Should cheaters get into baseball’s Hall of Fame?

may be simple, but the voting is tough. Sometimes it’s hard to tell why a player who was very good reaches that 75 percent target while someone who seems to have been equally good does not. In recent years, there has been another problem. Since the late 1980s, some major leaguers have taken banned drugs, such as steroids, to help them throw harder, hit better and recover from injuries faster. In other words, players cheated to hit home runs and pitch victories. Several players on this year’s ballot, including pitcher Roger Clemens (among the all-time best, with 354 career wins) and slugger Barry Bonds (with a record 762 career home runs), are strongly suspected of having taken banned drugs during their careers. Clemens and Bonds have denied it. The question is: Should those players be voted into the Hall of Fame? Some people say they should, arguing that Clemens and Bonds were not the only players suspected of taking prohibited drugs. In addition, some argue that Clemens and Bonds were such great players that they could have made it into the Hall of Fame without taking steroids. I think the baseball writers should keep the cheaters out. First, it is important to look at the Hall of Fame’s own rules for voting. Those rules state, “Voting shall be based upon the player’s record, playing ability, integrity, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to the team(s) on which the player played.” It’s hard to say that a player who cheated by taking performance-enhancing drugs showed “integrity, sportsmanship [and] character.” But even more important, I think the writers should keep the cheaters out because voting them in would set a terrible example for kids. Too often, we reward people who are not admirable — I’m thinking of certain actors, athletes, musicians and even political leaders — with money, fame and all sorts of awards. Parents and teachers tell kids it is important to be a good person. But it is hard for kids to believe that when they see people of questionable character getting lots of the prizes. I think it would be great for the Hall of Fame voters to draw a clear line. If you cheat, you won’t get into the Hall of Fame. Or, as they say in baseball, you’re out! Bowen writes the sports opinion column for KidsPost. He is the author of 21 sports books, including nine about baseball.


U.S. military says battle with Taliban killed 33 civilians in Afghanistan

Afghan villagers gather around the bodies of civilians killed in airstrikes on Nov. 3 in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province. (Najim Rahim/AP) KABUL — The battle took place in northern Kunduz province, and two U.S. soldiers and three Afghan troops were also killed. The operation, in Boz Kandahari village, targeted Taliban leaders who the U.S. military said were responsible for deadly incursions in the area, including a brazen assault on the provincial capital in October. The insurgents briefly captured the city’s central neighborhoods in a stunning display of strength. “The investigation determined, regretfully, that 33 civilians were killed and 27 wounded,” a statement from U.S. forces in Afghanistan said. The statement said 26 Taliban fighters, including two leaders, were also killed in the November raid — a claim the villagers dispute. “To defend themselves and Afghan forces, U.S. forces returned fire in self-defense at Taliban who were using civilian houses as firing positions,” the statement said, adding that no further action would be taken. No compensation has been paid to the families of the victims, according to Kunduz lawmaker Fatima Aziz. “We want the U.S. government to pay reparations,” Aziz said when reached by telephone. “For the loss of civilian lives and the destruction of their houses.” Civilian casualties have reached record highs in Afghanistan, with most of the civilian deaths attributed to battles in rural areas and to suicide and other bomb attacks. More than 2,500 people were reported killed in the first nine months of 2016. Air operations were responsible for 133 deaths from January to September, the United Nations said, although only a third of them were caused by airstrikes conducted by foreign forces. In Kunduz, American and Afghan troops called in airstrikes after coming under fire in the village, the U.S. investigative report said. “Upon arrival at the village, friendly forces were soon engaged by the Taliban from multiple civilian buildings,” it said. After they began taking casualties, U.S. forces, who were there to advise and assist Afghan troops, called in airstrikes to “suppress” Taliban fighters who were firing on medevac crews. “No civilians were seen or identified in the course of the battle,” the U.S. military said, adding that the civilians killed or injured “were likely inside the buildings from which the Taliban were fighting.” But residents of the village dispute that account. One resident, Jamaluddin, said in an interview in November that everyone was asleep when


The race to develop a vaccine: Scientists inch closer to preventing Zika

Nurse Floreliz Mendoza instructs study participant Andrea Vaught, 25, on how to monitor herself as part of a Zika vaccine clnical trial at the National Institutes of Health campus in Bethesda, Md. (Allison Shelley for The Washington Post) Several companies and U.S. government institutions are racing to develop a vaccine to prevent infection from the Zika virus. The vaccine candidates to date, which use a variety of approaches, are in different stages of development. Some efforts rely on the traditional method that requires growing or purifying a weakened or killed virus. Others are employing newer technology, using pieces of DNA or RNA, that allows a faster timeline. But no results from the new technologies have reached the market for human use. Three candidates are furthest along: ● Two DNA vaccines are in preliminary safety testing, one developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the second by Inovio Pharmaceuticals and GeneOne Life Science and its U.S. and Canadian academic collaborators. ● An inactivated vaccine, developed by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, is also in preliminary safety testing. Collaborating on this are NIAID, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, and the drugmaker Sanofi Pasteur. Other candidates in the pipeline include: ● A weakened-virus vaccine developed by NIAID and the Butantan Institute, a Brazilian nonprofit. ● An RNA vaccine developed by Moderna Therapeutics in collaboration with BARDA. ● An inactivated-virus vaccine formulated with an adjuvant, a substance that enhances the immune response. This was developed by Takeda Group and BARDA. ● An RNA vaccine developed by NIAID and GlaxoSmithKline. ● A vaccine being developed by NIAID that uses a genetically engineered version of an animal virus primarily affecting cattle. — Lena H. Sun Follow Crystal Woodley, a 33-year-old Baltimore resident, as she participates in an early round of clinical trials for a potential vaccine for the Zika virus.


Yes, it’s possible to dine out and eat a healthful meal. Here’s how.

a lot of fat. Trabocchi said more and more diners are opting to take the lean-protein route: Sales of fish have increased at all of the couple’s restaurants in the past two years. Fiola Mare, with its emphasis on seafood, is particularly popular with people looking to eat lighter. But the way these foods are cooked matters. The menu can help guide you: “Grilled,” “broiled,” “poached,” “lightly sauteed” and, for sauces, “on the side” are all good signs. Look for lightly dressed salads with lots of vegetables. Nuts can be a smart topping, too, in reasonable amounts. (Dayna Smith/For The Washington Post) Salads aren’t always the best option. One reason: the dressing. You don’t always know what’s in it, and there can be a lot of it. Feel free to ask for it on the side, and keep in mind that salads tossed with oil and vinegar are often a better option than, say, ranch dressing. Another problem: Chefs tend to serve salads with hefty toppings. The result? “It ends up being a lot of food,” Crisafulli said, especially heavy ones that feature such proteins as breaded chicken tenders (grilled is better) and such garnishes as croutons and large amounts of cheese. The ever-popular Caesar salad, which in many restaurants has evolved into a sodium-laden calorie bomb of cheese and croutons, should usually be avoided. But Crisafulli said that doesn’t mean you should avoid all salads — and the ones you do order don’t have to be boring. Look for varieties packed with fruits, vegetables and ingredients like roasted nuts and bold cheeses, which pack a flavorful punch in relatively small quantities. Cut back on the alcohol. The federal government’s U.S. Dietary Guidelines suggest women consume no more than seven drinks per week, men twice that much. (A drink is considered to be about 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1½ ounces of liquor.) If you imbibe, stick to the basics — a shot with such no-calorie mixers as club soda, or a glass of wine, for example. Trabocchi’s strategy involves skipping alcohol at lunch. She said it’s also a good idea to set a two-glass maximum for wine per meal. After that, if you want something interesting to sip while being social, think tea or sparkling water instead. When it comes to dessert, sharing is the way to go. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) Split


A foodie’s stinky-tofu tutorial in Taiwan

decided to send a few texts, board and sleep for the bulk of the flight. The fellowship that had dispatched me to Taiwan encouraged me to learn about whatever I wanted. And what I wanted to do was eat. For a tiny place, Taiwan’s novelty-filled food culture has an almost gravitational pull over the American diner. Taiwanese American kids in Southern California snack on fried squid at homegrown night markets; a chef, Eddie Huang, slings bao — doughy buns filled with various meats and vegetables — and Taiwanese sodas in New York and Los Angeles. Bubble tea, a milky, sweet drink laden with gummy tapioca “pearls” the size of marbles, hails from this place, too, though now it’s almost as ubiquitous in such places as Rockville, Md. A plate of stinky tofu, a street-stand staple that proved to be the author’s nemesis. (Lavanya Ramanathan/The Washington Post) I was Taiwan-bound for stinky tofu, not for a whiff of international brinkmanship. It quickly dawned on me that politics and Taiwan’s delicate dance with China pervade everything here, from the conversation to the cuisine. Everyone we met paused before speaking carefully about Taiwan. Is Taiwan a nation? (No.) Does it have an embassy? (No, not quite.) Is its democratically elected president actually a president? (Er, debatable, but this publication often uses “leader.”) Beijing and Taipei are, for better or worse, bound, the product of the one-China policy, which recognizes the two governments as one — or, rather, recognizes only China’s as legitimate. Which is why, for decades, American presidents have pretended that Taiwan doesn’t exist. And why, for two generations, Taiwan has shuddered under China’s yoke. Szu-chien Hsu, the gleefully frank head of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, has a notion about why the Trump Call, as it has come to be known here, made Taiwanese hearts (and Tsai’s approval ratings) leap. “We have this feeling,” he says, “that we’ve been forgotten by the world.” The morning after my arrival, I sat down to a life-affirming Chinese breakfast of sweet black soybeans, the Chinese cruller known as an oil stick, taro bun and approximately four versions of tofu, and I begin to feel more charitable. Around me, I noticed banyan trees, with their artfully tangled trunks, dotting every patch of green, and my ears were abuzz with the high-register squeeee of passing motorbikes. Pastel pops of cuteness — saucer-eyed cartoon figures plastered onto


