Maryland open houses April 15-16

Severn Way BROOKLYN 21225 202 Cresswell Rd CROFTON 21114 1615 Eton Way DAVIDSONVILLE 21035 726 Intrepid Way EDGEWATER 21037 28 Shadow Point Ct 113 Riverside Rd 3410 Pocahontas Dr 3419 Pocahontas Dr GAMBRILLS 21054 1760 Holladay Park Rd 1770 Holladay Park Rd 810 Sebastian Lane 2106 Basil Hall Lane 605 Maccubbin Lane GLEN BURNIE 21060 1028 Fitzallen Rd 7404 Willow View Lane 7707 Gaston Pl 2760 Fredericksburg Rd 8174 Hickory Hollow Dr 8332 Eagle St 310 Kenjamin Ct 7723 Hartwell Rd 7229 Hartwell Rd 768 Apple Orchard Dr 8176 Hickory Hollow Dr 8365 Hickory Hollow Dr 8284 Hickory Hollow Dr 8160 Hickory Hollow Dr 21061 316 Montfield Lane 313 White Oak Way 7209 Sauers Ct HANOVER 21076 7718 Pinyon Rd 7109 River Birch Dr 7009a Starwort Way 1312 Hawthorne Dr 2517 Cherry Tree Rd 1911 Simonson Ct 1913 Simonson Ct 1915 Simonson Ct 1909 Simonson Ct 2746 Fredericksburg Rd 2744 Fredericksburg Rd 2742 Fredericksburg Rd HARWOOD 20776 14b Harwood Dr LAUREL 20707 16209 Jerald Rd 14311 Ridge View Lane 20708 9829 Farm Pond Rd 12009 Pheasant Run Dr 20723 9155 Gross Ave 10007 Calla Ct 9904 Loch Less Lane 9714 Northern Lakes Lane 0000 Rockland Dr LINTHICUM HEIGHTS 21090 102 Hammonds Ferry Rd S 317 Hance Ave LOTHIAN 20711 5967 Little Rd MILLERSVILLE 21108 331 Lazywood Ct 1545 Waterbury Rd 8535 Veterans Hwy #1-117 161 Overlea Rd ODENTON 21113 2704 Fresh Water Way 2993 Levee Dr 3019 Levee Dr 3011 Sunny Ridge Dr 3017 Sunny Ridge Dr 3015 Sunny Ridge Drive 3013 Sunny Ridge Dr 810 Orchard Tree Rd 802 Orchard Tree Rd 3023 Sunny Ridge Dr 3069 Sunny Ridge Dr 8804 Country Oak Dr 3021 Sunny Ridge Drive 348 Chessington Dr PASADENA 21122 7906 Leeds Dr 793 Powhatan Beach Rd 8326 Capel Dr 410 Edgewater Rd 736 Powhatan Beach Rd 404 Little Marvel Ct 7808 Ducks Cove Rd 8580 Neptune Dr 4010 Ward Rd SEVERN 21144 1707 Willard Way 1310 Grand Canopy Dr 8127 Orchard Blossom Lane 8505 Pine Springs Dr 1005 Floretty Ct SEVERNA PARK 21146 458 Sackett Ct SHADY SIDE 20764 4957 Elm St 1191 Poplar Ave CALVERT COUNTY CHESAPEAKE BEACH 20732 4220 Bayside Rd DUNKIRK 20754 9908 Mcintosh Dr LUSBY 20657 8465 Chesley Dr 11005 Beacon Way 1120 Golden West Way PRINCE FREDERICK 20678 531 English Oak Lane CHARLES COUNTY ACCOKEEK 20607 14315 Devinger Pl HUGHESVILLE 20637 6505 Naylors Pond Pl 14325 Woodstream Pl PORT TOBACCO


The chefs behind the best vegan food in the country are opening a restaurant in D.C.

(Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post) The chefs of Philadelphia's much-lauded vegan restaurant, Vedge, are officially coming to Washington. Husband and wife team Richard Landau and Kate Jacoby are behind the most well-known meatless restaurant in the country and have a half-dozen James Beard Award semifinalist and nominee nods to their names. For years, they've talked about opening up shop in the nation's capital. Now they've signed on to join the Apollo development at 600 H Street NE, which includes a new Whole Foods Market and Wydown coffee shop, and have plans for a late fall opening. For the new location — their first outside of Philadelphia — Landau and Jacoby plan to replicate their V Street concept, a vegan street food bar. “We celebrate street foods by drawing influence from popular dishes and ingredients around the globe,” Jacoby said in an email. “Nothing is a literal take, just our inspiration.” V Street's offerings include such dishes as dan dan noodles with roasted mushrooms and a red chile-sesame sauce, Peruvian fries with aji amarillo sauce and flatbreads. Cocktails will also draw on global flavors, such as the Lokum at the Bazaar (Turkish coffee, bourbon and a Middle Eastern syrup known as jallab) and Cruz Control (tepache, horchata and tequila). Jacoby, the pastry chef, has big plans for dessert. Expect soft serve in such flavors as halvah with sumac sour cherries or cannoli with pistachio, bitter orange and chocolate magic shell. Also: chocolate-stuffed beignets. Landau and Jacoby were drawn to Washington for personal and professional reasons. Landau has family in the area, and Jacoby attended Georgetown University. Jacoby said she and Landau always saw potential in the city's restaurant scene, especially when it came to opportunities for growth in meat-free concepts. She gives props to such operations as Elizabeth's Gone Raw and Sticky Fingers for helping to grow the vegan restaurant scene. “We know the demand for serious vegan food is getting stronger all the time,” she said. The couple has already witnessed the demand from D.C. residents. After those for Philadelphia and New York, Washington's 202 area code is the most popular number on the reservation books at Vedge. Read more: The new H Street Whole Foods wants to be your neighborhood pub The search for America's best food cities: Philadelphia How two vegan chefs find inspiration in a world of (sometimes meaty) cooking L.A. restaurants treat vegetables like stars


If Jeff Sessions wants to crack down on medical marijuana, he’ll have to battle more than half the country

This post has been updated with news Gov. Justice signed West Virginia's medical marijuana bill into law on Wednesday. Attorney General Jeff Sessions wants to bring back the war on drugs, but on medical marijuana — which he says “has been hyped, maybe too much” — he may be too late. Any minute now, medical marijuana will be legal in West Virginia. West Virginia! It's a state that voted for Trump by nearly 42 points in November, and approved medical marijuana via its Republican legislature last week. Democratic Gov. Jim Justice (D) signed it on Wednesday. And West Virginia is on the tail end of the medical marijuana trend. Half the population of the country, spread out among some 28 states and the District of Columbia, can legally smoke some form marijuana for medical purposes. All but three states legalize some part of the drug found in the cannabis plant for medical cause (mostly the compound cannabidiol, which research suggests doesn't get people high but can help with anxiety and pain). Liberal, West Coast states launched the medical marijuana trend almost two decades ago. Western, redder states with a libertarian streak followed. And now, a February Quinnipiac University poll found that 93 percent of voters support medical marijuana being legally prescribed by a doctor. In 2017, all that's left for medical marijuana advocates to conquer is more traditional Republican states, which they're doing. West Virginia is the third Republican-controlled state legislature in a row to pass a medical marijuana bill. In November, voters in all or mostly GOP-controlled Ohio and Pennsylvania legalized medical marijuana by ballot. “I remember 10 years ago, when I started working on theses issues, it was hard to have a conversation about limited medical use with a lot of legislatures,” said Matt Simon of the Marijuana Policy Project. “They didn't even want to take meetings on it. The tide has shifted dramatically — it used to feel like we were trying to push a boulder up a mountain, and it feels like we're going downhill with the wind at our backs.” West Virginia's legalization path underscored how bipartisan medical marijuana has become. To bring a state Senate bill to the floor, state House Republicans revolted against their leadership with a parliamentary procedure led by state House Democrats to override reluctant leaders. “I think we all know someone who has benefited from some application of marijuana or


Democrats fear that Trump has barred key federal workers from speaking to them

supplied information for a number of requests, and Interior officials have consistently testified at hearings, including yesterday.” Grijalva’s office responded that the “contact” Swift mentioned was personnel who “told us directly they have been order by the Office of the Secretary not to answer our questions about hearings at which administration witnesses are not present, and have refused to answer … questions.” A spokeswoman for Department of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke denied that the agency barred Fish and Wildlife Agency experts from speaking with Democratic lawmakers. Molly Riley/Associated Press Without guidance from Fish and Wildlife, Democrats on a Natural Resources subcommittee said they were powerless to refute claims from witnesses called by Republicans who said the Endangered Species Acts cost projects millions of dollars as a result of delays. Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah), the committee’s chairman, said he wants to repeal the act that has saved eagles, manatees, condors and other animals from extinction. His office sent quotes from witnesses at the hearing to media that support the chairman’s view that the act slows development. “Nearly 100,000 projects had to undergo time-consuming and expensive consultation even though none of them would likely jeopardize a listed species or its habitat,” said Jonathan Wood, a staff attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation. “In many cases, project approval would improve conditions for a threatened species while also bringing much needed economic development to rural America,” said Doug Stiles, general manager of the Hecla Mining Company of Idaho. The statement, emailed by committee spokeswoman Molly Block, didn’t list the species or areas that Wood and Stiles referenced. Unlike Fish and Wildlife experts, neither of the witnesses are scientists who have expertise in animal habitat and the impacts of development on species. With no experts present, Grijalva had no idea if their statements, which could influence future legislation, carried any truth. “Is it true that the ESA is responsible for an economic downturn?” Grijalva asked. “Or are they scapegoating the ESA with the intent to limit it or make it toothless? What’s the reality? This limits our ability to counter those points because you don’t have an agency there that has the information this decision should be based on.” Read More: Weird tales of animal smugglers caught by U.S. Fish and Wildlife police Crates illegally filled with dead animals routinely get pass overwhelmed border police The cutest little porpoise in the world is almost extinct


