READ IN: Give Me Liberty Edition

the end of the month whether to formally recognize the Pamunkey tribe. The decision could make them the first tribe in Virginia to win federal recognition. It would also allow them to pursue gambling ventures. The tribe hasn't expressed interest in a casino, but the possibility worries MGM, which is building a $1.2 billion gambling complex at National Harbor. Eleven members of the CBC oppose recognition, too; the Pamunkey once prohibited its members from marrying African Americans. (Washington Post) The Pamunkey claim Pocahontas as an ancestor. The Intersection: -- The DCCC pulled in almost $5.2 million in February, maintaining $6.4 million in the bank and reducing its debt to $6.5 million. The NRCC raised just over $5 million and maintained $6.3 million on hand. They've got $7 million in debt, down about $800,000 from the previous month. (Roll Call) -- I'm not president, I just play one on TV: President Obama's favorable rating stands at just 46 percent. President David Palmer's favorable rating stands at 89 percent, among those who watched Dennis Haysbert play the chief executive on "24." Martin Sheen's Josiah Bartlett has an 82 percent favorable rating, and 57 percent have a favorable view of Frank Underwood of House of Cards. (Reuters) And he killed two people! -- Stock futures are down fractionally this morning after the Dow tacked on nearly one percent on Friday. Asian markets closed higher on Monday, but Europe is in negative territory. (CNN) Attn Fox News: -- Law enforcement agencies having trouble filling open job slots are turning to immigrants. While most agencies require officers or deputies to be U.S. citizens, some allow green-card holders and those with work permits to serve. Center for Immigration Studies head Mark Krikorian says he worries about the security risks associated with allowing an immigrant with a work permit to become an officer, because those with work permits don't undergo a background check by immigration officials. (USA Today) Attn MSNBC: -- Happy fifth birthday to the Affordable Care Act, which President Obama signed on March 23, 2010. The percentage of adults without health insurance is down 13 points and the budget deficit is falling, thanks in part to lower health care costs. But the House GOP has tried to repeal it more than 50 times, and repeal is still a part of the Republican platform. (Huffington Post) To quote one of our favorite movies: "It's been emotional."


Can achieving retirement security be easier than we think?

(iStock) With traditional pensions on the wane, wages for typical workers flat-lining and many people living longer, it is no secret that Americans face an ever-increasing challenge to achieve financial security in retirement. Most are not meeting the test. The Center for Retirement Research at Boston College estimates that 53 percent of households are at risk of not being able to maintain their standard of living once they retire. But many investment managers argue that financial security is actually within reach for most Americans, if only they took some simple steps—and stuck with them. It may seem like a self-serving declaration for an industry that makes billions managing trillions in retirement savings. Yet a survey released Monday by Empower Institute, a newly launched research arm of the nation’s second largest retirement services provider, Empower Retirement, makes the case. The survey of 4,000 Americans found that people were on pace toward a comfortable retirement if several factors are in place: – They have access to a retirement savings plan at work. -They participate in the plan, setting aside at least 10 percent of their income. -If they set aside less, the plans should automatically escalate to 10 percent. -They have a professional financial adviser. Of course, it’s not always that simple. To begin with, only three out of four full-time private sector employees have access to a retirement plan at work. Access falls to 37 percent for part-time workers, the government says. Those workers could open IRAs privately, but very few do. And these calculations assume continuous employment through a person’s working years—not always a guarantee as we saw during the recession. But for workers who do have access to a retirement plan at work, the study points the way to retirement security. The survey asked respondents about the entire range of their financial assets, from home equity, savings and retirement accounts, to projected Social Security income. Overall, it found, working Americans are on pace to replace 58 percent of their income in retirement. Many retirement planners say the optimal replacement rate is between 70 and 80 percent. In some cases, people were keeping too much money in cash accounts, instead of investing in the stock market—which points to the need for better advice. But by far the most important factor in achieving retirement security was the amount of money people set aside to begin with, the survey found. The level


Global warming is now slowing down the circulation of the oceans — with potentially dire consequences

This NASA animation shows what happens globally to create the large, slow current called the thermohaline circulation. Welcome to this week’s installment of “Don’t Mess with Geophysics.” Last week, we learned about the possible destabilization of the Totten Glacier of East Antarctica, which could unleash over 11 feet of sea level rise in coming centuries. And now this week brings news of another potential mega-scale perturbation. According to a new study just out in Nature Climate Change by Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and a group of co-authors, we’re now seeing a slowdown of the great ocean circulation that, among other planetary roles, helps to partly drive the Gulf Stream off the U.S. east coast. The consequences could be dire – including significant extra sea level rise for coastal cities like New York and Boston. A vast, powerful, and warm current, the Gulf Stream transports more water than “all the world’s rivers combined,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But it’s just one part of a larger regional ocean conveyor system — scientists technically call it the “Atlantic meridional overturning circulation” — which, in turn, is just one part of the larger global “thermohaline” circulation (“thermohaline” conjoins terms meaning “temperature” and “salty”). For the whole system, a key driver occurs in the North Atlantic ocean. Here, the warm Gulf Stream flows northward into cooler waters and splits into what is called the North Atlantic Current. This stream flows still further toward northern latitudes — until it reaches points where colder, salty water sinks due to its greater density, and then travels back southward at depth. This “overturning circulation” plays a major role in the climate because it brings warm water northward, thereby helping to warm Europe’s climate, and also sends cold water back towards the tropics. Here’s a helpful visualization, from Rahmstorf and the Potsdam Institute, of how it works: Graph of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation by Stefan Rahmstorf from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Red colors are surface currents, blue colors are below the surface. “NADW” stands for North Atlantic Deep Water. And here’s a wonderful video from NASA that visualizes the thermohaline circulation for the entire globe. Rahmstorf also has a blog post up at RealClimate.org explaining his research. The day after fiction The system above has a key vulnerability. What keeps everything churning in the North Atlantic


Do stars have a sound? A new study says they might.

NGC 3603 is a prominent star-forming region in the Carina spiral arm of the Milky Way, about 20,000 light-years away. (NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage/STScI/AURA/ESA-Hubble Collaboration) Do stars make noise? More importantly, if a star makes a sound too high for mammals to hear and is also in the vacuum of space where no sound can travel . . . does it even count? Thank God nothing is resting on humanity answering that, because what even. In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers present evidence that stars might make a sound (sort of). [Breathtaking new image captures birth of countless stars] They were studying plasma, which is the state of matter that makes up most things in the universe (though only visible in a few things, like lightning strikes and the gas inside neon signs, on Earth). Plasma is basically a gas that's been charged with enough energy to loose electrons from the atoms holding them. The net charge of a plasma is still neutral, but it's full of negatively charged electrons and the (now positively charged) ions they've ditched, which gives it some weird properties. I'll allow They Might Be Giants to explain further: They Might Be Giants - Why Does the Sun Really Shine? (The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma) When the researchers in the new paper shot high-intensity lasers at plasma (as people studying plasma are wont to do) they noticed that the impact was leading to the production of a sound wave: In the instant after a laser strike, plasma would flow in a way that led to a kind of plasma traffic jam, and the pressure would create sound pulses. "One of the few locations in nature where we believe this effect would occur is at the surface of stars," study author John Pasley of the York Plasma Institute said in a statement. "When they are accumulating new material stars could generate sound in a very similar manner to that which we observed in the laboratory -- so the stars might be singing -- but, since sound cannot propagate through the vacuum of space, no-one can hear them." [Astronomers saw the same star explode four times in four places because of a rare cosmic phenomenon] Because sound travels from one vibrating molecule to another, it can't technically move through space -- there aren't molecules there to bounce against each other and pass sound


These awesome SpaceX photos now belong to you — sort of

build upon your work, even commercially, as long as they credit you for the original creation”; to CC BY-NC-ND, which “only allowing others to download your works and share them with others as long as they credit you, but they can’t change them in any way or use them commercially.” [Related: Rare photos from the golden age of space exploration] Last week, before Musk’s tweet, SpaceX launched a Flickr account and uploaded its images under a creative commons license. But after the tweet, the photos are in the reportedly in public domain. So case closed right? Not quite. In yet another article by Koebler, he questions if Musk can actually put the photos into the public domain. “There are differing opinions: Some say the only way something can enter the public domain is by never having had copyright or by having the copyright expire,”Peter Hirtle, who heads Cornell University’s Copyright Information Center and is a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society, told Koebler. “… One of the problems with copyright is you get it as soon as you have original expression, and it can be really hard to get rid of it.” Hirtle continued: “The fact he tweeted like that may not actually put the photos in the public domain, but I don’t think he’d be able to sit down and sue someone who used them. … The court could say, ‘You announced they are in the public domain.’ Even though they may not technically be in the public domain, they effectively are.” Hirtle said that one could be held liable for copyright infringement, but that Musk’s tweet may very well offer legal cover. As Koebler put it, “I suspect that’s enough for most people. ” Here are a selection of the images: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launching on March 1. (SpaceX) Artist depiction of the Crew Dragon, a spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to Earth orbit and beyond. (SpaceX) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launching in July 2014.(SpaceX) The Dragon spacecraft launched on Jan. 10. More than four weeks later, it splashed down off the coast of southern California.(SpaceX) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched the AsiaSat 6 satellite last year. (SpaceX) SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket delivered satellites on March 1. (SpaceX) In February, Falcon 9 lifted off carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite on SpaceX’s first deep space mission. (SpaceX) Falcon 9’s February launch. (SpaceX)


Come sample the Beer Madness finalists at Meridian Pint on Thursday

The Beer Madness judges tasted every beer before casting their ballots. On Thursday, you can, too. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) Over the past few weeks, our annual Beer Madness competition has been searching for the best craft beer in America. Finally, our panel -- a mix of beer-industry experts and beer-loving readers -- has narrowed the field to just four beers. Now it's your turn to sample them and vote for a favorite. [How the Beer Madness judges chose the Final Four] From 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Meridian Pint, we're offering free samples of the Beer Madness Final Four: Bluejacket Forbidden Planet Kolsch; Terrapin Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Stout; DC Brau On the Wings of Armageddon Imperial IPA; and Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale. (Please note that we're giving away small pours of these beers, not pints. We're not crazy, or crazy rich.) After you've tasted the four, you'll be given a ballot and asked to vote for the best beer. We'll announce the winner at the end of the night. [LIVE: Make your picks for the Beer Madness Final Four in the public voting bracket.] After you've sampled and voted, stick around for a special Meridian Pint happy hour in support of local charity Miriam's Kitchen: 25 percent of sales from selected appetizers will be donated to the cause, as will proceeds from a special keg of DC Brau. Meridian Pint will also match customer tip donations to Miriam's Kitchen, up to $1,000, made between 5:30 and 7:30. Meridian Pint, 3400 11th St. NW. 202-588-1075. www.meridianpint.com.