D.C. police cite quarrel as possible motive in fatal W Street apartment stabbing

Waliyatou Amadou died after being stabbed in a Northwest Washington apartment building. (D.C. Police) A woman who died after being stabbed on Sunday in an apartment building in Northwest Washington had argued with her attacker about whether he had previously sexually assaulted her, police said in an arrest affidavit filed in court. The new details provide a possible motive in the violent death of Waliyatou Amadou, who was found wounded in the second-floor hallway of a co-op in the 1400 block of W Street Northwest, along the vibrant U Street corridor. She died later at a hospital. Police on Wednesday arrested Deangelo Demetrius Thorne, 27, of no fixed address, and charged him with second-degree murder. A D.C. Superior Court judge ordered Thorne detained until a preliminary hearing Jan. 19. Authorities described Thorne as an acquaintance of Amadou who sometimes lived on the streets and battled mental problems. Police listed Amadou’s age as 23; her family said she was 21. She and her family came to the United States about 19 years ago from Togo. Her father worked as a chauffeur for the Togo Embassy. Amadou’s parents returned to the West African nation several years ago, but their children remained in the United States. Amadou’s sister and father said she refused to stay with relatives. Thorne has listed several addresses in public documents, the latest in Trinidad in Northeast. But police said a relative there denied that Thorne lived with him. He also has listed a homeless shelter and a substance-abuse clinic in Northwest Washington as residences. Attempts to reach relatives failed. Last year, Thorne sued a relative who he said kicked him out of her home. “I am trying to get back in,” he wrote in his complaint, which was dismissed. At the time of the killing, Thorne was awaiting a Feb. 10 sentencing on a 2016 drug conviction and was wearing a tracking device. He has two other 2016 criminal cases pending, one for assault. In 2015, he served 15 days in jail for assaulting a police officer and 30 days for destruction of property. On Sunday night, police said that Thorne, Amadou and another person were arguing outside the W Street apartment building about whether a previous sexual encounter was an assault or consensual. Amadou went into the building and Thorne followed, police said in the affidavit. Inside, the two argued near a boiler room, police said in


Hundreds of Tibetans defy China, gather at birthplace of Buddhism in India

but certainly what you’re seeing is trending towards perhaps a less self-conscious expression of our sentiments and our support for the Tibetan cultural identity and the high standing the Dalai Lama enjoys here in India,” said Nirupama Menon Rao, a former foreign secretary and ambassador to China. The support is key, as the Tibetan exile community faces uncertain times. The Dalai Lama has said that when he dies, he may choose not to be reincarnated, as Buddhist belief holds, or that he could come back as a woman. But China has signaled that it will control the search for the next Dalai Lama by anointing its own Panchen Lama, another important religious figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Some of the attendees said they are worried that this year’s Kalachakra will be the last the Dalai Lama will perform. The octogenarian moves and speaks more slowly now, and he had to be helped to the elaborate throne on the dais by two monks. “He can’t go into top gear anymore,” said Gaden Tashi, a Tibetan from Kathmandu, Nepal. “But he keeps saying he’s happy and healthy.” One young Tibetan-language tutor who made the risky journey from China recalled that when he unrolled his prayer mat at Bodh Gaya and got his first glimpse of the Dalai Lama, “I couldn’t control myself; I thought it was a dream.” The tutor, 29, arrived Jan. 3, weeks after his trip began in a small village in the Tibetan area of Amdo. He paid a guide to take him to Kathmandu, where he received legal papers from the Indian Embassy to make the pilgrimage. Almost immediately, he said, speaking on the condition of anonymity, frightening messages began appearing on his WeChat, China’s popular social-media platform. He said police sent a warning through his parents that he should return by Jan. 3, the day the Kalachakra would begin. His mother cried and begged him to come home soon. Others sent photos of pilgrims who were met at the airport only to have their passports sliced into pieces by police. He said he now feels he cannot return to China, but he believes his sacrifice has been worth it. “Every Tibetan has a dream — to meet the Dalai Lama,” he said. “I told my parents I have no regret, even if I die.” Luna Lin in Beijing and Swati Gupta in New Delhi contributed to this report.


I’d never heard of this condition until the terrible joint pain set in

(Courtesy of Louise Kermath) The first hint of trouble came just a week after I had knee replacement surgery. I was rearranging the bedclothes over my new knee when I realized the down comforter felt like lead, and lifting it felt like doing a bench press. That seemed curious, but I was so bent on getting the new knee to work properly that I ignored my sore arms as well as a stubborn stiffness in my neck and hips. Physical therapy was my focus, and the goal was to get back to my favorite pastime — rowing. It had kept me in shape for years, and I was missing early mornings on the Potomac. Months later, I still hadn’t picked up an oar. Instead, I’d endured anemia, weight loss, fevers, stiffness and sometimes excruciating pain in my hips and legs. I felt as if I’d been hit by the flu, or maybe a truck. Getting out of bed was painful, and getting into a boat again seemed an impossible task. The culprit: polymyalgia rheumatica, or PMR, an autoimmune disease that spreads painful inflammation through most of the body’s joints. (Courtesy of Louise Kermath) Never heard of it? Neither had I. Yet it strikes many older Americans, usually in their 70s and 80s, more women than men. The afflicted are more often of Northern European extraction, indicating to researchers that genetics may be at work. Fortunately, PMR responds quickly to the steroid drug prednisone. The important thing is to recognize, not ignore, the symptoms and seek help. I felt better within a day of finally seeing my doctor, being diagnosed and taking my first dose of prednisone. In most cases, the condition can be cured, although slowly over months, sometimes years. And in some situations it can be complicated by a more serious disease. Why and how PMR strikes is mysterious, although researchers are looking at viruses or stress as triggers for the disease. But undeniably, it is associated with aging, and particularly the aging immune system. With the first wave of baby boomers heading into their 70s this year, America’s elderly population will swell, and doctors think there will almost certainly be more cases of PMR. Tricking the immune system Basically, polymyalgia rheumatica tricks the immune system into attacking its own body — sending antibodies and immune cells into the hundreds of fluid-filled sacs called bursae that lie throughout our


Pa. painkiller prescriptions drop after creation of monitoring program

(FotografiaBasica/Getty Images/iStock) Within months of launching a registry to prevent patients from receiving opioids and other potentially addictive prescription drugs from more than one doctor, Pennsylvania saw a substantial drop in the number of prescriptions for painkillers such as Vicodin, OxyContin and Percocet. Authorized by the state legislature in 2014, Pennsylvania’s prescription drug monitoring program began operation only in June because of budget constraints. Within months, insurers reported a decline in total opioid prescriptions. Pennsylvania’s online registry allows prescribing nurses and physicians to see which prescriptions a patient may already be receiving. Similar to other states, Pennsylvania requires pharmacists to update patients’ drug history each time they fill a prescription. In the first eight months of 2016, Highmark, one of Pennsylvania’s largest insurers, said the number of monthly reimbursements for opioid painkillers ranged from 110,000 to 118,000. From September through November, the number was about 107,000 each month. Other insurers in the state also reported small declines. Nationwide, the number of prescriptions for highly addictive opioid painkillers dropped 10 percent between 2013 and 2015, a decline attributed to greater awareness of the dangers of painkillers as well as to more-restrictive federal guidelines and state drug monitoring systems. Overdose deaths involving prescription opioid painkillers have quadrupled since 1999, as have sales of the drugs. From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people died in the United States of overdoses related to prescription opioids. In 2015, prescription opioids were involved in more than 33,000 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.


Oliver Smithies, who won Nobel Prize for medicine, dies at 91

After winning the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2007, professor Oliver Smithies greeted friends and students at a reception for him on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. (Karen Tam/AP) Oliver Smithies, a British-born scientist who won the Nobel Prize in medicine in 2007 for advances that enhanced genetic research to better understand cancer, obesity, heart disease and other ailments, died Jan. 10 in Chapel Hill, N.C. He was 91. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where Dr. Smithies had been a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the medical school, announced the death. No cause was reported. Dr. Smithies won the Nobel Prize for developing a technique used to manipulate genes in mice. The university said Dr. Smithies’s lab created the first animal model of cystic fibrosis in 1992. Dr. Smithies’s work aided in the creation and use of “knockout mice,” which have helped scientists understand how individual genes work. According to a National Institutes of Health genome research webpage, knockout mice are rodents in which researchers have inactivated, or “knocked out,” an existing gene and replaced or disrupted it with an artificial piece of DNA. Knockout mice have been used to study and model varieties of cancer, among other diseases. Dr. Smithies shared his 2007 prize with the University of Utah’s Mario Capecchi and Martin Evans of Cardiff University in Britain. On that day, his lab threw together a party for the modest Dr. Smithies. In his cluttered office, little toy mice lined his bookshelves. “I feel rather peaceful,” Dr. Smithies told the News & Observer of Raleigh at the time. “I’ve been working at the bench for more than 50 years, and it’s nice to find that people appreciate what you’ve done. It feels like what a lot of people have mentioned — a capstone on one’s career.” Olivier Smithies and his fraternal twin brother, Roger, were born June 23, 1925, in Halifax, England. A bout with rheumatic fever at 7 left him with a heart murmur. The condition was then considered serious enough that he wasn’t allowed to play sports until he was a teenager. He received a scholarship to the University at Oxford in 1943 and briefly studied medicine before changing his concentration to physiology. He was awarded a bachelor’s degree in physiology in 1946, and a master’s degree and a doctorate in biochemistry from Oxford in


