Located in the lovely Kings Grant neighborhood, this great stucco home features over 3,000 square feet with a open floor plan. A welcoming foyer greets you as you enter and the formal dining room is to your left. The large family room is located in the center of the home with 10' ceilings, a wall of windows that overlooks a large deck and the partially wooded back yard. The kitchen has all the upgrades today's buyer expects; granite, white cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and a breakfast area with a great a awesome view of a farm enjoying views of ducks, horses and a pond. This ideal floor plan has the master on main with the master bath featuring two sinks, walk in closet, two sinks, separate shower and a jetted tub. On the 2nd level you have two bedrooms and another full bath. Hardwood floors are found through the home as well as being in the finished basement. The 24 x 16 rec room in basement is perfect for family gatherings and a walk out door to more outdoor space. There are 10' ceilings are in rec room. Fourth bedroom and another full bath are steps away as well as a Media/flex room. A two car garage with a workshop. Conveniently located to AnMed,shopping and schools.


Living with eczema can be annoying at best. Itchy, thickened and dry patches of skin caused by eczema not only irritate, but can also embarrass sufferers of this problematic disorder. While numerous doctor visits and prescribed medication are usually effective at treating eczema, those who desire a more natural treatment need look no further than the refrigerator. Though it has not been scientifically proven, apple cider vinegar has been touted as a great way to relieve eczema symptoms.
Taking 1 or 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water once a day has been said to help treat eczema. A little honey can be mixed into the water as well to fix any taste issues. Vinegar has a very strong flavor that few people enjoy when not mixed with something else.
In addition to helping treat eczema, cider vinegar also contains a small amount of potassium, a mineral many eczema sufferers lack.
Use 1/2 of a cup of cider vinegar and 1/3 of a cup of cold-compressed safflower or sunflower oil added to a bath make a great soak to treat dry, itchy skin associated with eczema. This treatment can help restore moisture to the skin and make dead skin cells easier to remove and prevent.
According to WebMD, there are a number of dangers to be aware of before using cider vinegar. First, vinegar is, by definition, very acidic. When consuming vinegar, be sure it is always diluted and try not to let skin come in direct contact with full-strength (usually 5 percent) vinegar for extended periods of time.
Also, vinegar contains chromium, which can interact with insulin levels, so diabetics should be cautious and consult a doctor before implementing frequent use. Those with osteoporosis or a significant potassium deficiency should also consult a medical professional before beginning a regular vinegar treatment regimen.


Randy Hubbard, 54, died Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 in Orange. Funeral services will be at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, at Claybar Funeral Home Chapel in Orange.
Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m., Friday, at the funeral home.


How Far Did Rocky Run?
Hint: more than a marathon. The Philly Post has a funny analysis.
Arnold Schwarzenegger With a Beard?
The movie star and governor is looking more like Louis C.K. these days.
Was 1982 the Best Summer in the History of Movies?
David Morgan says it was the vintage year for summer flicks.
I went to see The Expendables, knowing it wouldn’t be a very good movie. The only thing that would have made it worse is if it had been a better movie. As it is, it’s delightfully bad.
That’s Sylvester Stallone, outside a London theater last night for the U.K. premiere of his movie The Expendables.But wait: what’s that hanging from his cell phone?
Rocky’s Beef: The Greatest Action Figure Prop Ever?


Two charities linked to a radical cleric wanted by the US are no longer on Pakistan's list of banned groups because a presidential order banning them under a UN resolution has lapsed.
The presidential ordinance regarding Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, founded by cleric Hafiz Saeed, lapsed without parliament's approval.
The issue came up in the Islamabad High Court, where Saeed challenged the ordinance banning the two entities. Presidential orders must be extended or passed as an act of parliament.
Saeed founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat are alleged fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba.
The United States has offered a $10 million reward for Saeed's arrest.
Saeed denies involvement in the Mumbai attacks.
Pakistan released Saeed in November after 11 months of house arrest.


25.45 acres of farmland and building site. Buildable per Clackamas County, a replacement permit has been obtained. Home is of no value, but domestic well and power are available. Currently planted in hay, formerly in Christmas trees, suitable for hazelnut orchard or a vineyard. Desirable Hwy 213 frontage. Great potential for a farm stand, tasting room or other ag related business.