Women don’t cheat as much on their taxes as men do

taxpayers. There was a catch, however. We told them there was a 5 percent probability of being audited. If we caught them cheating, they would have to pay a fine equal to twice the taxes owed. Of course, with such a small chance of being audited and a rather small fine, from a rational choice perspective, the best choice would always be to report no income. (We’ve used this approach for other experiments, as you can see in a previous Monkey Cage post). We used the students’ choices about how much to report to examine whether some people are more willing to comply with tax law than others. Women were more honest about their income, in every country As you can see in the graph below, in every country, women were on average more honest about their income than were men. Does this hold up beyond students? We think so. We found similar results when we conducted a study with adults in the United Kingdom, which lends weight to the idea that our study may be valid beyond this sample. In the adult sample, we had 90 individuals with an average age of 35, compared with an average age of 24 in our student population. Further, Jim Alm and colleagues do not uncover any significant differences between student and non-student populations. In our study in the United States, men on average reported 60 percent of their income, while women reported 73 percent, for a gender gap of 13 percent. The gender gap was even larger elsewhere — 19 percentage points in Italy, 22 points in the United Kingdom and 25 points in Sweden. Curiously, the gap was largest in Sweden, which has among the highest levels of gender equality in the world, and the smallest in the United States, which ranks considerably lower. We had assumed that we would find that men and women would behave more similarly in countries with more gender equality. Our results don’t seem to point to such a pattern. Egalitarian Swedish institutions might have been expected to foster similar behaviors in men and women, but they haven’t. In addition to our tax compliance experiment, we conducted another experiment with the same students which examined levels of altruism. In this experiment, men and women in Sweden behaved quite similarly, meaning that both men and women were equally likely to give part, or all, of their money


On weed, homeland security chief and attorney general could hardly be further apart

is not a factor in the drug war,” Kelly said. He continued: “It’s three things. Methamphetamine. Almost all produced in Mexico. Heroin. Virtually all produced in Mexico. And cocaine that comes up from further south.” Those three drugs, Kelly added, had killed more than 50,000 people in the United States in 2015, along with opiates, and had cost the country some $250 billion. Before joining the Trump administration, Kelly served as the head of U.S. Southern Command, overseeing security operations for Central America, South America and the Caribbean. In that role, he confronted issues related to the trafficking of narcotics, including heroin and cocaine, into the United States, as The Post’s Christopher Ingraham has reported. Kelly made similar remarks on marijuana in a November interview with MilitaryTimes. He told the publication he was opposed to illegal and recreational drug use generally, and was critical of marijuana legalization but said he supported using pot for medical purposes. “Whether it’s veterans or anyone else, if it helps those people, then fine,” he said. “Medicine is medicine.” On that issue, he could hardly be more removed from Sessions, who has balked at the idea that marijuana could be used as a painkiller or treatment for opioid addiction. “I’ve heard people say we could solve our heroin problem with marijuana,” he said in a speech last month. “How stupid is that?” Sessions later told reporters he believed “medical marijuana has been hyped, maybe too much,” as The Post reported. In the same speech, he said his office may reexamine Obama administration policies that left marijuana legalization in the hands of states. Unlike Sessions, Kelly doesn’t have much say in how the United States prosecutes drug offenders. But in his “Meet the Press” appearance Sunday, he argued in favor of reducing demand for drugs rather than punishing drug users. “The solution is not arresting a lot of users,” he said. “The solution is a comprehensive drug demand reduction program in the United States that involves every man and woman of goodwill. And then rehabilitation. And then law enforcement. And then getting at the poppy fields and the coca fields in the south.” More from Morning Mix He hugged his family and said ‘I’ll see you next time’, before being gunned down on Facebook video 5-year-old dies after getting crushed in Atlanta rotating restaurant NASA ‘sting’ operation against 74-year-old widow of Apollo engineer draws court rebuke


11 things to do in the D.C. area the week of April 17-21

Biergarten Haus is celebrating Dyngus Day on Monday with live polka music and pierogi platters. (Photo by Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Monday, April 17 Dyngus Day at Biergarten Haus Ballet Across America at Kennedy Center: Pilsner Urquell night at Fado Tuesday, April 18 ‘Fun Home’ at National Theatre: Tinariwen (+IO:I) - Sastanàqqàm Wednesday, April 19 Tinariwen at the Barns at Wolf Trap: Ryan Montbleau Band at Gypsy Sally's: Thursday, April 20 Filmfest DC at multiple area locations: Oddisee Good Compny at 9:30 Club: ‘In the Heights’ at GALA Hispanic Theater: Friday, April 21 Periphery at the Fillmore: ‘Born in China’ at multiple area locations: Read more: The chefs behind the best vegan food in the country are opening a restaurant in D.C. Christina Tosi is planning to open two more locations of Milk Bar in Washington 10 unexpected places to find great art in Washington


Boston Marathon 2017: Geoffrey Kirui tops American Galen Rupp and Edna Kiplagat cruises

Geoffrey Kirui, of Kenya, crosses the finish line. (Elise Amendola/Associated Press) Geoffrey Kirui pulled away from Galen Rupp over the last few miles, winning the men’s division of the 121st Boston Marathon on Monday and ending Rupp’s bid to become the first American winner since 2014. In the women’s division, Edna Kiplagat made the most of her first appearance in the Boston Marathon, separating from the pack at the 18-mile mark and cruising to a victory. Kirui, a 24-year-old runner from Kenya, won in 2:09:37 on a warm day in Boston. Rupp, the Olympic bronze medalist in the event, finished second in his first big-city American marathon in 2:09:58 and Suguru Osako of Japan was third in 2:10:28. In his three marathons, Rupp has finished first (in the Olympic trials), third and second. “It lived up to and exceeded all my expectations,” Rupp told NBC. “[The crowd] really lifted me those last three miles.” Kirui, a convert from track, called Rupp “a strong guy,” and admitted that he tested him for 500 meters to see how the Portland, Ore., native would respond. Now, after the win, he acknowledged in broken English, “I try too many times in track, but I think my future is in the marathon.” One of the more emotional scenes of the day occurred when Meb Keflezighi crossed the finish line. Keflezighi won the men’s division of the first marathon after the 2013 bombings, becoming the first American winner since 1983. He has said this will be his final Boston appearance at the age of 41; his last, the 26th of his career, will come at the New York Marathon. He finished in 2:17:01, citing heat as one factor. Keflezighi headed over to shake the hand of the father of Martin Richard, the 8-year-old who was killed in the 2013 bombings. The two have become close, he said, and he acknowledged that he’ll always be linked to the victims because of his emotional 2014 win. Meb thanking & kissing the hand of the Bill Richard, the father of 8-year-old Martin Richard who was killed in the… https://t.co/UNi4PcdFw7 Kiplagat, a 37-year-old mother of two from Kenya, won in an unofficial time of 2:21:52, with Rose Chelimo of Bahrain second in 2:22:51 and Jordan Hasay of the U.S. third in 2:23:00. Kiplagat added Boston to her New York, London and Los Angeles marathon victories. Edna Kiplagat takes the women’s


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She was attacked 50 years ago for being a woman in the Boston Marathon. On Monday, she ran it again at 70.

threw a block that knocked Semple out of her way, allowing the 20-year-old runner from Syracuse University to finish the race in 4:20:02 at a time when women were thought to be too fragile for long-distance running. Semple later disqualified Switzer for, among other things, running with the men. She’d registered under the name “K.V. Switzer” not with the intention of becoming a women’s pioneer in the sport but to prove to her coach, Syracuse’s Arnie Briggs, that women could run 26.2 miles. Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to finish the Boston Marathon, says her father encouraged her to run to build her confidence. “What happened to me was a radicalizing experience. And it was one that made me bound and determined to change things for women,” she told the Boston Globe. “Running had given me everything, and I wanted other women to feel that as well. On Monday, Switzer, now 70, ran the Boston Marathon for the ninth time, finishing the race in 4:44:31. And this time, she was greeted with acclaim instead of consternation. About one million fans along the route cheered her on as she ran, with photographers and TV cameras capturing her celebration at the finish line. Kathrine Switzer, now 70, acknowledges the crowd before the start of the women’s elite division of the 2017 Boston Marathon. (Mary Schwalm/AP) Switzer, who won the 1974 New York City Marathon, successfully campaigned for the women’s marathon to become an Olympic sport in 1984. In 2015, she started a nonprofit, 261 Fearless, that uses running to empower women around the world. And her story continues to inspire women 50 years later. Her bib number from the 1967 Boston Marathon — 261 — is sometimes worn by women on their arms when they race. Others have had it tattooed on them. “It obviously meant so much to them to have this sense of fearlessness,” Switzer said of what her bib number represents. “They’ve really inspired me that way.” Read more Retropolis: Virginia Tech was not the worst school massacre in U.S. history. This was. A baseball mystery: Did a teenage girl strike out Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig? The White House Easter Egg Roll’s rich history is now in President Trump’s hands ‘Assassins!’ A Confederate spy was accused of helping kill Abraham Lincoln. Then he vanished. ‘Houston, we have a problem’: The amazing history of the iconic Apollo 13 misquote


Brands want to capitalize on 4/20 munchies. Pot advocates say it’s time to grow up.