First sign of enhanced U.S.-Russia relations under Trump: An invite to Syria talks

opposition representatives are also expected to attend. Michael Flynn, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security adviser, arrives at Trump Tower in New York on Jan. 3. (Andrew Harnik/AP) The Astana meeting will follow an unsuccessful year-long attempt, spearheaded by the Obama administration and Russia, to implement a cease-fire and begin peace talks in Syria. Moscow and Washington have accused each other of sabotaging that effort. Russia initiated the new process, aiming to demonstrate its own leadership role on the regional and global stages. Meanwhile, the timing of the Flynn-Kislyak call has prompted questions about whether they also discussed sanctions on Russia that President Obama was widely reported to be preparing — and announced the next day — and whether Trump, as president, will enforce them or even allow them to stand. The transition official said Friday that he did not know whether Flynn was aware at the time of the call that sanctions were about to be announced. But “I can tell you that during his call, sanctions were not discussed whatsoever,” the official said. Trump conceded at a news conference this week that “I think it was Russia” that was responsible for hacking Democratic email accounts during the presidential campaign. He had previously questioned a U.S. intelligence assessment of Russian responsibility. But he continues to reject the intelligence conclusion that Russia leaked the hacked information to promote his candidacy over that of Hillary Clinton. The Senate Intelligence Committee will “expeditiously” conduct an investigation of the intelligence conclusions, the chairman and ranking Democrat announced Friday. Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.), said in a statement that the scope of the inquiry would include, but would not be limited to, Russian activities and intentions, as well as “any intelligence regarding links between Russia and individuals associated with political campaigns.” It said the committee would, when possible, hold open hearings; issue subpoenas for testimony, if necessary; and produce classified and unclassified reports of its findings. Russia loomed large over President-elect Donald Trump’s news conference and his pick for secretary of state Rex Tillerson’s confirmation hearing on Jan. 11. Trump and Flynn have called for increased cooperation with Russia on a number of fronts, and both have criticized the current administration, alleging missed opportunities and weak leadership. The Flynn-Kislyak call was first reported Friday by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who said transition officials described two separate conversations between them, both initiated by Flynn.


Two attention-getting gruners and three other lively wines to try

Exceptional Excellent Very Good (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) Austria’s grüner veltliner grape makes delicious wines at all prices, as this week’s two examples demonstrate. We have a one-liter charmer that offers great value and a single-vineyard cuvee that shows what the grape can accomplish at the high end. To round out the selections, we have a lively red from Greece, an intriguing cabernet franc from the Loire Valley and, from Chile, one of the best boxed wines I’ve tasted in a long time. — Dave McIntyre Leindl Seeberg 1er Grüner Veltliner 2013 Kamptal, Austria, $43 This wine somehow achieves the weight and expressiveness of a white burgundy, without the oak. All the white flowers and peppery spice that characterize grüner are here, in layers. Age has softened the acidity a bit, giving the wine extra richness. This and two other wines from Leindl, a Kamptal Reserve grüner veltliner and a Zöbinger Heiligenstein Riesling, are new to the market; their availability should improve. Alcohol by volume: 13 percent. Distributed by Kysela: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits. Available in Virginia at Tastings of Charlottesville. Other Leindl wines are available in the District at MacArthur Beverages, in Maryland at Wine Source in Baltimore, and in Virginia at Classic Wines in Great Falls, Ellwood Thompson’s Local Market in Richmond and Locke Store in Millwood. Dalamara Paliokalias 2013 Naoussa, Greece, $28 The best word to describe this red from the Greek grape xinomavro is “energetic.” It seemed to dance on my palate, more like Muhammad Ali than like Mikhail Baryshnikov, coming at me from different angles and defying me to pin it down. Is it light-bodied or an oaky heavyweight? Is it fruit-forward or complex? A butterfly or a bee? Yes to all. Most of all, it’s delicious. ABV: 13.5 percent. Distributed by Dionysus: Available in the District at Cleveland Park Wine and Spirits, Mediterranean Way Gourmet Market, Rodman’s; on the list at Kellari, Mourayo. Available in Maryland at Bradley Food & Beverage in Bethesda; on the list at Ouzo Bay in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Cheesetique (Alexandria), Crystal City Wine Shop, Planet Wine & Gourmet in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner, Unwined (Alexandria, Belleview); on the list at Nostos in Vienna, Parallel Bistro in Broadlands. Domaine des Baumard Le Logis Rouge de Cépage Cabernet 2014 Anjou, Loire Valley, France, $19 Reds from Anjou, a relatively cold area, can be


Preparing for Inauguration Day’s travel adventures

south on 14th Street NW and across the 14th Street Bridge. The problem wouldn’t be the bridge. It’s the street, which is in the security zone approaching the bridge. I suggested a wide swing west to the Key Bridge in Georgetown and then onto the George Washington Parkway, or a swing east to D.C. 295, the Capital Beltway and Woodrow Wilson Bridge, then north to the airport. Another form of airport anxiety concerns how to retrieve out-of-town guests. A woman who lives in the Eastern Market neighborhood wants to meet a friend arriving at Dulles International Airport on Thursday evening. I liked her idea about taking the Silver Line to the Wiehle Avenue terminus and then catching an airport bus to meet her friend. She probably could do the round trip by driving. From Eastern Market, she could head down to the Southeast-Southwest Freeway, cross the 14th Street Bridge and take one of several routes to reach Dulles. But she’s right to be concerned about traffic conditions on commuter routes around the security zone on Thursday. Starting the road closings on the day before the inauguration is not unusual. But the past two times, the day before has either been a Sunday or the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. This time, it’s a regular weekday. It’s also possible there will be some extra traffic in the afternoon and evening as some people who have a holiday on Friday begin a long weekend. Many people reminded me that they don’t have Friday off, and they’re worried about getting to work. Among the key concerns for these commuters: The Third Street Tunnel is scheduled to close at 6 a.m. Friday. They’ve also asked about HOV rules. The Virginia Department of Transportation plans to suspend the HOV rules on Friday, but the I-395 reversible HOV lanes are scheduled to close at 9 a.m. and reopen southbound after the inaugural address. Then there was this question from my online chat Monday. Q: Yoga Teacher Training — Inauguration Day. No, in fact taking Metro for any trip that includes the security zone and the blocks around it is a best bet. Metro tends to do very well on inauguration days, though it’s certainly not problem-free. The trains and stations can get very crowded, especially just before and after the big events. Another traveler who lives near Eastern Market had just gotten an email from her


As Brexit tremors ripple, the Rock of Gibraltar shudders

those living here worry that the coupling of Brexit with Spanish threats could return Gibraltar to a painful past. The British overseas territory near Spain is about to leave the European Union because of Brexit. “Instead of feeding the goose that lays the golden egg, Spain is trying to kill it,” said Ernest “Tito” Vallejo Smith, a retired military man, local historian and tour guide. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We’re stuck in limbo.” In that respect, Gibraltar has company. Since the stunning vote by Britain in June to exit the E.U., the country has been locked in suspended animation, awaiting the outcome of negotiations that will reshape virtually every aspect of its relationship with its European neighbors. As Gibraltar’s predicament shows, untangling Britain from the E.U. will not be easy. With the negotiations expected to begin this spring, British Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed that she will deliver results to a population demanding liberation from the Brussels bureaucracy and, in particular, greater freedom to limit migration into Britain. But she also will have to defend British financial interests, which are heavily intertwined with the E.U. And she will need to look out for each of the United Kingdom’s component parts, some of which — Scotland, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar — voted against Brexit. Meanwhile, European negotiators will seek to use every bit of leverage to drive a hard bargain with their soon-to-be-former E.U. ally, and to dissuade other wavering members from a rush to the exits. The negotiations, due to last two years, could leave tiny Gibraltar especially vulnerable. Its residents know this well, and it helps to explain why 96 percent of Gibraltarians who voted in the June referendum opted for “remain.” Unlike its rainy island motherland some 1,000 miles to the north, sun-splashed Gibraltar relies on daily movement and trade across a European border to supply nearly half of its workforce and the vast majority of its resources. And the country that controls that border is Spain — which gave Gibraltar away to Britain in a peace treaty more than 300 years ago, and has wanted it back ever since. With the Brexit vote, Spanish officials seemed to think their moment had finally come. Within hours of the result, then-Foreign Minister José García-Margallo declared that the time to plant “the Spanish flag on the Rock” was close at hand. Last fall, Spain took its


New state rules are forcing opioid prescribers to confront ‘doctor shopping’

Over the objections of many doctors and their powerful advocacy groups, states are moving to force physicians to check on patients’ narcotic purchasing habits, one of the more effective ways of curbing opioid abuse as the deadly drug epidemic continues. Eighteen states have adopted comprehensive mandates in the past four years requiring doctors who prescribe opioids and other controlled substances to check databases that show whether their patients are getting drugs elsewhere. About 13 other states have weaker mandates that cover more limited circumstances, according to a recent review by the Pew Charitable Trusts and Brandeis University. “I felt it was important to make sure it was mandatory,” said Ricardo Lara (D), a California state senator who last year led a successful drive to replace the voluntary system there. “The systems that are mandatory are the ones that are having an impact and saving people’s lives. . . . The data speaks for itself.” But the result of the state-by-state approach is a patchwork of rules that vary considerably, despite evidence that opioid abusers will cross state lines and travel great distances to illegally obtain prescription drugs. Voluntary systems remain in the remainder of states, where research shows many drug prescribers do not use the databases — known as prescription drug monitoring programs, or PDMPs. In Congress last summer, an effort to encourage development of uniform databases was ultimately left out of the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. In some places, prescribers can check only the narcotics purchases in their own states. Even the mandatory programs have different requirements for prescribers’ use and the drugs that must be covered. In Kentucky, for example, which has one of the toughest approaches, prescribers must check a PDMP before issuing a first prescription for opioids, benzodiazepenes and other controlled substances. They then must recheck it at least every 90 days thereafter. Neighboring Missouri remains the only state without a PDMP, which critics say encourages substance abusers from bordering states to buy drugs there. Republican state Sen. Rob Schaaf, a physician, has led efforts to block PDMP legislation for years out of concern for patient privacy, according to his chief of staff, Jim Lembke. “I think the senator’s argument would be that PDMPs don’t work. They divert people to heroin. They’re not lowering the amount of people that get addicted,” Lembke said. To curb “doctor shopping,” the databases generally make information on controlled-substance purchases