Scientists to Smithsonian: Cut ties with Koch brothers

This handout photo provided by the Smithsonian Institutions shows the current Dinosaur Hall at the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History. Energy businessman David H. Koch is donating a record $35 million to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History to build a new dinosaur hall on the National Mall. (Chip Clark/Smithsonian Institution via AP) (This post has been updated.) Three dozen scientists sent an open letter to museums of natural history calling on them to cut ties with the Koch brothers and anyone else with connections to the fossil fuel industry. In the letter, and a subsequent petition related specifically to the billionaire Koch brothers, the scientists contend that museums of science and natural history should not be associated with “those who profit from fossil fuels or fund lobby groups that misrepresent climate science.” The petition specifically calls for David Koch to be kicked off the boards of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington. The movement is being organized by a new “mobile” museum called The Natural History Museum, a pop-up whose exhibitions are featured in existing institutions. They plan to present the petitions to the museums in New York and D.C. before their respective spring board meetings. David Koch, the billionaire conservative donor and executive vice president of Koch Industries, donated $35 million in 2012 for a new dinosaur hall at the Smithsonian’s Natural History museum. He had previously given $15 million to the museum’s hall of human origins that is named for him. In New York’s museum, he donated $20 million to the dinosaur wing that is also named after him. [David Koch donates $35 million to National Museum of Natural History for dinosaur hall] Randall Kremer, spokesman for the Smithsonian Natural History museum, said both exhibits deal in great detail with the impacts of climate change. And that Koch, and others on the board, are well aware of that. Kremer told the Loop that they wouldn’t be supporting the museum if they “did not understand the science behind our public programs.” (The Smithsonian has been unequivocal in its belief that climate change is manmade.) Koch did not respond directly to the letter, or his opinion on climate change, but Ken Spain, Koch’s managing director for external relations did send the Loop an e-mailed statement: “David Koch and the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation have


Facing budget pressures, the DEA is pulling up less weed

The number of marijuana plants seized and destroyed by the Drug Enforcement Administration fell slightly last year and remained sharply lower than the record numbers seen at the dawn of the Obama administration. According to the DEA's records, 4.3 million marijuana plants were destroyed last year, down from 4.4 million the year before and 10.4 million in 2009. The plants were destroyed by law enforcement officers under the auspices of the DEA's cannabis eradication program. This program allocates money from the Department of Justice's Asset Forfeiture Fund to 128 state and local law enforcement agencies. The agencies use this money to locate and destroy indoor and outdoor marijuana grow sites. Marijuana eradication team patch. Photo courtesy of Fred Repp. Marijuana eradication teams, who criss-cross the countryside in helicopters looking for grow sites, occasionally become overzealous in carrying out their missions. The Georgia Governor's Task Force for Drug Suppression earned notoriety last year when they raided a retiree's garden after misidentifying okra as marijuana. Last month, a member of DEA's marijuana eradication team in Utah warned lawmakers there that a medical marijuana bill would lead inevitably to stoned rabbits in the state's forests. For fiscal year 2014, the DEA estimated that the asset forfeiture program provided $18 million dollars to fund the cannabis eradication program. At 4.3 million marijuana plants destroyed, that works out to a cost of about $4.19 per plant. For simplicity's sake, let's round that number to the nearest dime and call it $4.20. DEA Asset Forfeiture Program patch. Photo courtesy of Fred Repp. But in recent years funds available for cannabis eradication have been drying up. The great recession forced some states to curtail various drug enforcement efforts -- and flying those helicopters gets expensive. Public opinion toward marijuana has shifted rapidly over the same period. Together, these factors have caused state and local governments to prioritize more serious and deadly drug threats, like meth and heroin. With 2.7 million plants destroyed, California alone contributed 63 percent of the total haul last year. But California's numbers have fallen sharply during the Obama administration, taking the national numbers down with them. "Coinciding largely with the downsizing of, and then ultimately the disbanding of, the state's nearly 30-year-old Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) program, DEA-assisted annual marijuana seizures in California have fallen over 60 percent percent since 2010," said Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, in an email. There's


Mark Furstenberg and Erik Bruner-Yang were nominated for James Beard Awards, but other locals were shut out

around Rose's Luxury. After earning best new restaurant nods from Bon Appetit and others, chef Aaron Silverman's seriously playful establishment on Capitol Hill was shut-out of the same category in the Beard Awards. D.C. toques didn't fare so well in this year's Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic category. None were nominated for the award, ending a run that dates back to at least 1994, when Patrick Clark from the Hay-Adams Hotel won the division. The run could stretch back even further, but the Beard Award database only returned the winner from the 1993 contest, not the full list of nominees. The nominees in this year's Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic include Spike Gjerde from Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, his third straight nod. Cindy Wolf of Charleston restaurant in Baltimore also earned a nomination in the category, along three chefs from Philadelphia. [Go inside Spike Gjerde's world.] Some chefs and restaurateurs with a presence in Washington — or soon to have a presence in Washington — also received nominations from the foundation. Philadelphia's Stephen Starr, the force of nature behind Le Diplomate on 14th Street NW, earned a nod in the Outstanding Restaurateur category as did the San Francisco-based Michael Mina, who operates Bourbon Steak in Georgetown. [How Stephen Starr make Le Diplomate the hottest table in town.] Springfield native Christina Tosi, creator of the Momofuku Milk Bar, which will debut this year at CityCenter DC., was a nominee in the Outstanding Pastry Chef category. Likewise, Edward Lee, the guy behind 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Ky., was nominated in the Best Chef: Southeast category. Lee plans to open Succotash, a Southern-themed restaurant at National Harbor, sometime in May. [Why Edward Lee picked National Harbor for his first restaurant outside Louisville.] In the journalism category, several Washington Post Food columnists earned James Beard Award nods: Spirits columnist M. Carrie Allan (full disclosure: I'm her proud husband) earned her first nomination in the Wine, Spirits and Other Beverages category for her look at the New Orleans cocktail scene; Unearthed columnist Tamar Haspel earned her second nod in the Food-Related Columns category for her deeply researched reports on America's thorniest agricultural and environmental issues; and Everyday Dorie columnist Dorie Greenspan earned a nomination in the Baking and Dessert category for her cookbook, "Baking Chez Moi." Congratulations to all the nominees. The journalism winner will be announced April 24 in New York City, while the chef and restaurant awards


Union Kitchen owners to open Union Kitchen Grocery, a food market in Capitol Hill

The building at 583 Third St. NE will soon house Union Kitichen Grocery. (Photo courtesy of Google Maps) The owners of Union Kitchen, a food incubator in Northeast D.C., are readying to open a corner market-meets-grocery store in Capitol Hill at 583 Third St. NE. The space, named Union Kitchen Grocery, will predictably carry 200-plus products prepared by Union Kitchen members, including Capital Kombucha, Undone Chocolate and Gouter tonics. “It allows us to put our products in front of the consumer in one place,” says Cullen Gilchrist, who co-owns Union Kitchen with Jonas Singer. Additionally, Union Kitchen Grocery will sell meats and freshly prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner to-go as well as produce in partnership with Healthy Corners, a program through DC Central Kitchen which helps make fresh fruits and vegetables available in food deserts. A rendering of Union Kitchen Grocery. (Courtesy of Cullen Gilchrist) The 1,000-square-foot market, with some indoor seating and ample patio space, will round out its offerings with craft beer, wine and a full coffee program similar to that at Blind Dog Cafe, a cafe in Shaw that Gilchrist and Singer also co-own with Noah Karesh. Beans will be provided by Compass Coffee. “It’s not a bougie take on a corner store,” says Gilchrist. “We’ll have a nice mix of local products and standards,” including Cheez-Its and Coke beverages. The two hope to open the business in late May. You may also like: Three new markets in D.C. to check out now Good Food Markets brings affordable groceries to Woodridge Restaurant-run farms allow local chefs to control the quality of their ingredients


Apple co-founder on artificial intelligence: ‘The future is scary and very bad for people’

as a pet to these smart machines … well I'm going to treat my own pet dog really nice." Seriously? Should we even get up tomorrow morning, or just order pizza, log onto Netflix and wait until we find ourselves looking through the bars of a dog crate? Help me out here, man! Wozniak's warning seemed to follow the exact same story arc as Season 1 Episode 2 of Adult Swim's "Rick and Morty Show." Not accusing him of apocalyptic plagiarism or anything; just noting. Preview - Lawnmower Dog For what it's worth, Wozniak did outline a scenario by which super-machines will be stopped in their human-enslaving tracks. Citing Moore's Law -- "the pattern whereby computer processing speeds double every two years" -- Wozniak pointed out that at some point, the size of silicon transistors, which allow processing speeds to increase as they reduce size, will eventually reach the size of an atom, according to the Financial Review. "Any smaller than that, and scientists will need to figure out how to manipulate subatomic particles — a field commonly referred to as quantum computing — which has not yet been cracked," Quartz notes. Wozniak's predictions represent a bit of a turnaround, the Financial Review pointed out. While he previously rejected the predictions of futurists such as the pill-popping Ray Kurzweil, who argued that super machines will outpace human intelligence within several decades, Wozniak told the Financial Review that he came around after he realized the prognostication was coming true. "Computers are going to take over from humans, no question," Wozniak said, nearly prompting me to tender my resignation and start watching this cute puppies compilation video until forever. "I hope it does come, and we should pursue it because it is about scientific exploring," he added. "But in the end we just may have created the species that is above us." In January, during a Reddit AMA, Gates wrote: "I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence." His comment came a month after Hawking said artificial intelligence "could spell the end of the human race." British inventor Clive Sinclair has also said he thinks artificial intelligence will doom humankind. "Once you start to make machines that are rivaling and surpassing humans with intelligence, it's going to be very difficult for us to survive," he told the BBC. "It's just an inevitability." Musk was among the earliest members of


Can you guess these D.C. restaurants from just a snapshot?

