‘Lights Out’ seeks to stem bird carnage caused by city skylines

by Lights Out organizations in this region include: White-throated sparrow. (Illustration by Jill Nickell) “These are neotropical migrants,” Parks says. “They head south to Central and South America in the fall and back north in the spring.” She inspects the body. It is exquisitely beautiful with a black-and-white streaked chest. “They live in the woods. If you take a walk in the woods you probably hear them. They have a loud, two-note song that sounds like ‘teacher, teacher.’ ” She pulls out a snack-size zip-lock plastic bag and seals the bird inside, puts it in her purse, moves on. On the other side of the building, Jacks finds a common yellowthroat, another warbler. It also is dead. She, too, tucks it in her purse. When the two reconvene, they hunker down on the sidewalk to share the contents of their bags. Jacks pulls out a piece of paper and makes notes: where they found the bodies, date and time, type of bird. It is 5:30 a.m. now, and a light rain begins to fall. They flip up the hoods of their jackets and trudge on. They have miles to go before they sleep, or clock in at their day jobs. Why do they do this? “I come from a family of birders,” Parks says at one point, as if biology were destiny. Her father worked as a landscaper at Dulles Airport, and, in the course of tending his 10,000 acres of undeveloped land, was always bringing home wounded animals for his family to care for — owls, rabbits, turtles, crows. “We would do our best to heal them and release them.” The same birds returned to the family’s suburban Annandale yard each year. Her father “could hold out his hand, and a cardinal would take food right out of it.” Parks, a self-taught visual artist drawn to the “discarded, forgotten and obsolete” who works at Baltimore’s Enoch Pratt Free Library, joined the Baltimore Bird Club, then Lights Out Baltimore in 2010. “Loving birds as much as I do, I wanted to do something to help.” Hiking the predawn streets for hours several times a week takes a toll on Parks, who has been struggling with a rare form of cancer for 31 years. She has desmoid tumors, which surface all over her body, requiring surgery, then reconstructive surgery; she says she identifies with “broken, patched-together” things. Her Lights Out experience


She has plenty of choice. Museum specialist Brian Schmidt next to an Andean condor skeleton. “I don’t know that the numbers of migrating birds dying from lights and disorientation have necessarily increased in the last decade,” says Schmidt. “But we’ve had no way of measuring that until now, with observers out there collecting and counting.” (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) As Brian Schmidt Eighty to 85 percent of the world’s bird species are represented in the back rooms. This geographic range, which spans more than a century, allows ornithologists to track diseases, genetic mutations and migration trends. Still, it’s an exclusive club. “We’re kinda tight on space, so we can’t keep everything we get,” Schmidt says, explaining a labyrinthine game of insider-trading that museums and wildlife centers use to build collections. It will take some time before Lights Out Baltimore’s birds are prepped to join their feathered friends in this hall of fame or are traded on the exchange. While they wait, they will lie in a walk-in freezer. Schmidt leads the way, explaining to Jacks that on this late September day before the federal shutdown, Smithsonian staffers are preparing for the worst; he puts her birds in one of the few freezers with a backup generator. Birds to the left, “mammals to be tanned” on the right. In the preparation lab, specialists will wash the Lights Out birds to get rid of bacteria that decompose. Then the birds will be gently dried in barrel tumblers filled with sawdust. Schmidt will remove their innards, save tissue samples in test tubes for the global genome initiative, then stuff them, place cotton in their eye sockets, label them and “file” them with their relatives. In his 19 years at the Smithsonian, Schmidt has prepared 10,000 birds for display; he can taxiderm one in a half-hour. Those in less pristine conditions — rats, cats and pigeons sometimes snack on the birds — are destined to become skeletal specimens. The Smithsonian’s live bug collection gets a treat here; carrion beetles are employed to delicately eat them to the bone. “When [the beetles] are very active, we’ve thrown in a bird, and they’ll swarm it and clean it overnight,” Schmidt says. Next Schmidt shows Jacks the birds’ final resting place in the permanent collection. Jacks, joking that she is obsessive-compulsive, is in heaven as she walks into this orderly netherworld of file cabinets where each bird


Charles Krauthammer: How to stop — or slow — Putin

scheduled. Order immediate — and continual — follow-ons. ● Declare that any further Russian military incursion beyond Crimea will lead to a rapid and favorable response from NATO to any request from Kiev for weapons. These would be accompanied by significant numbers of NATO trainers and advisers. This is no land-war strategy. This is the “tripwire” strategy successful for half a century in Germany and Korea. Any Russian push into western Ukraine would then engage a thin tripwire of NATO trainer/advisers. That is something the most rabid Soviet expansionist never risked. Nor would Putin. It would, therefore, establish a ring of protection at least around the core of western Ukraine. Reverse the annexation of Crimea: Clearly the most difficult. In the short run, likely impossible. There are no military cards to play, Russia holding all of them. Ukraine’s forces are very weak. The steps must be diplomatic and economic. First, Crimean secession under Russian occupation must lead to Russia’s immediate expulsion from the G-8. To assuage the tremulous Angela Merkel, we could do it by subtraction: All seven democracies withdraw from the G-8, then instantly reconstitute as the original G-7. As for economic sanctions, they are currently puny. We haven’t done a thing. We haven’t even named names. We’ve just authorized the penalizing of individuals. Name the names, freeze their accounts. But any real effect will require broader sanctions and for that we need European cooperation. The ultimate sanction is to cut off Russian oligarchs, companies and banks from the Western financial system. That’s the economic “nuclear option” that brought Iran to its knees and to the negotiating table. It would have a devastating effect on Putin’s economy. As of now, the Germans, French and British have balked. They have too much economic interest in the Moscow connection. Which means we can do nothing decisive in the short or even medium term. But we can severely squeeze Russia in the long term. How? For serious sanctions to become possible, Europe must first be weaned off Russian gas. Obama should order the Energy Department to expedite authorization for roughly 25 liquified natural gas export facilities. Demand all decisions within six weeks. And express major U.S. support for a southern-route pipeline to export Caspian Sea gas to Europe without traversing Russia or Ukraine. Second, call for urgent bipartisan consultation with congressional leaders for an emergency increase in defense spending, restoring at least


Marijuana industry delegation’s pitch on legalized pot: It’s just good business

legal in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Last year, Colorado and Washington state made marijuana fully legal for adults, and similar efforts are gathering steam elsewhere in the country. Colorado collected about $2 million in marijuana taxes in January, the first month that sales for recreational use were permitted — a detail that was mentioned often Thursday. A ‘tipping point’ “This is an issue that is absolutely at its tipping point,” Celinda Lake, a longtime Democratic pollster, said at a Hill briefing organized by the group in a formal room that is usually home to the House Budget Committee. She cited recent polling that shows that younger voters are the strongest supporters of legalizing marijuana, but that backing for legalization is increasing among people of all ages. At a news conference for the National Cannabis Industry Assoc., Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) was asked how many members of Congress he thinks smokes pot. The group also heard from Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), and Jared Polis (D-Colo.), each of whom spoke out in support of some of an array of proposed marijuana-related legislation. They also lamented that Congress has not kept up with the pace of change in the states. “We’re in this never-never land on Capitol Hill,” Blumenauer said. “But we’re watching the rest of America march forward.” The cannabis association, founded in 2010, counts about 550 member businesses across the country and recently hired its first full-time Washington lobbyist. Fewer than 10 people participated in its first Washington event, in 2011, and last year, about 45 members flew in for Hill meetings. Countering perceptions The industry, now more than ever, operates in an unusual space, legally permitted in some states while largely outlawed at the federal level. This week, with some 55 “cannabis industry professionals” meeting with congressional officials, the group hoped to underscore the role of small businesses in the fast-growing industry and to counter popular perceptions of the drug and its users. “We’re not the typical face of marijuana,” said Dorian Des Lauriers of Franklin, Mass., an entrepreneur and co-founder of a new laboratory that will test medical marijuana. Des Lauriers, wearing a blue suit and a tie with an American flag design, said he had used his meetings with congressional staffers to talk about Section 280E of the tax code, which prohibits companies involved in drug trafficking from deducting normal business expenses


week, with some 55 “cannabis industry professionals” meeting with congressional officials, the group hoped to underscore the role of small businesses in the fast-growing industry and to counter popular perceptions of the drug and its users. “We’re not the typical face of marijuana,” said Dorian Des Lauriers of Franklin, Mass., an entrepreneur and co-founder of a new laboratory that will test medical marijuana. Des Lauriers, wearing a blue suit and a tie with an American flag design, said he had used his meetings with congressional staffers to talk about Section 280E of the tax code, which prohibits companies involved in drug trafficking from deducting normal business expenses that other legal businesses can claim. The higher tax burden he faces makes it harder to hire workers, Des Lauriers said. He added that some congressional staff members he spoke with seemed receptive to the group’s proposal, which would allow standard business deductions and tax credits for marijuana-related businesses that comply with state laws. The group’s other top concern is the limited access to banks that many legal cannabis businesses face, forcing them to operate in cash. Some have trouble getting financing and can’t even maintain checking accounts. Last month, the Obama administration gave the banking industry the green light to do business with legal marijuana sellers, part of a push to open up banking access for the industry. But the cannabis association said federal regulations still require financial institutions to undertake special monitoring of cannabis-related customers to see whether they might be in violation of other laws, making banks hesitant to take on such customers. Legislation backed by the group would provide a legal safe harbor for institutions working with legal cannabis businesses. “There are small details that need to be taken care of,” said John Davis, co-owner of the Northwest Patient Resource Center, a medical marijuana dispensary in Seattle. Polis, an outspoken supporter of legalization efforts, provided one bit of intrigue during the mostly serious briefing. Asked how many of his colleagues use marijuana, Polis didn’t hesitate to hazard a guess. “I don’t think more than 5 or 10,” he said. “But I really wouldn’t know because I haven’t seen them use it.” He then took a more scientific approach, suggesting that members of Congress really are like everybody else. “Remember the demographics,” said Polis, 38. “I don’t know what percentage of 60-year-olds use marijuana, but it’s probably similar in Congress.”