shops debuted the Brrr-ito, an ice-cream filled burrito that definitely seems like a late-night stoner innovation. This year, they’re introducing another new menu item: The Chill-aco, a waffle-cone taco with two scoops of ice cream and fudge drizzle, “which gives it that ooey-gooey component,” Bumps said. “I think a lot of brands aim to stand out on that day.” The same goes for Lagunitas. The northern California brewery, owned in part by Heineken, is bringing back its Waldos’ Ale, a beer that Washington Post beer columnist Fritz Hahn called “the stickiest of the icky.” The Waldos were a group of students who are said to have coined the term 420 in the 1970s and who worked with the brewery to develop the beer’s dank flavor. It’s “one of our best selling beers,” said spokeswoman Karen Hamilton. Alluding to marijuana in names for beer is “just something that we’ve always done, and it’s not only on April 20.” But it’s not just companies from the liberal enclaves of California and Vermont who are partaking in 4/20 marketing campaigns. It’s also big, mainstream brands, such as Pepsi, Chipotle, Burger King and Denny’s, all of whom have alluded to 4/20 on social media in previous years. If you make food that’s baked, or comes in a bowl, well, the ad copy writes itself. Denny’s tweeted its favorite, allegedly culinary words: “Baked, cooked, fried, stewed, toasted.” Chipotle’s photo of a burrito bowl came with the caption, “Sometimes you need a huge bowl to get you through the day.” Secret stash. https://t.co/8nrI9m3oU3 some of our favorite words: baked cooked fried stewed toasted Dank. https://t.co/HEQGAsA2xp Why are they so coy about it though? Even as more states legalize marijuana, acknowledging 4/20 can still be a tricky business move. So brands do it with a wink and a nudge for consumers who know that “fried” doesn’t exactly refer to chicken, but they stop just short of spelling it out in fear of pushing away their other customers. Case in point: Ask any one of these brands what it is, exactly, that people are celebrating on 4/20, and you’ll make tricky work for its spokesmen, who have to acknowledge the “holiday,” but don’t want to cross a line for their corporation by actually, you know, acknowledging the holiday. Which leads to clinically worded, coded emails like this one, from Totino’s Pizza Rolls spokesman Mike Siemienas: “Totino’s does some


After losing a leg in combat, he worked out privately. Now he’s a Boston Marathon star.

without collapsing. … I just wanted to work out to become the person I used to be.” Six years later, Sanchez is inspiring millions by not only completing the Boston Marathon, but by running the 26.2 miles with the American flag his patrol unit signed and sent to the hospital years ago when he was still recovering. “I boxed it up for three or four years because I didn’t want to acknowledge it,” the 33-year-old told Runner’s World on Monday. When he finally unwrapped it in 2015, he also decided to uncloak himself in a way. Until then, Sanchez had been working out alone, always hiding his wounds when he went out. “I didn’t want to hear that negativity,” the San Antonio native told GrindTV. “I felt ugly. Nobody wants to see those wounds, hell, I don’t even want to see them.” But seeing that flag again, covered in inspirational quotes from his friends, lit a fire under him, he said, and gave him the motivation he needed to eschew any remaining negativity. Sanchez began posting his workouts online, both to Instagram and Facebook, where he’s amassed more than 50,000 followers. Now with the world behind him, Sanchez, who told Runner’s World he doesn’t even like to run, decided to take on his biggest athletic challenge yet — the marathon. Sanchez, who runs to raise money for the Semper Fi Fund, an organization that helps wounded veterans, has now completed three of the 26.2-mile events. He ran his first, the Marine Corps marathon in Washington, D.C., in 2015, before completing his inaugural Boston Marathon last year. Carrying his now beloved flag each time, Sanchez’s time has steadily improved, too. He clocked in at 7:44:10 in the 2015 race, according to the official results. This year’s time in Boston was 5:46:13. “I just woke up one day and said, ‘Hey, why not?” he recalled to Runner’s World about why he decided to start running long distance. “Let’s see what we can do today.” Sanchez has no plans to scale his workouts back, and he sees more marathons in his future. The unwitting role model doesn’t just work out for himself anymore; he does it so that others might avoid feeling like he did when he first got wounded. “I do this to inspire people,” he told Runner’s World. “It’s to inspire people to say yes to something they are afraid of.”


Retailers look past apps to the next frontier of digital shopping: Chatbots

commerce,” the idea of making a purchase or other customer service transaction through A.I.-powered messaging. FreshDirect said its foray into chatbots in part reflected the changing reality of how customers use their smartphones. “We know that asking someone to download an app, it’s a hard thing to do now,” said Lisa Kolodny, FreshDirect’s vice president of brand marketing and communications. Here’s what Kolodny means by that: Consumers are spending more time online, and yet they are concentrating those minutes in a very limited number of apps. Retailers — along with hotels, rental car services, and other businesses — are realizing that the best way to snare your interest online might not be with a killer app of their own, but by creating bots that live in the apps that you already use. Facebook has said that more than 33,000 bots have been created for its Messenger app so far. This latest batch demonstrates how differently businesses are approaching the technology at this early stage of the game. Subway, for example, essentially tried to re-create its in-store experience on the small screen. In a demonstration of how the technology works, the bot asks what kind of cheese you prefer, how thick a coat of mayonnaise you want, and so on — all in a very chatty voice. (When it wants you to indicate whether you want your sandwich toasted, it asks, “Wanna get toasty?”) “We talk a lot about communicating not as a brand, but as a friend, and really engaging with your consumer in a very personal way,” said Linda Kirkpatrick, Mastercard’s executive vice president of merchants and acceptance. Meanwhile, Cheesecake Factory decided to use the bot for gift cards because they reflected what customers are often doing when they come to one of their nearly 200 restaurants. “We are a place that a lot of people go for celebrations,” said Donald Evans, the restaurant’s chief marketing officer. FreshDirect’s bot will try to play on the social nature of the Messenger experience. Its allows shoppers to form a group thread in Messenger, so that multiple people can collaboratively build a grocery list. Kolodny said they envisioned this being used by big families or groups of friends as they join up for summer trips to beach houses or campgrounds. But perhaps spouses or a group of roommates could use it for more routine shopping trips. Subway’s bot is being rolled out


Adidas apologizes for email congratulating runners who ‘survived’ Boston Marathon

Elite men runners lead the field competes in Monday’s 121st running of the Boston Marathon. (Steven Senne/Associated Press) Adidas has issued an apology for an “insensitive email” sent Tuesday morning to Boston Marathon competitors congratulating runners “who survived” Monday’s race. The subject line for the email sent by Adidas read: “Congrats, you survived the Boston Marathon!” Just four years removed the 2013 bombing at the event that killed three people and injured more than 260 others, the messaging was derided on social media for being tone deaf and prompted a quick apology by the sports apparel company. “We are incredibly sorry,” Adidas said in a statement. “Clearly, there was no thought given to the insensitive email subject line we sent Tuesday. We deeply apologize for our mistake. The Boston Marathon is one of the most inspirational sporting events in the world. Every year we’re reminded of the hope and resiliency of the running community at this event.” https://t.co/cdBKixwSqT Adidas’s apology was a bit too late for many on Twitter, however: Adidas trying to make everyone forget about the Pepsi and United PR disasters over the last few weeks. Oof. https://t.co/IrWSEKBEQU @adidas poorly worded. Seriously reconsider whoever wrote this email for you guys https://t.co/Xe683w3sRu Hey @adidas, not the best choice of words for subjects for email blasts to your members, you think? #BostonMarathon… https://t.co/ccdFKTRVzm Today in marketing fails... https://t.co/l1TgYwtKhW Really @adidas ? Are your copyrighters living in a black hole? #adidas #bostonmarathon #chooseyourwordscarefully https://t.co/4f0sTVaED5 @mikd33 @adidas Oh man! That is unfortunate. Not Pepsi level unfortunate, or United....but damn. According to the Boston Globe, at least two survivors of the 2013 bombing competed in this year’s race.


The big questions as Britain’s Theresa May calls for new elections

a constituency in northern England seemed a grim bellwether: The seat, which had been in Labour hands since 1935, was won by a Conservative candidate. Part of the problem rests in the profile of the current party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, a staunch leftist who spent months locked in internecine conflict with Labour's more moderate wing. “A recent poll showed that, in a head-to-head matchup between May and Corbyn, not even a majority of Labour voters would want Corbyn as their prime minister,” reported my colleague Karla Adam. Corbyn has been lukewarm in his opposition to Brexit. On Tuesday, he supported May's decision for fresh elections, but he now faces another backlash within his party, as some Labour members of Parliament urged him to reconsider acquiescing to the prime minister's cynical political calculation. NEW: @ft poll-tracker for the ⭐ 2017 UK General Election ⭐ is up and running https://t.co/902g7JijgM https://t.co/5yzj64Kjh4 Can any other party challenge May? Not really. The far-right United Kingdom Independence Party, which once led the calls for Brexit, has seen much of its raison d'etre co-opted by the Conservatives. The Liberal Democrats, decimated in the 2015 election, are hoping to reassert themselves. “If you want to avoid a disastrous ‘hard Brexit.' If you want to keep Britain in the single market. If you want a Britain that is open, tolerant and united, this is your chance,” said Lib Dem party leader Tim Farron. But even if they do gain ground, it'll likely be as much to the detriment of Labour as the Conservatives. And what about Scotland? Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of Scottish National Party, said May's decision to call for an election was a “huge political miscalculation.” But her party is expected to retain its dominance over Scotland's seats in Westminster and may be even more emboldened to push for a renewed independence bid. May turned down a request by Sturgeon last month for a second independence referendum in Scotland “on the basis that it would be irresponsible to hold such a vote when the terms of Brexit were not yet clear,” the Economist observed. “It is hard to see why the same cannot be said of holding a general election now in Britain.” Meanwhile, a new general election may further deepen an ongoing political crisis in Northern Ireland. Want smart analysis of the most important news in your inbox every weekday along with other global reads,


Activist who vanished after pleading for help on Facebook has been found alive in Mexico

United States and Mexico, spurred weekend vigils in San Diego and heightened concerns about the growing number of people missing under suspicious circumstances in Mexico. But on Tuesday, after nearly a week missing, Castro was reportedly located alive in Mexico. The activist is hospitalized and in “stable” condition after being treated for wounds tied to an apparent kidnapping, Mexico’s attorney general said Tuesday, according to KPBS, a public broadcaster in San Diego. He was found on a street called Avenida San Rafael in Tlalnepantla de Baz, a city north of Mexico City, after the office of the special prosecutor for disappeared persons received an anonymous phone call describing his location. The attorney general’s office said it has since launched an investigation into “the illegal deprivation of freedom” of Castro, KPBS reported. His condition is “delicate,” Gabriela “Gaba” Cortes, Castro’s partner, wrote on Facebook Tuesday night, adding that the authorities continue to investigate. Cortes is with Castro while he receives medical treatment. “Now this warrior will have to do his part,” Cortes wrote in Spanish. Meanwhile, his friends, family and colleagues posted messages on social media, celebrating the news and saying they were planning a party for his return to Tijuana, where he currently lives, according to the Times of San Diego. U.S. consular officials in Mexico had confirmed Monday they were assisting in the search for Castro, a well-known activist who coordinates Border Angels’ efforts in Baja California. He had been headed to the southern Mexican state of Chiapas to participate in a caravan following asylum seekers from Central America on their journey to the U.S.-Mexico border. The caravan is meant to draw attention to human rights abuses refugees reportedly suffer in Mexico, as well as allegations that the United States has been turning away asylum seekers without reviewing their cases. In his Facebook Live video, Castro, who had been traveling on buses and taxis, said he had been cornered on the highway by people in freight vehicles. He claimed they were part of a criminal organization from Tamaulipas, a state in northeastern Mexico, and were “stalking” him “as if they were dogs.” As his phone battery dwindled, and his Mexican pesos ran out, he pleaded with his friends — or anyone watching — to come rescue him. “Seriously, I was threatened,” he said. “They want … they want to kill me.” “I need help! I need help!” he added.