With a new restaurant opening seemingly every other week in the District, locals hoping to become a regular somewhere have more choices than ever. And sometimes it can be a little decorative flair — like perfect stemware, sassy bathroom wallpaper or a cozy chair — that catches your eye and keeps you coming back for more. Take this quiz to see how many of these restaurants, both new and old, you can name based on subtle decor details.


Force fields could be the next big battlefield innovation

buffer and shield from any shockwave. Boeing’s new patent offers a schematic view of a system configured to utilize converging laser or microwave beams to attenuate the effect of a shockwave from an IED. (USPTO) Although some have referred to this innovation as a Star Wars or Star Trek-like shield for repelling enemy attacks, that’s not exactly the purpose of the patent. As Boeing points out in patent no. 8981261, such a system would act to “attenuate” any shockwave by a combination of means that might include “reflection, refraction, dispersion, absorption and momentum transfer.” The goal, then, is not to knock down an incoming projectile or missile, but to deploy an intermediate medium that would reduce the collateral damage from such an attack. Unlike previous attempts at creating a similar type of shield, this Boeing patent — if it ever gets commercialized — would be a dynamic system, rather than a stationary system, relying on sensors to activate a shield in real-time. This would differentiate it from previous patents, which focused more on how a specific substance – such as an aqueous foam, gas emulsion or gel – could somehow absorb the blow of an incoming object when placed inside a barrier. In other words, the force field would be highly mobile and be capable of activating at a moment’s notice, rather than being erected in front of a structure hours, days, or months ahead of time. Boeing’s patent describes how a protective medium (30) could be used to divert, absorb or reflect away the most harmful effects of an IED shockwave (24) on a civilian or soldier (18). (USPTO) Given the nature of modern asymmetric warfare, such a dynamic “force field” is greatly needed. Over the past decade, the “roadside bomb” has fundamentally changed the way the military operates as well as how it innovates. Consider the number of IED attacks in a war zone such as Iraq or Afghanistan, where over 3,100 deaths and 33,000 injuries have been sustained over the past decade. Clearly, the U.S. military needs some way to counter the ability of a terrorist or insurgent group to inflict maximum damage on unsuspecting U.S. soldiers with minimal risk. As researchers are now finding out, even the shockwave from a detonated IED can cause internal injuries that may not be detected for years afterwards. Unlike the Hollywood movies, where heroes walk away from impressive-looking detonations and


‘This year I lost too many of my loved relatives,’ Tsarnaev wrote

Dzhokhar’s sisters, both of whom were divorced mothers, had left. The parents, Anzor and Zubeidat, had divorced and separately moved back to the Russian North Caucasus. So, yes, Dzhokhar had lost much of his family in a short period of time – but not in the way the note implied. “My relatives live in Chechnya, Russia.” This is a stretch. On the paternal side, two of Dzhokhar’s uncles and one aunt lived in North America. The one remaining aunt and grandmother — Anzor’s mother — had in fact recently moved to Chechnya from Central Asia, where Anzor was born and grew up and where the Tsarnaev family had spent most of its time before moving to the United States. Dzhokhar’s maternal relatives — Zubeidat’s clan — lived mostly in Dagestan, a different republic in the North Caucasus, one that sounds even less familiar to most Americans than does Chechnya. The next sentence, an incomplete one, apparently clarifies what Chechnya is: “A Republic [sic] that is occupied by Russian Soldiers [sic] that falsely accuse and abduct innocent men under false pretenses and terrorist accusations.” Actually, this is very much true of Dagestan, where most of Dzhokhar’s relatives live, and less true of Chechnya, which has in recent years been left mostly to the cruel devices of its own homegrown dictator, Ramzan Kadyrov. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was probably writing on the well-founded assumption that his readers had read or heard about Russian terror in Chechnya and had never even heard of Dagestan, so substituting one republic’s name for the other made his story more believable – if less true. He was dealing with a classic immigrant dilemma the way he and his family had ever since they immigrated to the United States in 2002: making his story more intelligible by telling Americans what he thought they wanted to hear, or were at least capable of understanding. His real story, like most immigrant stories, was simply too complicated: Too many unfamiliar country names, too much moving around, too tenuous a connection to Chechnya itself to be able to explain how the war there had shaped his life. “I am at a point where I can finally focus on my school work,” he concluded. “I wish to do well so one day I can help those in need in my country, especially my family members.” His appeal to have his financial aid restored was denied.


Police: With the flip of a light switch, this Massachusetts house could have blown

An investigator leads a member of the K-9 unit out of the home in Milton. (Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe) When authorities showed up Tuesday at the home on Craig Street, in Milton, Mass., they were met by an electrician, the Boston Globe reported. The home hadn’t passed a previous inspection, according to the Globe, and the electrician told investigators that he had located something on the property. It was an explosive device — and it was rigged to blow when someone turned on a specific light in the house, Milton Police Chief Richard Wells said. “We believe the intention was that if someone had flipped the light switch on where it ended, the device would have exploded,” Wells said, according to NBC News. A crew removed the device, which reportedly ran through the home. According to NBC, Wells “described the mechanism as involving wires meticulously snaking through several rooms from a gallon container of an incendiary substance, which was ‘secreted inside the house,’ to a particular light switch.” Authorities are now investigating. “We knew just by looking at it that this was something else,” Wells told the Globe. This is the Milton house at the heart of the "found device" investigation. http://t.co/9GgrYYzKrJ "Definitely criminal intent"...Milton authorities re "incendiary device" found wired into a house for sale on Craig St., Milton,MA The home’s owner told the Globe that it was previously occupied by a married couple and their daughter, who had recently moved. “I just can’t believe someone would really do this,” Lindel Williams, the owner, told the Globe. Here’s what the scene looked like Tuesday, according to the paper: Veronica Guerrero-Macia, 51, said she lives two doors down from the property. Craig Street was blocked off with police cars and yellow tape while officers went door-to-door on Tuesday afternoon, telling residents that there seemed to be “a suspicious package near the ceiling on the first floor” of the residence, but that they would not be evacuating the area, Guerrero-Macia said. Rose Martin, 32, said the property was commonly rented out. Martin and her family have lived across the street from the house for 13 years. She said they did not know the recent renters, but regularly saw two cars in the driveway. “It’s insane,” she said. “It’s exciting but insane. Scary.” (Screenshot/Facebook) READ MORE: China’s war on square-dancing grannies All-Canadian basketball player can now use his ‘F-word’ last name The trials


The blasts of black hole winds may cut off galactic star formation

between black holes and galaxies. [Scientists find a shockingly ancient black hole the size of 12 billion suns] "This indicates that when we think about galaxies and super massive black holes, we are in some ways thinking of the same thing," he said, "One goes with the other -- almost like an atom with electrons around it. You can't consider one without the other." This artist's impression shows the outflow of molecular gas (red) in a galaxy hosting a supermassive black hole at its core. (ESA/ATG) This isn't exactly shocking news, and other researchers have theorized that black holes might hold this influence over galaxies for some time. But Tombesi's team is the first to actually observe the wind caused by the black hole at the same time as the galaxy's outpouring of gas. It spotted the phenomenon by turning Suzaku, a satellite operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and NASA, towards a chaotic galaxy called IRAS F11119+3257. "These are not like normal spiral or elliptical galaxies. They're like train wrecks," study author Sylvain Veilleux, a professor of astronomy at U-Md. and a fellow at the Joint Space-Science Institute, said in a statement. "Two galaxies collided with each other, and it's now a single object. This train wreck provided all the material to feed the supermassive black hole that is now driving the huge galactic-scale outflow." So there was plenty of fuel for the black hole to take in, leading to violent winds that pushed galactic building materials out until star formation slowed and stopped. This simulation from NASA shows a possible explanation for the origins of a source called SDSS1133, which is part of dwarf galaxy Markarian 177. [A nearby black hole may have been booted right out of its home galaxy] The team members hope to find more examples of this black hole push and pull now that they know what to look for. But Tombesi thinks the findings should encourage all researchers studying galaxies to keep an eye on black holes. "It's very important for making simulations of a galaxy, and when studying observations, to keep this in mind," he said. "And if people see some phenomenon and don't know the origin. . . we now know that the black hole itself is powerful enough to cause big changes in a galaxy. Maybe it's worth looking to the black hole as the source of other phenomenon."


