered up a bonanza...

An 82-year-old Italian man who took a Viagra pill scared his wife so much she called the police. Giovanni di Stefano, from Palermo, was so excited his wife thought he would have a heart attack and dialled 999. "The police didn't do anything but their presence had the desired effect. He lost interest in his love life pretty quickly," said a family friend. Terrified wife Carla, 69, told police: "He is 82-years-old and so I thought so much love could have lethal consequences."

An 82-year-old Italian man who took a Viagra pill scared his wife so much she called the police.

<p>MEXICO CITY -- More than 100,000 elderly men in the Mexican capital can get free treatment to stimulate their sex lives, thanks to a health program launched Friday by the municipal government of Mexico City, where 70 percent of men above 70 years of age suffer erectile dysfunction.</p>

NEW YORK – A New York man is being sued for trademark infringement after he towed a 25-foot-long fake missile around Manhattan with the words "Viva Viagra" printed in blue on its sides. An attorney for Viagra-maker Pfizer Inc. says that the man's use of the company's logo could confuse consumers into thinking the rocket was an actual advertisement for the drug used to treat male impotence. But 48-year-old Arye Sachs of West Babylon says no one would be deterred from buying the blue pills because of he what he did. He says he knows because he's a "customer."

Planned Parenthood Association’s (PPA) political action committee released a new TV ad slamming presidential candidate Senator McCain for his opposition to abortion and his “indifference” to insurers covering erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra. The charge of “indifference” was leveled after McCain admitted a lack of expertise on the topic. “I don’t know enough about it to give you an informed answer,” McCain replied when asked whether it was fair for insurers to pay for Viagra. “I guess that would be something for the insurers and their customers to work out on their own.” “The indifference, the ignorance, it’s astounding,” exclaimed...

Viagra helps women taking antidepressants overcome the sexual dysfunction that can be a side effect of taking the medication, new research says. Researchers from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine found that women who took the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil, a.k.a Viagra, had an improvement in sexual function in contrast to women who took a placebo. The findings are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The researchers said this is the first randomized controlled trial showing that there is a treatment for the sexual dysfunction that women experience as a result of taking antidepressants. According...

While pharmaceutical companies battle to end desire discrepancy, some feminists fear the medicalization of not being in the mood. Despite Hillary Clinton’s near win in the Democratic presidential primary, decades of anti-discrimination laws and wagonloads of proof that women can do anything men can, sexual equality is a hard sell to the less-fair sex. This collective stance is based on reason: A new study by Ireland’s Economic and Social Research Institute says women do a month more of housework per year than men. For fellows, what’s not to like about that? Notwithstanding such logic, Michael Snabes, vice president for clinical...

Watermelon May Have Viagra-effectDr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center, says watermelon may have Viagra-like effects. (Credit: Image courtesy of Texas A&M University ScienceDaily (July 1, 2008) — A cold slice of watermelon has long been a Fourth of July holiday staple. But according to recent studies, the juicy fruit may be better suited for Valentine’s Day. That’s because scientists say watermelon has ingredients that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body’s blood vessels and may even increase libido. “The more we study watermelons, the more we realize just how amazing a fruit it is in...

It promises to be one very special Father's Day for men in General Escobedo, a suburb of Monterrey in northern Mexico. As part of its "Healthy Dad" program, the municipality is giving free check ups Thursday and — for those with a clean bill of health who confess to needing an extra boost — one Viagra pill, along with a kit of other basic personal items. Edgar Dimas, a city official, said the little blue bill is getting unwarranted attention. "Honestly, it's not about the Viagra," he said. The program is about encouraging fathers to live a healthy lifestyle, especially...

He told little white lies ... and he took little blue pills. Roger Clemens, whose claims he never took steroids are under federal investigation, has apparently discovered the benefits of another performance-enhancing drug sweeping the sports world - Viagra. Clemens stashed the clearly marked, diamond-shaped pills in a GNC vitamin bottle in his locker at Yankee Stadium, according to a source familiar with the clubhouse, perhaps keeping the drug undercover to avoid the inevitable wisecracks about all the girlfriends he needed to please.

