Fairfax County investigates suspected measles case

Fairfax County Health officials said Tuesday they are investigating a suspected case of measles. They did not say where in the county the possible case was located, but said they expected to release more details Wednesday. “We’re investigating a suspected case of measles,” said Tina Dale, a spokeswoman with the Fairfax County health department. She also would not elaborate on where the person was being tested. She said the testing takes 24 hours. “We don’t know if it is the measles or not until that test comes back,” Dale said. If the test comes back positive, she said, officials expect to hold a news conference Wednesday to “provide the full berth of information.” She said health department officials are “doing a comprehensive investigation” to see where this person has been and with whom he or she has come in contact. “At this time it is not a positive case,” Dale said. “We’re investigating one suspected case.” There has been an outbreak of measles throughout the country: Cases of measles have been reported in 18 jurisdictions, including Washington, D.C., with a total of about 120 people affected. Measles is caused by a virus and is highly contagious. It is spread from person to person by coughing and sneezing. It can lead to serious complications, including deafness, brain damage and pneumonia. In 2000, the U.S. declared that the virus had been eliminated but it has come back in recent years. Most of the recent cases have been traced to an outbreak at Disneyland and another theme park in southern California and has spread to other states.


D.C. police investigate downtown hotel death

A man with apparent stab wounds was found dead Tuesday in a downtown Washington hotel room, D.C. police said. The homicide victim’s identity was withheld until relatives could be notified of his death. He was found in the Donovan, a boutique hotel at 14th Street NW and Thomas Circle. Police said they were called to the hotel about 11 a.m. after receiving a report of an unconscious person. No further details were released. This story has been updated.


In China, a women’s detective agency battles for wronged wives

mistress or multiple mistresses, showering them with luxury gifts and renting them plush apartments, all financed by the spoils of corruption. Research by scholars at Renmin University of China in 2012 found that 95 percent of officials under investigation for corruption were cheating on their wives. Zhang Yufen, who works alone from her apartment just outside Beijing, says her work often brings her into conflict with corrupt Communist Party officials. (Simon Denyer/The Washington Post) Their wives are often pushed aside, neglected and forgotten. Divorce carries stigma for a woman, although not for a man, and divorce law and the courts are often stacked in the husband’s favor. Zhang’s detective agency was an attempt to redress the balance. “There is no protection for wronged wives,” she said. “In most cases they are left with no money, no house and no guarantees.” Inspired by her own experience, Zhang in 1997 gradually started taking other people’s cases. Word of her work soon spread: She remembers being approached early on for help by an elderly woman whose daughter had drunk pesticide because her husband was cheating on her. “I asked her why they didn’t take the husband to court, and she said they didn’t have the evidence.” To gather the evidence, Zhang established the Fire Phoenix agency in 2003 with nine friends, but she says she charged only for basic expenses, and a lack of finance eventually forced it to close. These days, Zhang, 57, works alone from her small apartment outside Beijing, running the Alliance Against Mistresses, an organization that combines detective work with advice and advocacy for wronged wives. She still only charges for expenses. Some have nicknamed this lively, talkative woman the ernai shashou, or “mistress killer.” Over the years, she says, thousands of women have come to her for the evidence they need to prove their husbands were cheating — and to force them to pay compensation. But not all want to go to court. Cheated women take pictures of themselves in 2008. At center is Zhang Yufen, who investigates husbands suspected of cheating on their wives. (Axelle de Russe) “I understand why a lot of women don’t want a divorce,” she said. “In smaller places, people gossip. They often laugh at the wife, but they don’t necessarily judge the husband. She often feels shame and loss of face.” Her methods are low-tech, labor-intensive and painstaking: While speaking, she showed


Police arrest suspect in month-old murder

D.C. police arrested a suspect on Tuesday in a murder that occurred a few blocks from Nationals Park in January. Dujaun Garris, 21, of Northwest Washington was apprehended by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and charged with first-degree murder, police said in a statement. Garris is charged with fatally shooting James Anderson, 27, of Southwest on the 1300 block of First Street SW on Jan. 11.


