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Language guru Ben Zimmer has tracked down what he believes to be the source of the phrase. He writes that the term originated in the 1960s in Philadelphia. Traffic was so bad the day after Thanksgiving that police officers had to work 12-hour shifts. So they gave the day a negative — and memorable — name.

If a fly walked into a bar, he'd chose beer, and scientists think they've figured out why. The secret? A molecule that tastes sweet but isn't sugar. The research could help create more powerful insect repellents.

On this Black Friday, Linda Wertheimer talks to branding expert Martin Lindstrom about the psychology of sales and the array of techniques retailers use to get people to shop.

In 17 years of international play, American Samoa has scored just a dozen goals — compared to the 229 they've allowed. But they scored two this week to beat Tonga 2-1 in a World Cup qualifying match.

Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History dismisses claims that the apocalypse is coming. Some people predict catastrophe in 2012, based on Mayan forecasts. Anthropologists now say there are two, not just one, ancient references to December 2012. But they warn modern forecasters of doom have "twisted the Mayan cosmovision."

The honey on supermarket shelves is probably real honey, after all. But claims that illicit Chinese honey was being sneaked into the U.S. market reveal how quick we are to assume the worst about supermarket foods — and imports. Closer analysis reveals a more complex tale.

Some shoppers said they planned for weeks — and even skipped out on Thanksgiving dinner — to get good deals. But in parts of the country, Black Friday really lived up to its name, with reports of robbery and incidents involving pepper spray.

Egypt's military rulers named a former prime minister under Hosni Mubarak to head the new government. The move is likely to further incite the tens of thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, demanding the resignation of the ruling military council. And for the first time, pro-military protesters gathered in another of Cairo's squares.

Guy Raz speaks with Samer Shehata, professor of Arab politics at Georgetown University, about how anger with Egypt's military rulers has prompted more protests, and how elections planned to begin next week may not be enough to quell the unrest.