A member of a Columbia University undergraduate English major listserv passes along a recruitment email that doesn't mince words. "Ashton Kutcher is looking for a writer to join a small team of designers and engineers who are cofounding a consumer-oriented technology company."

That writer will end up writing "daily creative pieces that will form a core part of the product" as well as screening "a larger editorial team." The email on behalf of Kutcher's start-up is very optimistic: "Your writing will be a centerpiece of the company?s product [sic] and will reach millions of people."

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BOGOTA, Colombia — For the first time in a decade, the Colombian government appears set to sit down for peace talks with the country’s largest Marxist guerrilla organization in an effort to end nearly half a century of fighting.

Late Monday, President Juan Manuel Santos confirmed mounting speculation that talks between his government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or the FARC, are beginning.

“We’re going to learn from past mistakes so as not to repeat them,” Santos said in a short televised address. “The Colombian people can fully trust that the government is working prudently, responsibly and firmly, always putting the well-being and tranquility of our country’s population first.”

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