White House weighs adjusting Afghan exit plan to slow withdrawal of troops

The dispute also held up troop deals needed to launch the current training mission and made it harder for NATO nations to commit their own troops on time. The drawdown schedule has been adjusted previously. In December, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced during a visit to Kabul that the United States would keep as many as 10,800 troops in Afghanistan into early 2015, 1,000 more than had been expected to remain at the time the NATO combat mission concluded on Dec. 31, 2014. The U.S. force in Afghanistan, which peaked at about 100,000 troops during Obama’s surge in 2011, stands at about 10,600 U.S. service members. Last fall, the White House also decided to expand some authorities for remaining U.S. troops to fight militants after the NATO combat mission ended. It remains unclear whether Obama will ultimately approve another deviation from the plan he announced with great fanfare in the White House Rose Garden. While the Democratic president has sought to end U.S. involvement in messy conflicts overseas, he has also associated himself with the Afghan war, launched in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The adjustment announced in December, moreover, triggered little criticism at a time when foreign-policy leaders also were grappling with crises in Ukraine, Iraq, Syria and elsewhere. Officials said the current discussions were rooted in an appeal from Ghani, whose security forces lack air power and key military skills as they face insurgents whose zeal and ability to launch attacks from neighboring Pakistan remain undiminished. U.S. officials also believe a larger force could help protect troops from excessive risk. Late last month, three American contractors were killed at the Kabul airport by a man in Afghan security forces uniform, a reminder of the “insider threat” that U.S. troops have faced in Afghanistan. David S. Sedney, a former senior Pentagon official specializing in Afghanistan policy, said that a rapid reduction in U.S. forces in 2015 also could fuel greater casualties among Afghan forces, which have taken heavy losses in clashes with the Taliban, by depriving them of U.S. air support, intelligence and logistics when they continue to confront a powerful adversary. “It’s hugely counterproductive to have this timeline for 2015 laid out the way it is,” Sedney said. Campbell’s troops “are going to be of very little use if they’re straitjacketed by a 50-percent cut halfway through the year.” Rear Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon


Loudoun County news in brief

Loudoun sets guidelines for brewery applications With the Board of Supervisors’ recent approval of a zoning amendment to allow farm-based breweries, Loudoun County officials have announced the application process for people interested in opening a brewery business. To establish a limited brewery use, an applicant needs to submit a zoning permit application, a sketch plan and a filing fee of $210. The sketch plan should include property boundaries, location of proposed and existing improvements, adjacent residences, site access, parking areas, environmental features, landscaping and lighting. Call the Loudoun Health Department at 703-777-0234 to determine what state or county health regulations or requirements may apply. For guidance on the permit process, contact Mark Depo of the Department of Planning and Zoning at 571-258-3197 or mark.depo@loudoun.gov. Information is also available from the zoning permits division of the Department of Building and Development, on the second floor of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison St. SE, Leesburg, or by calling 703-777-0220. Officials warn of fire risk from heating equipment The Loudoun County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Management has responded to several recent fires involving heating equipment. Without proper maintenance of furnaces, fireplaces and fuel-burning appliances, a damaging fire could result. Fire officials recommend that residents have chimneys inspected and cleaned annually and also during periods of heavy use; be sure to have a sturdy fireplace screen; allow ashes to cool completely before disposing of them in a metal container; and keep all flammable items, such as paper, bedding or furniture, at least three feet away from heat sources. For additional fire prevention tips, go to www.loudoun.gov/firemarshal or call Lisa Braun at 571-258-3222. State, local authorities target aggressive driving The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office has joined the Virginia State Police in a campaign this month to curb aggressive and impaired driving in the area of Routes 15 and 50. Message boards were placed in the area last week advising drivers “It’s Not a Race — Create Space” and alerting motorists that they are entering an “Aggressive Driving Enforcement Zone.” The campaign will also be promoted through the sheriff’s office and State Police Web sites, Alert Loudoun and social media. Motorists are reminded to call the county’s non-emergency line, 703-777-1021, or dial 911 if they see a reckless or possibly impaired driver. To reach the State Police on a cellphone, call #77. — Compiled by Caitlin Gibson