The culinary stars boost Philadelphia’s dining scene into the stratosphere

Peter Serpico cooks in plain sight in the open kitchen of his eponymous pan-Asian restaurant in Philadelphia. (Michael Persico) The stars continue to align for Philadelphia’s flourishing dining scene. Nicholas Elmi, chef-owner of the hot new BYOB Laurel, has won the latest season of “Top Chef.” He’s the second Philly chef to claim the title of the Bravo reality competition. Kevin Sbraga, who won in 2010, now operates two restaurants, including the recently opened Fat Ham, a small-plates, Southern-style concept. Meanwhile, “Iron Chef’ Jose Garces has added to his growing empire a Cuban-style diner called Rosa Blanca and is preparing to debut Volver, a high-end restaurant-bar in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. Two chefs with strong New York credentials have launched buzzworthy spots: Peter Serpico, a former chef at Momofuku Ko, is presiding over the open kitchen of his eponymous pan-Asian restaurant on South Street. In December, Justin Bogle, who earned two Michelin stars at New York’s Gilt, unveiled Avance, a “progressive” American in a storied location: the Rittenhouse Row building that long housed Le Bec-Fin, for years the local standard-bearer for haute cuisine. If you go: Philadelphia restaurants A third former New Yorker, Eli Kulp, the chef of Old City’s Fork, has extended his partnership with co-owner Ellen Yin to include High Street on Market, a casual cousin next door showcasing his signature pastas. Together they’ll soon be running the culinary show at a.kitchen and a.bar at AKA Rittenhouse Square, an upscale long-term-stay hotel. The presence of these chefs in kitchens around the city — and most do cook on a regular basis — signals the local scene’s continuing evolution into a less formal style of fine dining. “There have definitely been changes in demographics, and what people want, and what they’re willing to try,” Sbraga says. The South Jersey native used his “Top Chef” win to create his eponymous restaurant in a splashy high-rise condominium building on the Avenue of the Arts. Sbraga the restaurant offers a four-course modern American tasting menu for $49 whose signature dish is an Asian-spiced, feathery light foie gras soup, contrasting with the industrial-chic styling, lower prices and more rustic menu at his follow-up in University City. “Philadelphians want to eat good food without a fuss,” he says. “It’s a growing trend across the United States.” Elmi has followed up his “Top Chef” experience by thinking very small — his storefront


Conductor Frühbeck de Burgos inspires NSO musicians

Pianist Daniil Trifonov brought breathtaking imagination to several pieces during the National Symphony Orchestra performance Thursday. (Alexander Ivanov) After their brutal past week with “Der Rosenkavalier” and another heavy dose of Strauss due next week (his music taxes orchestra players like no other), the National Symphony Orchestra musicians probably breathed a sigh of relief at this week’s program of familiar and relatively easy repertoire. The orchestra was guided Thursday by one of the world’s most genial and assured conductors, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, and it welcomed Russian piano phenom Daniil Trifonov, who was making his NSO debut in Rachmaninoff’s evergreen “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini.” Frühbeck de Burgos, who is in his 80s, was noticeably more gaunt and frail than in his last appearance here two years ago. His gestures were strong and steady Thursday at the Kennedy Center’s Concert Hall, but had less detail and vividness than before, leading to general mushiness of ensemble. Some tempos, too, were too drowsy, particularly Debussy’s “Fêtes,” Manuel de Falla’s “Ritual Fire Dance” and in Respighi’s “Pines of the Villa Borghese.” Still, the deep sincerity and musical authority drew committed playing from the musicians. In particular, Frühbeck de Burgos gave each diminuendo an expressive force that’s often missing at NSO concerts. And the strings were clearer and better-balanced than is often the case, as he insisted on re-seating them in the traditional array of higher-to-lower sections panning left to right, as former music director Mstislav Rostropovich had done. I strongly protest performances of two-thirds of the Debussy “Nocturnes” (which are unfortunately common). The final one, “Sirènes,” calls for a women’s chorus — which should be easy enough to find in a town crawling with choirs — and the first two pieces require the last one for structural and aesthetic culmination. So this highly unsatisfying diptych was a bad start. That was quickly dissipated by the Rachmaninoff. Trifonov, who is in his early 20s but still looks like a gangly, not-fully-grown teenager, is a marvel. There’s lots of show-and-tell in his approach to the instrument (too much for my taste), but close your eyes and there is a waterfall of musical thought underlying the virtuosity. The imagination he brought to the small cadenzas at the end of Variations XI and XXII was amazingly colorful, and the transition from the tenebrous Variation XVII into the sunlight of the famous Variation XVIII was — I


With protections set to lapse on advanced drugs, U.S. presses strict rules overseas

of the University of Pennsylvania. The broad trade-off accepted in wealthy countries — years of patent protection that keeps prices high, in order to encourage innovation, before generic competition is allowed — becomes more of a problem in poorer nations, where insurance coverage may be sparse, national health systems screen out the more expensive treatments, and patients simply do without. U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said trade negotiators can square the circle — and find a way to ensure a strong research climate while also improving affordability and access in poorer countries. Those goals “aren’t mutually exclusive propositions,” he said. “We can make sure that developing partners have the flexibilities that keep medicines affordable,” perhaps by giving some countries more time to phase in the needed regulations. Whatever compromise may be found within TPP, it’s clear that the United States has been on the defensive — with other TPP countries opposed to adopting the U.S. proposals, and still other nations chipping away at pharmaceutical patent protections. India has been a particular focus, with the government ordering companies to surrender patent rights and license their products to local companies. India is taking other steps it regards as necessary to lower the cost of advanced treatments for breast cancer and other diseases. Canada remains on a trade watch list after a spate of court rulings that voided patents for major pharmaceutical companies in favor of the country’s strong generics industry. “There is a lot of concern about whether countries at similar levels of development are held to the same intellectual property standards,” said David Talbot, head of international government affairs for Eli Lilly and Co. “Otherwise, we are chasing problems from country to country, which is what we are doing now.” The TPP has become a particular focal point as the United States presses to include in the treaty its approach to regulating “biosimilars,” the generic versions of the most complex biotechnology products. The research and development timeline for biotech products is so long that original patents on a promising molecule may have only a few years left in their terms by the time a drug or treatment is licensed. That is not considered enough to spur the flow of investment that makes the industry tick. To extend that period of protection, the Affordable Care Act gave companies an additional 12 years of “data exclusivity” — meaning that the results of tests


Millennials’ money misfortune

It’s no secret that many members of the millennial generation are struggling financially. They may be the first cohort to end up worse off than their parents. The sheer number of millennials — about 80 million — makes them a significant force in the U.S. economy. But many of them have trouble accurately answering basic personal finance questions, spend more than they make and are worried about their debt, according to a new survey by the Investor Education Foundation of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. In looking into the finances of millennials, Ameriprise Financial found in a multi-generational survey that an overwhelming majority of them feel stretched by car payments, credit cards and other bills. Only 57 percent with access to a workplace retirement plan are contributing enough money to take full advantage of the employer match. The Pew Research Center released a report comparing previous generations and millennials, and it concluded that “coming of age during the country’s deepest economic downturn since the Great Depression” has made it hard for them to establish themselves financially. Separate from the report, Paul Taylor, a Pew executive vice president, has written a book that takes a more in-depth look at the generational gaps. In “The Next America: Boomers, Millennials, and the Looming Generational Showdown,” Taylor says that baby boomers and millennials are the lead characters in a coming economic battle. “Every family, on some level, is a barter between the generations — I care for you when you’re young so you’ll care for me when I’m old,” Taylor writes. But many millennials won’t be able to afford that. The changing of the script is best captured by the two big generations, Taylor says. He points out that baby boomers will be “crashing through the gates of old age in record numbers for the next two decades, not nearly as well fortified financially for the journey as they’d hoped; and the millennials, 20-somethings who have landed back in their childhood homes in record numbers because they haven’t been able to get launched in a hostile economy.” Consider these findings from the Pew research: • About half of millennials with student loans say this debt has made it more difficult to make ends meet. • Unemployment remains high. Pew says 13 percent of the 18-to-24 age group were out of work in the first month of this year. • The share of young adults