11 charts that show marijuana has truly gone mainstream

least once support legalizing recreational weed. Only 26 percent of those who haven't tried it say the same. In short, people who have experience using marijuana generally think it should be legal. This has potentially significant implications for the national legalization debate: As marijuana becomes legal in more states, more people will try it. This could lead to greater support for legalization, even more states legalizing, more people trying it, and so on. 4. Most Americans think smoking weed is 'socially acceptable' Regardless of whether they support legalization or use it themselves, 56 percent of Americans say that using marijuana is “socially acceptable,” compared to 42 percent who say it isn't. Again, there's a big split here between people who've tried it (74 percent say it's acceptable) and people who haven't (37 percent). Majorities also said it would make no difference to them if they learned that their doctor, clergyman, favorite athlete, favorite celebrity or children's schoolteacher used marijuana in their personal life. Americans do, however, disapprove of parents smoking pot in front of their kids: 79 percent say they would have less respect for such a person. 5. Americans say weed is less risky than tobacco, alcohol or painkillers By a margin of 72 percent to 20 percent, Americans say that regular alcohol use is more of a health risk than regular marijuana use. The margins for tobacco (76 to 18) and prescription painkillers (67 to 20) are similar. But the public is split on whether pot is a risk in and of itself: 51 percent say using marijuana is a health risk, while 44 percent say it is not. Like any drug, there are indeed serious risks associated with marijuana use: addiction, long-term health problems, driving impairment, you name it. While it's true that the risks associated with marijuana are generally lesser than the risks of using alcohol or other drugs, that doesn't mean that it's “safe,” full-stop. 6. Marijuana's legal status isn't a huge barrier to use Asked why they don't use pot, 27 percent of marijuana abstainers cited its illegality. But the rest pointed to a host of other reasons: 26 percent said they simply don't like it. 16 percent said they don't use because it's not healthy. Others said that it would interfere with work or school or that they simply had no desire to use it. These numbers are mirrored in another question: Asked


The hot new trend in food is literal garbage

dogfish. Lamb, who had previously volunteered with a local agriculture group, was surprised by the amount of produce farmers plowed into the ground or fed to pigs, given increasing consumer demand for healthy, local food. For solutions, she turned to a classic New England recipe — which she now sells to nursing homes, soup kitchens and schools. “For university students especially, it’s a big draw to use food waste now,” Lamb said. She’s already looking toward to expanding into the retail market. Individually, of course, neither ReGrained nor SecondsFirst is moving the national needle on waste. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans threw away 38 million tons of food in 2014 alone — much of it unbought, unmarketable or unharvested food that was still perfectly edible. Lamb, who sources directly from area farmers, doesn't currently track the amount of waste that she uses. But her focus is decidedly small-scale and local: She’s determined to keep her prices low, particularly for institutions that serve low-income people. Kurzrock, meanwhile, puts his impact in these terms: ReGrained sources from five breweries, each of which brews three to five times per week. The company can use the equivalent of one day’s brewing waste, from one brewery, weekly. “It’s a very small amount of the total amount of waste,” he said. “We’re really just scratching the surface.” This does not discourage food-waste enthusiasts, though, who argue that Lamb and Kurzrock’s real impact may be behind the scenes. Large, multinational food companies are paying close attention to the business models developed by upcycling start-ups, said Jonathan Deutsch, a professor of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University. Deutsch’s lab works directly with some of these firms, helping them develop new products and recipes from their waste. Most recently, he and his students have partnered with Love Beets to dream up good uses for the company’s beet powder, such as enriched red velvet cakes. The powder is made from the ground, dehydrated seconds of the company’s main product — packaged beets peeled, cut and sold around the world. There wasn’t always a market for products like beet flour, Deutsch said. But start-ups have been critical in building that market — largely by persuading customers that “food waste” was a virtuous, and not a gross, ingredient. “We’re at this phase where there are now proven models, and a lot of interest and excitement,” Deutsch said. Many


waste that she uses. But her focus is decidedly small-scale and local: She’s determined to keep her prices low, particularly for institutions that serve low-income people. Kurzrock, meanwhile, puts his impact in these terms: ReGrained sources from five breweries, each of which brews three to five times per week. The company can use the equivalent of one day’s brewing waste, from one brewery, weekly. “It’s a very small amount of the total amount of waste,” he said. “We’re really just scratching the surface.” This does not discourage food-waste enthusiasts, though, who argue that Lamb and Kurzrock’s real impact may be behind the scenes. Large, multinational food companies are paying close attention to the business models developed by upcycling start-ups, said Jonathan Deutsch, a professor of culinary arts and food science at Drexel University. Deutsch’s lab works directly with some of these firms, helping them develop new products and recipes from their waste. Most recently, he and his students have partnered with Love Beets to dream up good uses for the company’s beet powder, such as enriched red velvet cakes. The powder is made from the ground, dehydrated seconds of the company’s main product — packaged beets peeled, cut and sold around the world. There wasn’t always a market for products like beet flour, Deutsch said. But start-ups have been critical in building that market — largely by persuading customers that “food waste” was a virtuous, and not a gross, ingredient. “We’re at this phase where there are now proven models, and a lot of interest and excitement,” Deutsch said. Many companies, he added, are “going into their factories and looking at the nutrition they put in the garbage or the compost bin, and seeing if they can get it on shelves.” That sort of mainstream change could make a big dent in the food-waste problem, ReFED estimates. In a 2016 report, the coalition calculated that “upcycling” efforts could save 102,000 tons of food from landfills each year. Until that point, however, start-ups like ReGrained and SecondsFirst are eager to lay the early groundwork. “There are lots of applications for spent grain,” Kurzrock said. "... We're just getting started.” The next products in his pipeline: cookies and pretzels. More from Wonkblog: Americans throw out more food than plastic, paper, metal, and glass You're about to see a big change in the sell-by dates on food Why Whole Foods is now struggling


Just in in time for 4-20: A ‘Shopify’ for cannabis

2016. (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley) It’s that time of year. Thursday is April 20. 4-20, 4/20, 4:20 or just 420. It’s the day of the year many call the “stoner Christmas.” No one really knows where this day and time to celebrate pot came from (Herb.com traces it back to a bunch of high school stoners in the ’70’s who called themselves “Waldo’s). But that’s not important. What’s important is that millions of pot-smokers will be celebrating this Thursday, and the multi-billion-dollar cannabis industry stands to profit. So naturally, it’s a great time to introduce an online shopping application for cannabis businesses. That’s what the entrepreneurs at Baker Technologies, a three-year old marketing start-up are doing. It’s called Shop and it’s pretty much like the uber-popular e-commerce application Shopify. Except that this application is geared for the growing number of pot shops and dispensaries in the 34 states that now allow either recreational or medicinal use of marijuana. The Denver-based company wants to cut down on the time it takes customers to research, buy and receive their marijuana products. It also wants to make it easier for merchants to deal with inventory, sales and product management while streamlining the process for pickup and deliveries and, according to this report in Fast Company, help with “a uniform e-commerce system for legal weed (that navigates) the confusing patchwork of state and local regulations that govern the sale and distribution of cannabis—some of which seem to be changing every day.” David Champion, Baker’s co-founder and chief product officer told Fast Company that “a lot of tailoring and customization” of their platform was needed “so that the dispensary can go in and set their preferences—the language, the imagery, the branding—in accordance with their state rules,” It’s a still a risky investment for Shop’s backers, who have plowed more than $3.5 million into the company to date. The Trump administration has been making noises that it intends to enforce national laws on the sale and possession of marijuana, which is still classified as a Schedule 1 drug under the federal Controlled Substances Act. Regardless, many analysts believe that pot could be legalized in all 50 states within the next five to seven years and that this momentum would force a change in federal regulations. Which is why other start-ups, like Meadow and Eaze, are also introducing their own competitive ecommerce apps to go head-to-head against Shop.