Bowe Bergdahl, once-missing U.S. soldier, charged with desertion

and blindfolded while being held by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group allied with the Taliban. He said he tried to escape about 12 times over the course of his captivity. “I was kept in constant isolation during the entire 5 years, with little to no understanding of time, through constant periods of constant darkness, periods of constant light, and periods of completely random flickering of light,” Bergdahl wrote at one point. He added that he had “absolutely no understanding of anything that was happening beyond the door I was held behind.” [Bowe Bergdahl’s writings reveal a fragile young man] Bergdahl’s defense team said in the letter to Milley that a trial would add to his stress and decried the politicization of his case. “SGT Bergdahl has been vilified as a coward in the absence of a shred of evidence to support that description,” the lawyers said. The court proceedings will be held at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where Bergdahl has served since shortly after a U.S. Special Operations team whisked him away from his captors on a helicopter in Afghanistan on May 31 as part of the prisoner swap. Previously discharged from the Coast Guard for psychological reasons, he is widely believed to have struggled with his mission in Afghanistan and to have walked away under cover of darkness on June 30, 2009. [World Views: Afghan villagers recall when Bergdahl stumbled into their midst] The investigation of Bergdahl’s disappearance was launched last June, with Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl interviewing the sergeant in Texas in August. It is believed that Dahl’s findings, not yet released, will play a prominent role and serve as evidence in Bergdahl’s court case. Thousands of U.S. service members U.S. troops and veterans have long expressed frustration about Bergdahl’s disappearance, accusing him of deserting his unit on the battlefield and prompting a search that put lives in danger. This photo provided by lawyer Eugene R. Fidell shows Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl preparing to be interviewed by Army investigators in August 2014. (AP Photo/Eugene R. Fidell) Many of those in his unit have been waiting years to see the Army acknowledge potential wrongdoing by Bergdahl, said Nathan B. Bethea, 30, a former Army captain in New York who was deployed with Bergdahl’s battalion when he went missing. “I think they’re pleased because this comes as a surprise,” Bethea said of the overall reaction. “I


73 percent wanted criminal charges for Bowe Bergdahl

This image made from video released by the Taliban and obtained by IntelCenter on Dec. 8, 2010, shows a man believed to be Bowe Bergdahl at left. (AP Photo/IntelCenter) Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was charged Wednesday with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy. Below, we are reposting our poll from June 2014, which showed overwhelming bipartisan support for bringing such charges. A majority of Americans disapprove of the deal that freed Bergdahl from his Taliban captors, and nearly three-quarters think he should face criminal charges if he deserted his unit, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll. The poll shows 73 percent say that, if it is shown that Bergdahl did indeed desert, he should be charged with a military crime. Twenty percent oppose charging Bergdahl. Support for such charges is nearly universal, with 70 percent of Democrats and 82 percent of Republicans agreeing. The poll also shows Americans continue to oppose the deal that was made to exchange five Taliban leaders held at Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl. Fifty-one percent disapprove of the deal, while 39 percent approve. This is the first time a poll has shown a majority opposing the deal. Previous polls from CBS News and the Pew Research Center have also shown opposition to the deal is higher than support. In addition, when respondents were informed of allegations that Bergdahl deserted, opposition to the deal increases significantly, to 63 percent. In that case, just 28 percent continue to approve of the deal. Both Republicans and independents strongly oppose the deal, regardless of how the question is asked. Democrats, too, appear to be wavering. While they support the deal 62 to 30 percent before desertion is mentioned, they support it just 48 to 43 percent once that element is introduced into the equation. Those who served with Bergdahl in Afghanistan have accused him of desertion and have suggested it led -- whether directly or indirectly -- to the deaths of six of the soldiers who attempted to find him for months afterward. http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/national/former-comrade-hopes-bergdahl-gets-court-martial-trial/2014/06/04/1123dbc4-8f86-410d-bc99-2ab5fb981749_video.html Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Bergdahl could indeed be charged after the Army conducts an investigation. The penalties for desertion during wartime include death, but Congress never declared war in Afghanistan. Experts say he could face up to five years in prison, but some have suggested time served as a prisoner of war should reduce or eliminate such


Bergdahl desertion charge: Vindication for Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly, NBC News

U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Berghdal (U.S. Army/Handout via Reuters) The latest on the case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl: He has been charged with desertion and misbehaving before the enemy, as The Post’s Dan Lamothe reports. The charges stem from Bergdahl’s actions in June 2009, when he disappeared from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was captured by the Haqqani network. He remained captive until last spring, when the Obama administration brought him home in an exchange for five Taliban prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. That move prompted intense and highly partisan debate, with critics blasting the White House for releasing “some of the worst of the worst.” Now for the media angle. In late January, “The O’Reilly Factor,” generally a factory of news analysis and bloviation, broke news. Bergdahl was going to face desertion charges, reported the program, based on an interview by host Bill O’Reilly with retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer of the London Center for Policy Research. “The key violation is desertion,” said Shaffer, who alleged that Bergdahl’s attorney had received a “charge sheet.” Jim Miklaszewski of NBC News, citing unnamed “senior defense officials,” also reported that Bergdahl would “likely be charged with desertion.” The Army disagreed with those senior officials. “The reporting from Fox News and NBC on Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is patently false. To be clear there have been no actions or decisions on the Sgt. Bergdahl investigation,” read an Army statement about the reports. Rear Adm. John Kirby, the Pentagon’s press secretary, tweeted: Contrary to media reporting, no decision made by Army leadership with respect to Sgt. Bergdahl's case. The process will be respected. Gen. Mark A. Milley, the Fort Bragg-based commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command, hadn’t reached any decision on the matter, Kirby told the morning program “Fox & Friends” on Jan. 28. “I am absolutely certain, General Milley has made no decisions about what he’s going to do with this case.” Perhaps O’Reilly-Shaffer-Miklaszewski got some very helpful whispers about the likely outcome. Or perhaps O’Reilly-Shaffer-Miklaszewski somehow pieced together the likely outcome some other way. Whatever the provenance of their reporting, it bears out. But there’s more to the original story on “The O’Reilly Factor.” Shaffer had said that the White House had sought to delay the case. “The White House . . . wants this to go away,” said Shaffer. When Kirby was asked about that allegation on “Fox & Friends,”


Consumer protection agency, for first time, takes aim at payday lenders

doesn’t go far enough. Under the CFPB proposal, lenders can avoid vetting their borrowers if they instead apply a series of additional safety nets to the loan. Either the principal must decrease with each loan, or lenders must provide what the CFPB calls an “off-ramp” after the third loan, where borrowers can pay back what they owe without accumulating further fees. “Despite the strong fundamentals of the CFPB’s approach, loopholes would permit some unaffordable high-cost loans to stay on the market,” Lauren Saunders, an associate director at the National Consumer Law Center, said in a statement. “The CFPB has taken an ‘either/or’ approach: ‘prevention or protection.’ But borrowers need both.” In a typical payday loan, available both in storefronts and online, a consumer must provide either a personal check to the lender or authorize access to his bank account for the collection of the principal and fees. At that point, said Richard Cordray, the CFPB director, lenders gain a “stranglehold” over borrowers’ funds, potentially draining their accounts and forcing them to choose between “repaying the loan and paying rent or covering food or medicine or other pressing needs.” The CFPB, created in the aftermath of the Great Recession to curb financial abuses, does not have the authority to cap interest rates. Payday lenders have long been targeted by state rules, which sometimes include usury caps, but the industry has proven chameleon-like, capable of adapting amid regulatory efforts, consumer advocates say. After Ohio passed a law in 2008 placing a tight interest cap on short-term loans, many lenders shifted into the “mortgage” business — while still offering $500 loans under similar terms. Payday lenders say their services are being unfairly targeted by regulators, who risk choking off credit to low-income and some middle-class Americans. In addition to payday lending, the CFPB rules also target installment and auto title lenders — business that have grown more popular in states that have tried to curb payday lending. Dennis Shaul, chief executive of the Community Financial Services Association of America, a payday lending trade group, said in an interview that the CFPB was arbitrarily targeting lenders without proof that the loan terms cause harm. The CFPB said in 2013 that the median payday borrower had an income of $22,476. More than 20 percent of initial loans grow into a series of seven or more loans. The CFPB proposal "would be particularly damaging to the


Things to know before visiting Beefsteak, Jose Andres’s new fast-casual spot

Get a good look at Beefsteak’s dining room, because you probably won’t see it this empty again. (Photo by Jeff Martin) Last week celebrity chef Jose Andres debuted his new fast-casual restaurant, Beefsteak, in Foggy Bottom (and he’s already planning to open a second Beefsteak north of Dupont Circle early this summer). Here’s what we learned during a recent visit. There’s no beef. Or steak. Lines are long. Vegetables are blanched There are chef-chosen combos You won’t leave hungry You may also like: Storied D.C. dive bar Chief Ike’s Mambo Room is closing Union Kitchen owners to open Union Kitchen Grocery, a food market in Capitol Hill Can you guess these D.C. restaurants from just a snapshot?