Montgomery County Animal Watch

These were among the cases received recently by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5054. That number provides recorded information on such topics as the Montgomery County Animal Shelter hours and location, adoption and licensing procedures, rabies clinics and low-cost neutering. Cry of fowl over odoriferous neighbors Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown No-kill shelter has adoptable cats: Gaithersburg 6 to 8 p.m. Friday Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday Gaithersburg Montgomery County Humane Society: Dogs, cats and other pets will be available through the Montgomery County Humane Society at the following locations. To confirm the schedule, call 240-793-4201 or visit www.mchumane.org. Montgomery Village Unleashed by Petco 18306 Contour Rd.Noon to 3 p.m. Saturday Silver Spring Bark! 10737 Columbia Pike Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday New county animal services and adoption center opens: — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Dudamel on Venezuela, Gergiev on Ukraine, and our moral expectations of conductors

for having made morally “right” choices. The conductor Kurt Masur worked successfully and closely with the East German administration for years, but in 1989, during the protests in Leipzig, he stepped up with a public call for nonviolence that helped keep events leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall peaceful — and earned himself the directorship of the New York Philharmonic in part as a result of his newfound prominence as a spokesman for freedom. But the political stage is not a natural platform for every artist, and artists who decide to enter it may find their messages subverted in ways they didn’t intend. Another case is the New York Philharmonic performing under Lorin Maazel in North Korea in 2008 - a noble act of cultural diplomacy, or collusion with a bad regime? And if a musician chooses not to take a stand, he or she is often automatically charged with collaboration in any case. Gergiev, through his support of a challenging regime, may have in some sense “deserved” the protests at some of his concerts in 2013 (though this was not a reaction many Soviet artists got when they performed in the West at the height of the Cold War, sent by an even more suspect government). But one wonders how far the Jerusalem Quartet and Israel Philharmonic, which were protested at concerts in London in 2010 and 2011, were known to unilaterally support the actions of the Israeli government. Dudamel’s situation is far from clear cut. Speaking out against the government that funds the programs he supports — if he were inclined to do so — could jeopardize their future. And would that be, morally speaking, a better choice than making a vague statement about peace and nonviolence and continuing to be involved with a program that does good for thousands of young people? For some, his choice may represent collusion and taint his music-making; for others, it’s a clear example of putting the music, and its associated power of social good, first. We haven’t figured out the answers to our moral dilemmas about Wagner yet, so we are hardly likely to solve them about a living conductor. But since the people who raise such questions, above all the media, tend to eliminate nuance in their presentation of the issues, Dudamel is likely to come in for quite a bit more heat about Venezuela, rightly or wrongly,


What Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s pledging ban won’t fix

men who think they’re immortal. Remember, hazing has been strictly prohibited by all of the major social fraternities for decades. Yet the ritualized savagery continues. Moreover, hazing represents only a small fraction of the deaths and injuries associated with fraternities, and these other forms of trauma will not be stanched by the pledge ban. Willis, the nation’s largest broker of fraternity insurance, which includes SAE among its clients, reports that the most common type of claim is for assault and battery unrelated to hazing. After that comes sexual assault (which accounts for an astonishing 15 percent of claims), next is slip and fall, and after that falling from heights. Hazing is tied for last place, along with auto accidents. Financially, it may be a relatively urgent problem for fraternities — you can settle a sexual assault claim for pennies on the dollar compared with most hazing claims — but it is by no means the only problem nor the largest one. We can be forgiven for wondering if SAE cares more for its bottom line than for protecting life and limb at its chapter events. The true culprit in fraternity malfeasance is alcohol abuse. Every one of the incidents described in my files — every single one — involves as its principal player titanic quantities of booze. Collegiate binge drinking is not confined to the fraternity house, obviously, but the two entities have a synergistic effect on one another. The result is the devastation that threatens the future of the storied system. But it is impossible to remove alcohol from fraternity life, for it is at the very center of the experience. Or is it? In 2000, another of the nation’s major fraternities, Phi Delta Theta, made a dramatic change: Housing at its 165 chapters became alcohol-free. The change involved more than a grand pronouncement from on high, expected to be carried out mere weeks after it was delivered. Rather, the fraternity had given itself three years to fully implement the new policy. Fact or fiction? A collection from Outlook’s popular Five Myths series. Who would possibly want to join a frat without beer? Huge numbers of young men, as it turns out. In the years since the policy was introduced, Phi Delt’s membership has increased by 25 percent. The number of men willing to join its alumni boards — to lead and advise undergraduate members — has increased more


Who is the bully? The U.S. has treated Russia like a loser since the end of the Cold War.

The United States and European nations announced sanctions against Russian officials over Crimea's vote to break away from Ukraine. The Post's Douglas Jehl, Scott Wilson, and Anne Gearan explain the implications. Jack F. Matlock Jr., ambassador to the U.S.S.R. from 1987 to 1991, is the author of “Reagan and Gorbachev: How the Cold War Ended.” One afternoon in September 1987, Secretary of State George Shultz settled in a chair across the table from Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze in a New York conference room. Both were in the city for the United Nations General Assembly. As he habitually did at the start of such meetings , Shultz handed Shevardnadze a list of reported human rights abuses in the Soviet Union. Shevardnadze’s predecessor, Andrei Gromyko, had always received such lists grudgingly and would lecture us for interfering in Soviet internal affairs. This time, though, Shevardnadze looked Shultz in the eye and said through his interpreter: “George, I will check this out, and if your information is correct, I will do what I can to correct the problem. But I want you to know one thing: I am not doing this because you ask me to; I am doing it because it is what my country needs to do.” Shultz replied: “Eduard, that’s the only reason either of us should do something. Let me assure you that I will never ask you to do something that I believe is not in your country’s interest.” They stood and shook hands. As I watched the scene, with as much emotion as amazement, it dawned on me that the Cold War was over. The job of American ambassador in Moscow was going to be a lot easier for me than it had been for my predecessors. I thought back to that moment as talks between Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia’s top diplomat this past week failed to resolve the crisis in Ukraine. It’s striking that the language being used publicly now is so much more strident than our language, public or private, was then. “It can get ugly fast if the wrong choices are made,” Kerry declared Wednesday, threatening sanctions. I don’t believe that we are witnessing a renewal of the Cold War. The tensions between Russia and the West are based more on misunderstandings, misrepresentations and posturing for domestic audiences than on any real clash of ideologies or national interests. And the


It’s high time to remove federal marijuana laws in states where pot’s legal

Regarding the March 11 news item “Colorado marijuana taxes brought in $2 million in January”: Kudos to Colorado and Washington state for leading the way to victory in the war on drugs. The time may be near when a majority of states will have legalized some form of marijuana sales and use. In addition to the obvious benefit of diverting money from organized crime to public coffers, legalizing marijuana sales could result in substantial savings for law enforcement. The federal government’s efforts in this area have failed miserably, and it’s high time to remove the federal laws and regulations that interfere with marijuana sales, for both medical and recreational uses, in the increasing number of states where such sales now are legal. Vivian Moore, Falls Church


Two snowy owls captured near Md. airport; Md. a defendant in wrongful death suit

MARYLAND Two snowy owls captured near airport Two snowy owls were captured this week near Martin State Airport in eastern Baltimore County, environmental officials said Friday. A female snowy owl was captured Thursday evening just after sunset and a male was captured Friday morning. In late December, a snowy owl was captured and relocated from Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport. The owls were examined by employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program and personnel from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The birds, which have been banded, will be relocated “well away” from the airport, officials said. The female owl will be outfitted with a transmitter to track its movements before it is released as part of Project SNOWstorm, a nationwide research effort to gather data on the largest appearance of snowy owls in southern latitudes in decades. — Lori Aratani State a defendant in wrongful death suit Relatives of a man with Down syndrome who died in the custody of three Frederick County sheriff’s deputies have added the state of Maryland to those allegedly liable for his death. Attorney Joseph Espo said Friday that because the state is the deputies’ statutory employer, it has been added and Frederick County has been dropped from a federal lawsuit filed by survivors of Robert Ethan Saylor, 26. The other defendants are the individual deputies, Regal Cinemas and Baltimore-based Hill Management Services. The amended complaint was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court. The state has not filed a response. Saylor, of New Market, died of asphyxia in January 2013 as the deputies, moonlighting as mall security officers, tried to remove him from a Frederick movie theater because he hadn’t bought a ticket. — Associated Press VIRGINIA Police probe robbery in Annandale area Fairfax County police are investigating a home-invasion robbery that occurred in the Annandale area Friday morning. A 33-year-old man was awoken around 7 a.m. by two men in the bedroom of his home in the 7400 block of Madeira Place, police said. The men wore masks and hooded jackets, and one was armed with a handgun, police said. The men restrained the victim and searched a different bedroom before fleeing, police said. Police said it appeared that the intruders had forced their way into the home through the front door. The victim did not require medical attention, and other residents of the home did not hear the men break


Amid blistering cold, area becomes a haunt for snowy owls

It’s a season that will not cave or quit. Even amid several warm days in March, Washington has had freezing cold days. The forecasts for Sunday and Monday contain the word that means maximum winter: snow. Meanwhile, this has been the season not only of frequent snow, but also of the snowy owl. Traditionally these creatures stick close to Arctic regions. But this winter, many have chosen to sojourn among us. The saga of just one became a central part of the season’s narrative after it was found in downtown Washington. Only this week, two more members of the imposing avian species were found in eastern Baltimore County, environmental officials said. A female was captured just after sunset Thursday, and a male was picked up Friday morning. In late December, another of the breed was captured at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport and relocated. These finds are not routine. In the Mid-Atlantic region, sightings began in December and continued into this year in what wildlife specialists have described as an event of historic proportions. “Events of this magnitude occur only rarely,” wrote two specialists from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. These movements of species far beyond their usual haunts are known as irruptions. This winter’s snowy owl irruption into eastern Canada and the eastern United States is “the largest since the 1960s,” said the two scientists, David F. Brinker of the Maryland Natural Heritage Program and Cindy P. Driscoll of the fish and wildlife health program. Biologists have described the irruption, which itself is not fully accounted for, as an opportunity to learn more about the snowy owl, regarded as a mysterious creature. The two owls found this week at Martin State Airport in Baltimore County were examined and are to be relocated “well away” from the airport. The female will be outfitted with a transmitter to track her movements before she is released as part of a nationwide study of this winter’s great owl migration. Meanwhile, Washington’s visitor, which was injured by a bus, carries an additional aura of owlish mystery. After treatment at a rehabilitation center in the District, it was taken for further recuperation and its own protection to what rehab workers have described as an “undisclosed location.”