Facing a suicide crisis in his country, this African psychiatrist enlisted grandmothers to step in

with the grandmothers, they are often referred to peer support groups where they might learn a skill together, like how to weave bags with recycled plastic. “It’s a powerful way of keeping that link with the grandmothers,” Chibanda said in an interview. “Human contact, which is often overlooked when we prescribe medication, can be equally as effective for mild to moderate depression. I fell in love with the whole idea of sitting down with people and being able to uplift a person, talk them through and out of depression through all of these evidence-based practices.” In Zimbabwe, the ratio of traditional mental health professionals to the population in need is an extreme example of a global problem affecting both the developing and developed world. In countries big and small, rich and poor, the need for mental health services outpaces the resources available. In the United States, the situation isn’t quite as dire, but the issue is just as pressing. One study found that 55 percent of counties in the United States do not have any psychiatrists and 77 percent are underserved, according to a report released last month by the National Council for Behavioral Health. And in those areas where there are enough psychiatrists, it has become increasingly common for the doctors to shift to a cash-only practice, making psychiatry a medical specialty out of reach for Americans who can’t afford the cost. Then there are long wait times to schedule an appointment and rushed visits that dilute the quality of care. By 2025, it’s estimated that the demand for psychiatry will surpass the amount of doctors available by 25 percent, according to the report. That data is underscored by an analysis released this week by researchers at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, who found an uptick in Americans with serious psychological distress, but also an increase in difficulty accessing care. Research has shown that social support methods of care are effective to treat mental illness. Community integration and acceptance can play a significant role in serving all populations from those with the most serious mental health disorders to more common conditions while isolation and feeling as though there is no one who understands is known to exacerbate symptoms. Which is why Chibanda believes his friendship benches could be a model used around the world in any community to reduce the gap where access to care is limited. “The


The Daily 202: A wake-up call for Republicans in Georgia, but Democrats remain unlikely to win the House in 2018

-- LONG READ OF THE DAY “Keith argues that such a project, usually known as solar geoengineering, is technologically feasible and … ought to be fairly cheap from a cost-benefit perspective[:] What surprised me, then, as Keith paced 'around his Harvard office … was his listing all the reasons humans might not want to hack the environment. Most of his thoughts were related to the possible dangers of trying to engineer our way out of a climate problem of nearly unimaginable scientific, political and moral complexity. Solar geoengineering might lead to what some economists call ‘lock-in,’ referring to the momentum that a new technology, even one with serious flaws, can assume after it gains a foothold in the market. Once we start putting sulfate particles in the atmosphere, he mused, would we really be able to stop?” HOT ON THE LEFT: “She wanted her ex-husband to die with a happy thought; she told him Trump had been impeached.” From Kristine Phillips: “When Michael Elliott died, the last voice he heard was that of his ex-wife, his best friend. In a short phone conversation moments before Elliott took his last breath, she told him what he wanted to hear. ‘I told him that everything's going to be all right,’ [she said] … ‘And Donald Trump has been impeached.’ Teresa Elliott, who lives in Texas, [was unable to make it to Oregon before the passing of her ex-husband]. So on April 6, one of Michael Elliott's friends called her and told her that he was about to die. The two talked as someone held up the phone to the dying man's ear. Afterward, one of his friends took the phone ‘and told me that he had completely relaxed and taken his last breath, and he was gone,’ Teresa Elliott said.” Teresa said her ex-husband was a “CNN junkie” and longtime Democrat who found Trump to be a “loathsome individual.” She said she gave her ex-husband the false news because she wanted him to die with a happy thought. HOT ON THE RIGHT: “Fresno State lecturer placed on leave for ‘Trump must hang’ tweet,” from Derek Hawkins: “A Fresno State University lecturer has been placed on paid leave after tweeting that President Trump ‘must hang’ to save American democracy. Lars Maischak, who teaches history, will spend the rest of the spring semester off-campus, Fresno State President Joseph Castro said in a statement Tuesday.


How to build your own moonshot lab, according to Astro Teller

that water. It takes a lot of energy, all the ways to do it right now just take a lot of energy. And the fixed costs for the machines to clean the water is also pretty sizable, ways that take somewhat less energy require very expensive, relatively speaking, expensive filters. So that's an example of something lots of people care about, lots of smart technologists have taken a run at, but so far there really isn't a solution that has just made that a problem of the past. What's one thing that you guys do as an organization to help keep ideas flowing? Who at the organization comes up with ideas in the first place, and what do you do to facilitate that process? Everyone is qualified to come up with ideas. If you go to a kindergarten and you ask kids to have some ideas, every single child in the room will have ideas for you. Crazy ideas. The ability for us to have ideas and to put them out in front of our peers is lost as we grow up. It's beaten out of us. It's not something that you need to find rarefied people who are good at doing it. The trick is to make them feel safe, so that they can put their ideas in front of their peers and not feel like they're going to get laughed at. And then you have to weed through those ideas in a thoughtful way. So the best-case scenario — and I've seen this happen many times at X — is someone brings up an idea. I don't know, they say, “What if we could harvest the power in an avalanche?” Okay, that's probably not going to work, but the first answer that they have to get is, “What a gorgeous idea!” Because if you can ask that question, and 100 questions like that, one of them is going to be right. And that has the form of a brilliant idea, even if it doesn't happen to be a brilliant idea. High-five! And everybody's excited for you, you feel really good right now. Now I say: “All right. How can we kill this idea? How can we, as fast and as efficiently as possible, satisfy ourselves that this is not the 1 in 100, it's the 99 in 100, so we can get onto your next idea. Sort of


Our aircraft carrier was not headed to North Korea. It was delivering Ivanka Trump merchandise to China!

(Tom Toles) In a breakthrough trade agreement, President Trump agreed that China is no longer a currency manipulator in exchange for China opening its markets to Ivanka Trump merchandise. China will also grant trademark rights to Ivanka Trump in exchange for the opportunity to actually manufacture all of her merchandise and then sell it back to the United States at variable discount rates denominated in renminbi. In addition, China also agreed to help persuade the recalcitrant hermit kingdom of Kim Jong Un to open the North Korean market to Ivanka Trump goods. It was agreed that the high-stepping military parades would look less menacing if the soldiers all sported high-end Ivanka Trump shoes, and failed missile tests would come across better if loaded with Ivanka Emoluments Perfume. Trump has not given up on America First, though, and not only will he build his wall, but also he will have it built in Florida to protect his Palm Beach executive mansion and corporate headquarters from the sea-level rise caused by his Trump Coal and Toxic Gas line of unregulated fossil-fuel products. The fossil-friendly courtiers at his other Trump palace, in Washington, will reward him for his favors by crowning him Emperor Donald the First and granting him new powers vested in him by the Trump Advisory Council (formerly Congress) and upheld by the Trump-appointed Supreme Courtiers. This will allow Trump to finally repeal Obamacare and replace it with delicious Trump-brand Let-Them-Eat-Cake Care. He described it as the most beautiful chocolate cake you have ever seen.


Trump administration grudgingly faces reality on the Iran nuclear deal

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sent a letter, April 19, to House Speaker Paul Ryan announcing that Iran appears to be in compliance with a multi-nation agreement aimed at limiting Tehran's access to nuclear material. As a candidate for the presidency, Donald Trump agreed with all his Republican colleagues that the Iran nuclear deal that the United States negotiated along with China, Russia, Great Britain, France and Germany was a disaster, a catastrophe, a calamity. But now, the Trump administration is taking the position that it might actually be working out fine: The Trump administration has notified Congress that Iran is complying with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal negotiated by former President Barack Obama, and says the U.S. has extended the sanctions relief given to the Islamic republic in exchange for curbs on its atomic program. However, in a letter sent late Tuesday to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the administration has undertaken a full review of the agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. While that review might be a preview to some future action to undermine the agreement, what we’re seeing here is yet another iteration of a now-familiar pattern, in which candidate Trump made absurd claims and promises, but then President Trump is forced to confront reality and backtracks from the dangerous or simply ridiculous positions he took before. That has happened on a wide variety of domestic and foreign issues; just this week we learned that the administration may not pull out of the Paris climate accord after all, despite Trump’s prior belief that climate change is a hoax concocted by the Chinese to harm American manufacturers. On the campaign trail, Trump called the Iran agreement, in which it curtailed its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, “the dumbest deal perhaps I’ve ever seen in the history of deal-making.” At various times he threatened to tear it up: “My number-one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran.” But he never said much about what specifically he objected to in the agreement, other than the fact that it was negotiated by the Obama administration and so therefore it must be bad. In this he was no different from most Republicans. He did complain about the fact that the deal included the release of Iranian funds that had been frozen in western and Asian banks, though


‘Like someone stuck an ice pick in my collarbone’: Painful rat lungworm disease on upswing in Hawaii

attacks the brain and the spinal cord. It can also cause a rare type of meningitis called eosinophilic meningitis. Some of those infected show no symptoms or have mild symptoms. Others get battered with “severe headaches, stiffness of the neck, tingling or painful feelings in the skin or extremities, low-grade fever, nausea, vomiting” and sometimes a temporary paralysis of the face and light sensitivity. Mynar said she couldn’t stand to be in the light for a while, and lived out some of her days in dark rooms. Eliza Lape, of San Francisco, told KPIX, she and her husband were infected while in Hawaii for their wedding. “It was a feeling like somebody was taking a hot knife and just stabbing me in different parts of my body,” she said. Ben Manilla, her husband, wound up in intensive care in San Francisco. Tricia Mynar, who lives on Maui, thinks she got it while visiting the Big Island from eating her favorite salad, but that’s not been confirmed by health officials. Diagnosis is challenging as there is no readily available blood test, according to the state health department. The patients start out thinking they have flu, as Mynar did. Doctors refine the diagnosis by looking at what they’ve eaten and where they’ve been. “Angiostrongyliasis is of increasing public health importance as globalization contributes to the geographical spread and more international travelers encounter the disease,” said a 2014 study. “The parasite is on the move. It has spread from its traditional endemic areas of Asia and the Pacific Basin to the American continent including the USA, Brazil and Caribbean islands. Recently, the incidence of human infections has increased rapidly. Most reports of the disease are from Thailand and Taiwan with increasing reports from mainland China.” Humans cannot spread the disease to each other. And the parasites “cannot mature or reproduce in humans,” said the health department. But the treatments do not cure the illness. People have to wait it out, sometimes with rehabilitation, taking pain medications and steroids to reduce the symptoms, which can last anywhere between two to eight weeks or longer. So far no sense of crisis appears to have overtaken Hawaii, a state accustomed because of its climate and location to diseases like dengue fever that rarely appear in the continental United States, and to the respiratory distress caused by “vog” (volcanic smog) from the sulfur emitted by active volcanoes.