Don’t flout the laws on animal welfare

Seen in Alexandria, Va., in 2012. The "masked bandit" has a cute face and human-like hands. (Ann Cameron Siegal/Ann Cameron Siegal) Wild animals live among us. That’s a fact. They are beings with lives of their own. They raise young, search for food and seek secure housing, just as we do. When their lives intersect ours, they often take advantage of the messy, wasteful culture we’ve devised. For Courtland Milloy to avail himself of the literature regarding safe coexistence, look into the laws governing fur-bearing mammals and firearms in Maryland and Prince George’s County and then decide that he has a right to ignore the law and take that animal’s life because he can’t be bothered to secure his own garbage is reprehensible [“No mercy for the trash-can bandits,” Metro, Jan. 11]. Why is his garbage so sacrosanct that a wild animal that dares get in it must die? A compelling argument posits an empathy gap in our society, and that lack of empathy fuels much of the division and violence in our communities. Teaching empathy starts with teaching the young to respect the feelings of other people and nonhuman animals, including wildlife. Does Mr. Milloy’s column contribute in any way to fostering empathy and promoting peaceful communities? No, it does the opposite. It suggests that laws are for suckers, and animals that inconvenience us should pay with their lives. Leslie Sturges, Mt. Solon, Va.


United States? A snapshot of Trump’s America on Day One

load a delivery van with fresh Mexican and Colombian breads, pastries and cakes. Betancur, 40, who became a citizen in 2008, started the deliveries during the recession when the business was in decline, realizing that scores of Latino stores had sprouted in small towns of North Carolina and Virginia to serve a growing immigrant population hungry for familiar delicacies. Now his drivers, Miguel Angel Marín and Carolina Bejarano, roam as far north as Lynchburg, Va. Deliveries account for half of sales, which he says have grown to $1 million. Betancur and his ex-wife, Zhenia Martínez, who came from Mexico, took over the bakery founded by her parents. Betancur and Martínez remain business partners and have two children born in the United States, ages 7 and 5. Betancur, who also owns Mama’s Coffee House in Pineville, is always on the move. He pitches the owner of a restaurant chain on carrying his tamales and pastries, then heads to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte for small-business training. He is spurred by concern that Donald Trump might keep his campaign promise of mass deportations. “My business depends 95 percent on immigrant labor and immigrant clients,” he tells the small-business coach. “What happens if everyone has to leave? I want to have a plan B.” He knows the complexities of the issue. Two of his brothers have been waiting eight years to immigrate legally, yet he sympathizes with undocumented immigrants who fled violence and poverty. “We don’t want bad people here,” he says. He would require the undocumented to “pay taxes, learn English, get involved in the system.” However they arrived, he wants the newcomers to show the same commitment that he has to the common dream. — David Montgomery (Luke Sharrett for The Washington Post) Health Care: The Polhemuses With employment opportunities scarce and a spate of health issues, the family — including Floyde and Mary Polhemus, her son, Jeremy Smith, 24, and his 4-month-old daughter, Cynthia — braces itself for changes in health-care coverage. On a road that winds its way out of the business district of the small coal town of Hazard, Ky., Floyde and Mary Polhemus share a small apartment with her son, his wife and the young couple’s daughter, Cynthia. At nearly 5 months old, she holds the household’s adults in the palm of her chubby little hand. She brings joy and light to these tight quarters,


Britain’s May promises clean break from Europe in Brexit speech

world. Instead, she said, Britain will seek preferential trade access to European markets through a new agreement. And she said the country would strike out on its own in negotiating trade deals outside the European Union, which will be left with 27 members spanning from Ireland to Cyprus. Such a break has been widely anticipated, though never formally spelled out. The British pound climbed Tuesday after drops over the previous several days as excerpts of May’s speech began to circulate. The pound’s value jumped when May said she would give Parliament final say on Britain’s new deal with the European Union. Unlike the country at large, most members of Parliament favored “remain.” May declined to answer when asked what would happen if Parliament nixes the deal. May’s promise to allow for a transitional period — in which any new agreement is phased in — also seemed to please investors. British businesses have been concerned about the potential for a disruptive “cliff edge” in which the impact of an exit kicks in overnight. Britain voted by 52 to 48 percent in June to leave behind the European Union after more than four decades of membership in the bloc and its precursors. Britain’s anti-establishment message was seen as prelude to other populist backlashes around the world, led by the election of Trump in November. May was a reluctant backer of “remain,” but in the months since the vote she has done little to disappoint ardent Brexiteers. She has stressed that British voters want tighter control over immigration, and her words Tuesday suggested that will be her priority in the breakup talks — even at the expense of economic pain from losing membership in the single market and customs union. Brexit advocates were delighted by May’s plan, while critics despaired. Former U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage, a Trump ally, tweeted after the speech that May “is now using the phrases and words that I’ve been mocked for using for years. Real progress.” But Tim Farron, leader of the pro-E.U. Liberal Democrats, told the BBC that May was careening toward a destructive Brexit that would harm the country’s self-interest. “This is a theft of democracy, a presumption that the 51.9 percent of people who voted to leave meant the most extreme version of Brexit available,” he said. Farron’s ally, former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, said May was effectively “siding with Donald Trump


What to do when running becomes a chore

more than just a one- or two-day event and turn into something bigger. That was the case for 36-year-old Herndon resident and consultant Pam Champlain in 2013. “I planned to run a March marathon and then continue on with training for the DC North Face 50K,” she says. “By the time I finished the marathon, the last thing I wanted to do was keep training. I tried, but I started to dread my runs.” After pulling the plug on her 50K, Champlain rekindled her love for running by introducing it to her boyfriend. “Learning to run for the first time in July of a D.C. summer might not have been the easiest introduction, but he stuck with it,” she says. “We took a run/walk approach for several weeks, which was perfect for both of us. It forced me to slow down, restart my own running in a cautious manner, and move my focus onto another person and their experience rather than how it felt for me. We started to pick races, and training and racing together was time we really enjoyed.” Lifetime runner Christine Yu, 40, of Brooklyn has also had an on again, off again relationship with the sport. After several injuries and years without any focused running, Yu returned to more consistent training this past year. “I hired a coach to help me plot out a plan,” she says. “Through the training process, I fell in love with running again.” Still, after running a successful half-marathon last spring, she decided to push harder and aim for a personal best of under two hours at a fall half-marathon. That’s when training became burdensome again. “It was eye-opening for me,” she says. “I realized that I love running for running, not for hitting a big goal.” Since changing her mind-set, Yu hasn’t dealt with a lack of enthusiasm. “By enjoying the process of being out there and the sport for what it is, I get so much more out of it,” she explains. For each runner, the occasional dip in motivation is probably inevitable. The key is determining how to push past the barrier, something very individualized. For Yu, it comes down to the return on her investment: “It’s the process of putting in the time, day after day,” she says. “Running is really the only time that I’m present in the moment, and I relish that.” More from Lifestyle:


U.S. Supreme Court delays ruling on legal sports betting

worst. — Associated Press Also in Business ● The office of Puerto Rico’s new governor says new economic data shows the island’s economic crisis is even worse than previously believed. The report made public Tuesday stated that the island’s Department of Education has a $230 million deficit and that the Highway Authority owes suppliers more than $500 million. It also said Puerto Rico’s largest public university has $91 million in the Government Development Bank that it cannot access because of a debt moratorium. Officials also said the bank that oversees the island’s debt transactions had not issued a check since April. ● The Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm on Tuesday, accusing the company of antitrust violations in its patent licensing business. The FTC said that Qualcomm used its dominance in supplying baseband processors used in smartphones and tablets to extract elevated royalties for patents in what the complaint dubbed a “no license-no chips” policy. The FTC asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Jose to order Qualcomm to cease this and related practices. ● The United Nations on Tuesday predicted a modest recovery in the global economy in 2017-2018 but warned that its projection is a sign of economic stabilization rather than one of robust revival. In its annual economic report, the organization said the world economy expanded by 2.2 percent in 2016, the slowest rate of growth since the depth of the recent recession in 2009. It forecast growth of 2.7 percent this year and 2.9 percent in 2018, a slight downward revision from its midyear revisions in May. ● Jet engine maker Rolls-Royce will pay $808 million to settle bribery and corruption charges brought by authorities in Britain, the United States and Brazil. A British High Court judge approved a deferred prosecution agreement on Tuesday. Britain’s Serious Fraud Office said the matter covers 12 counts of conspiracy to corrupt, false accounting and failure to prevent bribery in conduct spanning three decades. — From news services Coming WEDNESDAY ● 8:30 a.m.: Labor Department releases consumer price index for December. ● 9:15 a.m.: Federal Reserve releases industrial production for December. ● 10 a.m.: National Association of Home Builders releases housing market index for January. ● 2 p.m.: Federal Reserve releases beige book. ● 4 p.m.: Treasury releases international-money-flows data for November. ● Earnings: Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Netflix. — From news services