MUKHTARA, Lebanon, July 29 -- From his hilltop citadel, Walid Jumblatt was a worried man Saturday. In Lebanon's Byzantine, ever-shifting politics, the leader of the country's Druze community has emerged as one of Hezbollah's harshest critics. But a savvy veteran, he understood the arithmetic of the Middle East these days: In war, survival often means victory. And after 18 days of the conflict with Israel, he was bracing for what Hezbollah's survival would mean for a country seized with volatile uncertainty.
Lebanon's survival, he said, was now in the hands of Hezbollah and its leader, Hasan Nasrallah.
"We have to acknowledge that they have defeated the Israelis. It's not a question of gaining one more village or losing one more village. They have defeated the Israelis," he said. "But the question now is to whom Nasrallah will offer this victory."
In contrast to the first days of the war, with ambitious U.S. and Israeli vows to dismantle the Lebanese group's militia, hardly anyone now expects Hezbollah to fade from a scene in which it has long played an intrinsic part, drawing support from a Shiite Muslim community that feels even more besieged today. And in a country where one community's gain is another's loss, Hezbollah's survival seems sure to fundamentally alter Lebanon, which is already reeling from the shock of a conflict that has killed hundreds of civilians, forced 750,000 to flee their homes and left the country's infrastructure in shambles. For a country whose identity was never settled, its religious diversity more curse than blessing, Lebanon is facing the very contradictions of its history.
Even before a cease-fire has been reached, Lebanese have begun to ask: What kind of a nation will the war leave?
From the southern city of Tyre to the Christian suburbs of Beirut, residents dourly talk about the prospects of civil war in a country still shadowed by 15 years of fratricide that ended in 1990. Divisions between Shiite Muslims and the country's other sects -- Druze, Sunni Muslim and Christian -- have grown deeper than at any time in perhaps a generation. To an unprecedented degree, Lebanese speculate whether the government can remain viable, or even survive.
Nasrallah strenuously tried to address those worries Saturday, in a broadcast on his group's television channel, al-Manar. "I tell the Lebanese that no one among you should be afraid of the victory of the resistance," he said, sounding low-key and assured. "I assert that the victory will be for all of Lebanon, for every Arab, Muslim and honorable Christian, who stood with Lebanon and defended it."
More reflective of the mood were the words of Hassan Taryaki, a Sunni helping care for Shiite refugees in the southern city of Sidon, where 57,000 Shiites have fled their homes.
Taryaki, an earnest 21-year-old, has worked for days with 30 other volunteers at the Saint Joseph University, a hilltop campus in the seaside Sunni city where 440 Shiite Muslim displaced have sought refuge. They slept just a few feet away in the courtyard, in classrooms and on a shady grass bluff overlooking a rocky valley. But a chasm separated his sentiments from theirs.
"The country's all ruined now," he said. "Not just what was reconstructed but everything. It's all ruined."
A student at Lebanese American University, Taryaki was blunt. He said Hezbollah would emerge from the war with its organization intact. It would keep its weapons in one form or another, and Lebanon's other sects would have to respond.
"If Hezbollah wins, it will become the leader of the country, and everyone else will start rebuilding their militias all over again to have their say," he said. "If you have a militia, you can survive. If you don't, you can't. It will be just like the 1980s."
The goal now, he said, was for each community "to protect itself."
U.S. officials have insisted that Lebanon cannot return to a status quo ante, but Taryaki expressed fear about what a new order would bring.
"We're not a strong country," he said grimly.
Sidon is the birthplace of Rafiq Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister who played a pivotal role in rebuilding Beirut's infrastructure and reconstructing its downtown, a symbol of the country's recovery from the 1975-90 civil war. His assassination last year unleashed mass protests in Beirut's Martyrs' Square that helped force the Syrian government to end its 29-year military presence in the country. The demonstrations culminated on March 14. A week earlier, Hezbollah had organized a pro-Syrian demonstration. While huge, it was the smaller of the two. In a way, Lebanon still remains a country of those two protests.
In the year that followed, efforts at reconciliation among Lebanon's factions went nowhere, and Hezbollah effectively blocked any effort to disarm its militia, the last from the civil war to still bear arms.
"We already had a war going on inside this country before this war started," said Tayseer Shaalan, a 28-year-old Shiite Muslim who fled in a 10-car convoy of 100 people 10 days ago from his village of Bidyas, near the southern city of Tyre.
On the bluff along the edge of the campus, he sat with his neighbors. In their words were the sometimes ambiguous sentiments of the Shiite community: confidence in their numbers as the largest single sect in Lebanon, underlined by a sense of siege of a group long mistreated, ignored and marginalized in Lebanese politics, their fate in the hands of feudal lords and reactionary clerics.
They often talk these days about the 1982 Israeli invasion, when thousands of Palestinian fighters were forced to leave on boats from Beirut, ending what was for a time a Palestinian-run state-within-a-state in southern Lebanon.
"They can't put us all on a boat," said Abu Malek Jiha, a 40-year-old driver from Tyre.
Sitting on the ground, sharing cups of bitter coffee, others nodded in agreement. A blast echoed in the distance. "Did you hear that?" Shalaan asked. A friend, Ghaleb Atwi, glanced in the distance toward the explosion, then looked to the future.
"What's the justification to take the weapons away from Hezbollah?" he asked. "To protect Israel? It has the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world, and we have rifles and old rockets defending our children and our land on which our grandfathers lived."
Each offered his own warning of what would happen if Hezbollah were forcibly disarmed.
"If they try to impose it by violence, the war will grow even more intense and wider," Atwi said.
"Violence won't lead to anything," Jiha added. "It will only create more war. Mark my words."
Lanky and world-weary, Jumblatt offered a gloomy view of Lebanon's predicament. "We are stuck between the Israeli hammer and the Syrian and Iranian anvil," he said.
From the start of the conflict, he has insisted that Hezbollah was acting at the behest of its allies, Iran and Syria, each country with its own agenda -- Iran to protect its nuclear program, Syria to reassert itself in the region and avoid an international tribunal investigating its possible involvement in Hariri's death. Jumblatt's charges have angered Hezbollah leaders, who have addressed them specifically. "This victory will be an incentive to strengthen our national unity," Nasrallah said Saturday.
Jumblatt said he saw not unity, but division. He didn't believe Hezbollah would disarm, despite its endorsing a Lebanese plan for a cease-fire that suggested it might do so. He was blunt in saying the government had no power to force it to do so. He dismissed talk by others of another civil war; his militia was blamed for its own share of atrocities in the last conflict. But, he said, "I do fear for the future of Lebanon."
"Either we will have a state able to establish its control over the country or we will have a state comparable to what is happening in Palestine," he said, "a reduced weakened state and a strong militia beside the Lebanese army that decides war and peace at any time and has its schedule decided by the Iranians and the Syrians." He called it "a kind of coup d'etat."
"I don't see a state of Lebanon surviving with a militia next to an army. That's it," he said.
So far, the leaders of Lebanon's factions have struck a united front in the face of Israel's attacks. Unlike in the civil war, no one has openly endorsed Israeli and American aims, though in private, many have hoped the conflict would force Hezbollah's disarmament. But the careful positions are in part to keep credibility and nationalist credentials for jockeying in what follows the war.
Many fear that even if strife doesn't erupt again, a Hezbollah considered victorious would become a kingmaker in politics.
"Hezbollah would be able, for instance, to impose its favorite choice of president of the republic, put a veto on candidates for becoming members of the government, and so on," said Melhem Chaoul, a sociologist and professor at the Lebanese University in Beirut. "We would have a semi-totalitarian state in the form of a consensual democracy."
And not all share Jumblatt's assurance a new civil war won't erupt. "We're all very worried about that," said a Sunni minister, who asked that his name not be used.
There was a contentious two-hour television show last Wednesday on LBC television, a channel aligned with a Christian Lebanese party. On "Talk of the People," youths of various factions squared off over the war.
Ali al-Ghoul, a guest on the show, said that to him, Iran and Israel were the same, that loyalty to Iran was the same as loyalty to Israel.
Another guest, Osama Wehbeh, weighed in. "Who is going to win, Lebanon, Hezbollah or Iran?"
A third, Georges Jreij, then raised his voice. He contended Israel was long planning this war, even before its two soldiers were captured by Hezbollah in a cross-border raid, echoing the charges Nasrallah has made. "Why should we allow Israel to destroy Lebanon without having anything to negotiate with?" he asked. "Has surrendering become the rule and resistance the odd thing to do?"
The show offered a glimpse of how the talk in the streets of Lebanon is often far more angry than the words of the political elite.
"From what I see around me, I think there's a 90 percent chance of a civil war," said Faten Dimasi, a 29-year-old who works at a jewelry store in Sidon. "There are going to be problems between Sunnis and Shiites."
Lebanon's politics are often oversimplistically broken down by its religious sects. They do create the outlines of public opinion, and the leaders themselves sometimes command blind loyalty. But within each grouping, there is still a great deal of diversity that transcends religious loyalties. On the LBC show, the guests' opinions sometimes ran counter to their religious affiliations.
Followers of Christian leader Michel Aoun have been some of the most active in providing aid to displaced Shiite Muslims, coordinating with Hezbollah's own relief efforts. Across the country, nonsectarian grass-roots groups have mobilized to provide help in shows of national unity.
In cities such as Sidon, Sunni clerics have urged a jihad, or holy war, that goes beyond Hezbollah in confronting Israel, and recoil at what they see as the overly close ties of the community's leadership to the United States. "Fighting is the natural state of relations with the Zionist enemy until it is wiped out," declares a banner in a Sunni neighborhood in Sidon. There, one of the most radical of the Sunni groups, often at odds with Hezbollah, has deployed 500 activists to help resettle 8,000 displaced Shiites.
But the infusion of tens of thousands of dislocated people, sometimes crowding the streets, has frayed social ties in neighborhoods that have become less and less diverse since the civil war ended. Streets often form borders. Many grumble over their newly arrived neighbors. Others worry that a streetfight could become something more, or that Hezbollah might seek to base its armaments in their neighborhoods.
"When you have guests staying over one week, it's fine; two weeks, it's fine as well. But if it goes on longer, then there are going to be some problems, I think," said Mira Ghandour, 42, a marketing executive in the Christian quarter of Ashrafiyeh.
Other Lebanese say they don't trust themselves.
"This is the way we are. This is our nature," Dimasi said. "If we don't find someone else to fight, we'll end up fighting ourselves. If we don't have any troubles, then we'll find them."
On the television show "Talk of the People," the troubles raged Wednesday night.
At one point, Luana Saghieh asked what Israel had lost in all this.
"We are the one who were taken 20 years back," she said. "I don't care. I will make peace with the devil for the sake of Lebanon," she added.
Guests lashed out at her. One said she cared only about her " bronzage ," French for suntan that has become colloquial here.
In time, the arguments became so heated that producers had to act.
They shut off microphones of all but the one speaking.
Ghassan Farran, a 49-year-old doctor, stood on top of the rubble that was once his house in the southern city of Tyre.
He lived in a building that was pulverized Wednesday by four Israeli missiles. One apartment was believed to be the rarely used office of Nabil Kaouk, a Hezbollah leader in southern Lebanon. The blasts, in a densely built quarter of the downtown, chiseled a circle of destruction around neighboring residences. Rubble was piled up on still-intact balconies like discarded furniture. Nearby were the photo albums of Farran, who had already moved his wife, two sons and two daughters a block away.
He grabbed the pictures, flipping through them one by one. In all, hundreds of his photos had burned, his most painful loss.
"All the dreams, me and my children," he said. "This is the gift of America."
He didn't deny that Hezbollah kept an office there, but grew angry over the 16 civilians hurt.
"Is this terrorism?" he asked, gesturing at the remnants of his house. "I am a terrorist?" he asked, pointing to himself. "Every place in southern Lebanon has a Hezbollah office. Hezbollah comes from the people, not from Syria or Iran or someplace else. If they want to destroy Hezbollah, they're going to have to destroy all of Lebanon, all of it."
Farran is Shiite, but a leftist, his secular politics far from Hezbollah's amalgam of Shiite narrative, religious revivalism and Arab nationalism. In an interview the next day, he said he felt alone, stranded in this war and what might follow.
"What choice do I have? Fighting Israel or leaving Lebanon. I can't leave Lebanon. I have to stay here, and if I stay, I need someone to protect me," he said, dragging on a cigarette. "Hezbollah is the only military force that can protect me."
But protection, he acknowledged, didn't go both ways. "The Lebanese community is divided. Here are two opposite opinions of Lebanon in the future. Everyone knows that. What I hope is that the Lebanese citizens will not kill each other after the war. That's what I hope."
He paused for a long moment, considering the possibility of that civil war.
"I hope not," he said finally. "But, yes, I worry."


Actress Megan Fox stars alongside Shia LaBeouf in the highly-anticipated mega-sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
While on the final leg of a whirlwind, international press tour to publicize her starring role (opposite Hollywood young turk Shia LaBeouf) in the highly-anticipated, CGI-dominated, blockbuster-to-be, mega-sequel Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Megan Fox has been busy answering questions about drug use.
When the gorgeous, 23-year-old Fox isn’t signing thousands of autographs, answering countless ridiculous media inquiries and smiling for the cameras while strolling down the red carpet, she's had to address questions after her confession to British GQ (Gentleman’s Quarterly) about her regular use of recreational drugs. According to Fox, her quote, taken from a lengthy interview for the publication, was misconstrued, taken out of context and was completely misunderstood.
Fox’s seemingly overnight success, brought on by the worldwide success of Transformers — director Michael Bay’s live-action adaptation of the animated cartoon series about battling factions of skyscraper-sized robots who can mutate into anything mechanical, from hot rod cars to jam boxes — has transformed the young actress into the hottest, latest cover girl for the tabloids. She has also had an imaginary target painted on her back for the predatory-like paparazzi.
Fox will be making what she calls a "cameo" in the 2010 drama Jonah Hex.
She is also going to be looking for laughs in screenwriter Diablo Cody’s (Juno) new comedy Jennifer’s Body, and is rumored to be taking over Angelina Jolie’s role as Lara Croft in the cinematic rebooting of Tomb Raider. It's Internet chatter she coyly denies.
So far, Fox has been able put her success into perspective and realistically deal with the perils of fame, fortune and the intense public interest about her life once the cameras stop rolling.


Embattled but critically praised Shift magazine has been sold to a group of employees.
Normal Net, a New York company that has invested in e-commerce, sold out to the employees after a sale to technology publisher Ziff-Davis fell through.
Shift chronicles the Internet culture. The Toronto-based magazine has been widely praised but has lost millions of dollars.
It dropped $30.6 million last year, according to the Calgary Herald.
Published reports also say it has missed payments to suppliers and freelance writers this summer, and that employees are looking for work elsewhere.
Founder Andrew Heintzman will return as president of Shift Multimedia.
He said the magazine will continue to be distributed in the U.S. and in Canada. He will also proceed with plans for ShiftTV and Shift Online.
Shift TV has already produced 13 shows based on the magazine. The shows have been sold to stations in Canada, Australia and Israel.
The employee buyout does not mean the magazine’s money troubles are over.
“We will be spending the coming months finding financial and strategic partners that can help up maximize [Shift’s] potential,” said Heintzman in a statement.
The eight-year-old publication started life as a literary magazine but switched to covering the culture of the Internet in 1994.
It was launched in the United States last fall, hoping to generate bigger circulation and advertising revenues.
In addition, Shift has a small office located within New York City.
The magazine got good buzz here, but Normal Net owner Richard Szalwinski was apparently unwilling to wait for better times. Szalwinski bought the magazine in 1996. He could not be reached for comment.
Editor-at-Large Clive Thompson told the Calgary Herald that Szalwinski was putting his money into e-commerce plays instead.
Normal Net had apparently planned to include Shift in its e-commerce plans at one point, but abandoned the idea.