Teens tend to think marijuana use is no big deal, but they’re wrong.

use, teens who have watched any of the ‘80s stoner classics or who have seen reruns of “That ’70s Show” know that smoking pot was “cool” even when Mom and Dad were young. Some parents are reluctant to make a big deal out of marijuana use. After all, we turned out okay, right? Unfortunately, our kids might not. Marijuana is more potent now than what people were smoking 30 years ago. In fact, the average THC (the psychoactive ingredient in pot) content of marijuana has increased from less than 3 to 4 percent in the 1990s, to nearly 13 percent today. That makes it easier to overdose on marijuana, something that results not in death, but in panic, disorientation, loss of control and in some cases, hospitalization. Teenagers also might be more inclined to use pot because of the increased availability of marijuana edibles. Brownies, cookies and even gummy bears are now common forms of marijuana consumption. Drug paraphernalia and the need to be super secretive makes smoking marijuana seem dark and dangerous and might make some kids reluctant to use it. But a gummy bear or a cookie are pleasant to see and taste, and easy to conceal and consume. It’s terrifying to realize that kids could be sitting in a movie, in class, or in the living room using marijuana and teachers and parents wouldn’t know it. And consuming edible marijuana might be more dangerous than smoking pot. It’s nearly impossible to tell how much pot is in a marijuana cookie or brownie, and manufacturers can’t guarantee the even distribution of pot within a single edible. So one half of a marijuana cookie might contain much more THC than the other half. This makes treating a marijuana overdose tricky. Where are these edible marijuana products coming from? While it’s certain that homemade goodies are a common source, there are eight states where marijuana is legal for recreational use. Like other marijuana products, buyers must be 21 to purchase edibles, but just as with alcohol, teenagers who want pot can usually find a source. The legalization of marijuana in some states has made it easier to get pot, and it seems to be changing attitudes about the use of this drug. The National Institute on Drug Abuse reports that the less harmful teens perceive a drug to be, the more the use of that drug increases. Since pot is


U-Md. president: Why I march for science

University of Maryland President Wallace D. Loh appears at a student-run hackathon. (John T. Consoli/U-Md.) To enhance American health, security and prosperity, we need to renew the Enlightenment. Our scientific and technological strengths began with the Enlightenment ideal of a disciplined curiosity. Our nation’s founders—heirs to the Enlightenment—thought of this as “natural philosophy.” Today, we call it science. Think of Benjamin Franklin in a lightning storm, kite in hand, learning about electricity. Our founders sated their curiosity with science and the humanities, aiming to build a strong nation. Today, we need even more of their spirit to nourish our scientific enterprise. It rests on public support and understanding of how well universities conduct research and educate the next generation of citizens and leaders. Consider the University of Maryland scientist who dared ask what happens when fruit flies take naps. After genetically altering the flies to get lots of sleep, their immune systems strengthened. Such research can suggest what happens in people. When our social scientists began constructing one of the world’s most comprehensive terrorism databases, they built it with much more information than normally found in dossiers of individual bad actors. They were able to able to discover broader trends in terrorist activities. Our bioengineers have learned to control cells with electricity, a discovery that may ultimately allow people to program their phones to treat diseases like diabetes. To be worthwhile, research does not have to have a practical payoff. But good research often translates into valuable applications that improve the human condition. The curiosity and virtuosity are dazzling. We are building robots that can learn, and we are improving how people learn foreign languages critical to national security. We are developing augmented-reality systems that may give doctors new diagnostic tools, while making strides in quantum computing that promise machines more powerful than we dared imagine. Most of this enterprise flows from research universities. The work changes lives and creates businesses. In this sophisticated sandbox, our students prepare for and help create the future. The modern university began with the Enlightenment, and grew rapidly in America with a push by President Abraham Lincoln. He launched our “land-grant” universities to bring the fruits of science, technology, and the liberal arts to the people. He also insisted that learning belonged to all—not just the privileged few. The first fruits were agricultural—new farming techniques to fight hunger, as our researchers still do today.


Racially biased people are far more likely to oppose black athletes’ protests. Here’s the evidence.

similar protests. A 2016 Quinnipiac University Poll found that 54 percent of Americans say they disapprove of these protests. That number hides a divide by race: 74 percent of African Americans say they approve, while 63 percent of whites are opposed. We wondered whether that white opposition is related in part to racial attitudes. How we did our research Decades of research To do this, we fielded a nationally representative online survey in October. We asked 2,000 respondents: Recently, a number of professional athletes have protested the treatment of African Americans by not standing during the singing of the national anthem. Do you support the right of these athletes to kneel during the singing of the national anthem? As you can see in the graph below, 34 percent of all Americans say they support these athletes’ rights to kneel during the anthem (30 percent oppose it strongly). But that divided profoundly by race. More than half of blacks were supportive, compared with about 1 in 4 whites. To explore whether racial attitudes were related to white opposition, we asked respondents to tell us to what extent African Americans fit different negative stereotypes. Specifically, we asked whether respondents thought African Americans were lazy (vs. hard-working), unintelligent (vs. intelligent) and violent (vs. peaceful). We also asked people in our survey to rate whites on these same traits. We then looked at the difference between how white respondents rated whites on these scales to how they rated African Americans. When they rated African Americans as more lazy, unintelligent and violent than they rated whites, we took this as evidence of racial stereotyping. We also asked questions that examined partisanship, ideological attachments, patriotism, gender, age and education. This allows us to see whether opposition to the protests is related to racial stereotypes even after controlling for other factors. The big role of racial bias Racial attitudes had a notable relationship to white opposition to athletes’ protests. The graph below shows precisely how strong the relationship is between holding negative stereotypes of blacks and strong opposition to the protests. Even after we account for all the factors we listed above, we still find that whites who hold the most negative stereotypes about blacks are about 25 points more likely to strongly oppose athletes kneeling during the anthem than whites who have positive views of blacks. Tatishe M. Nteta is an associate professor in the department


10 new restaurants around Washington to check out now

Oysters Rockefeller are topped with aerated bechamel, made a brilliant green with spinach. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post) Trying to break out of a dining rut? Want the scoop on which new restaurants are worth visiting? Here’s a roundup of your best bets, as vetted by Washington Post staffers. Voltaggio Brothers Steak House: Rum baba at Mike Isabella's new Arroz. (Dayna Smith for The Washington Post) Arroz: Steamed clams at Ruta del Vino. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post) Ruta del Vino: Boudin blanc at Mirabelle. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post) Mirabelle: The Maryland Fry Bar is one of the best parts of Fish by José Andrés. (Dixie D. Vereen for The Washington Post) Fish by José Andrés: Open-faced steak tartare sandwich at Baba. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post) Baba: Crispy sour potatoes from Tiger Fork. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post) Tiger Fork: Sfoglina makes a variety of pastas in-house, including rigatoni. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post) Sfoglina: Chicken croquetas at Colada Shop. (Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post) Colada Shop: Butterscotch panna cotta is among the thoughtful desserts at Honeysuckle. (Dixie D. Vereen for The Washington Post) Honeysuckle: Read more: 14 dishes you need to try before you can call yourself a D.C. foodie This $26 sandwich — literally ham, butter and bread — says everything about D.C. dining This trendy ice cream cone looks like bubble wrap and tastes like a waffle


Two-time New York City Marathon winner dies at a New Jersey school track meet

the New York Road Runners called “an “iconic figure” in NYC Marathon history, collapsed as he got out of his car, Newark Central Coach Bruce Berry told NJ.com, and was given CPR and defibrillation for more than 20 minutes. He had a pulse when he was taken to Mountainside Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. It is with an incredibly heavy heart that I share the news that MKA Cross Country/Track Coach Tom Fleming (65) pass… https://t.co/YiAgbC1Ezp On a chilly day, Fleming, cross country and track coach who also taught fourth grade at the middle school, had returned to his car to wait for the end of the javelin competition to end during the meet at Verona High, which does not allow track events to go on concurrently with the javelin. When it was time to report to the track, Berry said Fleming opened his car door and collapsed as he stepped out. Two-time NYC Marathon champ Tom Fleming died today while coaching a H.S. team. Story by @NorthNJtrack, with video:… https://t.co/OSB01zCYLv Fleming was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2013 and the National Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2014. He became the MKA coach in 2000. Sad news of Tom Fleming's passing. Found this old photo in The Record's archives with Bill Rodgers from 1979… https://t.co/fIJTZKf4bS In addition to winning the NYC Marathon in 1973 and 1975, he finished second twice in the Boston Marathon and won marathons in Cleveland, Washington, Toronto, Los Angeles and on the Jersey Shore. He finished fifth in the 1976 Olympic trials and had a personal best of 2:12.05 at the 1975 Boston race, which still ranks among the top 40 in American history. “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tom Fleming,” New York Road Runners wrote on Facebook. “As a two-time New York City Marathon champion and top local runner, Tom was an iconic figure in our history and a beloved teacher, coach and mentor to many young people over the years.” Unfortunate News, New Jersey Distance Legend & Montclair Kimberley Academy Coach Tom Fleming Passed Away Wednesday… https://t.co/YaADtE0EtZ “He’s someone that will be missed in Essex County track and field,” John Tonero, the former Vailsburg coach and Essex County Track Coaches Association treasurer, told NJ.com. “Tom was very passionate about the sport. He’ll just be surely missed. We’re all in shock.”