Business news recap: March 16, 2014

Senate Banking Committee leaders announced long-awaited plans to dismantle mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, advancing what observers expect will be a multi-year effort to revamp the nation’s housing finance system. ¶ The bipartisan measure would replace the U.S.-owned mortgage financiers with government bond insurance that would kick in only after private capital suffered losses of at least 10 percent. ¶ The news pushed the companies’ common shares to their biggest drop in 10 months on Wednesday. Fannie Mae shares tumbled 31 percent to close at $4.03. Freddie Mac fell 27 percent to close at $4.04. ¶ The plan omits at least one major detail: What happens to the private investors who scooped up the mortgage companies’ shares in hopes of getting a portion of their recently stellar profits? Business General Motors BP General Electric’s credit card unit Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Mt. Gox, Herbalife, Steven A. Cohen, Apple appealed Fabrice Tourre, Citigroup McAfee, the cybersecurity firm, said Target’s security breach was anything but exotic, describing the attack as a Breach 101 operation. The thieves used easily modified off-the-shelf malware, common methods to hide the malware inside Target’s point-of-sale system and didn’t encrypt either the instructions on where to send the stolen card data or the card information itself as it was being transmitted out of Target to a remote server, a data stream that should have been detected and caught, McAfee said in its fourth-quarter threats report. The characterization contrasts with other depictions of the attack as highly sophisticated. Target declined to comment on McAfee’s report. Target’s Target’s sales McDonald’s workers Sbarro Deals AT completed its purchase The Justice Department King Digital Entertainment, Economy The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate February’s retail sales Washington Sarah Bloom Raskin President Obama Transitions Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — From news services and staff reports $1.8 billion Sale price of Jos. A. Bank Men’s Wearhouse agreed to buy the Maryland-based retailer, ending six months of wrangling. The company will be the country’s fourth-largest men’s retailer, with $3.5 billion a year in sales and more than 1,700 stores. Jos. A. Bank’s brand will stay independent.


U.S., E.U. must stay the course on Russian sanctions over Ukraine

denying them visas and freezing their assets. But it’s not clear that those measures will be aimed where they must be: at the relatively small circle of oligarchs and power brokers who surround Mr. Putin. These include Igor Sechin, chairman of the oil company Rosneft; Vladimir Yakunin, president of Russian Railways; and Alexei Miller, chairman of Gazprom. Russia is ruled by a mafia. If the dons are left untouched, Western sanctions will have little effect. Western strategy must also fulfill the warning issued by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said the invasion would “cause massive damage to Russia, economically and politically.” That means, at a minimum, excluding Moscow from the Group of Eight and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which it is seeking to join. It also requires expanding sanctions from individuals to sectors — starting with the Russian banking system, which should be cut off from U.S. and European markets. Russia will respond with sanctions of its own, including against Western companies in Russia. Governments must be prepared to discount that damage, knowing that the economic cost to Russia — including from its own sanctions — will be far greater. The most important piece of the Western response will be staying power. The policy probably won’t bring quick results, other than Russian retaliation. Mr. Putin may respond with more aggression. He may seek an early “normalization” of relations, dangling as a lure Moscow’s supposed influence over Iran and Syria or its facilitation of shipping to Afghanistan. The Obama administration should not abandon its work with Russia in these areas, but it also cannot temper its reaction to the situation in Crimea on behalf of other interests. If Mr. Putin threatens to suspend cooperation, the response should be to call his bluff. Mr. Putin probably believes that, as after his invasion of Georgia, his relations with the United States and its allies will be “reset” — sooner rather than later. The future of Ukraine and of global security depends on proving him wrong. Read more about this issue: Henry A. Kissinger: How the Ukraine crisis ends David Ignatius: Putin’s error in Ukraine is the kind that leads to catastrophe Charles Krauthammer: Putin’s Ukraine gambit Condoleezza Rice: Will America heed the wake-up call of Ukraine? Eugene Robinson: In the Ukraine crisis, the U.S. has a credibility problem The Post’s View: The West must resist Mr. Putin’s gambits in Ukraine


Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 search expands amid focus on criminal act

— but investigators now believe it was not an accident. Satellite information indicates that the plane flew for another seven hours, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday, and he said the movements of the plane as tracked by military radar were “consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.” He said there is renewed focus on the people onboard, including the cockpit crew. If the plane stayed airborne for seven hours, that would suggest that it flew until it ran out of fuel, or close to the limit of its range. That’s about how long a plane with fuel for a six-hour flight to Beijing can fly. No longer is the search focused on the waters between Malaysia and Vietnam. A multinational fleet of ships and planes is scouring vast stretches of the Indian Ocean and much of mainland Asia. In a typical aviation disaster the search narrows with time, but this one has expanded to cover immense areas of the world’s third-largest ocean and its largest continent. By the prime minister’s count, 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are looking for the plane. Many of the countries that have joined forces have been at each others’ throats in recent years in territorial disputes over the South China Sea. The investigation of Flight MH370 has drawn an improvised team of aviation agencies from Malaysia, China, the United States and Britain. American officials from the FBI, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have converged on Kuala Lumpur. So far no one has a solid “theory of the case,” as lawyers say. Mechanical malfunction — say, a sudden decompression that renders everyone onboard unconscious but lets the plane continue to fly — is still possible. A fire, perhaps from lithium batteries in the cargo hold, is another possibility. But investigators suspect the disappearance could have been the result of a criminal act by a cockpit intruder or by someone in the crew. If that’s the case, there’s no obvious motive, no obvious perpetrator, no organization taking responsibility, no clear red flag about anyone onboard and nothing but speculation on how the hijacking or sabotage might have been carried out. The most essential question — where is the plane? — is unanswered. U.S. intelligence and counterterrorism officials are reluctant to jump to conclusions about what happened to the plane because there’s no crime scene and no


Ailing Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos cancels NSO performance

Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, the 80-year-old Spanish-born maestro who was scheduled to conduct the National Symphony Orchestra for three performances of Rachmaninoff and Respighi, withdrew from Saturday night’s performance because of health concerns. National Symphony Orchestra spokeswoman Patricia O’Kelly said the maestro has a fever and symptoms of pneumonia and is under a doctor’s care. NSO assistant conductor Ankush Kumar Bahl led the orchestra in his place on Saturday. Frühbeck’s poor health caused worry during Friday night’s performance when he “seemed to totter, alarming the musicians, some of whom stopped playing,” during Respighi’s “Pines of Rome,” according to Washington Post critic Philip Kennicott. Kennicott noted that the maestro, who served as principal guest conductor of the NSO from 1980 to 1988, looked more frail than in other recent appearances with the NSO. The musicians helped Frühbeck to a sitting position on the podium so that he could finish conducting the concert. Though visibly unwell, he stood for the final moments of the concert and acknowledged a heartfelt standing ovation. The Kennedy Center noted that Bahl was in orchestra practices all week acting as “a pair of ears” in the house. Had Frühbeck needed to leave the stage during Friday’s performance, Bahl was prepared to finish the program. Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos (Morten Abrahamsen)


Ankush Kumar Bahl leads NSO performance well after Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos takes ill

After a harrowing National Symphony Orchestra concert Friday night at the Kennedy Center, when venerable guest conductor Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos took ill during the final number and was able to finish the concert only because a musician brought him a chair mid-performance, the orchestra called upon its assistant conductor, Ankush Kumar Bahl, to lead the final performance on Saturday. Bahl, now in his third season with the NSO, was prepared, as studying the scores and attending rehearsals for just such an eventuality is a big part of his job, and the musicians, having done the program twice, were able to react to the inevitable differences with professionalism. The music itself was not especially challenging, and no one hearing the concert cold would have had any reason to think that Bahl had not been leading the orchestra all week. The star of the evening remained the young Russian piano virtuoso Daniil Trifonov, but he too enfolded the unfamiliar conductor’s contribution flawlessly into his incandescent performance. (His encore was a scherzo he composed.) The Cinderella story is a familiar trope in the performing arts world. Leonard Bernstein’s surprise 1943 debut with the New York Philharmonic (when he, like Bahl, was its assistant, and the scheduled conductor took ill) put the brilliant young talent permanently on the cultural map. Nothing of the sort happened here; Bahl did what he was supposed to do, did it competently, and the orchestra responded with a solid performance. The audience gave him a standing ovation at the close, though I have never attended or taken part in a performance of Respighi’s volcanic “Pines of Rome” that did not receive a standing ovation. But the system worked and the show went on. Bahl improved (in my view) on some of the sedate tempos Frühbeck took in several of the pieces, pushing things along a little. And since I called them out in my review of Thursday’s performance, I hasten to note that the horns played vastly better in the opening of the Respighi on Saturday. Notwithstanding, there was still a purposefulness and tension that the elder maestro imparted in Debussy’s “Fêtes” and Respighi’s “Pines near a Catacomb,” among other sections, that were missing with the younger conductor. Bahl is still clearly in an apprentice stage of his career. This was his first full subscription-program performance, and he obviously was not in a position to give his musical