Amazon is taking aggressive action to counter seller scams occurring on its marketplace, The Wall Street Journal reports. This includes deleting thousands of suspect reviews, firing employees suspected of supplying merchants with inside information, and restricting employee access to customer data on its website.
Leaving false reviews. This can take a few forms, including inflating one's own products with positive reviews from fake accounts, leaving a lot of negative reviews on competing listings, or even leaving gushingly positive reviews that appear suspect to shoppers on competitors' products. Amazon is working to counter this process by deleting thousands of reviews. Although this can help minimize suspicious reviews, some legitimate ones are also being removed, sellers and a person familiar with the matter told The WSJ.
Purchasing Amazon sales data from corrupt employees. In exchange for bribes, some Amazon employees, particularly in China and India, have been selling data to merchants through intermediaries, giving those sellers a competitive edge. To constrain this practice, Amazon has been limiting employees' ability to look at private company information, such as trending keywords or the performance of specific products. Some employees in India are also no longer able to use USB ports to download these types of data.
Buying wholesaler accounts and misusing privileges. Wholesaler accounts can edit listings for their products that are being sold by other merchants, allowing them to ensure that their items are being correctly represented. However, some sellers buy these accounts on the black market and use this ability to alter competitors' product pages with unrelated pictures in order to hurt their sales. Some Chinese firms are selling these wholesaler accounts for around $15,000 or renting out access for approximately $1,500 per month. Amazon's strategy for dealing with these rogue wholesaler accounts is likely to monitor them for suspicious activity and then terminate them.
If Amazon is unable to quell this malicious activity, it runs the risk of alienating its legitimate sellers, which may start selling more with other platforms.Amazon is very important to its third-party sellers, with 60% saying they make at least 61% of their e-commerce revenue from sales on Amazon.com.
However, if they're constantly getting attacked by fraudulent actors, they may actively look to expand their sales with other e-commerce platforms. Thirty-six percent of vendors already planned to expand to Walmart in 2018, while 27% planned to start selling on eBay, and many more may follow if they feel they'll be safer on those marketplaces.


Campaign against full body security scanners kicks off on the year's busiest travel weekend.
An online campaign against new airport body scans - dubbed "pornoscans" by some critics - is expected to see protesters turn up in security lineups at US airports over the busy Thanksgiving weekend.
The head of the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says authorities are prepared to deal with any delays brought on by protests over full body scans.
At the same time, John Pistole told a US television show on Wednesday that he hopes angry passengers will not engage in a boycott of the full body scan, which he said would cause disruptions in long lines of passengers awaiting clearance for their flights.
Pistole says TSA screeners "just want to get you through"' the safety checkpoints and are doing the jobs expected of them.
Asked about the boycott plan, he said, "There are some unknowns" as passengers arrive at airports. But Pistole also said, "That's one of the variables that we are prepared to deal with."
NBC reporter Kristen Dahlgren, reporting from Chicago O’Hare International Airport, told Al Jazeera that things are moving smoothly at the start of the busy travel weekend, and that the anticapted protests are "a lot of talk".
The security lines were light and moving quickly, said Dahlgren.
"The fear was that … they might slow down the entire system, and then cause a ripple effect through the system, causing people to miss their connections, or miss their flights" said Dahlgren of the planned protests.
"And we don’t have any reports of that here. We also don’t have any reports of it from any other airports from across the country."
Some travellers plan to show up wearing kilts, while others have been protesting in other ways in recent days. For example, one Seattle blogger performed a striptease at the airport there, saying that she chose to "enjoy" the experience rather than being "scared and humiliated".
TSA workers have been called molesters and threatened with physical violence in recent weeks, but they say they want Thanksgiving travellers to know they are just doing their jobs - and trying to save lives.
Most passengers are docile at the nation's airports, though TSA agents say they have dealt with more resistance in recent weeks. One woman headbutted an officer who was searching her laptop. Other screeners report being punched, kicked and shoved during pat-downs.
Some travellers have expressed concern about being exposed to unsafe levels of radiation in the scans, although the TSA says the scanners emit a fraction of the radiation emitted by medical x-ray machines.
Civil liberties activists and security experts alike have criticised the full-body scans for being invasive and ineffective.
An Arkansas man has filed a federal lawsuit against the TSA, claiming that the agency's new screening rules are detrimental to his "emotional, psychological and mental well-being."
Robert Dean's lawsuit, filed on November 22 in federal court in Little Rock, asks a federal judge to issue an injunction stopping the TSA from conducting full-body pat-down searches and using the full-body imaging scanners.
The lawsuit claims that the new practises violate Dean's civil rights and his Fourth Amendment right protecting against unlawful searches and seizures.


If you are running Windows 2000 Server, there is a fix for a fix. Microsoft prepped a fix for a remote execution flaw, only to pull the patch because it wasn't entirely effective.
Now the patch has been done right, and was released earlier this week.
If you installed the first fix, you need not uninstall before putting on the new patch.


2011's "Batman: Arkham City" went on to become Game of the Year.
Good news Batfans, there's a sequel game to "Batman: Arkham City" on its way. The better news? It's out later this year.
Timer Warner confirmed yesterday that a sequel will be released to 2011's Game of the Year sometime in 2013.
"Arkham City" sold 2 million units in its first week and shipped six million units as of February 2012 compared to the original 2009 game, "Arkham Asylum" which sold 4.3 million copies overall.
Though there's no word on the title of the next game, Fusible found 15 domain registrations from Warner Bros.
Key words included in the domains reveal "Arkham Legend," "Arkham Universe," and our favorite, "Arkham Rises."
Variety has reported the game will see the return of the Joker in a prequel revealing the villain's first encounter with the Bat.
Last year, the final installment of Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy earned $1.5 billion from theaters worldwide.
It's a smart move for Warner Bros. to continue capitalizing on the popular DC character with no new Batman film in sight for the studio.
More: Video Games Batman Warner Bros.


Despite persitent harassment and even imprisonment, Poland and Czechoslovakia are upholding their tradition as the East Bloc countries with the most active dissidents.
In Czechoslovakia, the human-rights movement has beefed itself up after its principal activists were jailed last fall. It has enlarged its committee in Prague and added members from four provincial centers.
Three of its spokesmen behind bars -- dramatist Vaclav Havel, journalist Jiri Dienstbier, and scientist Vaclav Benda -- managed to get an appeal smuggled from their Moravian jail to the Paris meeting April 28 and 29 of European communist parties. But the meeting was attended only by pro-Soviet parties, and their message fell on deal ears.
The three were among six activists jailed last fall.
And in Poland, five prominent writers have made a public protest over the March arrest of Miroslaw Chojecki that, in effect, challenges both the state's censorship and the regime's exclusive control of the publishing and printing industry.
Their protest won't result in reversal of the arrest. But their ability to make such a point without official reprisal reflects a degree of tolerance not shown in Prague. There the regime recently rid itself of several troublesome writers by allowing them to "visit" the West and then blocking their return by annulling their citizenship.
At the time of his arrest, Mr. Chojecki was running an unlicensed publishing collective that had put out several books viewed unfavorably by the authorities. He is charged with involvement in the theft of "government property" -- a duplicating machine removed from a state print shop that was apparently used in producing unauthorized material.
The Polish police apparently have had some success in disrupting the "flying university," the school through which academics denied teaching positions hold unofficial classes in private homes for students denied access to state universities. But they have been less successful in quashing publishing efforts like Mr. Chojecki's.
Czechoslovak authorities have similarly been trying to squelch quasi-underground "university" classes held by academics dismissed after the collapse of the Dubcek regime in 1968.


Veteran Mark Sahady of Boston speaks while counter-protesters (reflected in his glasses) try to drown him out at a free speech rally in support of 2nd amendment rights at the State House on Saturday, June 2, 2018.
Miguel Gomez of Westfield, with wife Audrey Harrison, left, waves a flag at a free speech rally in support of 2nd amendment rights at the State House on Saturday, June 2, 2018.
It was a showdown at high noon outside the State House yesterday as gun rights advocates faced off with counterprotesters.
Army combat veteran Mark Sahady, 42, of Boston said he and other members of the Resist Marxism group want to make sure gun control bills before the Legislature are not arbitrary.
“We know that there was March for Our Lives, so we just want to show that there’s people in Massachusetts that are interested in defending the Second Amendment and we want people to know that we’re here,” Sahady said.
Resist Marxism member Michael Moura, 24, of Stoughton said there should be no restrictions to the right to carry a gun and was critical of the “red flag” bill, which would allow people to petition the court to bar someone from owning a gun if deemed extremely dangerous. A version of that bill is now headed to the Senate after being approved in the House.
“We think that it’s critical that we have to defend the Second Amendment, especially after what just happened in the House of Representatives,” Moura said.
“They are trying to bring in people who are not as hard-line as they are and build a movement, so every time they show up it is our duty to show up against white supremacy and tell them to get out of our city,” Rucker said.
State troopers and Boston police stood between both groups during the rally and protest. Boston police spokesman James Kenneally said there were three arrests for disorderly conduct.


HOUSTON - Four masked gunmen are on the run after shooting at a security guard at a west Houston hotel Wednesday.
Police said a security guard tried to stop the group of men as they stormed into the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in the 10600 block of Katy Freeway. According to police, one of the men shot at the guard, punched him and then forced him to the ground.
The security guard was not injured.
The men took the ATM and fled the hotel in a pickup truck, police said.
Police said this is the second time in a month an ATM has been stolen from the hotel.