Bo (woof) In Commentary: The following story sounds a little fishy to me. Is he on the drug to help his heart or his self confidence? You be the judge… (Talisker, a border collie, was living on borrowed time after vets found his heart had become dangerously enlarged. The dog, three, from Yardley Hastings, Northamptonshire, passes out when he gets excited because his blood cannot pump quickly enough around his body. But, since taking Viagra , the blood flow to Talisker’s heart has improved, according to owner Lesley Strong, 58.) I understand the worry about the heart becoming dangerously enlarged,...

Lo Prado Mayor Gonzalo Navarrete said he launched the program because "an active sexuality improves the overall quality of life."

Ten years ago today, Viagra got the Food and Drug Administration's stamp of approval. Here are some facts about the little blue pill: • Roughly 1 billion Viagra tablets have been doled out since the drug debuted. • An average of about three Viagra tablets were dispensed each second between its launch and the end of last year. • Thirty-five million men worldwide have used Viagra, which remains the most commonly prescribed drug for erectile dysfunction. • The drug has been evaluated in more than 120 clinical trials involving more than 16,000 men. • Viagra was also tested in about...

(Gov. David Paterson, with his wife, Michelle, at his side, publically addresses his past extramarital affairs - a story first reported by the Daily News.) In an extraordinary public confession less than 24 hours after taking office, Gov. Paterson said Tuesday he has had affairs with "a number of women" in the not-so-distant past - including a current state employee. Standing shoulder to shoulder with his grim-faced wife, Michelle, the governor said his "conscience is clear" - now that he has come clean about his private infidelities. He said he hopes now to focus on the public's business. "I...

It might harm their reputation, but Israel's air force is considering giving its combat pilots Viagra to improve their performance -- in the air. A recent study conducted by Israeli doctors among mountain climbers in Africa found a link between erectile dysfunction drugs and improved performance in high altitudes, the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot reported on Thursday...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US drug safety watchdog warned Monday on its website that several Chinese-made 'dietary supplements' contain the active ingredient found in Viagra, and could be harmful to consumers. "The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising consumers not to buy or use Super Shangai, Strong Testis, Shangai Ultra, Shangai Ultra X, Lady Shangai, and Shangai Regular, also marketed as Shangai Chaojimengnan, products," the FDA said in a statement. "These products, which originate in China, are being marketed for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and for sexual enhancement," the statement said. None of the product labels mention...

Viagra on Campaign Trail Meets Stiff Opposition Vote-buying is an old practice in Thai politics, but one candidate for December's Thai election has reportedly come up with a new tactic - handing out Viagra instead of cash. The allegation, made Thursday by a campaign worker against a rival party, comes as rules about handing out favors to voters have become stricter than ever, barring even the distribution of free T-shirts and soft drinks. Sayan Nopcha, a campaigner for the People's Power Party in Pathum Thai province just north of Bangkok, said the drug used to treat sexual dysfunction in men...

TEHRAN (AFP) - Iran warned on Saturday it would fire off 11,000 rockets at enemy bases within the space of a minute if the United States launched military action against the Islamic republic. "In the first minute of an invasion by the enemy, 11,000 rockets and cannons would be fired at enemy bases," said a brigadier general in the elite Revolutionary Guards, Mahmoud Chaharbaghi.

<p>Could there possibly be an American who doesn't admire the Reverend Billy Graham? Apparently, yes. Have a look at the cover of this week's 'Time.' Of all the ways the editors might have positioned the logo, they managed to do so in a manner in which the 'M' in 'TIME' is transformed into horns protuding from the good reverend's head.</p>

I turned 42 years old yesterday. There are a few ways of looking at this age. A pessimist, of course, would say that I'm already halfway to 84. On the other hand, there is some significance attached to this age. For example: I'm twice as much fun as a 21-year-old; I'm young enough to be naughty and old enough to appreciate it. My age also happens to be the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. It isn't so bad. Except maybe when I try to get into/out of my car, chair, bed, etc. and make...

I've never even tried to originate anything here before so I'll try not to screw it up. Watching TV I can't help but notice this silly "Viva Viagra!" commercial from Phizer Pharmaceuticals where a bunch of old men (like me) are playing in somebody's garage or something and it's all, of course, just a small word change from Elvis' "Viva Las Vegas!" If I remember correctly, this month marks the 30th anniversary of Presley's death which was caused by his abuse of legally-prescribed pharmaceuticals. Does anyone else see the almost absurd irony here? I have never been a fan of...