READ IN: Vote-A-Rama Edition

Dan Coats's (R) open seat at an event in downtown Indianapolis today. Holcomb ran Coats's state office, and he's a close confidante of former Gov. Mitch Daniels (R). (Indianapolis Star) -- Maryland: Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) says she wants to see a Baltimore-area candidate run for retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D) seat, and she isn't ruling out a run herself. If Rep. Elijah Cummings (D) made a bid, Rawlings-Blake would sit out; Cummings has said he's considering a run. (Baltimore Sun) Taking bets: which race will have more big-name candidates, Maryland's Democratic primary or Indiana's Republican primary? DC Digest: -- President Obama heads to Birmingham, Ala., this afternoon to host a roundtable on the economy at Lawson State Community College. He heads back to D.C. after just a few hours. -- Vice President Biden has meetings at the White House all afternoon. -- The House takes up the Doc Fix bill when it meets at 9 a.m. The debate will be quick: First votes are expected by 10 a.m., and last votes will take place by 1 p.m. -- The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. to continue debating the Senate budget. Debate time expires at noon, when the vote-a-rama commences. There are already 62 pending amendments, so settle in, folks, it's going to be a long day. -- Comings and Goings: Former FEC assistant general counsel Julie McConnell will join Venable's political law and nonprofit groups, the firm said Wednesday. -- Mike, the undercover head of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, is being removed from his post after nine years on the job, officials said, part of a major reorganization by CIA director John Brennan. He will be replaced by an agency veteran who has held a series of high-level posts, including running the CIA's operations in Afghanistan. His name is Chris. Mike is expected to stay with the agency, though in a new role. (Washington Post) The Intersection: -- Drone crashes in Syria and Yemen are exposing U.S. military targets in those countries. A crash last week in northwest Syria showed U.S. officials were spying on Bashar al-Assad's home turf. In the last year, 14 Air Force drones have crashed, including six in classified or undisclosed sites. More than half of the 269 Predator drones acquired by the Air Force over the last 20 years have wrecked in major accidents. -- Predator drones flew more than 369,000 hours last


Why organism engineering could be a foodie’s dream come true

and chocolate can be considered “fermented food.” Certain plant-based products, too, could be produced via the use of fermentation. For example, using synthetic biology, Swiss-based Evolva has created an alternative to artificial vanilla flavor (“vanillin”) that has already made its way into food products available to consumers. Boyle suggests that new “plant-based sweeteners” could become big. And a recent article in Perfumer & Flavorist by Reshma Shetty of Ginkgo Bioworks lists more than 20 different “cultured ingredients” that are coming to market soon (including six from Ginkgo). However, let’s step back a second. The idea that some companies are messing around with the DNA of microbes, storing vast quantities of designer organisms in a factory, and having robots mix together product samples understandably makes some people nervous. Obviously, there are a number of concerns about synthetic biology, especially in an era when even the mention of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) tends to freak people out. But these concerns are largely overwrought. Synthetic ingredients are actually more “natural” than the artificial ingredients found in stores. There are no genetically modified organisms in the final food product — the “engineered organisms” are only used in the fermentation process as a raw material to help make the final product. The really interesting part is how the synthetic biology work at Ginkgo has been inspired by the early days of computer programming. Ginkgo is essentially programming organisms, getting them to behave the same way as one might a piece of computer code. Tom Knight, who started in MIT’s artificial intelligence and computer science program, has suggested that learning how to program organisms is more fascinating than the ability to program computers. The idea of programming microbes to create stunning new tastes is not as outlandish as it might seem. A highly-acclaimed upscale restaurant in Manhattan – Eleven Madison Park – offers a 13-course, $225 tasting menu that features a “pre-dessert” inspired by a flavor of grapes infected by the grey fungus botrytis. Now imagine pairing this dish with a dessert wine such as a Sauternes, which also relies on fermentation for its complex taste. That could be paired, perhaps, with a uniquely fermented chocolate. You get the idea – microbes everywhere. In many ways, says Boyle, Ginkgo’s goal is “partnering with creative people to bring biology to them.” Ginkgo is a technology company and is run by technologists – but it could also become


This hunter wants an endangered rhino’s head as a trophy. Looks like he’ll get it.

sport," he said. The agency's approval will only inspire other hunters to kill animals on the verge of extinction, Flocken said. "The real value and worth of the species — and all critically endangered species for that matter — should be in their life, not the price tag for their death." The director of the Humane Society International's wildlife department, Teresa Tellecky, called the decision a disaster. "Twelve hundred rhinos were poached last year in South Africa alone," she said. She said the U.S. is telling Vietnamese that rhino horn doesn't work as traditional medicine but allowing hunters to import their heads with the horns. Telecky said the society has investigated whether money provided by hunters to Namibia used for conservation and found no information to prove or disprove that it does. It goes into an account called the Game Products Trust Fund that can be used for a number of projects, including agriculture and rural development. But conservationists organizations are split on the issue. The Iternational Union for the Conservation of Nature, which uses data from a variety of government sources to survey the status of animals on land and in the oceans, supports carefully managed hunts of rhinoceros bulls in Namibia and South Africa, saying their populations have increased slightly with the help of those conservation measures. The IUCN has studied and endorsed Namibia's conservation program, and Fish and Wildlife officials said their positive findings factored into their own analysis of Namibia's management. [Illegal wildlife trafficking grew into one of the richest international crimes since 1975, but the number of wildlife police stayed the same. Here's why.] While the IUCN supported Knowlton, activists such as Flocken called the hunters throwbacks to another age when key species were tracked and killed for sport throughout the world. A Facebook page to "Stop Corey Knowlton From Killing Black Rhino" pictured him as the devil and drew 600 likes. Knowlton did not answer an e-mail request for an interview Thursday. But in a telephone interview with The Washington Post in January, he said the anger generated by his bid shocked him. Still, Knowlton said, he doesn’t regret participating in the auction, and the goal of the hunt is conservation. “This wasn’t my plan, but the plan of the Namibia Environment and Tourism [Ministry],” he said. “They understand I wasn’t this evil guy who was hell-bent on killing something.” At that time, Knowlton


Why aren’t we producing medications for looming global disease threats?

The standard treatment for tuberculosis is 50 years old. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) In the United States, any cluster of tuberculosis cases makes headlines, no matter how small the numbers. For example, local health authorities recently issued a warning to medical providers after 15 residents of a New York City neighborhood contracted tuberculosis over a two-year period — and the tabloids promptly hyped the news. When 78 people in Los Angeles contracted tuberculosis between 2007-2013, local health authorities asked for federal help in controlling the outbreak, which then became national news. But the reason these miniature outbreaks — and there are more than many people realize — are so dangerous is rarely addressed. The standard treatment for TB is 50 years old and we desperately need new medicines, particularly with the global proliferation of highly drug-resistant strains of the disease. Patients today have the same chance of surviving multi-drug-resistant TB with treatment as they have of surviving the Ebola virus without any treatment. As the home of a biomedical brain trust anchored by the National Institutes of Health and a vibrant pharmaceutical and biotech sector, the United States would seem to be the logical leader of a global push to confront TB and other infectious diseases before they become a much bigger problem. But a new report scheduled for release Thursday by the Global Health Technologies Coalition (GHTC) concludes that the U.S. needs to increase its capacity for global health research and development, especially after the recent Ebola outbreak made clear how even obscure diseases can quickly become all-consuming problems. The GHTC analysis reveals that over the past six years, taxpayer funding for global health research has been stagnant or declining. The drift started with the great recession of 2009 and was intensified by the sequestration of 2013, which cut government funding for global health R&D by more than 10 percent. A key reason why the Ebola outbreak still continues in West Africa — with a death toll of more than 10,000 people — is that no one placed a high priority on Ebola drugs and vaccines. The U.S. government subsequently allocated $5.4 billion in emergency funding to contain the epidemic, a figure several times larger than what it spent in 2013 for all global health R&D. Yet TB alone kills 1.5 million people every year. Managing health threats through emergency allocations is both ineffective and inefficient


Amnesty International says Hamas committed war crimes, too

Palestinian houses in a Gaza City neighborhood were destroyed during Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip last summer. (Mohammed Saber/EPA) JERUSALEM — After a dozen reports by human rights groups charging that Israel had committed war crimes during its air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip last summer, Amnesty International on Thursday focused on the Islamist militant group Hamas and other armed factions in Gaza, which fired thousands of rockets at civilian population centers in Israel during the 50-day war. Amnesty's conclusion: The military wing of Hamas committed war crimes, too, by indiscriminately firing unguided rockets and mortar rounds from civilian areas in Gaza at population centers in Israel. The 70-page report found that rocket and mortar fire from the Palestinian militants also killed 13 Palestinians and six Israeli civilians. Amnesty investigators report that a Palestinian projectile landed next to a supermarket in a refugee camp on July 28, killing 13 Palestinian civilians, 11 of them children playing in the street during a cease-fire. In the immediate aftermath of the explosion at the al-Shati camp, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri blamed Israeli airstrikes. In a text message to journalists, Zuhri called it a “massacre” and vowed that “this crime will not break our will.” A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces at the time denied firing at the neighborhood and attributed the explosions to a failed rocket launch from Gaza militants. The Gaza war left more than 2,100 Palestinians dead; seven in 10 of them were civilians and more than 500 were children, according to Palestinian and U.N. officials. On the Israeli side, 66 soldiers and six civilians were killed, including one child. Amnesty said the death of Daniel Tregerman, a 4-year-old Israeli boy, “clearly illustrates the tragic consequences of using imprecise weapons such as mortars on civilian areas.” His family's car was struck by a mortar round from Gaza, and he died from shrapnel wounds. “Daniel’s little sister who was also present watched him die before her eyes,” wrote Amnesty, noting that the Hamas military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, asserted responsibility for the attack. In Gaza, Hamas official Taher al-Nounou denied Amnesty's allegations, according to the Associated Press, saying the report relied on "the Israeli narrative." He told the news service that Hamas did not target civilians. In the past, Hamas officials have pointed to the relatively low number of Israeli civilian deaths as proof


On Friday, half a pair of twins leaves for a year in space. Here’s why that’s awesome.