Three head-turning perennials Washington gardeners should try this year

your garden has the opposite problem — damp soil — my third choice may be for you. Monarda, or bee balm, as a mint relative, doesn’t like boggy conditions but needs even moisture. If the weather turns dry and the plant doesn’t get watered, it will object by way of coating its leaves with powdery mildew. Think of a 3-year-old dressing up and then, when told the show’s over, sprinkling herself with talcum powder. Monarda is a lovely perennial — long flowering, showy without being glitzy, and another draw for hummingbirds. It is, as with coneflowers and liatris, one of the wildflowers at home in the garden. The common red plant is of the species Monarda didyma, which blooms in June and July. A second species, M. fistulosa, takes drier conditions and flowers a little later, with lavender-purple blooms that are not quite as eye-catching. Fortunately, this plant has been the subject of a trial by the horticultural team at Mount Cuba Center near Wilmington, Del. After evaluating 40 selections over three years, the gardeners found 10 top performers. Four of them were rated as excellent in powdery mildew resistance, so my choice would have to be one of those. Claire Grace is a variety of M. fistulosa selected for its better color, vigor and disease resistance. Violet Queen, another fistulosa type, was chosen for its exceptional mildew resistance. Its blooms seemed particularly attractive to bees. The compact Grand Marshall variety is a downsized version of the species, growing 28 inches high instead of 48 inches, and also made the 10 best list after three years of testing at Mount Cuba, a horticultural research center and public garden near Wilimington, Del. (Mount Cuba Center) Judith’s Fancy Fuchsia is closer to the red-flowering species and was tested as the top disease-resistant variety among full-size monardas. The fourth, Grand Marshall, is a compact variety (28 inches) that, unlike other smaller varieties, still has a natural form. Surely this has a place in a breezy part of the small urban garden, even if its spelling of marshal isn’t so grand. @adrian_higgins on Twitter More from Lifestyle: What the ancient Greeks can teach us about herbs A hotter, more volatile 2016 leaves this gardener rethinking tomato timing The landscape architect who bottled nature Why the Japanese maple is a must-have for any foliage-loving gardener Dispelling myths around the Arctic Circle’s famed ‘doomsday’ seed vault


Loudoun County Animal Watch

These were among recent cases reported by the Loudoun County Department of Animal Services. For animal shelter hours and location, and information on adoption, licensing, rabies clinics and low-cost neutering, call 703-777-0406. Don’t fence me in: Stable conditions restored: Injured vulture: Husky at large: Two dogs on the lam: — Compiled by Sandy Mauck


Bye-bye, Bao Bao: National Zoo says panda cub will soon be shipped to China

Bao Bao plays in the snow on Jan. 21. (Devin Murphy/National Zoo) Bye-bye, Bao Bao. The National Zoo said Wednesday that it is preparing for the departure to China of its female giant panda cub, Bao Bao. Bao Bao created a sensation at the zoo when she was born there Aug. 23, 2013 — then the first cub to survive birth at the zoo since 2005. “As part of the Zoo’s cooperative long-term breeding agreement with the China Wildlife Conservation Association, all cubs born at the Zoo move to China by the time they turn 4 years old,” the zoo said in a statement. Three-year-old panda Bao Bao will soon say goodbye to D.C.'s Smithsonian National Zoo, which has an agreement that with the China Wildlife Conservation Association to send all cubs born at the Zoo to China before their fourth birthday. Here's a look back at some of Bao Bao's most memorable moments. China owns all giant pandas in U.S. zoos and requires that cubs born here be sent “home” about the time they reach breeding age. Bao Bao will turn 4 this year. “She’s captured the hearts of people all over the world who watched her grow up on the panda cams,” said Brandie Smith, associate director of animal care sciences, according to the statement. “We are sad to see her go, but excited for the contributions she is going to continue to make to the global giant panda population,” she said. Bao Bao has been living apart from her mother, Mei Xiang, since March 2015. Giant pandas are solitary in the wild, and cubs separate from their mothers to establish their own territories between 18 months and 2 years old, the statement said. The zoo plans a series of farewell events. The panda is scheduled to be flown to China in a few weeks. The zoo has not said exactly when. Bao Bao’s trip to China will come seven years after the zoo’s beloved giant panda Tai Shan made the same trip in February 2010. Tai Shan was born at the zoo July 9, 2005, and was, then, the only giant panda born there to survive beyond infancy. Bao Bao has since been joined at the zoo by Bei Bei, a male giant panda born there on Aug. 22, 2015.


In Afghanistan, Trump will inherit a costly stalemate and few solutions

key areas of interest,” said Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United States, referring to counterterrorism and business opportunities in his country. The first big question for Trump is whether he can live with a stalemate that in 2016 cost the United States nine service members’ lives and $3.8 billion in military aid. For much of Obama’s second term, his war strategy was defined by the nation’s drawdown and eventual departure. President Obama sits for a military briefing with the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, James Cunningham, left, and Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford at Bagram Air Base in Kabul on May 25, 2014. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) Obama had been determined to cut the size of the U.S. force to about 1,000 troops before he left office — essentially ending the U.S. role in the war. But Taliban advances and the uneven performance of Afghan troops forced him to drop the plan. Today, the 8,400 U.S. troops remaining in Afghanistan are focused on fighting international terrorist groups, such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, and helping to train Afghan army and police forces. “Given the president-elect’s focus on terrorism, there may be opportunities to do more, but I find it difficult to believe that he’ll do a lot more,” said Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan during the George W. Bush administration. Breaking the current stalemate will be tough, but Trump could bolster the local military effort by boosting the number of U.S. combat and surveillance planes supporting Afghan ground forces in their fight against the Taliban. As U.S. forces withdrew from the battlefield after Obama’s 2010 troop surge, air and intelligence support to Afghan forces was significantly scaled back. Over the past two years, Obama has authorized steps to restore some of that military support, but Trump could do much more with relatively small increases in the size of the American force. Eventually, Trump will have to confront bigger questions about the United States’ long-term plans for Afghanistan and its long-troubled relationship with Pakistan, an unstable nuclear power where key elements of the Taliban find shelter. The Obama administration’s overriding focus on a drawdown, critics allege, meant that the White House never took a long view of the war and the goal of an American presence there. Some senior U.S. military officials have touted Afghanistan as a potential launchpad for counterterrorism operations throughout Central Asia. Others have pointed to the American


Montgomery County Animal Watch

Montgomery county This case was received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Laytonsville Stray peacocks : Hipsley Mill Rd., 24400 block, Jan. 3. A homeowner reported that her neighbor’s peacocks were continually entering her property. Animal services met with the peacock owner, who said that the large birds were left on his property by the previous tenants when they moved to Arkansas and that he does not want the peacocks. An officer told the man that because the birds were left on his property, they are his responsibility to either care for or have removed. The officer offered resources for bird removal. Reduced FEES FOR CATS Cats and kittens will be available for adoption at the next open house of Friends of Montgomery County Animals at the following location. Call 301-977-4833 or visit fmca.org or facebook.com/fmcainfo.PetSmart at Milestone Center, 20924 Frederick Rd., Germantown. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Cats at no-kill shelter Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit awlmc.org.Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter, 12 Park Ave., Gaithersburg. Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Humane Society adoptions The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org.MCHS Adoptions and Education Center, 601 S. Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except holidays. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


An unlikely messenger becomes a guiding spirit to young Muslims

a long separation from his Malaysian-born wife of 16 years. Asma Ayoub is now back in her native land, along with the couple’s two teen children; he is lucky if he gets to see his kids two or three times a year. When I meet him at Peet’s Coffee & Tea downtown the next day, though, he needs no caffeine. He is instantly antic as he tells me about one of his earliest Sunday school teachers, a Mrs. West who warned of an insidious rival faith. “One of these days,” she told her class, according to Webb, “these men are going to knock on your door. They’re called Muslims, and they’re going to tell you to denounce your lord and savior, Jesus Christ!” “I was like, ‘Holy hell!’ Webb says, looking back to a time when his first name was William. “ ‘How are these guys gonna come to suburban Oklahoma?’ ” At the time, in Webb’s eyes Islam had little more to offer than “camels and tents.” Besides, it was nothing compared with his true devotion, basketball. He was a talented shooting guard; by the time he was 14 he could dunk. In ninth grade, he transferred out of the mostly white schools of his home town, Edmond, and into a predominantly black John Marshall High School, in Oklahoma City, to play ball. But during his junior year Webb wrenched his knee, and he had more time to consider the hardships of his schoolmates: Many were on food stamps; some sold crack and broke into jewelry stores to survive. Suddenly hip-hop wasn’t just music to Webb. It was truth. When Public Enemy sang of how blacks were bereft of political power (“Neither party is mine not the/Jackass or the elephant”), Webb knew that the group was bearing witness. And he heard the poetry in rap as well. He is still rapturous as he recites lyrics from his favorite hip-hop album, “Paid in Full,” released in 1987 by Eric B. & Rakim: “I start to think and then I sink/Into the paper like I was ink.” “Who the hell talks like that?” Webb marvels. “Rakim brings in a control of the language that is almost like Chaucer.” Perhaps it’s no surprise that Webb’s first spiritual mentor was an Oklahoma City rapper. Chilly D. was four or five years older than Webb, who was 18 at the time, and he was,


Scientists discover that white rhino dung has a lot in common with a Facebook post

A white rhino feeds at a zoo in South Africa. The animals use communal defecation sites in ways that mimic social messaging boards. (KIM LUDBROOK/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY) Here’s a social networking site you can find with your nose: Scientists studying the communal defecation sites of white rhinos in South Africa have found that the animals use them like social messaging boards — to leave notes about their status and to read the “posts” of others. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, offers insight into the behaviors of these and other social animals — and could even help researchers develop tools to aid in their conservation. Mammals are known to leave one another scent signals in their urine (as anyone watching a dog studiously sniff a lamppost might suspect). But the signal-sending potential of dung has garnered relatively less attention, scientists said. “Urine has been more heavily studied,” lead author Courtney Marneweck, an ecologist and doctoral student at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, said in an email. “Perhaps because the behavior of urine marking is so obvious (i.e. it normally comes via urine spraying), its function is obviously more than pure elimination. Because specific behaviors are less common when defecating, perhaps the communicatory significance was unrealized.” But scientists have begun to suspect that dung may actually play an important role in social communication, especially for such animals as the Oribi antelope, the coyote and the white rhinoceros, which uses communal defecation sites (also known as middens). “From behavioral observations we were really sure that rhinos were using middens to gather information about each other,” Marneweck said. “This was first noticed by [South African researcher] Norman Owen-Smith in the early 1970s. But only recent developments in technology have allowed us to really understand odors.” There were several reasons white rhinos were the perfect study subjects, Marneweck said. “White rhinos are a great model species to study olfactory communication (that’s communication via smell),” she wrote. “Firstly, they have very bad eyesight and rely on olfaction heavily. Second, the middens that they use are large (up to 20 meters in diameter), frequent, and really easy to find.” The plan was to gather dung immediately after a rhinoceros relieved itself. That way, researchers would know exactly which individual deposited each sample, which would allow them to figure out whether there were any telltale chemicals that correlated with that