Audience members in the sold-out Carrier Theater gave a strong affirmative vote in the form of a standing ovation for the Jan. 21 world premier of "Pushed Aside: Reclaiming Gage." Told in a series of vignettes, the two-act opera sheds light on the pivotal role Central New Yorker Matilda Joslyn Gage played in winning suffrage for American women. The opera has been commissioned and produced by Society for New Music, and it is a triumph for the 46-year-old institution.
With a stellar local cast weaving together a tapestry of historical characters, mezzo-soprano Danan Tsan is the cord that holds the entire fabric together. Her clear, expressive voice, nuanced gestures and graceful stage presence make it easy to suspend disbelief and become caught up with her in the dramatic events and civil rights struggles of the 19th century.
Having been one of the original suffragist triumvirate, with Susan B. Anthony (Juliane Price) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton (Laura Enslin), to spearhead the women's movement, Gage was later shunned, and her contributions have been largely overlooked. Her fault, as it was perceived by her suffragist sisters, was not in lack of energy or courage, but rather it was in her determination to extend liberty to all people, including the African-Americans and Native-Americans that she saw as equals. She was too radical even for the radicals, who feared such wide inclusion would detract from the vision of the movement.
Librettist Gabrielle Vehar, whose research brought her to the Matilda Gage House in Fayetteville for a lengthy initial visit and had her reading more than 40 books on the struggle for women's rights and other social issues of the period, presents Gage's story in a framed setting.
The opera opens and closes at the grave of Matilda Joslyn Gage. The overture plays as, in 1901, her daughter, Maude (soprano Julia Ebner), and son-in-law, author L. Frank Baum (Steven Stull), discuss Matilda's opposition to their marriage. The plot unwinds in a series of flashbacks from 1852 through 1890, when Gage, convinced that the human rights of all people are interconnected, is rebuffed.
Gregory Sheppard's sonorous bass is heard in Act I on a fictional character, John, a runaway slave who is moving North through the Underground Rail Road, and, in Act II, on Frederick Douglass as he and Juliane Price sing a duet about similarities between the women's movement and the struggles of African Americans. Gage's advocacy for Native Americans is revealed through her admiration for her doctors, Isaiah (Jonathan Howell) and Electa Thomas (Jennifer Stevens), who are healers from the Mohawk and Onondaga Nations.
Hamilton College faculty member Heather Buchman conducts a chamber orchestra on the score by Persis Parshall Vehar that references American music of the period as well as Native American rhythms and melodies. The music conveys a sense of each individual's character, with the motif for the title character revealing her endless energy and intelligence.
This production uses one basic set with the illusion of expanded space created with projected images and graphics. Sign-carrying women, woodland scenes, and vintage portraits help the audience grasp activities that take place beyond the Gage parlor. Authentic costuming helps delineate character for the leads and the lively 10-member chorus, comprised of 10 stellar vocalists.
Stage director Victoria King bolsters the dramatic impact of the opera by calling upon actors to not only produce outstanding vocal performances, but also to move naturally among one another, acknowledging each other's presence and influence. The result is a production that seamlessly presents a window onto a previously forgotten chapter in the story of the American Suffragist movement.
With a minimum of revision and tightening, particularly in the framing vignettes at the gravesite, "Pushed Aside: Reclaiming Gage" is ready to move beyond its Central New York roots. It is a landmark achievement for the Society for New Music, a successful historical opera that can be produced across the nation as America celebrates the 2020 Centennial of the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Title: "Pushed Aside: Reclaiming Gage"


Riverdale went retro this week with a throwback night at Pop’s diner… but I’m a lot more worried about the town’s future, actually.
Pop’s is now a ghost town, thanks to Fred’s shooting; vandals have even spray-painted “DEATH DINER” on the walls. (Hey, Fred didn’t die! Fact-check your graffiti, people!) And Archie’s still on edge, chugging energy drinks and pressing Sheriff Keller about finding the masked gunman. He goes further off the rails when he learns of Miss Grundy’s death, and is convinced her killer is the same guy who popped Fred at Pop’s. He even asks Reggie to hook him up with some of that sweet “jingle-jangle” so he can stay vigilant.
The coroner declares Miss Grundy’s death a “crime of passion,” but Archie freaks out when he learns the murder weapon was the cello bow he gave her. To him, it’s a clear sign the killer is targeting him, and urges Sheriff Keller to look into Miss Grundy’s ex-husband. Even though Keller says the guy has an alibi, Archie won’t let his guard down. When he spots a masked figure lurking outside his house, he tackles the guy… but it’s just Reggie, pulling a prank. Reggie warns him he’ll need more than a baseball bat if he really wants to take down the gunman, though.
Betty and Jughead spruce up Pop’s for a ’50s-themed Retro Night, with guys in soda-jerk attire and girls delivering milkshakes on roller skates. But Archie can’t shake visions of Fred bleeding on the floor. So he meets Dilton in secret, with the school nerd handing him a backpack with a handgun in it. And Archie might have the right idea after all: Moose and Midge — two more of Reggie’s jingle-jangle customers — are enjoying a make-out session by Sweetwater River when the masked gunman approaches their car… and shoots them both dead.
* Thoughts on Josie and the Pussycats’ cover of Kelis’ “Milkshake”? I found it to be a sugary-sweet slice of pop perfection, myself.
* Kind of weird that Veronica hasn’t introduced Archie to her dad yet… even when they’re both sitting in the same diner together?
* Cool to see comics mainstay Midge make her Riverdale debut. Bummer that she died in her very first episode.
* Veronica’s kindly old doorman Smithers got replaced by a newer (hotter) model named Andre. Have to think he’ll figure into the drama somehow — maybe as a spy for Hiram?
Got thoughts on this week’s Riverdale? Grab a booth in the comments below.


Betty Brock, 66, of Memphis died Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Hughs Funeral Home, Memphis.
Joshua Irvin Buchanan, 31, of Amarillo died Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Billie Gean Elton, 81, of Amarillo died Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Cox Funeral Home, 4180 Canyon Drive.
Clefton L. Lynch, 100, of Guymon, Okla., died Wednesday, March 28, 2012. Henson-Novak Funeral Directors, Guymon.
Brenda Bailey, 66, of Amarillo died Tuesday, March 27, 2012. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Friday in South Georgia Baptist Church. Rector Funeral Home, Osage Chapel, 2800 S. Osage St.
Raymond Lewis Bates, 56, of Amarillo died Monday, March 19, 2012. Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in St. John Baptist Church. Burial will be in Llano East Cemetery. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Bylie Jean Dewey, 53, of Amarillo died Friday, March 23, 2012. Memorial services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in Grace Calvary Church. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Ruby E. Jones, 89, of Manhattan, Mont., died Monday, March 26, 2012. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Saturday in Church of Christ in Wheeler. Peppers Family Funeral Home, Wheeler.
Wanda Nell Corder, 86, of Amarillo. Services will be at 10 a.m. in Boxwell Brothers Ivy Chapel. Burial will follow at 4 p.m. in Mount Hope Cemetery in Anson. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Martha Eileen Coker Crumley, 85, of Amarillo. Services will be at 2 p.m. in LaGrone-Blackburn-Shaw Martin Road Chapel. Burial will be in Llano Cemetery. LaGrone-Blackburn-Shaw Funeral Directors, Martin Road Chapel, 1505 Martin Road.
will follow in Northlawn Memorial Gardens. Morrison Funeral Directors, Dumas.
Cemetery. Ramage Funeral Directors, Olton.
Cemetery in Guymon. Wayne Boze Funeral Home, Waxahachie, and Bunch-Roberts Funeral Home, Guymon.
be in Memory Gardens Cemetery. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Joan B. Miller, 78, of Amarillo. Services will be at 3 p.m. in Family Life Fellowship. Burial will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorial Park Funeral Home, 6969 E. Interstate 40.
Gary Wayne Newton, 50, of Dumas. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. in Morrison Memorial Chapel in Dumas. Burial will follow in Dumas Cemetery. Morrison Funeral Directors, Dumas.
services will be at 2 p.m. in Chaparral Hills Baptist Church. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Velda Mardene Broyles Lowell Royal, 79, of Shattuck, Okla.
Shattuck. Burial will follow in Fairmont Cemetery in Follett, Texas. Mason Funeral Home of Shattuck.
2 p.m. in Boxwell Brothers Ivy Chapel. Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors, 2800 Paramount Blvd.
Eli Samuel Stark, 39, of Pampa. Services will be at 2 p.m. in Briarwood Church. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery.
Charles "Bryan" Tracy, 45, of Borger. Services will be at 2 p.m. in Grace Fellowship Church. Burial will follow in Westlawn Memorial Park. Minton-Chatwell Funeral Directors, Borger.
7 p.m. in Rix Funeral Chapel. Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday in Good News Church. Burial will be in West Park Cemetery. Rix Funeral Directors, Hereford.


Viacom and Time Warner are showing a growing interest in result oriented ads, instead of the ads based on viewership ratings commonly used by Nielsen, reported Variety.
Viacom and Time Warner approached advertisers, proposing to promote ads that would focus on consumers' reactions and interactions. The new efforts by the two companies will generate different data sets that will offer a greater focus on cost efficiency and ad placement.
As marketers cut down on paying advertisement upfront, media outlets tend to propose attractive and customized deals to retain ad cash.
Variety estimates that advertisers paid $8.17 billion and $8.94 billion for prime time spots in 2014-2015, down from $8.6 billion and $9.2 billion in 2013. The focus for advertises is "how do you find the car buyer, rather than men between 18 and 49," said the executive vice president and chief investment officer at the agency Horizon Media, Marianne Gambelli, to Variety.
Click here to read the full story from Variety.