the hope is that things will go smoothly. Interview with my bro @ShuttleCDRKelly. Busy day today then get on rocket tomorrow. #YearInSpace http://t.co/xWLNabhSlZ But these experiments are important for Earth-based science, too. For scientists such as Feinberg, the space station represents a perfectly controlled environment the likes of which he's hardly dreamed of. Epigeneticists try to study how environmental changes, including in diet and exercise, affect the way DNA expresses itself, which can lead to tangible changes in the human body. But it's hard to control a person's environment enough to do a long-term study on how their epigenome might change — unless that person is locked in a box orbiting the Earth. "Obviously, this is a tiny sample size, so we're not really looking at how Scott and Mark are different during the year, exactly," Feinberg told The Post. "It's not statistically valid to say that differences between them must be due to the spaceflight." NASA's Human Research Program is examining the effects of spaceflight on the human body by studying identical twin astronauts, Scott and Mark Kelly. Instead, Feinberg and his research group will be looking at how each man changes over the course of the year. "If something happens after Scott departs, increases during his trip, and then goes back to normal after he comes back to Earth — if we don't see that kind of sequential change in his twin, well, it's not proof of anything, but it certainly suggests something interesting is going on," Feinberg said. [NASA wants to send its scientists to Mars (using holographic glasses)] He's also excited to tie in the other nine projects with his own. It goes without saying that the researchers studying Kelly's microbiome (the bacteria that live in and on his body) will see it change during the year he spends isolated in space eating a regimented menu of space food. But by comparing microbiome changes to epigenetic ones, the researchers may be able to draw points of connection between diet and DNA that we've never seen before. NASA scientists are hoping the new data will help them optimize future space missions. Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka (who is part of Kelly's mission but won't stay a full year) after suiting up for a fit check. (Victor Zelentsov/NASA) "It's our first real organized foray into these deep genetic changes, and that brings us closer to using this


Why investors like AOL co-founder Steve Case are betting big on food

a smaller footprint than a broader nationwide launch. Sweetgreen, which started in Washington in 2007, has proven to be one of the early stars of the fast-casual movement, a trend popularized particularly by millennial eaters with what Case called a “growing desire for healthy options.” More than 20 percent of the salad shop’s orders came through the chain’s mobile app, and Case expects most will start that way within three years. Far from super-saturated Silicon Valley, successful food startups can often bloom in smaller, less-watched markets: Chipotle launched in Denver; Panera Bread in St. Louis; Zoe’s Kitchen, a fast-casual upstart that went public last year, in Plano, Texas. That’s partly why Case will embark on a 1,200-mile road trip in May, called “Rise of the Rest,” during which he will invest $100,000 at a time with entrepreneurs in cities like Richmond, Atlanta and New Orleans. He cited several cities in middle America as “great startup meccas,” largely because they’ve been overlooked by investors focused on the coasts. “The middle of the country understands agriculture,” he said, “therefore they understand the beginnings of this revolution in food culture.” Mammoth stock debuts over the last year, including the initial public offerings of Shake Shack, Potbelly and Zoe’s Kitchen, have piqued investors’ interest and heated up competition. Venture capitalists poured $1.1 billion into food and beverage companies worldwide in the first half of 2014, up from $1.6 billion in all of 2013, Dow Jones VentureSource data show. But even with the rivalries, many investors have pushed ahead because, as investor and tech entrepreneur Ali Partovi told the Wall Street Journal in July, “the gains available to the winners are so large.” Case’s early-stage investments are already going head-to-head with some of this competition, as with the Baltimore-based OrderUp, which in August raised $7 million in early Revolution-led venture funding. The delivery service focused on second- and third-tier cities, like Phoenix and Denver, is already competing with a raft of similar services like Caviar, DoorDash and SpoonRocket. But not all cater to busy markets or what he called the “elite foodie community.” Revolution Foods, which was started by two mothers and is a growing player in the $20 billion school-lunch industry, intends to compete with mega-competitors like Lunchables in serving the growing need for cheap, healthy meals. Food is only one focus of Revolution’s several dozen investments, including car-sharing startup Zipcar, fitness app RunKeeper


After legalization, Colorado pot arrests plunge

Arrests in Colorado for the possession, cultivation and distribution of marijuana have plummeted 95 percent since voters in that state legalized recreational use of the plant in 2012. That's according to a new analysis of Colorado judiciary data by the Drug Policy Alliance, an organization working to reform the nation's drug laws. The total number of marijuana court cases fell from 39,027 in 2011 to 2,036 cases in 2014. Those 37,000 fewer cases represent a savings of untold millions of dollars in court costs and law enforcement fees. They represent 37,000 fewer people who have to deal with the stigma and financial burden of an arrest and possible conviction. They represent countless police man-hours able to be devoted to other tasks. “It’s heartening to see that tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding Coloradans have been spared the travesty of getting handcuffed or being charged for small amounts of marijuana," said the Drug Policy Alliance's Art Way in a press release. "By focusing on public health rather than criminalization, Colorado is better positioned to address the potential harms of marijuana use, while diminishing many of the worst aspects of the war on drugs.” Critics have been quick to point out that while the arrest rates fell, disparities in arrest rates for black and white marijuana offenders still remain. "These data indicate that while the number of marijuana possession arrests has dropped, the law enforcement practices that produce racial disparities in such arrests have not changed since the passage of Amendment 64," the report concludes. Inequalities in pot arrest rates have given momentum to marijuana legalization efforts nationwide, particularly in DC. A 2013 ACLU report found that despite similar rates of use, blacks are 3.7 times more likely than whites to be arrested for marijuana possession. Of course, few serious observers have ever believed that marijuana legalization was a magic wand to fix racial injustice in law enforcement. Disparities in policing have roots that go back well before the drug war, and it will take a lot more than drug reform to fix them. But cutting the black arrest rate for marijuana offenses by two-thirds is a welcome first step, and the report brings other good news as well. Arrests for "synthetic marijuana," a catch-all term for dangerous, technically-legal drugs that mimic the effects of marijuana, are down 27 percent since 2013. Teens and young adults are often tempted to try synthetics


Beer Madness 2015 recap: Locals bow out as the final matchup is set

almost a two-to-one margin. Only Boulevard Tank 7 survives in both. On a regional level, the expert panelists sent two of remaining Mid-Atlantic beers to the finals: DC Brau and Bluejacket Forbidden Planet. The public bracket only has one regional representative remaining: Dogfish Head Piercing Pils. [A glossary of Beer Madness terms] Here’s a recap of how (and why) our blind-tasting panel of beer experts and beer-loving readers chose the way they did. Crisp WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 4: Jace Gonnerman, top hands out samples for tasting to the experts during our Beer Madness taste test at Meridian Pint, on March, 04, 2015 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post) In the Crisp category, Bluejacket Forbidden Planet, a dry-hopped kolsch, faced off against the pear-infused Dogfish Head Piercing Pils. Anna Bethel praised Bluejacket for its “tart, lemony-fresh quality that reminds me of washing my car in the summer,” while Ian Munoz, admittedly a fan of the Bluejacket, chose Dogfish because it “has more character and will travel more distance [in this competition].” Sidney Thomas’s view was more nuanced: “The difference between the two seems to be that [Dogfish Head] has a more tart and stronger finish. Probably simply a matter of preference for each drinker. My American tastebuds prefer the milder selection.” In the end, the panel split evenly over the two beers, and the tiebreaking vote went to the more nuanced Bluejacket beer. Malt The Malt final came down to Terrapin Wake-N-Bake and the more traditional Founders Porter, both of which have pronounced java notes. “Apparently the best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup,” wrote Miles Gray III. “Both of these beers were brewed with the blood of Juan Valdez and the caffeinated tears of the Starbucks mermaid. I thought I ordered a beer!” (He ultimately voted for the Founders.) Other judges had no problem deciding: Washington Post beer columnist Greg Kitsock called Terrapin “The perfect marriage of alcohol and caffeine: My two favorite recreational drugs.” Beer writer Tammy Tuck also chose the “more flavorful, more interesting (but pretty intense)” Wake-N-Bake, which advanced to the Final Four. Hop The popular Hop category also featured another local, DC Brau’s On the Wings of Armageddon Imperial IPA, facing the lush, citrusy flavors of the appropriately named Fresh Squeezed IPA, from Oregon’s Deschutes Brewery. “The smoother caramel notes” of DC Brau “make it an easier drink to


David Ignatius’s full interview with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

can achieve the peace and stability, peace and safety, for our own country, for the region we are in as well as for the entire world. Hitherto, there was a thinking in Japan that it is okay just to look inside Japan in order to secure peace for our own country, not shedding our eyes to the outside world. Of course, this thinking is in the process of changing in the past 15 years. But I think change occurring in the entire world is even bigger. The fact that we are currently working on new security legislation is for Japan to be able to handle and cope with that situation. In this new security legislation what we are looking at is to cope with the aggression or infiltration, which will not lead into the actual use of force, as well as to provide logistic support to other countries’ forces which would be benefiting Japan. With this new security legislation we will be able to respond to the expanded and enlarged PK [peacekeeping] operations, as well as in the limited way the exercise of collective self-defense right. With this new security legislation, what becomes possible for us is that we will be able to rescue U.S. forces that are doing the patrolling in nearby areas of Japan, once these ships are attacked. Hitherto, we were not able to rescue those ships. I should ask you, Prime Minister: Your critics sometimes look at your policies and your advocating changes in the traditional role of the self-defense forces and argue that these policies are “militaristic.” How would you answer that? Indeed, I did increase the defense expenditure, but it was only 0.8 percent, mind you. But this is limited to securing and protecting the lives of the Japanese people as well as the happy and peaceful daily living of the Japanese people. So what I am doing is only to discharge my responsibility of protecting the lives of the Japanese people in the context of the changing international situation and changing security environment. With your visit to Washington coming up, what are your three most important goals for that visit? What do you hope to accomplish? First and foremost, I would say that for the last 70 years the U.S.-Japan alliance achieved many things, and I would like to express that this alliance is an unshakeable alliance. I would like to confirm that.