The Trump administration is way behind the times on marijuana

Marijuana plants are a few weeks away from harvest in the “flower room” at the Ataraxia medical marijuana cultivation center in Albion, Ill., on Sept. 15, 2015. (Seth Perlman/Associaed Press) The Trump administration is threatening a crackdown on states that have legalized marijuana for recreational use. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said the drug is only “slightly less awful” than heroin. And Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly this week labeled it a “dangerous gateway drug.” They are way behind the times. A new CBS News poll — it's 4/20, get it? — shows the fast march toward legal marijuana continues apace, with 61 percent of registered voters favoring it — an all-time high (so to speak). This includes 46 percent of Republicans who are now, remarkably, about evenly split on the question (46 percent in favor vs. 49 percent against). What's more, Americans even more overwhelmingly disagree with the Trump administration's posture here. Just 24 percent agree that the federal government should try to stop marijuana use in the fast-growing number of states that have legalized it, while 71 percent say it should not. That's nearly a 3-to-1 rebuke of what Sessions is moving toward doing. And the numbers confirm a Quinnipiac University poll in February that shows people opposed a crackdown by almost the exact same margin, 71 percent to 23 percent. In addition, people seem to strongly disagree with Sessions's characterization that marijuana is akin to other drugs such as heroin. Fully 65 percent say marijuana is less dangerous than other drugs. An additional 27 percent say it's just as dangerous, while 4 percent say it's more dangerous. And 88 percent — about as close to a consensus as you get in polling — support using it for medicinal purposes. That suggests that even many people who say it's as dangerous as other drugs such as heroin perhaps don't truly believe that. And it's again counter to Sessions's position on this issue; he recently said that “medical marijuana has been hyped, maybe too much.” “Dosages can be constructed in a way that might be beneficial — I acknowledge that — but if you smoke marijuana, for example, where you have no idea how much THC you’re getting, it’s probably not a good way to administer a medicinal amount,” he said last month. “So forgive me if I’m a bit dubious about that.” Even within the Trump administration, there


Study: Nationwide medical marijuana laws would save lives — and a billion taxpayer dollars

A thriving marijuana plant is seen in 2013 at a grow operation in Denver. (Rick Wilking/Reuters) A fascinating study in Health Affairs last year by a father-daughter pair of public policy researchers found that Medicare prescriptions for things like painkillers, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications dropped sharply in states that introduced a medical marijuana program. The implication? Offered the choice between taking medication prescribed by a doctor and self-medicating with pot, many older patients opted for the latter. But the study left one big question unanswered: Since the study's authors — the University of Georgia's Ashley Bradford and W. David Bradford — only looked at Medicare data, they couldn't say for sure whether the findings held for younger patients too. Now, we're getting more answers. This week, the Bradfords are back with a new study applying the same analysis to prescriptions under Medicaid, which covers low-income people of all ages. The results largely validate their previous work: Medicaid prescriptions for certain drugs fell significantly in states that adopted a medical marijuana law. Specifically, anti-nausea drug prescriptions fell by 17 percent. Antidepressant prescriptions fell 13 percent, while prescriptions for seizure and psychosis drugs fell 12 percent. Not everyone who has access to medical marijuana opts for it, obviously. But enough do to make a significant dent in the prescription numbers. “Patients and physicians in the community are reacting to the availability of medical marijuana as if it were medicine,” the Bradfords conclude. Perhaps most significantly from a public health standpoint, prescriptions for painkillers fell by 11 percent. Opiate painkillers are behind much of the current drug overdose epidemic. Numerous studies have found that opiate abuse and overdose rates fell in states with medical marijuana laws. The Bradfords' research describes the mechanism by which that could happen: the introduction of medical marijuana laws coincides with a drop in painkiller prescriptions. The Bradfords' data only include prescriptions made under Medicare and Medicaid, but given the totality of their evidence it seems reasonable to assume that similar patterns hold true for patients on private insurance plans. In the current budgetary environment, no analysis of health care is complete without a discussion of costs. The Bradfords estimate that because of the drops in prescribing rates, a nationwide medical marijuana program would save taxpayers about $1.1 billion on Medicaid prescriptions annually. That's on top of the half a billion in Medicare savings the Bradfords estimated last year.


Trump administration launches national security investigation into steel imports

to say that the order was directed at China, which has about half of the world's steel capacity and has flooded the global market with cheap steel in recent years. “This has nothing to do with China," Trump said. "This has to do with worldwide, what’s happening. The dumping problem is a worldwide problem.” He added that the investigation could be completed in as little as 50 days, well ahead of the 360-day maximum timeline set by the law. Executives from Arcelor Mittal, Nucor Corporation, U.S. Steel, the United Steelworkers and other companies and industry groups were present at the signing. U.S. steel stocks surged Thursday, with United States Steel Corp. climbing 7.35 percent to close the trading day. AK Steel soared 8.6 percent, while Nucor Corporation gained 4.74 percent. The U.S. steel industry has been shedding jobs for decades, partly due to the development of steel furnaces that are increasingly efficient and automated, and partly due to growing capacity in countries like China. Trump's protectionist trade message resonated in steel-producing states like Ohio and Pennsylvania that were vital to his election. Yet some analysts say that if the United States were to restrict steel imports, that could raise the price of steel for the U.S. companies that use the metal to make other products, and make it harder for those companies to compete abroad. In the briefing, Ross said this consideration would be weighed in the Commerce Department's ultimate report. “It’s a question of balancing one’s priorities,” he added. Tadaaki Yamaguichi, the chairman of the Japan Steel Information Center, which advocates for the Japanese steel industry in the United States, said Thursday that the investigation would have negative consequences for the U.S. economy, including industries like construction and manufacturing that depend on steel imports. "There are far more American jobs at stake in the steel consuming sector than there are in domestic steel production and this action will put many American jobs at risk because prices will rise and competition will decline," he said. "Anti-competitive action and protectionism is not the American way. All this is doing is rigging the system and corrupting the marketplace.” Also on Thursday, U.S. Steel presented the U.S. International Trade Commission, a Washington-based trade agency, with a claim that Chinese steelmakers were undercutting competitors by colluding to set their prices. A trade judge threw out the claim last November, arguing that the agency did


A rare tick-borne disease infected a baby, the first case in a new state

It started with fever and vomiting. Then the 5-month-old baby developed facial twitching, stiffening of his right arm and seizures. The family rushed him to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Clinicians there performed tests, including a brain MRI that showed clear signs of a serious infection. The testing showed that the baby didn’t have meningitis, an infection in the tissues surrounding the brain. But he did have an unusual pattern of inflammation in the very deep parts of his brain. Doctors didn’t know what was causing the inflammation. But the parents said that two weeks earlier, they had pulled a tick off the baby’s knee, and that the tick had been there for two to three hours. The parents told doctors that the tick was probably carried in on someone's clothing who was out hunting, who then held the baby before changing clothes. Nicholas Bennett was the infectious disease specialist who treated the boy when he was brought to the hospital in early November. It was too late in the year for the infant to have been exposed to mosquitoes, which can transmit viruses that cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain. Instead, the clues suggested a rare tick-borne illness known as Powassan virus disease. Bennett had trained in Upstate New York, where doctors had seen cases of the illness, which can be fatal in up to 10 percent of cases. He also had read studies saying that the disease had been found in ticks in Connecticut. Many people who become infected with the virus do not develop symptoms, but it can cause encephalitis and meningitis. Symptoms can include fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, loss of coordination, speech difficulties and seizures. There is no specific medicine to cure or treat Powassan virus disease. An infected tick can transmit Powassan virus as quickly as 15 minutes after attachment. By comparison, Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections can take as long as one to two days to transmit, and the tick has to stay attached the whole time, he said. An engorged female blacklegged, or deer tick, Ixodes scapularis, which transmits Powassan virus disease, a rare illness that can be serious. This larval tick is no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) “Taking into account the story, the MRI findings and the time of year, there was really only one virus it could


Will Jeff Sessions launch a War on Weed? If so, it could accelerate marijuana legalization.

an unfashionable belief in a time of growing tolerance of drug use. But too many lives are at stake to worry about being fashionable. I reject the idea that America will be a better place if marijuana is sold in every corner store. And I am astonished to hear people suggest that we can solve our heroin crisis by legalizing marijuana — so people can trade one life-wrecking dependency for another that’s only slightly less awful. Our nation needs to say clearly once again that using drugs will destroy your life. When Sessions was under consideration for a federal judgeship in 1986, a witness But the big unanswered question is how the attorney general will approach the states that have passed some form of legalization. He could follow the (mostly) hands-off approach that the Obama administration did. Or he could send out federal agents to start shutting down dispensaries across the country. Or he could do something in between. But given his strong views and the fact that marijuana is still illegal under federal law — which gives him substantial power to go after the burgeoning pot industry in states that have legalized it — it’s hard to believe there isn’t some kind of crackdown coming from the Justice Department. Sessions may already be having a deterrent effect. The Colorado legislature was all set to pass a law regulating marijuana clubs but Which means that if and when he attacks legal marijuana, Sessions will be going after a movement with extraordinary momentum. And it’s not just the opinion polls; it’s also what’s happening at the ballot box. In 2016, marijuana initiatives were on the ballot in nine states and won in eight of them. California, Massachusetts, Maine and Nevada legalized marijuana for recreational use, while Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota passed medical marijuana initiatives. Only Arizona’s recreational measure was narrowly defeated. As of now, there are eight states that have legalized recreational marijuana and 22 more (counting the District) that have some kind of medical legalization in place. Sixty-eight million Americans live in the recreational marijuana states, and another 133 million live in the medical marijuana states, for a total of more than 200 million Americans, or more than three-fifths of the population. And no one on either side of this issue thinks those numbers are going to go anywhere but up. While it’s still early, Ballotpedia has So


Serena Williams is the latest in line of women to compete — and win — while pregnant

while playing sport at an elite level,” Dr. Markos Klonizakis of Sheffield Hallam University told the BBC. “Physiologically, the main challenge women face within about five weeks of pregnancy is in adapting to changes to the cardiovascular system. … The nature of a Grand Slam tournament, where players have to recover to play consecutive matches, would have been a challenge for her, if you take into account nausea as well.” Williams, of course, isn’t the only athlete, who’s competed — and even won — while pregnant. Most famously, beach volleyball legend Kerri Walsh Jennings won a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London while five weeks pregnant with her third child, although she didn’t know it. Describing herself as “moody” and “touchy” during the games to the Today Show a month later, Walsh-Jennings said it was her then-teammate, Misty May-Treanor, who suggested she might be expecting. British Olympic cycling champion Laura Kenny also said she competed while pregnant, too. “I actually won the with Elinor Barker when I was about five or six weeks pregnant,” she told BBC’s 5 Live radio this week. The 24-year-old is on hiatus from competition as her pregnancy progresses, but plans a full return in time for Tokyo 2020. American Olympic swimmer Dana Vollmer also plans to snap back from her pregnancy to qualify for the 2020 games. Unlike cycling, where a larger belly might get in the way, Vollmer has continued training into her sixth month of pregnancy. She even entered a meet last week, although the five-time Olympic gold medalist was much slower than normal. Perhaps most amazing, though, is Team USA runner Alysia Montano. At more than eight months pregnant, she competed in the 800-meter quarterfinals of the 2014 U.S. championships. “I know there is a lot of stigma and really, the word is ignorance, behind pregnant women and exercising,” Montano told CBS LA after the race. “And the truth is, it’s good for the mom and the baby.” Williams, who has not competed since winning the Aussie Open due to what she said has been an ongoing knee injury, has not made clear how long she plans to take off from tennis. While she remains on the entry list for the Madrid Open on May 5, it appears unlikely that she will attend. However, as the above list of athletes has shown, it’s entirely possible to compete after pregnancy. Montano