Bob Dole has decided that John McCain has lost the "buzz", and has signaled he is likely to switch his support to Fred Thompson in September. Take a look at what Dole is quoted as saying in a Bloomberg article: Bob Dole says his preferred presidential candidate, Arizona Senator John McCain, is fading and that his support is likely to be ``picked up'' by Fred Thompson, who is expected to announce his candidacy for the Republican nomination in September. ``My heart has always been with my good friend John McCain,'' said Dole, former Senate majority leader and Republican presidential nominee....

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police have seized more than a tonne of fake drugs for impotence, bird flu and malaria, including at least 18,000 fake Viagra tablets, state media reported Wednesday. The Ministry of Public Security, which launched the national crackdown on counterfeit goods in 2005, announced 10 of its top cases ranging from fake drugs to fake toothpaste Tuesday, the Xinhua news agency said on its Web site. More than 30 people were detained on suspicion of either making or selling the drugs. Police in the eastern province of Zhejiang raided a gang making counterfeit Viagra and selling the...

The male impotence drug Viagra may be useful for treating jet lag, according to Argentinian researchers who gave it to hamsters and made them feel like rodent globe-trotters. Researchers have found that hamsters subjected to simulated jet lag recover better when given the drug, which is normally used to treat erectile disfunction. The researchers first manipulated the schedule of turning lights on and off to induce jet lag in the laboratory animals, they reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Adult male hamsters given Viagra, also called sildenafil, recovered from jet lag up to 50 % faster...

WASHINGTON- Argentine scientists announced that the male impotence drug Viagra may be useful in alleviating jet-lag. Jet lag is caused by flying across multiple time zones and can disturb one’s sleeping pattern which can lead to insomnia, sleepiness and concentration problems. By studying hamsters, researchers Patricia Agostino, Santiago Plano and Diego Golombek of the Universidad Nacional de Quilmes in Buenos Aires administered Viagra to hamsters at night and then switched on bright lights six hours earlier to model an eastbound flight. However, the drug eased the subjects handle jet lag only when they took the samples before the equivalent of...

A Brazilian spider delivers more than a painful bite that sends most victims to the hospital. Its venom stimulates an hours-long erection. Now scientists have figured out the chemical that seems to be responsible for the penis boost. In Brazil, emergency room staff can immediately spot the victims of a bite from the Brazilian wandering spider (Phoneutria nigriventer). Patients not only experience overall pain and an increase in blood pressure, they also sport an uncomfortable erection. "The erection is a side effect that everybody who gets stung by this spider will experience along with the pain and

[Actual excerpt blocked due to weird legal issues, but here's the link.]

Sorry seems to be the hardest word, unless you're presidential contender John Edwards trying to claim a top spot in the 2008 Democratic field. ADVERTISEMENT While politicians campaign on their successes, the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee keeps reminding people he was wrong to vote for the 2002 congressional resolution authorizing the war in Iraq. His reason is twofold. He's indirectly criticizing front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who also voted for the resolution but has refused to say that it was wrong. He's also trying to distinguish himself as a straight talker who belongs at the...

British pharmacy chain Boots will begin a trial program on Valentine's Day to offer men the anti-impotence drug Viagra without a prescription, the company said Sunday. The initial pilot program is expected to last six months, and Boots will then consider whether to expand it to other pharmacies. The chain has about 1,500 stores across Britain. The pilot, which begins Wednesday (Valentine's Day), will be offered in three of the chain's stores in the English city of Manchester, 195 miles (315 kilometers) northwest of London. Would-be customers between ages 30-65 will be required to see a pharmacist, provide a medical...

LONDON (Reuters) - Men will be able to buy impotence treatment Viagra over the counter in Britain for the first time from Valentine's Day, chemist chain Alliance Boots said on Sunday...

AIDS group to sue Pfizer over Viagra ads Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:02 AM ET By Lisa Richwine WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A major U.S. AIDS treatment group plans to file a lawsuit on Monday that accuses drug giant Pfizer Inc. of illegally promoting recreational use of its blockbuster impotence pill Viagra. The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) told Reuters it wants Pfizer to be barred from marketing Viagra as a lifestyle or sexual enhancement drug. The nonprofit organization said Pfizer's actions had led to risky behavior by men and an increase in HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. "Pfizer has created...