Elon Musk’s SpaceX scratches rocket landing due to weather conditions

AEROSPACE SpaceX scratches landing for weather Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launched a research satellite into space Wednesday but called off a dramatic attempt to land the first stage of an unmanned rocket on a platform floating in the Atlantic Ocean because of extreme weather that caused massive waves. In a statement, the company said that the “drone ship,” as it calls the floating platform, “was designed to operate in all but the most extreme weather.” But with waves “three stories high crashing over the decks,” the attempt was not possible. Typically, rocket boosters are used once, burning up or crashing into the ocean after liftoff. But Musk, the billionaire founder of PayPal and Tesla, has been working on creating reusable rockets that act like airplanes — fly, land, then fly again. If SpaceX, his California-based company, can repeatedly land rockets and reuse them, it would mark a significant step toward making spaceflight much more affordable. Last month, on the first attempt to land on the drone ship, essentially a modified barge that is 300 feet long by 170 feet wide, the rocket crashed and exploded into a spectacular fireball. But even hitting the barge from such a distance and at such a great speed was viewed as a tremendous success. While much of the attention was focused on SpaceX’s daring attempt, its cancellation Wednesday did not affect the Falcon 9 rocket’s launch three hours later, the third try in four days. The primary mission was to send a NOAA satellite to deep space, about 1 million miles from Earth. The satellite, known as the Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR, would be stationed at a neutral gravity point between the sun and Earth, where it would monitor “space weather,” the solar winds that eruptions on the sun can blast toward Earth. It will take DSCOVR about 110 days to reach its destination in space. — Christian Davenport CORPORATE GOVERNANCE A woman makes history at Deloitte After nearly three decades of working at the world’s largest accounting firm, Cathy Engelbert is set to become Deloitte’s chief executive in the United States, making her the first woman to lead any of the country's big professional services firms. More than 60 percent of U.S. accountants and auditors are women, yet they make up only about 18 percent of equity partners at the large firms, a 2010 study by Public Accounting Report said. While


reach its destination in space. — Christian Davenport CORPORATE GOVERNANCE A woman makes history at Deloitte After nearly three decades of working at the world’s largest accounting firm, Cathy Engelbert is set to become Deloitte’s chief executive in the United States, making her the first woman to lead any of the country's big professional services firms. More than 60 percent of U.S. accountants and auditors are women, yet they make up only about 18 percent of equity partners at the large firms, a 2010 study by Public Accounting Report said. While Deloitte's percentage of female partners is not significantly higher than that of other top firms, the company was the first to break several high-profile diversity barriers, such as appointing a female board chairman and a minority chief executive. Engelbert rose through the ranks of Deloitte as an accountant. She will now oversee its portfolio subsidiaries, which employ roughly 65,000 people who focus on consulting, taxes, accounting and other services. — Lillian Cunningham Also in Business ● Tesla Motors missed sales targets and racked up a fourth-quarter loss of $107.6 million as the maker of luxury electric cars struggled with production and delivery problems. Tesla reported a loss of 86 cents a share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $16.3 million, or 13 cents a share. Revenue climbed to $956.7 million, from $615.2 million a year ago. The California-based carmaker delivered 9,834 vehicles in the quarter. Chief executive Elon Musk had said in July that Tesla would deliver 13,000 Model S sedans. Heavy spending on expanding Tesla’s global sales network and developing the Model X crossover increased operating expenses to $336.5 million, from $169.9 million a year earlier. ● Whole Foods Market’s moves to cut prices and retool its image appear to be resonating with shoppers. The upscale grocery chain reported a nearly 6 percent increase in fiscal first-quarter profits. Whole Foods said revenue at stores open for at least a year picked up from the previous period, after five straight quarters of slowing sales growth. The company said it had net income of $167 million, or 46 cents per share, in the quarter ended Jan. 18. That compares with $158 million, or 42 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. The results beat Wall Street expectations. — From news services Coming Today ● 8:30 a.m.: Retail sales for January and weekly jobless claims. ● 10 a.m.: Weekly mortgage rates.●