For a while now, Israeli startups and researchers have been among the forerunners in the development of lab-grown meat and meat alternatives. Companies such as Future Meat Technologies, SuperMeat, and Aleph Farms combine cutting-edge technology with innovative new concepts aspiring to transform the future of meat production. Venture capitalists and angel investors within as well as outside of Israel have quickly recognized the economic potential of engineered meat and plant-based substitutes. Last year, Future Meat Technologies and SuperMeat respectively, raised $2.2 million and $3 million in seed funding. In 2017, both companies already struck a $300 million deal with China, over lab-grown meat imports from Israel.
Recently, two Israeli teams were among the 14 winners of a research grant that was awarded by the Good Food Institute (GIF). Each team received $250.000 in funding to support their efforts in plant-based and cell-based meat research.
However, it is not just businesses and research that are trying to make a change; Israel as a whole is slowly beginning to cut loose from meat consumption. Tel Aviv is often cited as one of the World’s Vegan Capitals, with a plethora of vegan and vegetarian restaurants serving every possible meat alternative imaginable. In 2015, 8 percent of all Israelis identified as vegans, 5 percent as vegetarians and 13 percent were considering to go either vegan or vegetarian. Nonetheless, despite the clear upward trend of people opting for a meatless diet compared to the years before, for most, meat is still on the menu.
According to OECD data, annual total meat consumption (without poultry) in Israel stands at 19.3 kg per person, ranking the country at number six in the world (Argentina is the country with the highest amount of meat consumed per person, followed by Paraguay, Brazil, the United States, and Australia). Although, if you add poultry, Israel’s meat consumption adds up to an annual 58.6 kg per capita, which puts the country in the first place.
Since the early 2000s, and especially after the release of the UN’s milestone report “Livestock’s Long Shadow” in 2006, the role of the meat industry in many environmental problems have been well established. Raising livestock emits highly potent greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide, all of which are accelerating global warming. Also, rearing animals for meat production pollutes soil and water sources and produces bacteria resistance due to the excessive use of antibiotics. Moreover, the meat industry contributes significantly to land-use change and deforestation, the practice often used for turning natural forested areas into agricultural land for growing animal feed.
The combination of these factors causes severe damage to biodiversity and the extinction of species, not to mention that clearing forests for livestock reduces the number of trees that could absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and leads to the release of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane) from carbon reservoirs in soil and vegetation.
The world’s increasing demand for meat has led to the development of a variety of industrial production, supply, and transportation methods that require, among other things, the use of enormous amounts of energy. While these changes allow the system to satisfy the growing demand for meat, they have made the meat industry one of the primary human-induced drivers of climate change.
Additionally, the suffering of the animals themselves as part of the meat industry, which sometimes includes severe abuse, international transport in adverse conditions, the separation of young calves from their mothers, and more – has raised concerns and public outcries around the world.
Now, two Israeli teams are among the winners of a global competition for a $3 million research grant organized by the Good Food Institute (GFI), a non-profit organization that promotes ideas and research on clean meat (also known as cultured meat or cell-based meat) and alternatives to animal protein based on plant sources. The objective is to develop meat substitutes that provide high-quality proteins better for human health, animal welfare, and the environment.
The two winning teams were made up of researchers from various scientific fields. One of the teams was headed by Dr. Ofir Benjamin of the Food Science Department at the Tel-Hai College, in collaboration with Dr. Lior Rabinowitz of the Northern Research and Development Center, and examines the use of quinoa proteins as an optional plant-based substitute for beef. Quinoa is a grain that has its origins in Bolivia and is often referred to as a superfood. It contains essential amino acids (EAA), is rich in fiber and has excellent nutritional values; plus, it is gluten-free.
Due to its resistance to various abiotic pressures (such as water, radiation, temperature, humidity, and soil) quinoa may be grown and thrive in very harsh environmental conditions. “The average yield in the world is between 2.5-3.5 tons per hectare (1 hectare equals ten dunams), and in the past three years, we have conducted experiments aimed at the cultivation of quinoa in the Avnei Eitan farm on the Golan Heights in Israel. We believe that Quinoa may be considered a new sustainable crop of high commercial value in the country.” Dr. Benjamin says.
“As a follow-up experiment, we propose to evaluate quinoa as a raw material for plant-based substitutes to meat due to its natural protein content and rich nutritional value. In the study, we will use varieties with high yields and high protein content and process the seeds through different extraction methods to produce a larger amount of proteins. Regular quinoa seeds have a protein content of roughly 4-15%, and after extracting, the amount goes up to 60-70%. Ultimately, we will want to create the texture, taste, and color that simulate the sensation created when eating meat. It’s an innovative research, and there are only very few other studies dealing with the properties of quinoa as a replacement for meat. Beyond that, finding sustainable substitutes for meat is a crucial undertaking to ensure humanity’s continued existence, reduce our negative impact on the environment and give people the freedom of choice on the matter,” Benjamin concludes.
The second team of researchers who received a grant operates under the leadership of Prof. Marcelle Machluf, with Prof. Ayelet Fishman and Dr. Maya Davidovich-Pinhas of the Technion’s Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering. The team is investigating the production of cultured meat – tissues made up of animal cells.
“The problem with the development of cultured meat is that living cells require a lot of energy to survive, it takes them time to develop, and their life span is set,” says Machluf. “Cells of this type in the lab cost a lot of money and take a lot of time to grow. We are trying to make the process more efficient,” she adds.
The meat market is estimated to cost the global economy a staggering $1.6 trillion by 2050, partly due to the health implications of meat consumption, which makes revolutionizing the food-sector increasingly urgent.
However, given that processed meat had a market value of $714 billion in 2016, and is expected to rise to over $1.5 trillion by 2022, the alternative industry still has a long way ahead to get anywhere near those numbers. However, according to recent projections the global protein substitute market might already be worth $46 billion, and climbing. By next year, the market is estimated to generate over 6.8 billion in revenue.


SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—We hadn’t heard much since August from BIG, the Broadcast Industry Group. Its formation then by several equipment manufacturers set off a flurry of speculation from other companies about what the new entity would be, exactly, and how its members would cooperate.
Now comes word from three member companies that Jeff Clarine of Jampro will fill the role of its U.S. TV sales engineer. “It will be a synergistic endeavor as we represent these fine companies,” Clarine was quoted in the statement.
The three are founding members of BIG, which also include DaySequerra, BW Broadcast and StreamGuys. The six formed the mutually owned entity with a purpose to “promote the consolidation of key manufacturers and service providers in the broadcast industry.” Its first goal, it said, was to consolidate sales, marketing and promotions, with BIG planning a united presence at trade shows, SBE activities and other events.
Clarine is based in Minnesota and has also worked for Phillips, LARCAN and Rohde & Schwarz. He is a former television engineer at KEYC-TV in Mankato.
The board hopes to have a new executive in place by early next year.
From a Disney sensor that warns when kids are sitting too close to a TV set to a live UHDTV broadcast, to cloud TV, the 2014 International CES offered a larger-than-ever array of “television” viewing options.
The European Broadcast Union and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe met in Vienna to plan joint activities on media independence.


One of the major threats to free speech today is not censorship. It’s harassment.
Here’s how it works. People join or give money to groups that support causes they believe in. Those groups attract the ire of government officials when they criticize them or take a position they oppose. Unable to ban the group from speaking, an angry bureaucrat does the next best thing: launch an investigation into how the group operates and who supports it.
The best part for the government? It doesn’t matter how the investigation turns out or if no charges are ever pressed. The investigation ties up the group’s resources and scares away supporters. The process is the punishment for speaking.
This scenario has played out countless times at both the federal and state level. For years, the IRS slow-walked applications for nonprofit status from conservative groups, and subjected them to much greater scrutiny than others. In Wisconsin, members of groups that supported collective bargaining reforms were subjected to an illegal investigation that included pre-dawn raids of their homes.
Thanks to victims who were willing to speak out, these abuses became national news. But no one knows how many other instances of government intimidation have gone unnoticed. The solution is not to deal with these scandals one by one, but to roll back the sprawling “disclosure” laws that allow government to spy on our political associations — and punish us if they don’t like what they see.
Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch, appears to take seriously the threat to First Amendment freedoms posed by government intimidation. His ruling in a 2007 case should encourage defenders of donor privacy.
Van Deelen argued that these intimidation tactics infringed on his First Amendment right to petition government. Judge Gorsuch’s discussion of the case demonstrates a deep understanding that First Amendment rights are harmed when citizens can be bullied out of exercising them. “When public officials feel free to wield the powers of their office as weapons against those who question their decisions, they do damage not merely to the citizen in their sights but also to the First Amendment liberties and the promise of equal treatment essential to the continuity of our democratic enterprise,” Gorsuch explained.
“[A] reasonable government official should have clearly understood at the time of the events at issue that physical and verbal intimidation intended to deter a citizen from pursuing a private tax complaint violates that citizen’s First Amendment right to petition for the redress of grievances,” Gorsuch ruled.
“[T]he constitutionally enumerated right of a private citizen to petition the government for the redress of grievances does not pick and choose its causes but extends to matters great and small, public and private,” Gorsuch wrote. The case was remanded for further proceedings.
Although rulings from the Civil Rights Era strongly protect the privacy of individuals and groups engaged in advocacy, in recent years, the Supreme Court has neglected to clearly reiterate this stance. And as direct limits on political speech have been curtailed through cases like Citizens United and McCutcheon, would-be censors increasingly turn to “disclosure” as the best avenue to discourage speech. That’s led many states to implement disclosure requirements for advocacy groups and issue speech that extend far beyond any regulatory scheme ever endorsed by the Court.
This byzantine disclosure regime provides all the information a corrupt bureaucrat or off-the-wall activist needs to track down and harass citizens on the “wrong” side of an issue. Moreover, the public reaps no benefit from this disclosure. We’re not talking about money given to candidates, political parties, or PACs. We’re talking about donors to citizen groups that, in many cases, work exclusively on policy — not elections.
The Court got it right then, and it needs to say so again now. States that abuse disclosure so government can monitor its citizens, rather than so citizens can monitor government, need to be set straight. There is a good chance that Neil Gorsuch understands that.
Roseanne, Fine — But What About Her Kaepernick Rights?