Lockheed Martin’s bet on quantum computing

Professor Chris Monroe in his Joint Quantum Institute Laboratory at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. Lockheed Martin is collaborating with U-Md. in creating quantum computers powered by particle physics. Quantum computers — a futuristic vision of ultra-fast processors powered by particle physics — sound almost like science fiction. Current models, which can fill entire rooms, sometime rely on lasers and are often cooled to the temperature of outer space. Instead of using the binary system of 1’s and 0’s, quantum systems use atomic particles, or “qubits” (pronounced “Q-bits”), that can function as 1’s, 0’s, or both. In theory, quantum computing could be better and faster than traditional computers at solving problems with many rapidly changing variables — such as finding the fastest or cheapest way to schedule flights at an airport or maximizing profit in a stock portfolio. Quantum computing is years — maybe decades — from widespread commercial viability, scientists say. Still, the concept is attracting attention and investments from large tech companies — such as Google, IBM, Hitachi and Lockheed Martin — that are eager to harness quantum computing’s potential. For instance, Lockheed and Google own what is believed to be the only commercially sold quantum computer: the D-Wave system, produced by a Vancouver, B.C.-based start-up of the same name. Each D-Wave system can cost several million dollars. (Disclosure: D-Wave is backed by Jeffrey P. Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post.) Last week, Bethesda-based Lockheed established a quantum computing research center at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus, grouping together several existing quantum projects at the school. Lockheed declined to share information about how much it is investing in this or other quantum efforts. This is Lockheed’s second public-private quantum research partnership — in 2011, it created a similar center at the University of Southern California. “Classical computing can only take us so far,” Ray Johnson, Lockheed senior vice president and chief technology officer, said in an e-mail.“In the future, critical systems will become so complex, that problems will take too long or become too expensive to solve using even our most powerful supercomputers. We believe that the next computational revolution will stem from applied quantum science.” The defense contractor’s clients may be able to use quantum computing to plan logistics, sequence genomes or to improve machine learning, among other applications, Johnson said. The USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computation


Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair agrees to plea deal in sexual-assault case

team, however, provided a copy of the written plea deal Sunday that it said has been approved by Maj. Gen. Clarence K.K. Chinn, the senior commander at Fort Bragg. Sinclair pleaded guilty to adultery and other minor charges March 6 but admitted guilt to additional counts in the deal reached over the weekend with Army officials. If the plea offer holds, it would represent the end of an exceptionally rare court-martial of an Army general — there have been only three such cases in the past 60 years — and an even rarer prosecution of a one-star commander on sexual-misconduct charges. Since the investigation began two years ago, the Sinclair case has riveted the Army’s rank and file, and it has also caused endless legal and public-relations headaches for the Army’s leadership. The military has been grappling with an onslaught ofsexual-assault cases that have angered Congress and the White House and inflamed public opinion. Given that climate, Army leaders knew that how they handled the investigation of a general would be scrutinized closely. The accusations against Sinclair are serious as well as sensational. A female captain who served on his staff in Iraq and Afghanistan reported that she had carried on a torrid affair with the married general for three years, having sex in two war zones and four countries. But she blew the whistle on the relationship after she said he twice forced her to perform oral sex. She also charged that he had once threatened to kill her and her family if she revealed the affair. The Washington Post generally does not name alleged sex-crime victims. Sinclair defended himself vigorously after he was charged by the Army, hiring a high-priced team of civilian defense attorneys and a public relations firm. Through his attorneys, he admitted the adulterous relationship but denied sexually assaulting or threatening the captain. His lawyers said the woman made up details to punish him for refusing to divorce his wife. There were holes in the accuser’s story. E-mails and text messages introduced in court showed that she remained enamored with the general long after she asserted he had assaulted her. She also gave conflicting accounts to other witnesses of whether the general had abused her, as well as about other important details in the case. In recent months, according to court filings, even prosecutors had concluded that she had credibility problems as they debated whether


Holocaust history shouldn’t stand in the way of the Purple Line

LAST FALL, the top executives of the Israeli and French national railways signed a wide-ranging accord, deepening their long-term partnership and committing the French to help the Israelis nearly double their rail passenger capacity by 2020. The partnership between Israeli Railways and SNCF, the French railway, dates back to 2000 and has not been the subject of controversy in Israel. That fact seems to have been lost on lawmakers in Annapolis, who for the second time in three years have embarked on a showy bit of posturing aimed at an offshoot of SNCF, Keolis North America, which is bidding on a major rail contract in Maryland. The ostensible reason: SNCF’s undeniable complicity during World War II in transporting more than 75,000 Jews from France to Germany, where almost all were killed. Why Maryland lawmakers are more affronted than the Jewish state by SNCF’s Holocaust history is baffling. They want to require SNCF to compensate those Holocaust victims in the United States, and their families, whom the rail company transported. Whatever the reasons, the legislation is self-defeating, and it very probably contravenes federal law. It could subvert Maryland’s chance to secure federal funds needed to build the $2.4 billion light rail Purple Line connecting Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. SNCF and the French government, which owns it, apologized years ago for the railway’s role in deporting French Jews, and the government has paid more than $1 billion in reparations to victims and their families who were transported on SNCF trains. Nonetheless, those reparations did not extend to the small number of victims and their families in the United States — a couple of hundred perhaps — and that has driven the lawmakers in Annapolis to a state of high dudgeon. As it happens, French and U.S. diplomats have been working on a solution that would provide reparations to American victims. That’s a sensible approach. Meanwhile, other states have gone ahead with major contracts for rail projects with Keolis, the SNCF offshoot; in January, Massachusetts finalized a $2.7 billion deal with the firm. Keolis is one of four consortiums bidding to build the Purple Line, which will be dead in the water if it does not secure a $900 million federal grant. Last week a top lawyer with the agency that would award that grant, the Federal Transit Administration, warned Maryland officials that prospects for the federal funding, which would cover more


U.S. warns Russia against annexing Crimea

Secretary William Hague said “must be adopted.” But how far the West is prepared to go in punishing Russia for the referendum, and how much further Putin intends to take his quest for control over part, if not all, of Ukraine, remain uncertain. After an ultimatum to abandon the base and an hours-long standoff, Russian troops in at least four armored vehicles seized control of one of the last Ukrainian military outposts in Crimea. Obama administration promises last week to exact a cost if the vote were held — even before new Russian military exercises on Ukraine’s eastern and southern borders and Saturday’s seizure of a Ukrainian gas plant just beyond Crimea’s northern boundary — would seem to make the imposition of at least some sanctions this week a foregone conclusion. The question for the West is whether harsh retribution now will make Putin more or less likely to desist from further action. Although he has so far been impervious to American and European threats, U.S. officials think that the cost the upheaval has already imposed on the Russian economy will become unbearable if Putin does not yield. The West could also suffer costs if Russia cuts off energy supplies to Europe and further squeezes the Ukrainian economy. But Western officials say that is a price they are willing to pay and have pledged economic support to Ukraine. At the same time, the Obama administration wants to hold more severe punishment in reserve, to unleash in response to annexation or further Russian attempts to destabilize Ukraine. “In this century, we are long past the days when the international community will stand quietly by while one country forcibly seizes the territory of another,” the White House statement said. “We call on all members of the international community to continue to condemn such actions, to take concrete steps to impose costs, and to stand together in support of the Ukrainian people and Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.” Short of immediate Russian annexation, U.S. officials said, post-referendum Crimea is likely to continue in a sort of limbo status — while both Russia and the West decide what to do about it. As he has since the Ukraine crisis began last month, Obama urged Putin to take advantage of “a clear path for resolving this crisis diplomatically” that would allow international monitors to investigate alleged abuses against the ethnic Russians in Crimea whom Moscow


Russia recognizes Crimea’s independence, defying new U.S. and E.U. sanctions

Biden is being dispatched to those countries to offer further reassurance. American measures The U.S. sanctions were imposed on the basis of an executive order Obama signed 11 days ago and a new order Monday that expanded the sanctions’ reach to Russian officials. “These are by far the most comprehensive sanctions applied to Russia since the Cold War,” a second administration official said. “Far and away so.” The United States and European nations announced sanctions against Russian officials over Crimea's vote to break away from Ukraine. The Post's Douglas Jehl, Scott Wilson, and Anne Gearan explain the implications. The second order enables the administration to take additional action if Russia does not deescalate the situation, said this official and others who held a conference call for reporters. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the details of the measures. Far beyond the situation in Crimea or even Ukraine, the sanctions order potentially includes anyone who is “a senior official” in the Russian government, who is involved in “the arms and related material sector in the Russian Federation,” or who has operated “for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly,” any of the above. The seven Russians initially targeted include top Putin aides Sergei Glazyev and Vladislav Surkov, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, and leaders of parliament who have been outspoken in advocating Crimean annexation and belligerent policies toward Ukraine. Under the sanctions, one U.S. official said, “all assets are frozen; no U.S. person can do business with them. . . . If they want to transact in dollars, for example, they will be unable to do so. They will be unable to send any money through the United States.” “More broadly,” this official said, “the people we designate will tend to find great difficulty in accessing financial services elsewhere in the world, particularly in Europe and the gulf.” Ukrainians designated under the original executive order include two Crimea-based separatist leaders and ousted president Viktor Yanukovych. Another senior U.S. official emphasized that the measures were designed to block the “personal assets and wealth” of Putin “cronies.” After the U.S. announcement Monday, some of the targeted Russians mocked the move. “I quite like the company I have found myself in,” Andrei Klishas, chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Constitutional Legislation Committee, told the Interfax news service. Leonid Slutsky, who heads a parliamentary committee on Eurasian integration, said, “I don’t have


Accuser of Army Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair stands by claim that he sexually assaulted her

Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair, right, left the courthouse at Fort Bragg, N.C., with lawyer Richard Scheff earlier this month. (James Robinson/AP) The female accuser in the sex-crimes trial of an Army general is satisfied with the plea deal that was reached in the case, but she stands by her assertion that he sexually assaulted her, according to her lawyer. Jamie Barnett, a retired Navy rear admiral who serves as an unpaid lawyer for the general’s accuser, said Monday that the accuser stands by her testimony that Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair forced her to perform oral sex on two occasions and threatened to kill her and her family if she reported their three-year affair. As part of the plea deal, approved Monday by a military judge, the Army dropped the violence-related charges against Sinclair in exchange for his admission of guilt on several other less-serious counts. His sentence will be determined this week by a military judge at Fort Bragg, N.C. Barnett said the accuser, an Army captain who served on Sinclair’s staff in Iraq and Afghanistan, is glad the case is nearing an end, two years after she reported the affair to Sinclair’s commanding officer in Afghanistan. Barnett said she is ready to “move on with her life” while resuming her career in the military. At the same time, Barnett said, the captain is not backing down from her allegations of sexual assault, despite the Army’s decision to drop those charges. “She in no way is stepping away from the truth of it,” Barnett said in a phone interview. The Washington Post generally does not name alleged sex-crime victims. Barnett’s comments marked the first time someone representing the accuser had spoken publicly on her behalf. In contrast, Sinclair’s legal defense team had mounted a vigorous public relations campaign for many months, running a Web site and a Twitter account to spread the message that he was a victim of politically motivated Army leaders intent on making an example of him. Sinclair’s lawyers also said that the captain accused Sinclair out of jealousy after she discovered raunchy e-mails he had written to other women. At his sentencing hearing Monday at Fort Bragg, Sinclair read a statement in which he admitted to the affair and to causing “emotional harm” to the woman under his command by breaking promises to divorce his wife and marry the captain instead. “I failed her


Transcript: Obama announces sanctions after Crimea referendum

of our sanctions. As an initial step, I’m authorizing sanctions on Russian officials, entities operating in the arms sector in Russia, and individuals who provide material support to senior officials of the Russian government. And if Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions. Third, we’re continuing our close consultations with our European partners, who today in Brussels moved ahead with their own sanctions against Russia. Tonight, Vice President Biden departs for Europe, where he will meet with the leaders of our NATO allies, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. And I’ll be traveling to Europe next week. Our message will be clear. As NATO allies, we have a solemn commitment to our collective defense, and we will uphold this commitment. Fourth, we’ll continue to make clear to Russia that further provocations will achieve nothing except to further isolate Russia and diminish its place in the world. The international community will continue to stand together to oppose any violations of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity, and continued Russian military intervention in Ukraine will only deepen Russia’s diplomatic isolation and exact a greater toll on the Russian economy. Going forward, we can calibrate our response based on whether Russia chooses to escalate or to de-escalate the situation. Now, I believe there’s still a path to resolve this situation diplomatically in a way that addresses the interests of both Russia and Ukraine. That includes Russia pulling its forces in Crimea back to their bases, supporting the deployment of additional international monitors in Ukraine and engaging in dialogue with the Ukrainian government, which has indicated its openness to pursuing constitutional reform as they move forward towards elections this spring. But throughout this process, we’re going to stand firm in our unwavering support for Ukraine. As I told Prime Minister Yatsenuk last week, the United States stands with the people of Ukraine and their right to determine their own destiny. We’re going to keep working with Congress and our international partners to offer Ukraine the economic support that it needs to weather this crisis and to improve the daily lives of the Ukrainian people. And as we go forward, we’ll continue to look at the range of ways we can help our Ukrainian friends achieve their universal rights and the security, prosperity and dignity that they deserve. Thanks very much and I think we’ll be available for questions. Thank you.


National Geographic article and photos show how nectar-seeking bats home in on flowers

A pollen-gilded bat emerging from a flower of the blue mahoe tree shows the carrying capacity of bat fur. This photo, and several other stunning close-ups, are featured this month in a National Geographic magazine article about how nectar-seeking bats home in on flowers. It’s a productive relationship: The bats need the nectar for food and the flowers need pollinators to spread their seed far and wide. A pollen-gilded bat emerges from a flower of the blue mahoe tree in eastern Cuba. (© Merlin D. Tuttle/National Geographic) The article about bats appears in the March edition of National Geographic magazine. (National Geographic)


Md. House approves expanding medical marijuana access and pre-K classes

In this 2011 photo, Harborside Health Center employee Gerard Barber stands behind medical marijuana clone plants at Harborside Health Center in Oakland, Calif. Law and order may soon be coming to the Wild West of Weed. A California lawmaker has introduced legislation to regulate the state’s free-wheeling medical marijuana industry, the farmers that grow the drug, the hundreds of storefront shops that sell it and especially the doctors who write recommendations allowing people to use it. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) (Jeff Chiu/AP) The Maryland House of Delegates gathered hours earlier than normal Monday to continue working their way through a pile of legislation that was due to the Senate that evening. As the deadline loomed (and snow continued to fall and St. Patrick’s Day celebrations raged elsewhere), here are just a few of the things delegates approved: Expanding medical marijuana. Slowly allowing more 4-year-olds into some pre-kindergarten classes. The legislation was sponsored by the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) and has been championed by Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown (D). Delegates approved the legislation in a 102 to 34 vote. The Senate approved similar legislation last week in a 44 to zero vote. Leading up to the House vote, a few Republicans raised questions about the effectiveness of pre-kindergarten classes. Del. Anne R. Kaiser (D-Montgomery) said the “preeminent research” over the past few decades has shown a strong return-on-investment for educating children at an early age. “Really,” Kaiser said on the House floor, “the larger question is why we aren’t scaling up faster to universal pre-K.” Clarifying the state’s rules on the possession of dangerous or wild animals. Establishing a review work group to assess implementation of new education standards. On Saturday, delegates voted 128 to zero to delay the use of new standardized test scores in teacher evaluations. The Senate approved similar legislation last week, and state education leaders have supported the concept. Also Saturday, delegates voted 129 to zero to approve legislation that creates an oversight process for applying for waivers from the U.S. Department of Education. The Senate has yet to act on similar legislation.


Medical marijuana bill advances in Maryland

The Maryland House of Delegates approved legislation Monday intended to make it possible for patients to use medical marijuana, which was legalized last year but remains unavailable in the state. Delegates voted 127 to 9 to allow “certified physicians” to discuss the option of medical marijuana with patients and then recommend its use. Those patients or their caregivers could obtain a 30-day supply from a licensed grower. The legislation now heads to the Senate, where approval is expected. The bill was one of dozens approved by the House on Monday during a marathon meeting ahead of a “crossover” deadline, after which legislation that has not been approved by either the House or the Senate has longer odds of being passed before the legislative session ends in early April. Delegates also voted in favor of expanding pre-kindergarten classes to include more children, providing more oversight of the implementation of new education standards and “shielding” certain criminal records from the public record with the aim of making it easier for former convicts to get jobs. The Senate convened Monday evening with its own full agenda that included bills that would boost annual tax credits given to movie and television companies that film in the state and require restaurants to urge patrons to alert their servers about any known food allergies the customers have before their orders are taken. The Senate’s version of the “House of Cards” bill — sponsored by Sen. Edward J. Kasemeyer (D-Baltimore County) — would increase the tax credit to $18.5 million. It passed by a vote of 45 to 1. The food allergy bill — sponsored by Sens. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Montgomery) and Christopher B. Shank (R-Washington) — would allow certain counties with limited legislative powers to pass laws requiring restaurants to urge patrons to alert servers about their food allergies. It also would require restaurants to have someone on staff who has completed a food allergen awareness training course. The measure passed 33 to 14. Last year, Maryland lawmakers legalized the medical use of marijuana but limited distribution to a small number of approved “academic medical centers.” None of those centers — including the University of Maryland Medical System and Johns Hopkins University — has been willing to participate. That has frustrated some patients and their advocates who want legal access to the drug. Del. Cheryl D. Glenn (D-Baltimore), who sponsored the legislation that passed out of


Dana Milbank: With sanctions, Obama aims to hit Vladimir Putin where it hurts

for its actions. Russians seemed to be immune to Cronies Disease on Monday. In Moscow, stocks climbed nearly 4 percent, apparently on the belief that the U.S. sanctions, and similar ones announced by the European Union, weren’t as bad as feared. The ruble gained against the dollar and the euro. The sanctions targeted the assets and activities of only seven Russian and four Ukrainian officials — and the list didn’t include Putin or the oligarchs who dominate Russia, such as Igor Sechin of the oil company Rosneft and Alexey Miller of Gazprom. From Russia and Ukraine came reports that the targeted 11 don’t have substantial holdings in the United States and are unlikely to be affected greatly. Deputy Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin taunted Obama on Twitter: “Comrade @BarackObama, what should do those who have neither accounts nor property abroad? Or U didn’t think about it?” Another Rogozin tweet said, “I think some prankster prepared the draft of this Act of the US President.” It wasn’t a prank, but neither was it much of a punishment. Clearly, the administration wanted to see whether a symbolic first gesture would be sufficient to give Putin pause. During a speech Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted that the West should respect “the free will of Crimeans” to secede from Ukraine and join Russia. Obama outlined his plan in all of four minutes in the White House briefing room. He ignored questions as he departed, saying of press secretary Jay Carney, “Jay, I think, will be available.” The administration officials who explained the moves in the conference call used some tough language: “in violation of Ukraine’s constitution . . . environment of coercion . . . violated international law . . . illegal referendum.” But their language was undermined by their decision to hide behind anonymity. The White House required that the officials not be quoted by name. ABC’s Jon Karl asked about the omission of Putin from the sanctions list. An official explained that it would be “a highly unusual and rather extraordinary case for the United States to sanction a head of state of another country.” Also on the call, the officials pointed out that “the United States is prepared to take additional proportional and responsive steps to impose further political and economic costs.” This logic, however, seemed to assume that there was nothing “extraordinary” in Putin’s invasion of Ukraine — and