Between banks and unions, Democrats could be squeezed for campaign cash

(AP/Mark Lennihan) Wall Street is so angry at Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that bank officials are talking about donating less to Democratic campaigns, Emily Flitter reports for Reuters. They haven't reached any kind of agreement, but contributions from the financial sector have already plummeted as Warren and other members of the party have taken a harder line on banking regulation. Along with the news a few weeks ago that unions would also withhold donations from some Democratic lawmakers as a way of protesting the administration's trade negotiations in the Pacific, the squeeze from the banks puts Democrats in a difficult spot. If they're going to run a successful campaign next year, they do need money, and so far, they've managed to alienate two important groups of patrons. The modern Democratic party is a broad coalition, containing all kind of groups with divergent priorities. Democratic candidates have been able to keep those groups working together for the most part, at least so far, but as the frustration among bankers and labor organizers shows, sometimes the party will take positions that just leave everybody upset. Upcoming senatorial primaries in Maryland, Florida and Pennsylvania could put Democratic unity to the test, writes Josh Kraushaar in National Journal. Welcome to Wonkbook. To subscribe by e-mail, click What's in Wonkbook: Map of the day: 1. Top story: Senate completes voting marathon Senate Republicans passed a budget after votes on dozens of amendments. Enough senators voted for an amendment to require paid sick leave to overcome a filibuster. They also voted for to restrain the Obama administration's clean-power policies. Other members used amendments to make political statements. The next test is whether Republicans in both chambers can reconcile their budgets. 2. Top opinions NOAH SMITH: French bestselling economist Thomas Piketty got a few things wrong, according to a new critique. BROOKS: Republicans have a few reasons to be optimistic about next year's presidential campaign. KRUGMAN: The economy is improving, and conservatives don't know what to say. STRAIN: Cutting taxes doesn't have to be about letting rich people keep their money. 3. In case you missed it A Medicare reform bill passes the House with bipartisan support, but abortion remains a potential dealbreaker. Pence signs a controversial bill that opponents say will allow discrimination against gays. The Senate also passed an energy-efficiency bill Friday morning. Federal drug agents allegedly attended "sex parties" abroad paid for by cartels.


Watch now: NASA launches two astronauts for its first ever year-long mission in space

Astronauts Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko began their year-long stay in space on Friday as they headed for the International Space Station. NASA will study Kelly's twin brother Mark, who remains on Earth, in order to compare the pair. Settle in for a live stream of NASA's historic launch, scheduled for 3:42 p.m. ET. At the Baikonur Cosmodrome (the world's oldest launch facility), U.S. astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will board a Soyuz rocket and hitch a ride to the International Space Station. Once there, they'll stay for about 340 days. That's the longest anyone has ever stayed at the ISS by nearly five months, and the longest anyone has been in space since 1994, when Valeri Polyakov spent 14 months on the now defunct Mir. [On Friday, half a pair of twins leaves for a year in space. Here’s why that’s awesome.] Scott Kelly brings an extra level of excitement to the mission: He and his twin brother, Mark, are the only pair of twins to both serve as astronauts. Mark is retired, but when Scott volunteered for the year-long mission, he suggested that NASA compare his year in space to Mark's on Earth. NASA's Twin Study is a 10-part research experiment that will give scientists unprecedented looks at the effect of spaceflight on the human body. Astronaut Scott Kelly, right, along with his brother, former astronaut Mark Kelly, at the Johnson Space Center (Robert Markowitz/NASA) It's also going to give them a unique opportunity to study things like the epigenome (the way DNA expresses itself under different environmental influences) and the microbiome (the bacteria that live in and on our bodies), because the International Space Station is one of the most controlled environments that exists. With Kelly's diet, environment and routine strictly regimented, scientists will be able to note how his cells and body bacteria change without wondering what outside variables might be affecting their data. But in addition to spending a year giving blood samples and answering questionnaires, Mark Kelly has a new gig to keep him occupied while his twin is in space: On Thursday, MSNBC and NBC News announced that Kelly would serve as their space and aviation analyst -- starting with coverage of his brother's launch.


Why it’s not enough for fast food companies to “give consumers what they want”

want to buy." Carl's Jr. recently launched an "all-natural" hamburger, which comes with grass fed, antibiotic free beef. But Haley admitted that the chain hasn't invested in a lot of healthy products since people, for the most part, don't go to the chain for that kind of food. "There's a reason there are so many successful hamburger chains in this country, and so few successful salad chains," he said. This issue has also come up for Burger King, which recently began selling chicken fries after an extended hiatus from the offering. In response to a question about why the chain hasn't moved to antibiotic free poultry as rival McDonald's has done, Eric Hirschhorn, Burger King’s chief marketing officer for North America, told Bloomberg that "it’s not something that we see customers demanding." And Marion Nestle, a professor at N.Y.U. who has written several books on the nation's food supply, acknowledged the dilemma at yesterday's event. "Food companies aren't inherently bad," she said. "But they respond to demand, and people don't always want what they should." Indeed, research has shown repeatedly that people gravitate towards unhealthy food when it's made available to them. And when companies say they're merely responding to consumer tastes, there's a vicious cycle of bad nutrition. But it's not as easy as blaming consumers these days for leading companies to sell bad food. A massive change is afoot in American consumers' taste in food, and many other companies are responding—with great success. Chipotle has shown that consumers flock to food that abides by certain values, even if setting high standards for the company's meat suppliers, for instance, disrupts service sometimes. Whole Foods and Wal-Mart are making huge profits selling people organic food. You can also see the shift in the food manufacturing world. Campbell's lowered the amount of sodium in its soup, and smaller organic brands like Amy's are thriving while larger ones like Kraft are struggling (and merging with other large struggling brands like Heinz). Rather incredibly, the 25 largest food brands have lost almost 5 percent market share over the past five years. It's not easy for fast food chains to adjust. As McDonald's has discovered, people don't go to places they associate with burgers and order salads and wraps instead. They're under pressure though, because it turns out that even if they're trying to "give consumers what they want," what people want is changing.


RightRides DC serves the entire city with safe spaces in cars

said. In New York City, where the RightRides program originated, operating on weekends “a busy night draws about 30 calls,” she said. “I think this goes to show how deep the need is here in D.C. for this kind of service.” Explaining the importance of having a safe space can be difficult. The microaggressions that make people afraid are often difficult to quantify, nevermind, say, report to a police officer. CASS sent its volunteers to ANC meetings, community centers and grocery stores throughout the city to pass out flyers and explain their cause. It’s all part of an effort to eradicate rape culture, which is not only about the physical act. It’s also about eliminating the culture that trivializes violence and harassment of women. Scott Berkowitz, founder and president of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), which started in D.C. in 1994, thinks that we’ve made significant progress. “I think we’ve come a long way. We’ve progressed to the point where people are largely aware of the [general] risks, where many more survivors are willing to come forward and talk about what happened to them,” Berkowitz said. “We’ve also found there’s the big evolution in corporate America. Even 10 years ago, most brands were afraid to be associated with it, they didn’t want to go near it. We see much less of that now. In fact, you see a lot of companies starting to come to us because they realize that for their customers, this is a huge issue to them.” As a cisgender heterosexual man, I am absolutely availed of most privileges when it comes to the concept of feeling safe. But as a black person, I know how scarring and uncomfortable it can be when you feel either unwelcome or potentially under attack. For those of us (namely men), with the luxury of viewing a safe space as non-problem, being more aware of the danger that exists for women and the LGBTQ community is important. “Organizations like CASS and others that have sprouted up in the city … are beginning to change the mindset that, that sort of behavior is not okay,” McVicker said. “I feel like we’re making strides as a community, to change this perception that being a bystander and seeing this sort of behavior happen in public is not to be tolerated anymore.” With enough help, maybe RightRides DC can operate every weekend,


READ IN: Recess Reading Edition

Tomah, Wis., will feature Ryan Honl, a former employee of a VA medical clinic who blew the whistle on over-prescription of opiates. Honl's complaints, made to both Sens. Ron Johnson (R) and Tammy Baldwin (D), were mishandled; Baldwin fired her deputy state director for ignoring Honl, and Johnson's office sat on information about the clinic, too. (Roll Call) The Intersection: -- Defense Secretary Ash Carter is considering easing some military enlistment standards in order to attract and keep new service members. The Pentagon said it could allow older recruits to sign up, as well as those who have committed minor drug crimes, specifically in hopes of attracting cyber experts. Carter will start discussing the plan during stops today and tomorrow in Philadelphia and New York. (Associated Press) -- Remember those cute photos of world leaders holding koala bears during the G20 summit in Australia? Apparently when they're not handing out koalas, Australian officials are accidentally releasing passport information. The country's immigration department inadvertently sent passport numbers, visa details and other personal information of President Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others to organizers of a soccer tournament. (The Guardian) Wait, Obama has to send his passport information when he goes to a G20 summit? -- Stock futures are higher this morning after an up day on Friday. Markets in Asia and Europe are all in positive territory. (CNN) Long Reads: -- Former Clinton advisor Doug Sosnik: "[T]he presidential contest has largely narrowed to five states that have been consistently competitive in the past six elections: Ohio (which has long been at the 50-yard line of American politics) and four of the fastest growing states in the country—Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Virginia. While these states represent only 15 percent of the population and just 75 electoral votes, they have determined the balance of power in close elections during this period. It should come as no surprise that almost two-thirds of the $896 million spent on television advertising by both sides in the 2012 presidential general election was spent in just these five states with over half spent in Ohio, Virginia and Florida." -- "Projections show that in the future the electorate in the Midwest will be older than the rest of the country, with whites constituting a higher percentage of the vote than the national average. These voters are increasingly forming the Republican base, which suggests that