Calling all chili chefs! Only six spaces left!
The Park Rapids Enterprise was honored with awards Jan. 25 at the Minnesota Newspaper Association's Better Newspaper Contest.
Robin Fish, Jr., lately of Versailles, Mo., joined the Park Rapids Enterprise staff this week as a staff reporter. Until last week, he was the editor of the weekly Morgan County Press of Stover, Mo., since August 2014.


JOHANNESBURG, Jan 22 (Reuters) - South Africa’s retail pharmacy group Clicks reported a 7.8 percent increase in 20-week sales on Tuesday as health and beauty products appealed to thrifty consumers in a deteriorating consumer spending environment.
South African shoppers are feeling the impact of higher value-added tax, unemployment and fuel prices but promotional offers, competitive pricing and trading during the Christmas period buoyed sales.
Group comparable store sales rose 4.5 percent in the 20-weeks to Jan. 13, the retailer said in a trading update.
Group Chief Executive Vikesh Ramsunder said promotions and affordable pricing buoyed sales momentum and sustained volume growth despite pressures on consumer disposable income.


The Hairy Bikers walk you through the simple steps to a gourmet lamb Sunday roast with all the trimmings.
For the lamb jus, first make some lamb stock. Put the lamb bones into a large saucepan with a little oil and fry over a medium to high heat for 8-10 minutes, until lightly browned all over. Add the onion, celery, carrot, thyme and bay leaf to the pan.
Pour over the water and bring the mixture to the boil. Reduce the heat until the stock is simmering, then continue to simmer for 45 minutes, skimming the foam from the surface of the liquid at regular intervals.
Remove the stock from the heat and strain through a fine sieve into a clean jug or bowl; set aside to cool. Once cooled, spoon off any fat that has risen to the surface of the liquid.
While the stock is simmering, make the stuffing. Heat two tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a low to medium heat. Add the bread cubes, in batches if necessary, and fry for 3-4 minutes, or until golden-brown. Transfer the fried bread cubes to a large mixing bowl.
Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and add the leek, onion and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring regularly, until softened but not browned. Transfer the vegetables to the bowl containing the bread.
Stir the capers, lemon zest, mint and parsley into the bread and vegetables until well combined, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside to cool.
For the mint sauce, mix the chopped mint leaves and sugar in a small bowl, then crush using the back of a spoon for 1-2 minutes to extract the flavour from the mint. Stir in the white wine vinegar and a dash of olive oil until well combined. Set aside.
For the lamb, place the lamb onto a chopping bard, skin-side down. Cover the lamb with a large sheet of cling film, then flatten the meat into a large, neat rectangle shape, about 3cm/1½in in thickness, using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Season all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
For the boulangère potatoes, heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and thyme sprigs and fry, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until the onion has softened and browned slightly. Add the garlic and continue to fry for 2-3 minutes, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Grease a 20cm x 30cm/8in x 12in roasting tin or ovenproof dish with a little oil.
Arrange a layer of potato slices to cover the base of the dish. Sprinkle over one-third of the fried onions. Continue layering the potato slices and onion mixture, ending with a layer of potatoes.
Pour over the stock until it just reaches the top layer of potatoes. Season again with freshly ground black pepper and garnish with a few sprigs of thyme.
To cook the lamb and potatoes, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Rub the trussed lamb joint all over with the oil and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast the lamb in the centre of the oven, and the potatoes at the bottom of the oven. For the lamb, allow 20 minutes of cooking time per 500g/1lb 2oz of weight. (The full cooking time should be approximately 1hour 20minutes).
When the lamb has cooked to your liking, remove from the oven and set aside on a chopping board. Cover with a piece of aluminium foil and a couple of clean tea towels to keep warm, then set aside to rest. Reserve the roasting tray.
Meanwhile, continue cooking the potatoes at the top of the oven for a further 10-15 minutes, or until browned on top.
To make the lamb jus, spoon as much fat as possible from the top of the juices left in the roasting tray, then place the tray over a medium heat and whisk the flour into the juices. Cook for 10-15 seconds.
Gradually add 300ml/10½fl oz of the reserved lamb stock to the flour mixture, whisking after each addition until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
Stir in the redcurrant jelly and the mint sprig and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then season, to taste. Stir in any juices released from the resting meat, then strain the jus into a warmed jug.
To serve, trim the ends off the roast lamb parcel, then remove the string. Carve the stuffed lamb shoulder into thick slices. Spoon a portion of boulangère potatoes into the centre of each of six warmed plates. Place a few slices of stuffed lamb alongside each and drizzle over the lamb jus and a little mint sauce. Garnish with a few small whole mint leaves.
When trussing the stuffed lamb, first tie each end of the lamb; then tie it in the middle; finally, truss the spaces in between. This prevents the stuffing from bulging out. Before roasting, tie another piece of string around the lamb from one end to the other to hold the whole parcel together. Trim off any excess string.


WHISKY entrepreneur Billy Walker yesterday hinted at further acquisitions for the BenRiach distillery business he heads after it announced record results and revealed plans to invest more than £25 million.
BenRiach, which also owns the GlenDronach and Glenglassaugh single malt whisky brands, said pre-tax profits rose by 24 per cent to £11.1 million last year on the back on a 17.6 per cent rise in turnover to £41.5m.
Growth in sales across markets such as Taiwan, Germany, Africa and the US helped drive the strong performance of the Newbridge business.
The expansion of the BenRiach business since Walker and his two South African business partners purchased it a decade ago has been accelerated through acquisitions of the GlenDronach distillery in 2008 and the Glenglassaugh distillery in 2013, and Walker yesterday said that further deals were possible.
“We’re open-minded and if something came up adding value and balance to the business, we would certainly consider it,” he said.
Walker, the firm’s managing director, said it plans to invest about £25m over the next two years to take advantage of the significant opportunities it sees for further growth.
“We continue to make significant strides in brand development where we are concentrating our efforts on the top end of market.
Walker said the investment plans were being supported by the Royal Bank of Scotland, and he described the bank’s support in recent years as “magnificent”.
Export markets will be a key focus for the company’s growth plans.
Sales director Alistair Walker said the last 12 months had seen unprecedented demand for high-end brands such as those produced by BenRiach.
Although there was growth across the company’s brands in 2014, Walker said the Glenglassaugh range in particular had significantly outperformed against the company’s forecasts.
Billy Walker, a master blender, and his two South African partners Geoff Bell and Wayne Kieswetter, purchased BenRiach in 2004.
When the company posted its first full year’s figures in 2005, turnover was £4.62m, pre-tax profit was £241,716 and the company employed just 12 people. The firm currently employs 120 people across its four sites.
The record profits cap a highly successful year for the Newbridge-headquartered group, which was recently highlighted by the London Stock Exchange among a range of companies to inspire Britain.


A JC Charyk teacher is back in the classroom after taking a break to pursue a career in the energy industry.
Agriculture for Life (Ag for Life) is looking to cultivate for the future with the formation of an Agriculture Youth Council.
An artist will be sharing her series of poems documenting her experiences as a world weary traveller at the Banff Public Library.
A local business owner is looking for community members to celebrate recent achievements in their life.
The 4-H Prairie Riders are inviting for new members to saddle up and take the reins for a new season.


The fire happened at the home of Griffis' father on Ridgecrest Drive, according to deputies. The York County Fire Marshal's Office investigated and found the fire to have been "intentionally set," police said.
Detectives with the sheriff's office determined that Griffis went to the home without permission and set the fire, police said. Griffis was taken into custody Saturday by Rock Hill Police Department officers then charged by York County deputies, police reports show.


New Delhi: The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), which conducts Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Class 10 and Indian School Certificate (ISC) Class 12 annual exams, will declare the results in May, officials said.
The results will be declared online and can be accessed from the official CISCE website cisce.org.
Click on the live link 'ISC' on the website. When a new window opens, the candidates have to go to "Reports" and then on "Results" tab to check their scores. The candidates should take a print out of the scorecard for future reference.
Last year the results for ICSE and ISC exams were declared on May 18. Over 1.5 lakh students had appeared for both the exams in 2015.
Total number of boys who passed Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Class 10 in 2015 was 86,551, while their number was 36,830 in Indian School Certificate (ISC) Class 12.
The pass percentage for ICSE 2015 was 98.49 and for ISC 2015 it was 96.28 percent.
The council offered 61 subjects in class 12 last year. For class 10 the number of subjects offered was 52.
According to the National Achievement Survey, conducted by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), CISCE outperformed other boards.
In the year, 2014 some of the teachers from the Council's affiliated school also bagged the National Award for teachers.
The Council has been so constituted as to secure suitable representation of: Government of India, State Governments/Union Territories in which there are Schools affiliated to the Council, the Inter-State Board for Anglo-Indian Education, the Association of Indian Universities, the Association of Heads of Anglo-Indian Schools, the Indian Public Schools' Conference, the Association of Schools for the ISC Examination and members co-opted by the Executive Committee of the Council.


Dastjerdi, M., Foster, B., Nasrullah, S. et al. (2010). Differential electrophysiological response during rest, self-referential, and nonâ€“self-referential tasks in human posteromedial cortex. PNAS Early Edition.


