Colombia ex-prez makes waves, in and out of office

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Presidents typically quit the limelight when their terms end, ease into contemplative repose, perhaps pen a memoir, and stay out of their successors' hair.

Not Alvaro Uribe.

Thirteen months after leaving office, the feisty conservative barnstorms around Colombia like a candidate, picks fights in combative Twitter blasts and heaps criticism on his successor.

"It's not in me to simply live as an ex-president," Uribe, Washington's closest Latin America ally during his tenure, told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I'm a street fighter."

There seems to be no middle ground; those who don't love him tend to despise him, while those who …

I'll have to live with my decision to keep quiet about drug arrest, says top official.

THE WESTERN Cape's chief director for social welfare services, Dave McNamara, spoke out last night about his drug arrest last June in the city centre.

McNamara said he was not caught with drugs when police stopped him at the Caltex garage in Orange Street early on June 28.

He disputed that he was arrested at or near the notorious Senator Park building on Long Street, which was known as a drug den.

McNamara, whose job description includes targeting substance abuse and related problems, was arrested in possession of an empty tik straw and lolly.

"I'm not a drug user, I've never been a drug user," said McNamara.

Yesterday he was placed on …

KNOW IT ALL.(MAIN)

Q: What is the full name of Joe Louis, ``the Brown Bomber''?

A: Joe Louis Barrow was born in Chambers County, Ala., on May 13, 1914. His father, Munroe, died when Joe was 4 years old. In the 1930s, amateur boxing was extremely popular and is said to have overshadowed many high school sports. Although Joe's mother, Lillie, objected to her son boxing, she gave him her blessing and told him to do the best he could. The story goes that when he filled out the forms for one of his first amateur fights, there wasn't enough room for his last name, so he fought as ``Joe Louis.'' Joe Louis Barrow died in 1981.

Q: Who was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a …

BMW's new design head defends style shift; Van Hooydonk drew the controversial 7 series' exterior.(News)(Bayerische Motoren Werke AG)

Byline: Diana T. Kurylko

Adrian van Hooydonk, the 40-year-old Dutch native who has emerged as the real designer of BMW's much-criticized 7 series, makes no excuses for the break-the-mold look of the automaker's flagship sedan.

The 7-series redesign three years ago attracted a lot of criticism, and Chris Bangle, BMW's longtime senior designer, has been taking the criticism for it.

Billed by Bangle as the beginning of a necessary overhaul of BMW styling, the 7 series features a straight beltline that wraps around onto the trunk, creating a wedgelike protrusion.

Now BMW has started to point out that van Hooydonk, president of BMW's …

'Queer Eye's' Kressley to write book about style

NEW YORK -- Carson Kressley, fashion sage on "Queer Eye for theStraight Guy," will write a book on men's style to be published byDutton next fall.

The book, not yet titled, will feature Kressley's "inimitabletrademark wit and fashion wisdom," and "will cover the simplesartorial staples of style -- from ascots to zippers," Dutton said.

"From the 10 shoes every man …

KAYE PUSHES OVERHAUL OF COURTS.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: JOHN CAHER State editor

New York's chief judge is planning a full-court press to reorganize the state's byzantine court system.

``We have a completely senseless, fragmented system that we have the temerity to call the `unified court system,' '' Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye said Monday. ``Good grief! We have the most disunified court system anyone could possibly imagine. . . . It is high time we took a good, serious look at how our courts are organized.''

Kaye, speaking with reporters following the 150th anniversary celebration of the state's highest court, the Court of Appeals, said court reorganization is the top item on her administrative …

USPTO ISSUES TRADEMARK: INSITE FOR MODSYNC

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 13 -- The trademark INSITE FOR MODSYNC (Reg. No. 3975678) was issued on June 7 by the USPTO.

Owner: FULTON MANAGEMENT SERVICES, INC. CORPORATION NEW YORK 972 CENTERVILLE ROAD PULASKI NEW YORK 13142.

The trademark application serial number 85001921 was filed on March 30, 2010 and was registered on June 7.

Goods and Services: Remote monitoring interface in the nature of a computer network interface device for network connection of devices used to monitor, operate and maximize efficiencies of a configuration of multiple boiler, water heaters, and thermal fluid heaters; hardware network connection gateway in the nature of a computer network bridge between boiler systems and the Internet or other networks for sending and receiving information to centralized servers at regular and continuous intervals. FIRST USE: 20110406. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 20110406

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