Beer Madness 2015 results: Two Missouri breweries take top honors

pale, crisp ale. In subsequent rounds, the St. Louis Stunner defeated a series of highly acclaimed beers, including Devils Backbone Vienna Lager and Founders Porter, on its way to glory in the final. [How the 2015 Beer Madness field was picked] The other finalist, selected by the judges, was Terrapin Wake-n-Bake, a big, bold coffee oatmeal stout brewed with three kinds of coffee beans, three different malts and roasted and flaked barley. Online voters weren’t as favorable towards Terrapin, knocking it out in the first round in favor of Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Here’s how the judges decided the championship: Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale 6, Terrapin Wake-n-Bake 2. After five rounds of tasting, Beer Madness came down to a faceoff between Boulevard Tank 7 and Terrapin Wake-n-Bake, two solid contenders that steadily advanced through their brackets, knocking off strong competition along the way. “These are two really good beers,” commented judge Sidney Thomas. “It’s like choosing between Nirvana and Pearl Jam, or Rihanna and Beyonce: You really can’t go wrong.” That’s a fair point, but the result wasn’t even close: Boulevard won by 6 votes to 2, taking the title back to Kansas City and capping a strong all-around for Boulevard. [Final Four recap: Locals beers bow out] “We’re really surprised,” Boulevard brewer and brewery ambassador Jeremy Danner said when I spoke to him by phone on Friday. “I was looking at the beers we’re up against, like Allagash, and it’s nuts. “We sell most of our beer within a few hours of the brewery,” he noted, and Boulevard only entered the D.C. market in June 2012. “We know we’re making good beer, but it’s good to see other people recognize that, too.” In an odd twist, Danner said the Beer Madness champion almost didn’t exist at all. What we celebrate as Tank 7 was originally nothing more than the base for the company’s Saison Brett, a bottle-conditioned Belgian saison that’s aged with Brettanomyces, a yeast that creates funky, sour notes. But during sampling of one particular batch, “we discovered the beer was really good before we added the Brett,” Danner says. (It was so popular that employees kept going back to check on the taste at the end of their shifts.) “We knew Saison Brett was a great beer, and this had a huge, bright grapefruity citrus thing going on. There weren’t a lot of big, hoppy


IBM’s making a new business unit just for the Internet of Things

member of the Industrial Internet Consortium -- along with AT&T, Cisco, General Electric and Intel -- which is focused on encouraging the development of Internet of Things projects for businesses and government. The new partnership should have applications for both the public and private sectors, said Mark Gildersleeve, president of the Weather Co.'s global business to business unit, known as the WSI Corporation. Gildersleeve said his company uses data from more than 10,000 sensors across the globe to generate 10 billion forecasts per day. Some of those sensors, he said, are placed by government entities such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service, while other data are collected by sensors embedded in vehicles, on buildings or through user-submitted information from smartphones. (That information is only collected from people who opt-in to Weather Channel programs, and is turned into anonymous data.) The goal of all that collection is to generate useful information for businesses and governments which, in turn, can help those entities make better decisions about when to cancel flights, postpone school days or respond to bad weather. "It's not just a weather forecast," Gildersleeve said. "It becomes a tool to say how many staff a retailer should schedule for based on the weather, or for telling an insurer how many policy holders were in the line of a storm when it hit -- so they can quickly mobilize their customer response unit to handle claims." Glenn Finch, IBM's lead for Big Data & Analytics, said weather information can often fly in the face of business owners' intuition -- and reveal surprising results. For example, Gildersleeve noted, it's no surprise that a rise in temperatures will prompt an increase in beer sales. But the Weather Co. has found that there's a stronger correlation between high temperatures and strong beer sales in Seattle than there is in Arizona. Why? That's not for the data to say, but that information could help store owners better understand how to stock their stores to keep up with the whims of the weather -- and to keep consumers from facing empty shelves. "As the weather becomes more volatile -- which we have seen -- this becomes more important," Finch said. "Where I live [in Fairfax, Va.], we've seen we can have seven inches of snow, and next day it can be 75 degrees. If you're a retailer now, what do


‘Polio-like’ strain of enterovirus D68 may be responsible for mystery paralysis, study says

in the spinal fluid and it was not -- it provides the strongest evidence to date of the link between enterovirus D68 and paralysis. The researchers theorize that the reason the virus was not found in the spinal fluid could be because the samples were taken too late. Scientists also tested the children for the presence of other pathogens capable of causing the symptoms but didn't find other viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites. The new research reveals that the children had a novel strain of the virus, called B1, which emerged about four years ago. That strain has only five to six coding differences from previous strains that were commonly found in the United States but each of those are mutated in the direction of polio or another nerve-damaging virus known as EV-D70. "These are changes that may have made the virus more polio-like," said Charles Chiu, an associate professor at the University of California-San Francisco who worked on the study. While the study identified D68 as a possible trigger of the paralysis, it was not able to shed any light on another key question: Why have some children been affected so severely while others have been fine? [Mystery paralysis in children is perplexing parents — and researchers] The study included a pair of siblings with a 100 percent genetically identical strain of the virus. One experienced muscle weakness and paralysis while the other only experienced upper respiratory symptoms. Chiu said the study suggests that there are individual differences in patients' biology that may determine how the virus affects them. A group of researchers at Johns Hopkins and at Children's Hospital Colorado is gathering DNA from patients around the country to try to explain the different outcomes. Kevin Messacar, an infectious diseases specialist at Children's Hospital Colorado, where the first large cluster was identified, said the hospital has established a new clinic to treat and study the children who have been affected. He said the researchers will be looking at genetic and immune response in children that may make them more susceptible to paralysis. "If you think about viruses like polio back in the day hundreds of people were infected whereas only a handful would end up with paralysis. Other illnesses like influenza--many will get fever and achy joints and some will get severe respiratory disease. So I think everybody reacts to infectious diseases differently and it’s not unusual to


Russia – perhaps more restrained and less powerful than you think?

its own strategic rivalry with the United States pushes the state to assert its dominion in the region of post-Soviet space. But these moves do not achieve strategic success beyond limited, seemingly pyrrhic victories. Given this, how just far will Russia really go? Russia seeks to punish its enemies, whether that be the United States, Georgia, Ukraine, or Estonia, but it can only do so in a limited fashion. And uses of this kind of power always come with consequences, often unintended. The worry is that as Russian moves continue to fail and as the price of oil drops, it will be less restrained in the future. That being said, past behavior suggests that Russia’s leadership will continue to be restrained and rational, with saber-rattling at the forefront. Russia is not a power maximizing state, but simply a middle power trying to maintain its interests with limited strategic capabilities. As we look ahead, the next potential flashpoint is the Arctic where Russian elites see both tremendous economic opportunities and a good prospect for success on the international stage. Here, however, Russia has worked within international law to assert its territorial rights, along with Canada, Norway, and Denmark (via Greenland). These countries are making underwater exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claims via the laws set forth by the United Nations Law on the Convention of the Sea (UNCLOS); the only state not doing so is the United States. We side with John Vasquez in the call for foreign policy research that considers outcomes of the use of power, in addition to the beginnings of strategic situations. How these conflict end should tell us much about the next conflicts. Past uses of force seemed to fail (Estonia-Georgia); will Ukraine be seen as a failure also? Can it possibly be a positive outcome if it drains resources from the state, lays bare conflicts over the conscription army, and further demonstrates Russia’s inability to leverage cyber and energy power? ***** For more recent Russia coverage at The Monkey Cage, see: How Russia Today is using YouTube Think of Russia as an ordinary petrostate, not an extraordinary superpower Will there be a ‘full, rapid, and transparent investigation’ of Boris Nemtsov’s murder? Don’t bet on it. Five fatal flaws in realist analysis of Russia and Ukraine The question to ask about Boris Nemtsov’s murder is not who but why? What does Boris Nemtsov’s murder mean for Russia?


This app got me a lullaby from my favorite astronaut, and you can have one, too

gonna explain how a spacesuit works!' So some of the questions are very technical, and some are very prosaic -- and it's kind of lovely." [How astronaut Chris Hadfield’s priceless flight suit ended up selling for $40 at a thrift store] For Hadfield, who got access to Periscope during its beta testing period a few weeks ago, finding the best uses for the app has been a real treat. "[My son] Evan and I think really carefully about social media, so when we saw this we asked ourselves what it was going to be good for . . . what kind of story would it help tell," Hadfield said. "And I just imagined what it would be like if Michelangelo had been able to put his iPhone next to his palate while he painted the Sistine Chapel, or set it behind him while he hammered David. Imagine watching him choose his paint colors and where to put down his chisel." Hadfield may not be painting any chapels at the moment, but he keeps that vision in mind when he uses the app: What's something that's rare to see live and almost impossible to see in person? What things are better explained in short, intimate videos than in any other form? He brought up another space-related stream as an example, one where he showed off a space-shuttle piece that now graces his bookshelf. "Most people don't even think about the bolts that hold a space shuttle on the launch pad," he said, "But it's incredible when you think about it — the incredible power and size and thrust of a shuttle about to launch, and just eight bolts hold it down. And then that very powerful thing ends up on my bookshelf. It's not exactly worth a documentary, but it's an interesting little insight." At the end of the video, he introduced his pet pug Albert — which is a good way to sum up his casual, informal tone overall. (Periscope) His videos about being an astronaut are as informative as the ones he once made from aboard the International Space Station, but now they have a strangely poignant sense of urgency and intimacy. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield demonstrates what it's like to prepare and eat food in zero-gravity while in space. "It's definitely very intimate," Hadfield said. "And sure, it's not without risk — if you inadvertently have a slip