Obama uses war on Ebola to illustrate fight against non-conventional threats

President Obama thanks military and civilian health workers after delivering remarks about the progress made to date in the response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters) If there is to be war, the fight against Ebola is President Obama’s type of war. The enemy fires no bullets and carries no bombs; it doesn’t use social media to recruit fighters and rally supporters. And the fighting can best be done by intelligent professionals who don’t try to kill people, but to save them. On Wednesday, Obama celebrated the progress against the deadly virus since the administration launched a military and civilian effort in September. While the president emphasized it was too soon to declare “mission accomplished” — as President George W. Bush did about Iraq in 2003 — Obama said “we’re shifting our focus from fighting the epidemic to now extinguishing it.” “Last summer, as Ebola spread in West Africa, overwhelming public health systems and threatening to cross more borders, I said that fighting this disease had to be more than a national security priority, but an example of American leadership,” Obama told an audience at the White House’s South Court Auditorium as a group of military, civilian and health professionals stood behind him. “We have risen to the challenge.” Wednesday’s event provided fresh evidence of how the White House has elevated non-conventional threats — including pandemics and climate change — to the top of its national security agenda, while de-emphasizing more traditional threats. In an interview the Web site Vox posted this week, Obama said the media “absolutely” overstates the threat of terrorism compared to long-term problems such as global warming and disease that cross national borders. But even as Obama plays down more conventional foreign policy issues, they keep yanking the agenda back. Chaos in Yemen, fighting in Ukraine, the battle against the Islamic State, the persistent strength of the Taliban and the nuclear weapons potential in Iran all remain pressing, often taking precedence over longer-term challenges. “He thinks that these other [geopolitical] crises are manageable and not existential and should be placed into context,” said Thomas Wright, director of a project on international order and strategy at the Brookings Institution. “I think they’re more serious than that. They do rise to challenging the international order as a whole.” One retired four-star general, who asked for anonymity in order to speak frankly about the administration, said


Putin appears the biggest winner of Ukrainian cease-fire talks

sanctions on Russia when the Minsk agreements of September 2014, and now this agreement, are fully implemented,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said in a statement. There was similar no-more-sanctions talk in Brussels, where E.U. leaders met to discuss the deal. “Today, the issue is not going to be discussion about further sanctions, as some were already decided in the past days, but rather the positive ways in which the European Union can contribute” to furthering peace, E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said. The Russian economy has suffered because of international sanctions and the recent sharp fall in the price of oil, but Putin remains immensely popular at home. European leaders have said that they believe he is willing to escalate militarily in Ukraine far beyond the support that the West could offer Kiev. Still, top officials said Thursday that if this deal falls apart, different approaches would be needed. “If it fails, there is going to be a change of strategy, not only by the United States but also by some of the European countries,” said Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics. One prominent American voice in favor of arming Ukraine said Thursday’s outcome was only to be expected. Putin has “great cards, and he’s playing them well,” said Ivo H. Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. “He doesn’t let anyone know what his bottom line is.” Daalder added: “We’re constantly telling him what our bottom line is, and that’s that . . . we don’t want a military confrontation, period.” After the painful negotiations — in which it appeared briefly that Ukrainian officials and rebels would walk out in frustration — the sides agreed to a 13-point deal whose core was similar to a September agreement that was never fully complied with and collapsed in recent weeks. Rebels won concessions on territory and autonomy, a measure of Putin’s hard-nosed bargaining. In addition to the cease-fire and military pullback, the two sides agreed to start negotiations about local elections. Kiev committed to pardoning rebels for their participation in the fighting, and it agreed to end an economic blockade of the east. Poroshenko also promised to pass a new constitution by the end of the year that would decentralize power. That step would require wide backing in the Ukrainian parliament, and it was unclear that he had the political muscle to do it, given the unpopularity of the