What Haunts Us: This Emmy-nominated documentarywhich examines why many boys who graduated from the Porter-Gaud School in Charleston, South Carolina, committed suicide after becoming adultswill haunt you. Filmmaker Paige Goldberg Tolmach, who also attended the school, takes an unflinching look at a monsterand a culture that allowed said monster to go on a rampage.
Skydeck at Willis Tower ( theskydeck.com/ ): The prospect of stepping outside the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere ( 1,353 feet ) can be daunting to almost anyonebut the reward is definitely worth it. But you can do more than see four states ( Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Michigan ) and strike cool poses on the ledges: There's the Pie in the Sky dinner experience, complete with pizza, and Selfies with Santa on Dec. 20-23, 12-5 p.m.
Glamping at Raised ( RaisedBarChicago.com/events.html ): This past summer, The Gwen offered an extravagant glamping experience. Now, Raised, an Urban Rooftop Bar ( at the Renaissance Hotel at 1 W. Wacker Dr. ), is inviting both Chicago residents and visitors to check out a cheaper ( but no less fun ) option. For the entire winter, this rooftop destination is decking out its outdoor area with lush blankets, pillows, trees and greenery to bring an urban glamping experience. Additionally, Raised will be offering a special menu of winterized food and beverage items for guests to enjoy. Be sure to check out the hot toddies!
Chicago Gay Men's Chorus ( CGMC.org ): The acclaimed group is marking its 35th anniversary Nov. 30-Dec. 2 with a series of concerts at different Chicagoland venues. In addition, there will be collaborations with About Face Theatre, Allegrezza, Artemis Singers, Chicago Pride Guard, Chicago Spirit Brigade, Chicago Tap Theatre, GayCo, Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles, Lakeview Orchestra, Pride Films & Plays, and Windy City Gay Chorus.


RIGA - Talks with KPV LV politicians so far have not revealed any major problems because of which KPV LV could suddenly decide not to support the government of Krijsanis Karins (New Unity), the New Conservative Party's leader Janis Bordans said in an interview with LNT television today.
According to Bordans, nothing suggests right now that the government formation talks could fail. He stressed though that he had only been in contact with those colleagues who were involved in the work on legal matters. There has been more controversy in talks about other matters, but those talks were also constructive enough.
In Bordans' opinion, many KPV LV members' position on the pending government is attributable to a lack of political experience - none of the members of the party had ever participated in such talks before.


HOUSTON - If you've tried to buy a house lately, or even driven on any of our Houston roadways, you know there are more people out there than ever. In fact, the population of Houston is exploding at an alarming rate.
If construction downtown is any indication, Houston is growing. The U.S. Census agrees. It shows Houston is ahead of every other city in Texas when it comes to adding residents. Across the country, we are second only to New York City.
"Houston is a fun city. It is very, very diverse," said Michelle Cooper.
Cooper lives in Houston and works in the oil and gas industry. She sees the growth.
"It's growing fast with the development all over town. No matter where you go, you see beautiful new development," she said.
From July 1 of 2012 to July of 2013, the government shows Houston added more than 35,000 residents. That's more than equal to the entire population of Rosenberg.
"Our cost of living is relatively low compared to other parts of the country," said Eric Gage, realtor at Re/Max City View near Midtown.
When those new residents move to Houston, they call realtors like Gage.
"A year ago, the property sat on the market a little longer than they do now. Now as soon as they hit the market, they already have multiple showings and multiple offers coming," said Gage.
He says in our area oil and gas fuel much of that growth. Experts say the Medical Center, lower taxes and cost of living make lots of people want to call Houston home.
"I'd tell them to come to Houston and take full advantage of fun and fulfilling people," said Gage.
The big question for everyone, including experts, is how long will this growth continue?
If you think Houston is growing fast, the census numbers show Harris County is growing even faster.


Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto described Pakistan on Saturday as a pressure cooker about to explode, as President Pervez Musharraf’s government tightened screws on media by ordering out three British journalists.
Having invoked emergency powers a week ago, Musharraf has sacked most of the country’s judges, put senior ones under house arrest and ordered police to round up most of the opposition leadership and anyone else deemed troublesome.
He has also placed curbs on media. Private news channels are off the air and transmissions of BBC and CNN have been blocked, though newspapers are publishing freely.
On Saturday, three journalists from Britain’s Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph were expelled for “foul and abusive” language about the Pakistani leadership that officials said appeared in an editorial run on November 9.
A spokesperson for the newspaper group in London declined to comment.
Bhutto, the Pakistani politician most capable of rousing mass protests, was stopped from leaving her Islamabad residence on Friday to lead a rally in neighbouring Rawalpindi, where police used tear gas to disperse her followers.
A detention order against her was later lifted due in part to pressure from the United States, but when she tried on Saturday to visit Pakistan’s deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who has been under house arrest for the past week, she was stopped from approaching his house.
“He is the chief justice, he is the real chief justice,” Bhutto blared over a megaphone, after police trucks blocked her way to Chaudhry’s residence.
Bhutto plans to lead a “long march”, actually a mass motor procession, from Lahore on Tuesday to put more pressure on Musharraf to revoke emergency rule, restore the Constitution and the sacked judges, quit as army chief, hold elections in January and release thousands of detainees.
She will go to Lahore, the city where the pulse of Pakistani politics beats strongest, on Sunday, while her party planned protests in her home province of Sindh in the south.
Musharraf cited a hostile judiciary and rising militancy as the reasons for his authoritarian measures. He has sacked most Supreme Court judges and replaced them with friendlier faces.
Critics say Musharraf wanted to pre-empt a possible decision by the court to rule his October 6 presidential election victory invalid because he contested while army chief.
Musharraf has said elections will be held by February 15, about a month later than they were due. He also said he would quit as army chief and be sworn in as a civilian president once new judges struck down challenges to his re-election.
The US has kept up pressure on Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless 1999 coup, to get back to a democratic path. But US pressure is constrained as Musharraf is a close ally in the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
Musharraf briefed army commanders, telling them the emergency had been a very difficult decision but necessary to ensure effective governance, maintain efforts against terrorism and provide for a stable political transition, the military said.
The US is worried the turmoil will hamper its nuclear-armed ally’s efforts against terrorism. Pakistani forces are battling a growing Islamist insurgency along the Afghan border—where Osama bin Laden is believed to be hiding.
Bhutto told diplomats she feared Pakistan was sliding into instability and that “dictatorship causes fanaticism”.
The uncertainties have unnerved foreign investors and domestic markets.
Political analysts say Musharraf still has vital backing of the army but big street protests could undermine its support.


Following a dramatic series of events that lasted till the wee hours of Wednesday, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was reelected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat along with BJP president Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani. Patel polled 44 votes, while Shah and Irani received 46 votes each.
Following a dramatic series of events that lasted till the wee hours of Wednesday, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was reelected to Rajya Sabha from Gujarat along with BJP president Amit Shah and Union Minister Smriti Irani. Patel polled 44 votes, the required number to cross the line after the Election Commission declared two votes cast by rebel Congress legislators invalid. Shah and Irani received 46 votes each. Congress turncoat Balwantsinh Rajput registered only 38 votes.
So, what happened last night?
Polling in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections were conducted on Tuesday with four candidates in the fray. From the BJP camp, party president Amit Shah, Smriti Irani and former Congress MLA Balwantsinh Rajput who switched over to the BJP were nominated while the Congress put up Ahmed Patel as its candidate.
As scheduled, polling was conducted between 9.00 am to 4.00 pm, with 176 out of 182 members casting their votes (six seats in the Gujarat Assembly are vacant). However, in a quick blow for the Congress, veteran leader Shankarsinh Vaghela, who recently quit from all posts, announced that he hadn’t voted for the party candidate as he “wasn’t going to win”.
But things turned around for the party after the 44 Congress MLAs, who were taken to Karnataka to ensure they weren’t swayed by the BJP, arrived to vote. After that, things went smoothly… till 4 pm.
The Congress filed two applications for rejection of votes tendered by two MLAs, Bhola Bhai Gohil and Raghav Bhai Patel, for violating the polling procedures. The party claimed the MLAs had shown their ballot papers to Amit Shah. The petition was first rejected by the Returning Officer.
Read: Meet the two disqualified in Gujarat Rajya Sabha polls: Both veterans, one’s been with BJP. Click here.
On rejection, a delegation of Congress leaders including party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala and former minister RPN Singh met with Election Commission officials in New Delhi and raised objections to the RO’s decision. They submitted that their allegations could be reviewed using video footage of the voting. Ahmed Patel also e-mailed the Commission requesting cancellation of the two votes.
The ping-pong match did not end here, as Congress subsequently sent a second delegation led by Ghulam Nabi Azad to reiterate their demand to the Commission. And then, Jaitley met the Commission for a second time, again calling for commencement of the counting of vote.
The EC, taking into consideration the Congress’ plea, obtained the video footage of the voting. In an eight-page order it declared that the two MLAs had violated polling procedures and secrecy of the ballot. Read the full order here.
In a huge sigh of relief for the Congress, the two votes were disqualified. This meant, Ahmed Patel now required only 44 votes to secure a fifth term in Rajya Sabha.
Read: Crisis manager overcomes toughest hurdle, Congress braces for tough times. Click here.
With celebration at both quarters put on hold, the EC began counting the votes at close to midnight. Patel expressed “confidence” and “optimism” in winning.
And, soon after, he took to Twitter with the single phrase, “सत्यमेव जयते”.
“This is not just my victory. It is a defeat of the most blatant use of money power, muscle power and abuse of state machinery. BJP stands exposed of personal vendetta and political terror. People of Gujarat will give them a befitting reply in this year’s election,” Patel wrote minutes later, “I want to thank each and every MLA who voted for me despite unprecedented intimidation & pressure from BJP. They voted for an inclusive India.” Read: Ahmed Patel tweets ‘Satyameva Jayate’ after retaining seat. Click here.
Amit Shah, who completed three years as party president on Tuesday, was elected to Parliament for the first time while Irani returned for the second time.
On the sidelines, JD(U) Gujarat general secretary Arun Srivastava, the lone party MLA in the state, courted controversy after declaring support to Ahmed Patel. He even slammed the party on live television saying, “Who is KC Tyagi to say anything? Chotubhai has voted, he will tell. Our support is with Ahmed Patel.” Read the full story here.
So, who cast a surprise?
There were four MLAs who were expected to vote for the BJP but may sidetracked, costing the BJP its third ticket to the Rajya Sabha. BJP MLA Nalin Kotadiya, a supporter of the Patidar quota stir, refused to divulge who he voted for but said he has “voted in the interest of the Patidar.” Chhotu Vasava, the lone JD(U) MLA, openly announced his support to Patel.
Congratulations to BJP President @AmitShah & ministerial colleague @smritiirani on getting elected to the Rajya Sabha from Gujarat.
The Congress, from its official Twitter handle, congratulated Ahmed Patel on his win.
Heartiest congratulations to @ahmedpatel on his win!
Smriti Irani, on winning, expressed her gratitude to PM Modi, Amit Shah, Vijay Rupani and the Gujarat BJP leadership for giving her the opportunity to serve the state. She also congratulated Shah for his election.
Grateful thanks to PM @narendramodi ji & @AmitShah ji, CM @vijayrupanibjp ji & @BJP4Gujarat leadership for reiterating their faith in me.
My gratitude to @BJP4Gujarat MLAs, State President @jitu_vaghani ji and karyakartas for giving me an opportunity to serve Gujarat.
BJP can break a few weak Congress MLAs, but BJP cannot break the Congress party.