A big-bang theory gets a big boost: Evidence that vast cosmos were created in split second

In the beginning, the universe got very big very fast, transforming itself in a fraction of an instant from something almost infinitesimally small to something imponderably vast, a cosmos so huge that no one will ever be able to see it all. This is the premise of an idea called cosmic inflation — a powerful twist on the big-bang theory — and Monday it received a major boost from an experiment at the South Pole called BICEP2. A team of astronomers led by John Kovac of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics announced that it had detected ripples from gravitational waves created in a violent inflationary event at the dawn of time. “We’re very excited to present our results because they seem to match the prediction of the theory so closely,” Kovac said in an interview. “But it’s the case that science can never actually prove a theory to be true. There could always be an alternative explanation that we haven’t been clever enough to think of.” The reaction in the scientific community was cautiously exultant. The new result was hailed as potentially one of the biggest discoveries of the past two decades. Cosmology, the study of the universe on the largest scales, has already been roiled by the 1998 discovery that the cosmos is not merely expanding but doing so at an accelerating rate, because of what has been called “dark energy.” Just as that discovery has implications for the ultimate fate of the universe, this new one provides a stunning look back at the moment the universe was born. “If real, it’s magnificent,” said Harvard astrophysicist Lisa Randall. Lawrence Krauss, an Arizona State University theoretical physicist, said of the new result, “It gives us a new window on the universe that takes us back to almost the very beginning of time, allowing us to turn previously metaphysical questions about our origins into scientific ones.” The measurement, however, is a difficult one. The astronomers chose the South Pole for BICEP2 and earlier experiments because the air is exceedingly dry, almost devoid of water vapor and ideal for observing subtle quirks in the ancient light pouring in from the night sky. They spent four years building the telescope, and then three years observing and analyzing the data. Kovac, 43, who has been to the South Pole 23 times, said of the conditions there, “It’s almost like being in space.” The BICEP2


Mr. Putin’s tactics in Ukraine demand tougher sanctions

THE SANCTIONS President Obama announced Monday to punish Russia and its collaborators in Ukraine are intended to inflict economic pain. So a fair measure of their adequacy was the reaction Monday of the Russian stock and currency markets: Both spiked upward in celebration. While Vladimir Putin matches or exceeds the most pessimistic expectations of his belligerence — over the weekend, Russian forces extended their invasion from Crimea to an adjacent area of Ukraine — the United States and its allies so far are delivering less than they threatened, or than markets expected, in retaliation. Unless the West quickly steps up measures against the oligarchs, bag men and banks that prop up the Russian regime, the result will likely be more aggression. As it is, Mr. Putin’s brazenness continues to escalate. U.S. officials said ballots for a referendum in Crimea on Sunday arrived at polling stations pre-marked and that the supposedly overwhelming vote for separating from Ukraine was grossly manipulated. Last week the Obama administration calculated that Mr. Putin might delay moving forward with annexing Crimea to Russia after the vote; instead he rushed Monday to announce his recognition of Crimea’s independence, a necessary first step under Russian law. The United States and European Union promised to act Monday if the referendum went forward; German Chancellor Angela Merkel had promised “massive damage to Russia, economically and politically.” But the White House on Monday designated only seven Russian officials and four Ukrainians for visa revocations and asset freezes. They included several close political advisers to Mr. Putin but none of the moneymen behind his regime — much less the banks or energy firms that drive the Russian economy. The European Union designated 21 people, also far fewer than would be needed to cause pain in the Kremlin. The relative good news is that an executive order signed by Mr. Obama gives his administration authority to act more expansively. Russian arms companies are subject to sanctions, as are “individuals and entities” that provide “material or other support to any senior Russian government official.” These authorities could be used to target key figures excluded from Monday’s designation; Putin’s defense minister and intelligence chief and the chairmen of the state gas, oil and railway companies ought to be on the sanctions list. Officials also have the power to hit any bank or other company that invests in Crimea or is found to undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.


If Ukraine wins against Russian aggression, freedom wins

David J. Kramer is president of Freedom House. He was deputy assistant secretary of state for Russia and Ukraine in the George W. Bush administration. The Obama administration took a good first step Monday when it announced sanctions against Russian officials involved in the invasion of Ukraine and efforts that “undermine democratic processes and institutions in Ukraine; threaten its peace, security, stability, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; and contribute to the misappropriation of its assets.” As President Obama said, “If Russia continues to interfere in Ukraine, we stand ready to impose further sanctions.” Further sanctions will indeed be needed, for the list released Monday is missing some key names. In addition, Obama needs to ensure that his European partners take tough measures — the European Union announced sanctions against 13 Russian officials but did not identify them — as Russian integration into Europe and its financial institutions is much greater than into the United States. The White House named two senior aides to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vladislav Surkov and Sergey Glazyev; one deputy prime minister, Dmitri Rogozin; and four members of parliament, including the head of the Federation Council (upper chamber). Key omissions from the sanctions list, however, were all the members of the Russian national security council and several oligarchs, including: ● Sergei Ivanov, Putin’s chief of staff; Volunteers are training for the Ukraine National Guard after army chiefs admitted the military is in poor shape. The Ukrainian parliament passed a plan to call up 40,000 reservists Monday. ● Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s security services (FSB); ● Sergei Shoigu, the minister of defense; ● Sergei Naryshkin, head of the lower chamber (Duma) and a member of the national security council who is close to Putin; ●All Federation Council deputies who voted for the use of force against Ukraine. I can understand not including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to keep diplomatic channels open, though he has lied so many times to Secretary of State John Kerry about Russian intentions — as has Putin to Obama — that one wonders about the utility of continuing to talk with him. To really get the attention of Putin and those around him, the United States and European Union also need to go after the key money guys, including: ● Igor Sechin, head of Rosneft; ● Alexei Miller, head of Gazprom; ● Vagit Alekperov, head of Lukoil; ● Gennady Timchenko, head of Volga


Rammy Awards change judging process, but is this the right recipe for legitimacy?

the moneyed dot.com set in Tysons Corner, set up a computer and asked patrons to give it their vote. The ploy work: eCiti beat TenPenh, Butterfield 9, the Caucus Room and Oceanaire for best new restaurant. RAMW would try to establish rules or processes to limit ballot stuffing or bias — such as creating an online system to limit votes to one per browser cookie — but by 2004, then-president Lynne Breaux decided to scrap much of the old approach. She created a mostly media-oriented judging panel that would meet over the course of several months to debate the nominees and winners. Sometimes the panelists would even dine together at a potential restaurant-nominee to evaluate the food and service. “This was a quantum leap in the evolution of the judging process, laying the groundwork for this year’s changes,” e-mailed Breaux, who stepped down as president last year. The judges in Breaux’s system were required to sign confidentiality agreements, which some panelists still honor today, even though they’re no longer judges. Which means they would talk only anonymously about their time as Rammy arbiters. Just one, former Washington Post food critic Phyllis Richman, spoke on the record. Her recollections dovetail with the memories of those who preferred to remain anonymous: The five people I spoke to, including Richman, say the panel took time and care in selecting the nominees and winners in categories such as pastry chef of the year and rising culinary star. (There were and still remain categories in which the winners are decided by the public, such as “gathering place.”) The judges say they scrupulously maintained their anonymity, even from publicists. Breaux would often lead the discussion during meetings, several say, but she never injected her opinions into the deliberations. Nor did any other member of the panel have undue influence. “I guess there were a couple [judges] who didn’t seem to have much authority, but that was because . . . they didn’t warrant authority,” says Richman. “You could sway the panel with a good argument. I didn’t find anybody powerful without a reason.” Judges had frustrations, of course, during their time under Breaux, which ran from 2004 to 2013. Richman and others would lobby RAMW to open the awards to non-members (to mirror the Beard Awards), but the organization remained steadfast in limiting the Rammys to the nearly 850 businesses that pay dues. Those members support


Local digest: News briefs from around the D.C. area

MARYLAND Nonprofit group reports data breach A state-licensed provider of services to developmentally disabled Maryland residents has reported the theft of computerized Social Security and medical information of about 9,700 clients. Frederick-based Service Coordination said Monday that it learned of the security breach in October but didn’t notify affected individuals until Friday. The organization said disclosure was delayed in part at the request of the U.S. Justice Department to allow for a federal investigation. Service Coordination said there is no evidence that the information was misused or released. — Associated Press Couple charged after toddler dies A Frederick couple have been arrested after the death of their 21-month-old daughter over the weekend, authorities said. Frederick police said they received a report about 11:50 p.m. Friday that the child was not breathing. They said she died shortly afterward at a hospital. Police said the girl’s mother, Stephanie Ramirez Williams, 21, was arrested Monday on a charge of first-degree child abuse resulting in serious injury. The father, Frankie Aubrey Williams, 24, had been arrested earlier and charged with first-degree child abuse resulting in death. — Martin Weil VIRGINIA Driver charged after bus crash Virginia State Police said a bus driver has been charged with reckless driving after a crash on Interstate 95 southbound in Stafford County that shut the interstate for several hours. Police said four of the 58 passengers were seriously injured when the bus ran off the road and overturned. It was headed from New York to Doravillle, Ga. The driver was identified as Qilong Xang, 50, of Flushing, N.Y. — Dana Hedgpeth Federal judge denies McDonnell motion A federal judge on Monday denied a defense request that he require prosecutors to be more specific about the “official actions” former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell allegedly performed for a wealthy Richmond area businessman in exchange for loans and expensive gifts. U.S. District Judge James R. Spencer wrote that the 43-page indictment against McDonnell (R) and his wife was “sufficiently detailed” and that prosecutors need not produce a “bill of particulars” to define the official actions the couple allegedly performed or promised to perform for businessman Jonnie R. Williams Sr. The indictment alleges that McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, lent the prestige of the governor’s office to Williams and Star Scientific — a dietary supplement company that Williams used to run — in exchange for loans and gifts totaling at least