D.C. community calendar, Feb. 12-19, 2015

Morning Music Club recital Botanic gardens from Old World to New World: Cordoba Pipe organ recital “The Signature of All Things ” Mary Halvorson, guitarist Secrets of the Washington Monument grounds “Hélio Oiticica” Cesar Oiticica’s 2012 film documentary with narration by the artist himself, in Portuguese with English subtitles. 2:30 p.m. National Gallery of Art, West Building, Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-737-4215. Free. “Light of the Ancestors” Gospel music concert Paint and sip art workshop “They Would Never Allow Me to Live” Memorials of the Mall National Park Service ranger leads a tour of America’s front yard. Fridays-Saturdays 7-9 p.m. National World War II Memorial, Ranger Station, 17th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-426-6841. Free. “The Mage Knights of Eternal Light” Broadway’s LaChanze in concert Kennedy Center jazz Left Bank Quartet concert Saturday, FEB. 14 Capital Area Food Bank Mobile Marketplace Family matinee: the Great Zucchini with Charlie & Checkers A celebration of Valentine’s Day with lots of laughter. 10 a.m. Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-966-6000. $9. Used library book sale Construction junction Yoga for adults Taught by an instructor from Yoga Activist. Wear comfortable clothing and bring a mat, some mats may be available. Saturdays at 10 a.m. Dorothy I. Height-Benning Library, 3935 Benning Rd. NE. 202-281-2583. Free. Yoga in Mount Pleasant Beginners are especially welcome to learn and relax with Carol and Marjorie. Wear comfortable clothing and bring water and a mat. Saturdays at 10 a.m. Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW. 202-671-3121. Free. Retro cartoons “Jack’s Tale” Family game time Diabetes support group Carillon recital Portrait story days: Abigail Adams and Valentines Listen to a story about first lady Abigail Adams and create a Valentine’s card for someone special. 1-4 p.m. National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. Free. Concerto competition finals Norfolk State University Concert Choir Games galore Piano concert Fabulettes dance party Kennedy Center jazz Debra Tidwell, vocal Valentine’s Day concert “Conversations I’ve Never Had” Sunday, FEB. 15 Presidential family fun day A museum-wide patriotic day with a variety of crafts and performances dedicated to our nation’s famous past leaders, meet Presidents Washington and Lincoln, participate in arts and crafts, listen to a local a cappella group and more. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. National Portrait Gallery, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. Free. Serene Sunday at Hillwood Get It “Write” study hall Get help with homework or feedback on


Investors turn to data to find the standout start-ups

Investors are in the business of betting on winners. But those winners are hard to spot, particularly at a private company’s early stages. Some investors are now turning to software and data analytics to try to identify promising companies on the cusp of taking off and put money into them while there is still time to make a big profit. That’s the impetus behind Hubble, a software program for investors that has been under development at Arlington-based Disruption Corp. The company announced Thursday that is has added its largest customer yet, Owings Mills-based investor Greenspring Associates. “Everybody is looking for the proverbial unicorn and no one knows how to find it,” said Disruption founder and chief executive Paul Singh. “What I’m hoping is our platform, our products, our services help people spot those wrong decisions before they ever make them.” Spotting wrong decisions is not the same as identifying the right ones. Investors pass all the time on up-and-coming companies that turn out to be runaway success stories. And often, companies that seem promising at the start fail to realize their full potential. Still, Singh sees an opportunity for private market investments to become more like their public market counterparts. Though there is still risk and unpredicability in the public markets, financiers can make more informed decisions about when and how much to invest in a public company based on hard data. When it comes to public companies, regulators require managers to disclose all manner of information, from revenue and income to executive pay and liabilities. By comparison, the data available on private companies is far less abundant and accurate. Disruption’s Hubble software pulls data from three key sources, Singh said. It culls any available information from publicly available resources, such as Web sites, regulatory filings and social media. The company also has analysts who research emerging sectors and share their findings. The third tranche of data comes from the investors and limited partners, those who provide money to the investors, who can use Hubble to store, sort and analyze the information that their portfolio companies report to them. “Obviously there’s always going to be holes in the data. It’s important for us to be directionally accurate, not specifically accurate,” Singh said. Greenspring Associates, the company’s latest customer, has invested more than $3 billion since it was founded 15 years ago. The company acts primarily as a limited partner, but