Nicaragua was anything but uninteresting this year. Even in difficult moments, this place never lost its brilliant sense of humor and irony – intangible elements that help make Nicaragua such a wonderful and unique place, where hope springs eternal. Below is a sampling of reporter’s notebook highlights gathered from throughout the year, quotes from newsmakers that help to explain a country that sometimes seems beyond all description.
Montealegre, as he got off the bus in Managua.
stole 17 rare and endangered birds.
president and mayor of Managua.
–Pray for us, Virgin Marty.
loonier than the news he’s lampooning.
–President Daniel Ortega in a speech May 15.
Ortega’s first year in office.
when asked about his relationship to the FSLN.
–This photo, with a caption stating that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama has a son who works in Managua’s On the Run Metrocentro, was circulated among email groups in December. The photo, however, was apparently taken in the Dominican Republic.


GFA Disciplinary Commitee has once again deducted 6 points from B A United accumlated points of five, for using an unqualified player against Ashanti Gold at Sunyani Coronation park.
BA won the game 1-0.
Consequently, BA United has -1 point(s) i.e negative one, after they had earlier on lost 6 points to Tano Bofoakwa on the same unqualify player issue.


A Gallup poll of voter intention for the Colombian presidential election in May finds that a majority of people plan to vote for conservative-leaning candidates Juan Manuel Santos or Noemi Sanin.
Partido de la U candidate, and former defense minister Juan Manuel Santos led the pack with 34.7% of Colombians planning to vote for him in the first round of elections, followed by Conservative candidate Noemi Sanin, with 23.3%.
Trailing the two leaders in order of percentage of the vote received were Green Party candidate Antanas Mockus (10.4%), Polo Democratico candidate Gustavo Petro (6.4%), Cambio Radical nominee German Vargas (6.2%), independent Sergio Fajardo (6.1%), and Liberal party candidate Rafael Pardo (5.1%).
With no candidate in the poll receiving the required 50% of the vote necessary to be declared president in the first round, a runoff election would then be required between the top two candidates alone.
In a scenario where Santos and Sanin run against each other in the second round of elections, the result was a dead heat, with Santos receiving 44.7% of the vote and Sanin 43%. The difference between the two numbers is smaller than the poll’s 3% margin of error, and indicates a virtual tie between the two candidates.
Pollsters also asked “What is the principal problem that should be resolved by the next president of Colombia?” Far and away the most popular response was “lowering unemployment,” which was named by 29.4% of respondents.
Following unemployment were “improving the quality and coverage of the health system” (9.7%), “developing programs to help families in situations of exterme poverty” (8.2%), “fighting corruption” (7.9%), and “fighting guerillas” (6.8%).
A question about opinions of various public figures in Colombia gave outgoing president Alvaro Uribe the highest approval rating of any person on the list, including current presidential candidates. Of the respondents, 75.4% viewed the president positively.
Polo candidate Gustavo Petro received the highest disapproval rating, with 43.4% of those polled giving a negative opinion of him.
In terms of party identification, Partido de la U was most popular, with 24.3% of respondents considering themselves aligned with it. This were followed by the Liberal Party (19%), and the Conservative Party (14.5%). 23.5% of voters do not consider themselves to be aligned with a party.
The poll was commissioned by a variety of Colombian media outlets and conducted on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of the holiday weekend. Pollsters questioned 1,200 Colombians from 51 towns in face-to-face interviews.
A report summarizing the poll results can be viewed here.


Iran pushed back Saturday against demands by the Trump administration for changes to the country's nuclear deal, a subject expected to be high on the agenda as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with his Saudi Arabian counterpart at the start of the Middle Eastern leg of his maiden trip as America's top diplomat.
President Trump has said he will decide by May 12 whether to pull out of the landmark accord and reimpose U.S. sanctions that were lifted after Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in 2015.
Speaking on the sidelines of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit in Brussels Friday, Pompeo said Trump was unlikely to stay in the deal unless European leaders negotiate a "substantial fix."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who was in Moscow Saturday for talks about the conflict in Syria, accused the Trump administration of reneging on its obligations, saying demands for changes to the deal signed by the U.S. and five other world powers were "unacceptable."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also emphasized the "inviolability" of the deal. "Otherwise, there will be no platform for continuing contacts and for continuing the dialogue," he told reporters Saturday.
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both used trips to Washington this week to lobby Trump not to walk away from the agreement, which they fear could encourage Iran to resume its nuclear program.
But Trump has decried what he sees as "terrible flaws" in the accord, including that it does not address Iran's ballistic missile program or its support for militant groups elsewhere in the Middle East.
Shortly before Pompeo arrived Saturday in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen fired eight ballistic missiles at the southern Saudi city of Jizan. Saudi authorities, who are engaged in a deadly war against the Houthi rebels, said the kingdom's air defenses intercepted four of the missiles. But they said shrapnel from the attack killed a civilian and damaged two homes.
Senior officials traveling with Pompeo accused Iran of supplying the munitions and said he would use the trip to press for more sanctions on individuals, businesses and government agencies associated with Iran's missile program.
He will have a receptive ear in Saudi Arabia, where officials have grown increasingly alarmed about the presence of Iranian troops and allied militias in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen. The kingdom has been a staunch opponent of the Iran nuclear deal.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir was on the tarmac to welcome Pompeo to Riyadh on Saturday evening. The secretary was also expected to meet with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman before traveling to Israel and Jordan on Sunday.
U.S. officials told reporters that Pompeo would seek to reassure Saudi leaders of the United States' commitment to defend its allies in the Middle East.
He also plans to raise the administration's concerns about a dispute within the Gulf Cooperation Council that the officials said is hampering attempts to forge a unified response to Iran's expanding influence in the region. Last summer, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, along with Egypt, imposed an embargo on Qatar over its close ties with Iran and alleged support for extremist groups, an accusation Qatar has repeatedly denied.
And the officials said Pompeo would press the Saudis to contribute more to efforts to stabilize areas in eastern Syria that were recently freed from the extremist group Islamic State.
The administration has been struggling to persuade its regional allies to send military troops or contribute funds to the effort, an obstacle that could delay Trump's goal of pulling American forces out of Syria. The countries are worried about becoming entangled in Syria's multi-sided civil war and don't want to be left with the task of preventing an Islamic State resurgence without U.S. backup.
4:15 p.m.: This article was updated with staff reporting, including details about Pompeo's upcoming talks in Saudi Arabia and Iran's response to U.S. demands for changes to the nuclear deal.
5:20 p.m.: This article was updated with background about Saudi Arabia's dispute with Qatar.


SPAIN head coach Vicente del Bosque admits he was forced to drop Diego Costa from his squad due to fitness issues.
The Chelsea star was expected to miss out on the upcoming friendlies with Italy and Romania following his behaviour during the defeat at Everton.
The controversial striker was sent off after a confrontation with Gareth Barry and could receive a three-match ban following an improper conduct charge over his reaction.
But Del Bosque insists Costa is not being punished and says he has every chance to make his Euro 2016 squad should he prove his fitness.
He said: "[He is not in the squad] mainly for health reasons. Against Paris Saint-Germain, Diego was replaced with a muscle injury.
"Four days after he surprisingly played (in the FA Cup against Everton) because Chelsea had a lot of to play in that game. They forced him to play and ended with little niggles.
"It looks like their doctors had claimed he is improving but we have decided not to include him in the squad. Those are the main reasons."
But Spanish football expert Guillem Balague said on the matter: "The main story is that Diego Costa has not been called up.
"There's nothing wrong with him, but he has been put 'in the fridge' so he can calm down a bit. Del Bosque feels he needs to think about how he behaves.
"With the behaviour we have seen in previous weeks, he will not be called up for the European Championship. It's up to him."


The UK’s Metropolitan Police obtained the “telecommunications data” of the political editor of the Sun. They did this without his consent, and possibly even without his knowledge. They also did this without any warrant or other court order. And this intrusion has caused a media sensation.
The revelation was buried in the “Operation Alice” report of the Metropolitan Police into the so-called “Plebgate” affair about what was said (and not said) by the then chief whip of the government, Andrew Mitchell, at the gates of Downing Street in September 2012. This incident led to a senior ministerial resignation, and to four police officers losing their jobs with one also being prosecuted. There are accusations and counter-accusations, and an ongoing libel case. The published report set out part of the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation; on whether Mr Mitchell called the police “plebs” the report is inconclusive.
The telecommunications data in respect of Tom Newton Dunn was applied for and evidenced.
This blog looks at law and policy, and it also looks at the media representation of legal and policy matters. The blog is usually written from a critical but liberal perspective.
Nothing on this blog constitutes legal advice.
David Allen Green is the author of the Jack of Kent blog and was previously legal correspondent of the New Statesman.
David is head of media law at Preiskel & Co LLP.
David won the 2013 award for "mainstream media blogger of the year" .
Nothing on this blog will be connected with any client matter with which the author is involved, and any interests will always be declared.