A little anxiety can be good, but too much worrying can hurt your health

Try relaxation techniques If you experience anxiety regularly but it doesn’t substantially limit your ability to function normally, consider such measures as meditation, tai chi, yoga, slow and deep breathing, and prayer. They can help people manage stress and anxiety, research suggests. Aerobic exercise may help, too. It can spark the production of anxiety-reducing chemicals in the brain. “Anything that gives you more sense of control over your own body and your thinking would be beneficial,” Tampi says. Get the right help If excessive worry interferes with your daily life on most days for six months or longer, talk with a doctor. He or she can rule out physical causes such as medication and can ask questions to diagnose the condition and recommend appropriate counseling or therapy, which can sometimes ease or cure anxiety without the need for medication. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the most common type used for anxiety disorders, involves learning to observe anxious feelings and what triggers them, and developing coping skills. Know the medical options If CBT or other therapy doesn’t provide enough relief, you may need medication, usually in addition to therapy. Some studies show that about 60 percent of people taking antidepressants such as citalopram (Celexa and generic) and sertraline (Zoloft and generic) improve, compared with about 40 percent of those taking a placebo. But those drugs can take several weeks to work, and they can cause such side effects as sexual dysfunction, nausea, diarrhea and insomnia. So work with your doctor to find one that helps you but has the mildest side effects. Be wary if your doctor recommends benzodiazepines, such as alprazolam (Xanax), diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan). They can work fast but have strong effects that can increase the risk of falls and fractures, worsen memory, cause confusion and sedation, and lead to drug interactions, addiction and overdoses, especially in older adults. Those drugs should be used only short term for severe anxiety, and only until psychotherapy and antidepressants kick in. Even more worrisome are antipsychotic medications such as quetiapine (Seroquel and generic), which are sometimes used to reduce anxiety in residents of nursing homes. They pose many risks and should be used only as a last resort. Copyright 2016. Consumers Union of United States Inc. For further guidance, go to www.ConsumerReports.org/Health, where more detailed information, including CR’s ratings of prescription drugs, treatments, hospitals and healthy-living products, is available to subscribers.


Where to find food and drink specials during inauguration week

the New York State of Mind ($2.85) doughnut, a savory pastry with a cream cheese glaze and “everything” spice. Proceeds benefit DC Central Kitchen. 1308 G St. NW. 202-809-5565. Through Sunday, Good Stuff Eatery will offer a patriotic shake ($4.95-$5.95) with chocolate custard, fudge, whipped cream and red, white and blue sprinkles. Proceeds benefit DC Central Kitchen. 303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. 202-543-8222. Featured specials at Alfa Piehouse on Friday are an 8-ounce La Colombe drip coffee and mini Greek phyllo pie for $1.20. Or get two small soups, two side salads and two regular phyllo pies for $20.17. 1750 H St. NW. 202-846-7122. Bayou Bakery On Saturday, Centrolina is providing free hot chocolate in its market and a free glass of prosecco with meal purchase in the restaurant for the Women’s March. Ten percent of the Saturday’s market proceeds will go to Running Start, which trains young women for political leadership. 974 Palmer Alley NW, 202-898-2426. On Inauguration Day, Del Campo is treating diners to a free dessert with the purchase of an entree. From 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, it’s handing out free “care packages,” including a hot beverage (hot chocolate, cider or coffee), dulce de leche caramel popcorn and hand-warmers. 777 I St. NW. 202-289-7377. To coincide with Saturday’s march, Graffiato ’s happy hour will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 707 Sixth St. NW. 202-289-3600. While supplies last (at least through the weekend), Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s D.C. restaurants (Birch & Barley, ChurchKey, Bluejacket, Red Apron Union Market, Red Apron Burger Bar, the Partisan, Iron Gate, Hazel, the Sovereign, EatBar) will be pouring Bluejacket’s special Belgian-style saison, People Are People ($6). Proceeds go to the city’s Immigrant Justice Legal Services Grant Program. Various locations. Through Tuesday, Pizzeria Paradiso serves a Constitution Pizza ($14-$20) inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s garden, with such toppings as cauliflower, lamb sausage and endive and peanut salad. 3282 M St. NW, 202-337-1245; 2003 P St. NW, 202-223-1245; 124 King St., Alexandria, 703-837-1245. On Friday, Ripple will offer half off bottles of wine and provide a complimentary snack with any beverage purchased at the bar from 5 p.m. to close. 3417 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-244-7995. Read more: - A guide to inauguration week parties, exhibitions, concerts and more - How to get to — or around — Inauguration Day festivities - Inauguration Day tips: Bring cash, pack a phone charger and get there early


How to make the most out of a long weekend in D.C.

Mall and want to explore an area that’s somewhat removed from the inauguration hubbub, treat yourself to breakfast at Bread Furst (4434 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-966-1300), one of Washington’s finest bakeries, where you can’t go wrong whether your pastry tastes lean French (canele, croissants) or American (doughnuts, muffins). Work off your morning meal with a trip to the National Zoo (3001 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202-633-4888). You won’t want to miss the famous giant pandas, but the Asian small-clawed otters are pretty cool, too. Noon For lunch, head to Georgetown, where you can find an affordable, casual meal despite the neighborhood’s tony reputation. Try the pretty vegetarian tacos at Chaia (3207 Grace St. NW, 202-333-5222) with such fillings as kale, potato, pepper jack and poblano crema piled on charred house-made corn tortillas. Or take a breather at the tranquil Chinese teahouse Ching Ching Cha (1063 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-333-8288), and pair one of several dozen teas with such snacks as dumplings and marble tea eggs. Stick around Georgetown for an afternoon stroll. For a quick history lesson, visit the Old Stone House (3051 M St. NW, 202-426-6851), a National Park Service site that’s the oldest structure on its original foundation in Washington, built in 1765. There’s no entrance fee, which means you can pop in for a glimpse then continue onto the many stores along M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, or admire the lovely brick rowhouses off the main commercial drags. If all the walking has helped you work up an appetite, snag a cupcake — not at the line-prone Georgetown Cupcake, but at Baked and Wired (1052 Thomas Jefferson St. NW), where locals know the cupcakes are better and the waits are usually shorter. Night Partake in the wide selection of beers at the Belgian-accented Sovereign in Georgetown. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) Now’s the time to sit down for a nice dinner. Fiola Mare (3050 K St. NW, 202-628-0065) is a swanky spot for seafood on the waterfront that’s also a favorite of local politicians and other VIPs. (President Obama celebrated his birthday there last year.) Chez Billy Sud (1039 31st St. NW, 202-965-2606) will transport you to France with steak frites, boeuf bourguignon, apple galette and more. Beer geeks will revel in the selection of brews at the dim-lit, Belgian-accented Sovereign (1206 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-774-5875), where you can choose from 50 drafts and more than 350


No defect found in Tesla ‘Autopilot’ system used in deadly Florida crash

a false sense of security. The May collision occurred when a truck turned in front of a speeding Tesla driver in Williston, Fla. Tesla said at the time that “neither Autopilot nor the driver noticed the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so the brake was not applied.” NHTSA spokesman Bryan Thomas said Thursday that “the tractor-trailer should have been visible to the Tesla driver for at least seven seconds prior to impact.” Investigators said the crash “appears to have involved a period of extended distraction,” though the precise cause remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Tesla says drivers working in conjunction with its Autopilot technology are safer than those without it. Company founder Elon Musk called the NHTSA report “very positive” and highlighted one of its findings: “The data show that Tesla vehicles’ crash rate dropped by almost 40 percent after Autosteer installation,” a reference to technology that keeps the car centered in its lane. Months after the crash, Tesla sent out software upgrades that Musk said “very likely” would have prevented the Florida crash by making better use of onboard radar technology. Radar can be a powerful collision-avoidance tool but can be fooled. “Slamming on the brakes is critical if you are about to hit something large and solid, but not if you are merely about to run over a soda can,” Musk said in a company blog post last year. Since Teslas are linked wirelessly to company computers, the cars’ software can now rely on the experiences of drivers to teach the safety technology which hazards are real, Musk said, sharply increasing safety overall. Tesla also tightened its cars’ approach to drivers who seem to not be paying attention. Drivers who ignore an alarm more than three times in an hour “will have to park the car and restart it in order to enable Autosteer,” Musk said. NHTSA investigators said their broader look at Tesla crashes included those that occurred when Autopilot was being used or within 15 seconds of a transition from Autopilot. “Many of the crashes appear to involve driver behavior factors, including traveling too fast for conditions, mode confusion, and distraction,” the investigators wrote. Mode confusion is the idea that it is unclear who is in control, man or machine, and occurred “during attempted Autopilot activations” and “after inadvertent overrides.” The investigators concluded that some of