Maryland joins East Coast task force focused on heroin trafficking

Poppy flowers grow in the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains in Guerrero state, Mexico. Mexican heroin has become cheaper and more powerful at a time when Americans hooked on pharmaceutical opiates are looking for an affordable alternative. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) (Dario Lopez-Mills/AP) Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) announced Thursday that the state has joined an East Coast task force focused on stopping the flow of inexpensive heroin across their state lines. The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Heroin Task Force started in October and is led by the attorneys general of New York and Pennsylvania. The group now includes prosecutors from those states, plus New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maine. Frosh noted that because the heroin trade is happening across state lines the task force will allow prosecutors and law enforcement officials to pool their resources and coordinate investigations of drug rings. They can then share information about the subjects they are targeting, phone numbers, addresses, distribution routes and the locations of suspected stash houses. “The flow of heroin is not confined to one state, and the fight against this scourge must not be limited to one state,” Frosh said in a statement Thursday. The number of heroin-related overdose deaths in Maryland has spiked in recent years, from 247 in 2011 to 464 in 2013. During the first nine months of 2014, 428 people died. The number of heroin-related emergency room visits has also dramatically increased, from 480 in 2011 to more than 1,200 in 2013. The number of deaths has been highest in the city of Baltimore, which has long struggled with drug addiction, but Maryland has also seen a rush of deaths in rural counties such as Cecil and Wicomico. The announcement comes as state lawmakers are considering a flurry of bills related to what many consider a heroin epidemic. Del. Kathleen M. Dumais (D-Montgomery) wants prosecutors to have the power to charge drug distributors if the heroin they supply — especially heroin mixed with the painkiller fentanyl — causes one of their customers to overdose and die. Dumais introduced legislation that would establish a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, although some immunity would be provided to those who summon medical help for the overdosing person. Sen. Katherine Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County) has proposed forming a “Maryland Opioid Use Disorder Consortium” that would bring together lawmakers, members of the governor’s staff, public health officials, law enforcement, treatment


information about the subjects they are targeting, phone numbers, addresses, distribution routes and the locations of suspected stash houses. “The flow of heroin is not confined to one state, and the fight against this scourge must not be limited to one state,” Frosh said in a statement Thursday. The number of heroin-related overdose deaths in Maryland has spiked in recent years, from 247 in 2011 to 464 in 2013. During the first nine months of 2014, 428 people died. The number of heroin-related emergency room visits has also dramatically increased, from 480 in 2011 to more than 1,200 in 2013. The number of deaths has been highest in the city of Baltimore, which has long struggled with drug addiction, but Maryland has also seen a rush of deaths in rural counties such as Cecil and Wicomico. The announcement comes as state lawmakers are considering a flurry of bills related to what many consider a heroin epidemic. Del. Kathleen M. Dumais (D-Montgomery) wants prosecutors to have the power to charge drug distributors if the heroin they supply — especially heroin mixed with the painkiller fentanyl — causes one of their customers to overdose and die. Dumais introduced legislation that would establish a penalty of up to 30 years in prison, although some immunity would be provided to those who summon medical help for the overdosing person. Sen. Katherine Klausmeier (D-Baltimore County) has proposed forming a “Maryland Opioid Use Disorder Consortium” that would bring together lawmakers, members of the governor’s staff, public health officials, law enforcement, treatment providers, activists and a recovering drug user. The group would then compose a long-term plan for the state. Sen. Catherine E. Pugh (D-Baltimore) introduced a bill that would require health insurance companies to cover substance abuse treatment, including medications that can help patients overcome an addiction. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) has declared reducing heroin use a priority and put his lieutenant governor in charge of finding solutions. Hogan has said that he wants to assemble a summit to advise him on this issue. He does not plan to introduce any heroin-related legislation. Erin Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the governor, said that Maryland needs to expand treatment options, prevent overdoses and increase awareness of the problem. But she added that “a major part of the solution must be to fight the criminals who traffic illegal drugs” and that this task force will assist in that.


Senators back steps to slow U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan

Lawmakers from both parties lined up Thursday behind a military proposal to slow the departure of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, warning that President Obama could jeopardize hard-won gains against the Taliban unless he backs away from his time-based exit plan. Both Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee expressed support for steps now under consideration by the White House that would give Gen. John F. Campbell, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, leeway to retain additional troops into next year. “If we’ve learned anything from Iraq, it should be that wars do not end just because politicians say so,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the committee chairman, said during a hearing on U.S. operations in Afghanistan. Sen. Jack Reed (R.I.), the panel’s ranking Democrat, said he thinks that “any future reductions in U.S. force levels in Afghanistan should be based on the security conditions at the time of the proposed reductions.” Campbell, who commands a force of 10,600 U.S. troops and more than 2,000 from allied countries, described “considerable” progress in Afghanistan more than 13 years after foreign forces began battling Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters there. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gen. John. F. Campbell, the commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, says he has provided his chain of command with options for troop drawdown in 2015. He said Afghan forces, which now number 350,000, have grown stronger, and he expressed confidence that new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani would be able to shepherd Afghanistan through a delicate period following the end of the U.S. and NATO combat mission. But Campbell sought to temper expectations about what his small force will be able to achieve as it mentors Afghan forces and seeks to head off a Taliban comeback under a tight timeline. “We will need to evaluate and prioritize our efforts in light of restricted resources and the limited time available to accomplish our mission,” he said in prepared remarks. The general cited shortcomings of Afghan forces in intelligence, air power and special operations and said the Taliban, emboldened by the departure of most foreign forces, was likely to mount a strong offensive this spring and summer. Such expectations have helped build support among military leaders for making certain changes to the timeline Obama announced in May. That plan would bring the U.S. force to about 5,500 by the end of this