New ambassador to China Max Baucus vows to focus on business, human rights

U.S. Ambassador to China Max Baucus during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy after his arrival in Beijing on March 18. (Petar Kujundzic/Reuters) BEIJING – In his first public remarks since arriving in Beijing, the former senator from Montana outlined his highest priorities: to nudge China into taking more global responsibility, strengthen people-to-people ties and raise Chinese respect for human-rights norms. Addressinga packed room of Chinese and Western media reporters less than 24 hours after he and his wife landed in Beijing, Baucus opened his first news conference quoting Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu’s saying about a journey of a thousand miles beginning with a single step. “The fact is I like to walk. I like to travel,” he said, vowing that he would try to visit each of China’s 22 provinces and five regions before finishing his tenure. He said that his interest in China began as a student when he hitchhiked his way around the world for a year, including a stop in Hong Kong. Describing the increasingly complex and intertwined relationship between China and the United States, Baucus said, “We simply must get it right.” On business, he talked of finding mutually beneficial interests while making sure U.S. businesses and workers can “compete fairly with their Chinese counterparts.” On human rights, he said he would urge Beijing to “support the laws, norms, values and human rights that undergird the current international system from which we all benefit.” He also talked of partnering with China on global issues from cybersecurity to global warming. Baucus replaced former Washington governor Gary Locke, who generated fascination among the Chinese because of his status as a Chinese American. By comparison, there was relatively less chatter about Baucus on China’s version of Twitter on Tuesday. Baucus, however, arrives having been one of the most powerful Democrats in the Senate. In that role, he took stances against China at times on its trade practices, but also played a role in helping China gain admission to the World Trade Organization.


NSA surveillance program reaches ‘into the past’ to retrieve, replay phone calls

have sometimes described that prospect as disquieting but remote, with notable implications for a growing debate over the NSA’s practice of “bulk collection” abroad. Bulk methods capture massive data flows “without the use of discriminants,” as President Obama put it in January. By design, they vacuum up all the data they touch — meaning that most of the conversations collected by RETRO would be irrelevant to U.S. national security interests. In a speech Friday at the Department of Justice, President Obama called for significant changes to the way the NSA collects and uses telephone records of U.S. citizens. On Jan. 17, President Obama called for significant changes to the way the NSA collects and uses telephone records of U.S. citizens. Read a transcript of his remarks. Here is the report from the five-member Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies, which contains 40-plus recommendations on the NSA. Read it. In the view of U.S. officials, however, the capability is highly valuable. In a statement, Caitlin Hayden, spokeswoman for the National Security Council, declined to comment on “specific alleged intelligence activities.” Speaking generally, she said that “new or emerging threats” are “often hidden within the large and complex system of modern global communications, and the United States must consequently collect signals intelligence in bulk in certain circumstances in order to identify these threats.” NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines, in an e-mailed statement, said that “continuous and selective reporting of specific techniques and tools used for legitimate U.S. foreign intelligence activities is highly detrimental to the national security of the United States and of our allies, and places at risk those we are sworn to protect.” Some of the documents provided by Snowden suggest that high-volume eavesdropping may soon be extended to other countries, if it has not been already. The RETRO tool was built three years ago as a “unique one-off capability,” but last year’s secret intelligence budget named five more countries for which the MYSTIC program provides “comprehensive metadata access and content,” with a sixth expected to be in place by last October. The budget did not say whether the NSA now records calls in quantity in those countries or expects to do so. A separate document placed a high priority on planning “for MYSTIC accesses against projected new mission requirements,” including “voice.” Ubiquitous voice surveillance, even overseas, pulls in a great deal of content from Americans who telephone, visit and


Notable deaths: Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, Howard ‘Bo’ Callaway Sr.

Ahmad Tejan Kabbah Sierra Leone president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, the former president of Sierra Leone who oversaw the end of the country’s brutal civil war, died March 13 at his home in the capital city of Freetown. He was 82. His family confirmed the death but did not disclose the cause. Mr. Kabbah, who became president in 1996, was briefly ousted in a military coup before returning to power. He stepped down in 2007 after serving two terms in office. Sierra Leoneans credit Mr. Kabbah with resisting the rebels during the insurgents’ decade-long terror campaign. His supporters also credit him with helping bring in the U.N. and British forces that crushed the rebels, leading to the official end of the war in 2002. Howard ‘Bo’ Callaway Sr. Secretary of the Army Howard “Bo” Callaway Sr., a one-term congressman from Georgia who served as secretary of the Army from 1973 to 1975, died March 15 at an assisted-living facility in Columbus, Ga. He was 86. The cause was complications from a brain hemorrhage he suffered about two years ago, said Rachel Crumbley, a spokeswoman for Callaway Gardens, a 6,500-acre garden and resort in Pine Mountain, Ga. Mr. Callaway helped start the gardens. Mr. Callaway, a Republican, was elected to the U.S. House in 1964. He ran for governor in 1966 and received 3,000 more votes than the Democratic nominee, segregationist Lester Maddox. But because former governor Ellis Arnall mounted a write-in campaign, no candidate received the majority needed to win. State law at the time did not allow for a general election runoff; instead, the legislature was allowed to choose the next governor, and the Democratic-controlled body backed Maddox. From 1970 until 2003, Mr. Callaway was the principal owner and chief executive of Crested Butte Mountain Resort in Colorado. In 1980, he unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. Senate in Colorado, and he was chairman of that state’s Republican Party from 1981 until 1987. Mr. Callaway, a native of LaGrange, Ga., was a 1949 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. — From wire reports


Beer style guide and glossary for Beer Madness 2014

A keg of Troegs "Perpetual" Beer at Meridian Pint in Washington, D.C. (Jason Aldag/TWP) The universe of beer styles is constantly changing. The 2013 Great American Beer Festival encompassed 84 categories. The style guide for the 2014 World Beer Cup lists 94. We don’t have to cover them all, but every year the judges of Beer Madness assess a diverse and changing assortment. This updated guide, listed in alphabetical order, should give you an idea of the workout our palates experienced. Ale. Altbier: Bitter: Brown ale: California common: Dortmunder: Dry-hopping: Grisette: Hefeweizen: Helles: India pale ale Kolsch: Lager: Pale ale: Pilsener: Porter: Singel Saison: Vienna lager: Witbier: More from Food: Beer Column We unveil this year’s bracket Vote for your favorites in Beer Madness When you can taste the Beer Madness brews Meet the Beer Madness panel


Beer Madness 2014 panelists: Who they are, and why we chose them

Miles Gray tastes beer for the 2014 Beer Madness contest held at Meridian Pint. (Jason Aldag/TWP) This year’s Beer Madness panelists came to Meridian Pint on two consecutive Tuesday nights in March to taste their way through 32 brews. Who was on the panel? As in previous years, we chose four “experts” and four readers, the former solicited for their diversity of industry experience and the latter chosen from among more than 300 submissions. The ninth judge is longtime Post beer columnist Greg Kitsock, editor of Mid-Atlantic Brewing News. The experts: U.S. Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), co-chairman of the House Small Brewers Caucus. The congressman has become a regular on our panel after joining as a reader in 2012. Miles Gray III, Erica Skolnik tasting beer for the 2014 Beer Madness contest held at Meridian Pint. (Jason Aldag/TWP) Erica Skolnik, Two in one: Ruth Gresser, chef-owner of Pizzeria Paradiso, judged on the first night, then handed the reins to Paradiso beer manager Greg Jasgur for the second. The readers Bryan Berghoef, Echo Rummel, Bruce A. Johnson Jr., 46, of Bowie, Md. An attorney, Johnson wrote, “I am as passionate about beer as I am the law, even though I cannot drink it first thing in the morning or take it to court.” Beers: Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head Shelter Pale Ale. Lauren Smith, Introducing the 2014 Beer Madness bracket Beer Column Vote for your favorites in Beer Madness Beer style guide and glossary Meet the Beer Madness panel


Beer Madness: How to taste all 32 beers

Bruce Johnson tastes beer for the 2014 Beer Madness contest held at Meridian Pint. (Jason Aldag/TWP) Want in on Beer Madness? Here's how you can taste just what the judges did and form your own (hopefully informed) opinions — and even make them known. Beginning Friday, March 21, and continuing through Sunday, March 23, Meridian Pint (3400 11th St NW, 202-588-1075, www.meridianpint.com) will tap all 16 beers in our Crisp and Malt categories. Monday through Wednesday, March 24-26, it’ll switch over to the 16 beers in our Fruit & Spice and Hop categories. Customers will be able to buy 4-ounce tasters or full pours (12-16 ounces). Happy hour prices (a dollar off each draft) apply from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday and Monday through Wednesday. Then, starting Thursday, March 27, and continuing weekly, Meridian Pint will duplicate our match-ups, offering free one-ounce samples of the beers that made it to the next spot in the bracket and asking patrons to vote on their favorites. Check next week’s Beer Madness update to find out the results of Round 1, and which beers will be available when. Introducing the 2014 Beer Madness bracket Beer Column Vote for your favorites in Beer Madness Beer style guide and glossary Meet the Beer Madness panel These cozy recipes from our Recipe Finder will hit the spot on cold winter days.