A Chinese graduate student who can’t get enough U.S. politics ‘decodes’ Trump

Yin Hao, a PhD student, follows American politics from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou and translates American news and comedy clips for his followers on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site. (Emily Rauhala/The Washington Post) GUANGZHOU, China Yin, a 30-year-old PhD student, spent the Obama era obsessing over U.S. politics. When he’s not conducting doctoral research on 3-D printing or singing karaoke, he translates American news and comedy clips, sharing his work with about 800,000 followers on Weibo, the Chinese microblogging site. To stay on top of fellow U.S. political junkies in China, he watches “Morning Joe” and reads Politico’s Playbook. He can’t quit quoting Chuck Todd of “Meet the Press.” He’s been the go-to guy for thousands who want to make sense of what’s happening on the other side of the Pacific. After he was interviewed on Chinese state television, a fan expressed shock that he was so young. “I thought you were an elder scholar!” the fan wrote. But studying the architecture of American government did not prepare him for the political earthquakes of 2016. On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Yin was still mulling a “stunning” victory and sifting for clues about what comes next. So, of course, is everybody else. From college dorms in Guangzhou to the halls of power in Beijing, China is struggling to come to grips with a Trump presidency, unsure what the brash American businessman will bring. As a candidate, Trump used the world’s second-largest economy as a foil for American decline. Beijing was an always-winning villain that “raped” the United States. China, he claimed, was manipulating its currency. China, he said, was stealing jobs. On China’s Internet, where posts about domestic politics are often censored, the Trump campaign became a freewheeling form of entertainment, a reality show that tested the boundaries of good taste. (How do you translate some of Trump’s more notorious remarks?) The worst comments were dismissed as opportunistic mudslinging. The drama, surely, would stop. But in December, President-elect Trump took a protocol-breaking call from Taiwan’s president, then tweeted about it, shocking Beijing. When China seized — then promised to return — a U.S. naval drone, Trumpagain took to Twitter. “Keep it,” he wrote. Although the official Chinese response has been measured, party-controlled media have voiced dismay. After Trump appointed Peter Navarro, a man who wrote a book called “Death by China,” to chair a White House National


This man is running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. Why?

first leg of the World Marathon Challenge — joining 32 other adventure seekers on a peripatetic journey where participants travel through different time zones and climates to run seven marathons on seven continents in seven days. An elite ultrarunner, Wardian has his sights on breaking the event’s record average marathon time of 3:32:25 set last January by U.S. Marine Corps captain Daniel Cartica. Wardian, a 42-year-old Arlington resident, is a prolific racer, known in the ultrarunning community for seeking tough courses and setting world records. Last year, he ran 1,254.65 miles in 47 races. The World Marathon Challenge, like most of Wardian’s running goals, will be about pushing his limits. “I love diverse and unique challenges,” he said. “I am definitely interested in seeing what I can handle and what my body can accept. That drives me.” An epic adventure Something about the way Richard Donovan carried himself appealed to Wardian. Perhaps it was the sense of adventure Donovan exuded when they first met at the 2010 50K championships in Galway, Ireland, where Donovan was the race director. The two hit it off, and soon Wardian was participating in Donovan’s events. It was at the North Pole Marathon, a race Donovan organizes, that Wardian first heard about the Irishman’s plan for the World Marathon Challenge — a challenge that Donovan himself completed in 2009 and 2012. “I knew that many people had a goal of running seven marathons on seven continents during any time period,” Donovan, 50, said. “I felt the natural extension to this idea would be to try to achieve it within a seven-day period.” Wardian started saving for the trip in 2014, connecting with sponsors and getting approval from his wife, Jennifer, before committing. Registration for the event costs 36,000 euros, which covers international charter flights to each of the seven marathon locations: Union Glacier (Antarctica), Punta Arenas, Chile (South America), Miami (North America), Madrid (Europe), Marrakesh, Morocco (Africa), Dubai (Asia) and Sydney (Australia). The challenge is a test of both physical strength and mental fitness. Sleeping on a crammed plane, adjusting to different time zones and finding food to eat (Wardian is a vegetarian) would make it an exhausting trip over a month, let alone a week. “The key to a race like this is getting comfortable being uncomfortable,” said Becca Pizzi, last year’s women’s champion. “The highs are incredibly high, and the lows of the


Here’s why they call strep ‘an occupational disease of schoolchildren’

of sore throats within the 5-to-15 age group and up to 15 percent of sore throats in everyone else, though cases are rare in children younger than 3. Several million cases of strep throat and related illness occur in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the average American gets three cases of strep throat by age 13, according to one often-quoted estimate, Kaplan says. One September, Kaplan started testing kids in a suburban Minneapolis third-grade classroom and found that by January, more than 80 percent had had a positive result for Group A strep. Strep throat can cause symptoms such as fever, sore throat, painful swallowing and sometimes nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. But penicillin still works: Strep has yet to develop resistance to antibiotics. The real concern comes when the bacteria get into blood, lungs or muscles, leading to invasive illnesses such as necrotizing fasciitis and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, or when it causes acute rheumatic fever, an inflammatory reaction that can lead to rheumatic heart disease. Every year, according to the CDC, Americans get 11,000 to 13,000 cases of invasive Group A strep, causing between 1,100 and 1,600 deaths. The developing world suffers a greater burden, and serious streptococcal disease kills about a million people worldwide every year, says James Dale, chief of the division of infectious diseases at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center in Memphis. Because of the potential for complications, U.S. doctors recommend antibiotics after a positive strep test, even as many European doctors recommend waiting it out — a difference in practice, Dale says, that should provide helpful information as data on complication rates accumulate. In the meantime, his group and others are working to develop a strep vaccine that could save lives and reduce use of antibiotics. It has been a challenging task, in part because strep is a complex enemy. Studies have revealed more than 200 subtypes of strep A, each producing its own immune reaction. That variety makes it hard to develop a single vaccine, and it explains why a child might test positive for strep not long after recovering from a recent case: They may simply become infected with another type. Certain subtypes occur more frequently than others in different geographic regions and even in different schools, Kaplan says. Strep’s ability to infect and reinfect is not the only reason


Democracy earns a small — but significant — triumph in Africa

African leaders moved to force Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who lost a Dec. 1 election, to step down. (Jerome Delay/Associated Press) ON A day when power peacefully changed hands in Washington, democracy also registered a small but significant triumph in Africa. Backed by the United Nations and the African Union, a 7,000-member force from five African countries entered Gambia to enforce the result of the election that defeated its longtime strongman. Yahya Jammeh, who had dominated the country since 1994, supposed that he could ignore the clear results of a Dec. 1 vote and that other African leaders would be willing to tolerate his coup. Thankfully, they were not. After trying and failing to persuade Mr. Jammeh to give up his office, the leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) gave him a Friday deadline for stepping down. The winner of the presidential election, Adama Barrow, swore the oath of office at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal, which surrounds Gambia’s riverine territory and which led the intervention. When Mr. Jammeh remained intransigent, the ECOWAS force moved across the border; by late Friday the strongman appeared to be negotiating his departure with the presidents of Guinea and Mauritania. Gambia is a tiny country, but the significance of the intervention was huge. It showed that African countries are ready to act forcefully in support of democracy at a time when leaders around the continent are seeking to entrench themselves and support for liberal values is waning in the West. President Trump vowed in his inaugural address that the United States would foreswear foreign interventions in support of its values. Fortunately for Africa, ECOWAS and the African Union, which backed the military operation, understood that sometimes such action is vital to preserving stability as well as human rights. The bold multilateral decision was helped by Mr. Jammeh’s deep unpopularity. His rule was a model of corruption and repression: When he was not imprisoning opponents or persecuting gay people, who he said should be beheaded, he was promoting bizarre initiatives, such as an herbal cure for AIDS. Still, the willingness of African nations to act against him should send a message to rulers such as Congo’s Joseph Kabila, who resisted leaving office or holding an election after his term ended in December. Both rulers appear to have been motivated in part by fear of prosecution for their crimes. Mr. Jammeh, who


Environmentalists say Fairfax lacks focus on climate-change effort it championed

a more accurate reflection of the regional challenges on climate change. That entity shows a half-percent drop in greenhouse gases throughout the region through 2012 — to nearly 69 million metric tons — a measurement that factors in air travel and other aspects of life in the area that aren’t specific to one community. But environmental advocates said the region’s largest jurisdiction should be putting out its own up-to-date figures. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it,” said Eric Goplerud, chair of the Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions. The group has criticized Fairfax for not following through on some climate-oriented initiatives — such as studying the local effects of rising sea levels — and points out that surrounding jurisdictions have entire departments dedicated to environmental conservation while Fairfax, with 1.1 million residents and 406 square miles, has a lone “environmental coordinator” charged with overseeing green initiatives. “This county can be a leader by showing its commitment to reducing its greenhouse gases in its buildings and of its energy uses,” Goplerud said. “It is certainly not showing it. We have a lack of information, a lack of accountability and a lack of leadership to make it happen.” Kambiz Agazi, the environmental coordinator, says the county has been vigilant about offsetting the impact of its large carbon footprint. Those efforts include promoting walkable, mixed-use developments in some neighborhoods and encouraging developers to use green-friendly technology in their buildings. A federally mandated $660 million upgrade of underground water pipes in the county is geared toward reducing the flow of pollutants into tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, and a “waste-to-energy” plant in Lorton produces enough renewable energy to fuel 80,000 homes, county officials say. Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield), the most conservative member of the board of supervisors, lauded those efforts and dismissed the Cool Counties initiative as “hot air.” Still, Bulova and others say that working against climate change is something the county takes seriously. Larry Zaragoza, vice chairman of the county’s Environmental Advisory Council, said launching initiatives in a community as large and complex as Fairfax County can be a lengthy and often laborious process. “It’s taken time to try to make sure that we have everyone on the same page and that we have a constructive path we can take in order to make progress,” Zaragoza said. “But, we’re not where we want to be. We want to do more.”