Montgomery County Animal Watch

These cases were received recently 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. Retriever bites owner: Pit bull under duress: Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit www.awlmc.org. Gaithersburg Adopt or foster rescue dogs: Rockville Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: Rockville — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


The Ethiopian government’s duty is to protect all of its citizens

The Feb. 9 editorial “Ethiopia’s stifled press” portrayed Ethiopia as a politically repressive country bent on harassing dissenting media outlets. That is far from the truth. For 24 years, the government has been focused on both building a democratic society based on the rule of law and ensuring economic development. Ethiopia’s new and flourishing constitutional order is the expression of the will of its people, and the government has the duty to protect this constitutional order from any subversion. It is not appropriate to refer to individual cases, but the implication that journalists should be above the law is unacceptable. To suggest that journalists have been targeted under the guise of “terrorism” ignores the fact that Ethiopia is faced with significant and dangerous terrorist threats, including the activities of organizations linked to al-Qaeda in Somalia and Yemen and terrorist operations in Eritrea. Ethiopia takes seriously its responsibility of bringing perpetrators of grave offenses to justice, irrespective of their profession. Human Rights Watch, which has had differences with the Ethiopian government, appears unwilling to accept that adequate and detailed evidence supports the government’s claim of transgressions of the law. Due process of law is observed, and all court procedures are open to the public. The comparison with Eritrea’s political system was untenable. Ethiopia has a vibrant, multilingual and often critical media. Tesfaye Wolde, Washington The writer is a counselor for public diplomacy and communication for Ethiopia’s U.S. Embassy.


One vision of tomorrow’s college: Cheap, and you get an education, not a degree

millions of Americans and many more elsewhere will compete on a level field in the labor market for the first time, rather than being systematically shut out for lack of an obsolete and elitist degree. The way that people learn in the University of Everywhere will vary tremendously, because people will not be forced to conform to the outdated traditions of today’s universities. Some people will learn mostly by themselves, on computers. This isn’t the ideal learning environment for many, and it’s simply untenable for some. But we live in a big world with a lot of people. Some of them have jobs and families that consume most of their daily time. Some are isolated by geography or medical circumstance. Some live in societies that deny or discourage educational opportunities to members of certain genders, religions, ethnicities and castes. Some don’t have enough money for anything else. Less than ideal will still be far better than nothing at all. Moreover, no one is alone on the Internet if they don’t want to be. One of the great truths about social media is that people form deep and lasting connections with others in virtual environments. As technology improves, the nature of those interactions will more closely approximate actual face-to-face meetings. Right now, talking to a life-size virtual image of a real person is the kind of experience you see only in the cafeteria at MIT. In the future, as telecommunications and video technology improve, the conversation might come through an image projected onto a pair of glasses or through ultra-high-definition screens that are large, flexible and cheap. Whatever way it happens, the experience of seeing and hearing people that are nearby and at a far distance will increasingly converge. Information will keep moving faster, and experiences once reserved for the elite will become commonplace for the many. The international learning communities that develop in the virtual education world will have enormous advantages of scale. They will be inexpensive and at certain levels of access, entirely free. Millions of people simultaneously enrolled in a course of study will create data that is analyzable at great depths of sophistication. In addition to customizing the environment for each learner, in a way that reacts to what they bring to the environment and how they proceed to learn, educational designers will also be able to shape the way students interact with one another, much as


