Philippine ex-militiamen hold 57 hostages

Washington PostMANILA, Philippines — Officials negotiated for a second day Friday with government-armed former militiamen who took 57 villagers hostage in the southern Philippines to press their demands that murder and banditry charges against them be dropped.The abductions Thursday by 15 gunmen raised fresh questions over the government’s long-standing policy of arming civilian volunteers to… Read more

MOVIE REVIEW: ‘Me and Orson Welles’

Washington Times”Me and Orson Welles” isn’t quite a coming-of-age movie, and it’s not quite an examination of the early, pre-cinema work of Orson Welles. Instead, it’s an odd melange of the two that is intermittently entertaining but never quite comes together in a satisfying way.Teen heartthrob Zac Efron stars as Richard Samuels, a high school student with dreams of stardom in the footlights of… Read more

Pakistan arrests students who vanished from US

ChicagoTribuneWASHINGTON – — Five young students who recently vanished from the Washington area have been arrested in Pakistan, authorities confirmed Wednesday, raising fears that they are part of a recent wave of U.S.-based Muslims traveling to South Asia and other extremist hot spots to engage in terrorist activities.Authorities did not release the names of those arrested but said they were… Read more

Iran police out in force to head off protests

CNNTehran, Iran (CNN) — Iranian authorities maintained a heavy police presence on college campuses Monday to ward off possible protests as the country marked Students Day, a key national anniversary.The day commemorates three university students killed in 1953 by security forces of the Western-backed Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, or the shah of Iran.Two decades later, the shah was removed from power… Read more

Concerned About What’s in your Commercial Pet Food? Try These Homemade Cat Food and Treats

Every day lately, it seems there is another pet food recall, warning dog and cat owners not to feed their pets different brands of foods. This is getting scary. Who knows which pet food will be recalled next. Though I am still using the kibble my cats normally eat, I am now supplementing my pets with a few homemade recipes. These are not meant for feeding your pets forever, since I”m not a vet… Read more