There’s something brewing in the Walmart beer aisle, but you can’t call it ‘craft’

New Yorker Brewer in Utica, N.Y., or Hopfen und Malz in San Jose, depending on where the beer was purchased. The TTB reveals they’re brewed at F.X. Matt (the home of Saranac) and Gordon Biersch, respectively. Trader Joe’s sources its beers from several brewers. Most German-style beers purport to be from JosephsBrau Brewing while actually being contract-brewed by Gordon Biersch; the Mission Street IPA and Session Pale Ale beers are brewed by Salt Lake City’s Four + Brewing, a pseudonym for Uinta, after years of being produced under contract at the well-respected Firestone Walker. Fat Weasel’s label says it’s brewed by “River Trent Brewing Company, Ukiah, CA,” which is actually Mendocino Brewing. And so on. Affordable beers made by breweries that most people have heard of? The only question left is “How does it taste?” I convened a team of Washington Post staffers for a blind tasting of beers purchased at Walmart and Trader Joe’s and asked them to write down their thoughts. The results were not that positive: Trouble Brewing’s Red Flag Amber Ale was described as “flabby,” “knock-you-over-the-head syrupy sweet” and “good for flip cup.” The JosephsBrau Bohemian Lager elicited “watery,” “tastes like college” and “channels a Heineken that’s been open for a little too long.” Trouble Brewing’s After Party Ale was “bland nothingness” and “lacking an identifiable taste.” The standouts, according to the testers, included JosephBrau’s Hefeweizen, which had the bright mouth feel and bubble gum and banana notes you’d expect from a German wheat beer, even as one reviewer called it “drinkable, if not particularly memorable.” The Mission St. Session Pale Ale got mixed reviews — though still better than the IPA’s — for its bitterness and citrusy hops, although it was also called “thin” and “nothing to get excited about.” Trouble Brewing’s most popular brew was ’Round Midnight Belgian White, which didn’t strike anyone as an outstanding witbier but received complements on its spice and fruitiness, as well as easy drinkability. None of those beers is going to light up online beer forums or find its way onto “Best Beer of the Year” lists, but that’s not the point. These are affordable brews that could be gateway beers for domestic beer drinkers looking to dip a toe into the world of craft beer. If they like Trouble Brewing’s version of a Belgian witbier, maybe they’ll be open to trying one from Allagash or Bell’s, or


Pianist and conductor diverge, clash during their BSO debuts

It was a tale of two debuts. On Saturday night, French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and German conductor Johannes Debus made their first appearances with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore. The program of Rossini, Beethoven and Brahms in itself was nothing remarkable. But the standard-repertory evening offered a canvas for a sometimes uneasy and often fascinating clash of artistic temperaments from the debutants. To open, Debus led a taut account of Rossini’s “Barber of Seville” Overture that summed up the conductor’s musical approach. Aside from some bobbles in the horns, the playing was crisp and energetic, with shapely lines and muscular interjections. Yet Debus’s tight grip on the reins left an overall impression that was square and somewhat faceless. Debus’s earnestness sat uneasily next to Bavouzet’s more mercurial take on Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto, an early work enlivened by the composer’s characteristic wit. At the keyboard, Bavouzet exuded a relaxed, confident musicianship and offered a reading full of telling inflections and slyly subversive touches. The Frenchman reveled in the radical disjunctions of Beethoven’s first-movement cadenza and brought time to a seeming standstill with his gorgeously phrased slow-movement coda. Yet Bavouzet’s incisive and nimble lines were set against an orchestral backdrop that was unfashionably heavy and rigid. Only in Beethoven’s ebullient finale, with its playful rhythms and vigorous accents, did conductor and soloist finally arrive on the same musical page. Without a quicksilver soloist to contend with, Debus put his undeniable stamp on Brahms’s First Symphony. The bracingly swift and arresting opening proved a harbinger of what was to come: a tightly coiled reading shaped by admirably clear if unyieldingly linear ideas. Refreshingly, Debus’s brisk pacing did not come at the expense of orchestral weight, thanks to the BSO’s full-textured strings. But the conductor’s steadfast refusal to linger robbed key moments of grandeur, most crucially the magical lead-in to the finale’s main theme and the climactic brass chorale. In the end, it was neither the best of Brahms interpretations nor the worst but seemed to please the clap-happy audience.


Metro gets some financial breathing room — but only for the short-term

base in rural and outer suburban communities. Analysts said Hogan may have acted partly to avoid a politically damaging battle with the Democratic-controlled General Assembly, where he risked being portrayed as an enemy of Metro. Democrats in the legislature said they plan to push Hogan to raise Maryland’s contribution even more, to allow Metro to avoid planned fare hikes and service cuts. But Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn cautioned the state wouldn’t go beyond what Metro has sought. “Governor Hogan and Secretary Rahn have been very clear about how they feel about these types of requests,” Rahn spokeswoman Erin Henson said. Northern Virginia officials also said they would oppose increasing the subsidy beyond what Metro requested. In addition, Rahn and Virginia officials have warned they would not necessarily boost the subsidy as much as Metro wants in future years, when the transit agency projects its needs will continue to rise. But the increased subsidy this year relieves some pressure on the agency at a critical time: Metro needs to complete its SafeTrack maintenance program and set up a federally mandated safety commission to provide oversight. Both the Maryland and Virginia general assemblies are expected to approve bills to create the safety body, and they are considering related legislation as well. The D.C. Council has already approved the commission. All must approve identical legislation. Metro will finalize next year’s budget this spring. In addition to asking for a 15 percent increase in the jurisdictions’ subsidy, Wiedefeld proposed to eliminate 1,000 jobs, raise rail and bus fares, trim rail service and eliminate bus routes. In response, Metro’s unions have held two town hall meetings in which riders and transit advocates have said such measures would reduce ridership and cost the agency needed revenue. Maryland Dels. Marc A. Korman and Kumar P. Barve, both Montgomery Democrats, called on Hogan to increase the state’s subsidy — and persuade the District and Virginia to do the same — to reduce the negative impact on riders. Korman said that with Maryland’s agreement to the $42 million increase, “I hope the conversation can shift to what else Maryland can do to prevent harm to riders.” But the Democrats have little leverage to force Hogan’s hand. Maryland governors have exceptionally strong power over the budget. Typically the General Assembly can only cut the governor’s spending requests, not increase them. Elsewhere in the region, the District would support increasing


Owls are natural-born killers. So why do we adore them so much?

has led to its endangered status. Nesting boxes on the Japanese island of Hokkaido have helped check the decline. Here, Unwin tells the reader, this giant among owls is revered as “The God that Protects the Village.” Taylor calls it “an overstuffed teddy bear with a ferocious face.” I find some of the smallest owls to be the most enchanting, though I live nowhere near their range. The smallest is the elf owl, which inhabits the semideserts and chaparrals of the American Southwest, nesting in cavities made by woodpeckers in saguaros and other cactuses. It is the size of a sparrow but with intense yellow eyes, and will happily eat a scorpion. Perhaps the most endearing small species is the red-chested owlet, which is dove gray and has big yellow eyes and a light breast flecked like a thrush, except the dots are tear-shaped. It lives in the forests of West Africa. Taylor, via email, said that she finds the ashy-faced owl of Hispaniola the most beautiful. It has warm, red-tan plumage and a distinct frame to its face. She described it as “a small, deep-golden barn owl with huge, soulful dark eyes in a dusky, almost violet-tinted face.” The world’s smallest owl, the elf owl, nests in the saguaro cactus of the American Southwest. (Yale University Press) Her favorite species is the ubiquitous short-eared owl, found in five of the seven continents. She likes it because it hunts on the wing — most owls perch and look out for passing prey — and in daylight. “It has a wonderfully light, agile flight and is a joy to watch,” she said. What can a home gardener do to help owls? Taylor suggests putting up a nesting box that might attract an eastern screech owl, to leave some parts of the yard wild to encourage prey species and to avoid heavy pesticide use. That’s sound advice for any gardener who wants to foster wildlife. An animal at the top of the food chain needs all the links below it. Just keep the cat indoors if you see a great horned owl. @adrian_higgins on Twitter More from The Washington Post: Three head-turning perennials Washington gardeners should try this year Opening the door to a place of plants and privilege ‘Who’s a good boy?’ you might ask. But does your dog care? A hotter, more volatile 2016 leaves this gardener rethinking tomato timing


Large study supports ‘weekend warrior’ approach to lifetime fitness

to find that cardiovascular and cancer mortality were also lower among the weekend warriors,” says lead author Gary O’Donovan, from Loughborough University in England. “Interestingly, we also found the benefits are much the same in men and women.” Another subgroup of the 63,000, termed the “insufficient exercisers,” fared just as well as the weekend warriors. The insufficients accumulated only 60 minutes of exercise per week, less than half of the recommended amount. Yet they reaped a 31 percent lower mortality rate vs. the non-exercisers. The greatest rewards came to those who exercised three or more times a week. These individuals tended to go longer and slower than less-frequent exercisers but logged impressive weekly totals of about 450 minutes. They had a 35 percent lower all-cause mortality rate. “This study is important because it tells us that the total amount of exercise, rather than how often it is done, is the relevant factor,” co-author and Harvard epidemiologist I-Min Lee says. “It gives permission, if you will, to be a weekend warrior. However, we would prefer regular activity over the week to decrease the risk of injuries.” The JAMA article did not track the incidence of injury. But injuries couldn’t have been too great of an obstacle, or the weekend warriors wouldn’t have been able to continue their routine and reap the gains. A large majority of the subjects, 63 percent, reported no exercise, while 22 percent were labeled insufficient exercisers. The weekend warriors amounted to just 3.7 percent of the total subject population, but that equated to 2,341 people, thanks to the study’s large size. Eleven percent of subjects were regular exercisers, getting in three or more workouts per week. In the United States, the latest report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that 51 percent of adults don’t meet the guidelines for aerobic activity and that 79 percent don’t meet the guidelines for aerobics plus strength work. Many midlife people with active family lives and burgeoning careers find it difficult to make time for regular workouts. As a result, fitness advocates often encourage a small-steps approach to exercise. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have the time to train for a half-marathon, they advise. Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t. Anything is better than nothing. The new research seems to confirm this. Before 2008, U.S. activity guidelines urged three to five workouts a