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No drones have been seen in the skies above Deer Trail, Colo. But one man's mission to send a message to Washington about aerial surveillance is leading to an October vote on whether to sell drone hunting licenses. One problem: Firing at a drone would likely break federal law.

The fictional Australian hard-boiled detective is the star of several sharp, funny novels by Peter Temple. Two of those books have recently been adapted into TV movies starring Guy Pearce. Critic-at-large John Powers says Pearce perfectly conveys a complex blend of old and new masculinity.

Doctors often tell patients to stop smoking before surgery, but precious few help out with that. A hospital in Canada found that just offering a few simple kinds of help was enough to get more people to quit before going under the knife.

He said what we've all been saying: Rappers need to try harder. And if the past week is any indication, this fall there will be a marked dispensation of niceties — and a renewed focus on craft.

Imagine corn on the cob that naturally tastes creamy and buttery — no added fat required. Native Americans bred such a variety, but its kernels were almost lost to history. Now one chef is bringing back the heirloom corn — and hoping it will serve as a lesson in what can happen when crops are bred to be flavorful and colorful, not just big.

More than 330,000 people filed new claims for unemployment insurance benefits last week. That sounds like a big number — and is a slight increase over the previous week — but it's being taken as some very good news. For a month, now, fewer new people are asking for unemployment insurance than at any time since November, 2007. That's before the Great Recession.

Hundreds of people are believed to have perished in an alleged government-launched chemical weapon attack earlier this week on the rebel stronghold of Ghouta, outside of Damascus. Melissa Blocks speaks with Abo Abdulrahman, a doctor from a field hospital there, who reports an enormous influx of patients coming into his clinic.

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was released from prison on Thursday and immediately flown to a military hospital in Cairo. The court-ordered release does not mean the end of his problems. The 85-year-old Mubarak is still facing charges of conspiracy and murder in a re-trial that could begin as early as this weekend. A small group of Mubarak supporters gathered outside the prison for his release, but overall the decision to transfer him to the hospital has not ignited any street protests.

April 5, 2014 — that's the day Afghans are scheduled to head to the polls to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai. He's constitutionally banned from running for a third term. But, in a country that loves a good conspiracy theory, many think that Karzai will find some way to stay in power. Even if he doesn't, there are still many questions about how free and fair next year's vote will be.

President Obama's big idea of linking federal financial aid to a new college ratings system — based on metrics like student debt levels — would require congressional action. That means it would have to make it through the GOP-led House, where Obama's initiatives don't have a great track record.