Mansion in Kent neighborhood is priciest home for sale in the District

(Photo by Maxwell Mackenzie) The generously sized living room has one of the home’s six fireplaces. The hand-carved stone fireplace mantel comes from Chesney’s of England. It took about 216 tons of Indiana limestone — the same limestone used at the Pentagon, Washington National Cathedral and the west front of the Capitol — to build this mansion in the Kent neighborhood of Northwest Washington. Designed by Jones & Boer Architects and constructed by Banks Development, the newly built home is on the market for $22 million, making it the most expensive house for sale in the District. The Washington Post’s picks of local distinguished homes on the market. The mansion replaces another stunning manor. The property was the site of Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s residence before a fire destroyed it in 2009. A Washington Post article about the blaze noted: “When fire gutted Peggy Cooper Cafritz’s house Wednesday night, it wasn’t just a woman losing her abode. A neighborhood lost its signature architectural landmark.” The property was going to be subdivided into several homes, but neighbors objected. Instead, a sprawling 14,774-square-foot mansion that blends Georgian and Federal styles was built. The house was inspired by 18th-century homes designed by Sir John Nash, the British architect who created Buckingham Palace. The design of the facade comes from a plate in the book “Parallel of the Classical Orders of Architecture” by Johann Matthaus von Mauch and Charles Pierre Joseph Normand. The columns, entablature, casing and arches echo the Theater of Marcellus in Rome. In the entrance hall, a gently curved stairway with a bronze balustrade rises to the second floor. White oak in wide, long planks covers the floors. (Photo by Maxwell Mackenzie) The mansion was designed by Jones Boer Architects and constructed by Banks Development. The generously sized living room with one of the home’s six fireplaces has three French doors that open to a limestone portico. The fireplace’s hand-carved stone mantel is by Chesney’s of England. Its split firebrick is arranged in a herringbone pattern. In addition to formal living and dining rooms, the first floor contains a guest bedroom with en suite bathroom, a library, a kitchen and a family room. The second-floor master suite has a separate sitting room, terrace, his-and-her bathrooms and his-and-her walk-in closets. Four additional bedrooms each with its own en suite bathroom are on that floor. The lower level includes an exercise room with sauna


Thousands of tiny satellites are about to go into space and possibly ruin it forever

Man-made objects designed to explore the universe are now challenges for modern spaceflight. Halfway through the European Space Agency's new film, we're at the part where — if this were some happy space documentary from yesteryear — Carl Sagan might be giving us a tour of a distant galaxy. But it's 2017, Sagan is dead, and this is a film about space trash. So six minutes in, we're stuck a mere 800 miles above Earth, watching a wasp swarm of defunct satellites whip around the globe to a frenetic soundtrack that sounds like the end of “The Dark Knight.” It's a dramatic simulation of what low Earth orbit looks like today. You can even watch it in 3-D. Because the European Space Agency really, really wants you to pay attention to the space debris problem. The problem is about to get worse, experts say, as cheap, tiny satellites are shot through the stratosphere in unprecedented numbers. Worst-case scenario: a massive, unstoppable, chain-reaction traffic wreck above our heads. So much for escaping Earth to distant galaxies. The short film “Space Debris: A Journey to Earth” was screened this week in Germany at the world's largest annual gathering of space-debris experts. The news from space was not great. Hundreds of thousands of bits of space junk are orbiting Earth, according to NASA. These include tiny paint flecks that can take out a space shuttle window, and some 2,000 satellite shards left by a collision of Russian and American satellites several years ago. In Germany, the audience was shown a slide from another depressing space film, “Gravity.” The part where the International Space Station is destroyed in an avalanche of space trash. “There were many mistakes in that movie; I will not go through that,” ESA Director General Jan Woerner said. “But the effect, as such, is a very serious one.” Woerner cut to video from the real International Space Station, which has not yet been destroyed. Bobbing around in zero gravity, astronaut Thomas Pesquet described what the space station crew has to do when a piece of debris whizzes past: Climb into an escape shuttle, wait and hope. “This happened four times,” Pesquet said. “In my own interests, let me wish you a successful conference.” (European Space Agency) Then it was on to a keynote speech from retired NASA scientist Donald Kessler, known for coming up with an apocalyptic space-crash theory called


news from space was not great. Hundreds of thousands of bits of space junk are orbiting Earth, according to NASA. These include tiny paint flecks that can take out a space shuttle window, and some 2,000 satellite shards left by a collision of Russian and American satellites several years ago. In Germany, the audience was shown a slide from another depressing space film, “Gravity.” The part where the International Space Station is destroyed in an avalanche of space trash. “There were many mistakes in that movie; I will not go through that,” ESA Director General Jan Woerner said. “But the effect, as such, is a very serious one.” Woerner cut to video from the real International Space Station, which has not yet been destroyed. Bobbing around in zero gravity, astronaut Thomas Pesquet described what the space station crew has to do when a piece of debris whizzes past: Climb into an escape shuttle, wait and hope. “This happened four times,” Pesquet said. “In my own interests, let me wish you a successful conference.” (European Space Agency) Then it was on to a keynote speech from retired NASA scientist Donald Kessler, known for coming up with an apocalyptic space-crash theory called the Kessler syndrome — or “orbital Nagasaki,” as a researcher once described it to The Washington Post. Basically: A thing hits another thing at 25,000 mph or so. Those things then explode into more things, which hit yet more things, initiating a catastrophic chain reaction of collisions that makes low Earth orbit totally unusable. Kessler predicted this in the 1970s, when space had fewer things in it. At this week's conference, he previewed a new study he worked on that found “a statistically meaningful number of satellites” that have been damaged by debris. And an ESA official described a recent study finding that a particularly crowded region of space has already become unstable, which he worried could foretell Kessler's doomsday scenario. The bad news didn't stop there. As satellites get smaller and cheaper, more and more of them are going into orbit to potentially smash into each other. In February, the New York Times reported, India launched 104 tiny satellites into space from a single rocket. It was a world record, though one not likely to stand for long. In all of human history, ESA's debris chief said at the conference, about 7,000 spacecraft have left Earth. He pulled up


Pundits condemn Britain’s tough line on Brexit. They’re wrong.

was partly cushioned by a falling pound, helping to protect the economy from a post-Brexit recession. While the E.U. will want to make as few concessions as possible, its bargaining position is weaker than people think. In 2015 the E.U. took 44 percent of British exports valued at £223 billion ($285.2 billion), while 53 percent of British imports worth £257 billion ($328.7 billion) came from the E.U. This trade imbalance of £34 billion ($43.5 billion) is a bargaining chip for Britain and it may deter E.U. negotiators from taking a hard line, since the E.U. would lose more exports in a trade war than Britain would, although both sides would be damaged. A messy divorce might lead to high alimony The E.U. has laid out a “phased negotiations” strategy in which discussions on the future relationship between Britain and the E.U. will only happen after London has reached a settlement with the E.U. on its financial liabilities and the rights of citizens. May wanted to negotiate both aspects at the same time. However, this is not a serious impediment to a deal because of the long-standing European practice of declaring that “nothing is decided until everything is decided.” Any agreement on alimony in the divorce settlement in the early stages of the negotiations can be revised later if the E.U. subsequently tries to impose harsh terms on its future relationship with Britain. The Brexit process will take many years to complete and there will almost certainly need to be transitional arrangements to avoid an abrupt cliff-edge divorce in 2019. Both sides have an incentive to come to a reasonable compromise that acknowledges the reality of post-Brexit politics in Britain and the E.U. as well as economic connections that could benefit both parties in the future. That said there are no guarantees that this will happen. May has just announced that she intends to call a general election for June 8. Should her Conservative government fail to win a parliamentary majority in that contest, all bets on the future of Brexit are most definitely off. Paul Whiteley is a professor in the department of government at the University of Essex; Matthew Goodwin is a professor in the department of politics and international relations at the University of Kent; Harold Clarke is the Ashbel Smith professor in the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences at the University of Texas at Dallas.


Some USDA scientists say their work has been tampered with — maybe for political reasons

The lobby of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) In late 2014, a whistleblower scientist rocked the Agriculture Department with a charge that it retaliated against him because his research found that a popular and lucrative farm pesticide might harm pollinators such as bees. The issue died down when the scientist, Jonathan Lundgren, withdrew his case to contemplate whether to make it broader, and because his superiors continued to penalize him for infractions that other scientists committed without discipline. Now a recent survey of the Agriculture Department’s scientists by the agency’s inspector general has brought it back to the forefront. According to the survey’s findings, nearly 10 percent said their research has been tampered with or altered by superiors “for reasons other than technical merit,” possibly because of political considerations. Questions were submitted by the inspector general to more than 2,000 scientists in four branches of the department — the Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service, Economic Research Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service. The intent was to gauge their understanding of its Scientific Integrity Policy, which allowed them to complain if they felt their work was compromised. Nearly 40 percent didn’t bother to take the survey, according to findings released April 13. Of those who did, more than half said they didn’t know how to file a complaint and some said they didn’t do so because they feared retaliation. “You do not need to have many cases to create a strong chilling effect, and the current science climate inside USDA is quite nippy,” said Jeff Ruch, executive director of the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, which represented Lundgren. The USDA has said it doesn’t retaliate against any employee, and disputed Lundgren’s claim that he was targeted to suppress his science. Lundgren had been with the agency 11 years, ran his own lab with a staff and wrote a well-regarded book on predator insects, but his career began to fall apart when he published research that cautioned against the use of pesticides approved by the agency. Entomologist Jonathan Lundgren’s research may provide some answers to the dwindling honey bee population. (Photo by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post) In a Washington Post Magazine story about his case, Lundgren said he thought his downfall started in 2012 when he published findings in the Journal of Pest Science indicating that a popular class of pesticides, neonicotinoids, don’t