At Montana’s Big Sky Resort, limitless vistas and rural charm

mountain’s snow conditions online: A foot of Cold Smoke powder had just fallen atop Lone Peak. If you go Big Sky Resort 50 Big Sky Resort Rd., Big Sky 800-548-4486 bigskyresort.com Rooms from $285 a night at the resort’s Huntley Lodge; price includes complimentary breakfast, WiFi, overnight parking and access to a heated outdoor pool and a hot tub that seats 22. For après-ski beers and bison quesadillas, hit up Whiskey Jack’s at the mountain base. The Andiamo Italian Grille specializes in Mediterranean fare and is also home to Pizza Works, a takeout place which serves wood-fired personal-size pies. Full-day lift tickets are $103; ski rentals from $42 a day. Burgers, beer in Bozeman: Where to kick back Big Sky Resort sits about 45 miles south of Bozeman, a college town that exudes Western charm. Skiers who want a day off should check out the Museum of the Rockies , home to the largest collection of Tyrannosaurus rex fossils in the world, as well as other dinosaur bones excavated from Montana and neighboring states. Or take a guided snowmobile tour of nearby Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful and, possibly, a bison as big as a Prius. You’ll find the best meal in town at Montana Ale Works , housed in an old Northern Pacific depot. Ask for a table in the restaurant’s converted rail car and sip on a curated collection of brews from around the state. Start with the bison potstickers, of course. Foodies should order the sous vide pork chop, cooked to tender perfection, as a main course. But don’t rule out the burgers, known for their signature house-ground Wagyu beef. (Especially the Smoke Stack, with its crispy onion strings and homemade barbecue sauce.) If you want to kick back, head down the road to the Rocking R Bar , a popular nightspot for sports fans. But if you have energy to spare after a day on the slopes, opt for the Broken Spoke at Big Sky’s Town Center, where locals gather for Wednesday-night karaoke and it’s not uncommon to see folks dancing on tables. Looking to cram in the calories before a powder day? Try Milkie’s Pizza & Pub , also in the Town Center, for friendly service, humongous pies and arguably the best wings in Montana. More from Travel: Whitetail Resort in Mercersburg, Pa. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) Read more Ski Guide stories here


A ‘megadrought’ will grip U.S. in the coming decades, NASA researchers say

NASA scientists studied past droughts and climate models incorporating soil moisture data to estimate future drought risk. According to NASA's study, "droughts in the U.S. Southwest and Central Plains during the last half of this century could be drier and longer than drought conditions seen in those regions in the last 1,000 years." The long and severe drought in the U.S. Southwest pales in comparison with what’s coming: a “megadrought” that will grip that region and the central Plains later this century and probably stay there for decades, a new study says. Thirty-five years from now, if the current pace of climate change continues unabated, those areas of the country will experience a weather shift that will linger for as long as three decades, according to the study, released Thursday. Researchers from NASA and Cornell and Columbia universities warned of major water shortages and conditions that dry out vegetation, which can lead to monster wildfires in southern Arizona and parts of California. “We really need to start thinking in longer-term horizons about how we’re going to manage it,” said Toby R. Ault, an assistant professor in the department of Earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell, one of the co-authors. “This is a slow-moving natural hazard that humans are used to dealing with and used to managing.” Megadroughts are sustained periods of sparse precipitation and significant loss of soil moisture that span generations, about 10 times as long as a normal three-year drought. #slider1 { max-width: 905px; } Moving the slider to the right shows projections if we continue on our current course. Moving the slider to the left shows what we might expect with a significant reduction in greenhouse gases. Tucson had less than 80 percent of its normal rainfall for long stretches in the 1990s. If that were to last for two decades, “that’s a megadrought,” Ault said. Based on climate models the researchers used for the study, there is an 80 percent chance that such an extended drought will strike between 2050 and 2099, unless world governments act aggressively to mitigate impacts from climate change, the researchers said. North America’s last megadroughts happened in medieval times, during the 12th and 13th centuries. They were caused by natural changes in weather that give megadroughts a 10 percent chance of forming at any time. But climate change driven by human activity dramatically increases those chances. “With climate change, the likelihood


Business digest: Retail association predicts 4.1 percent growth this year

Retailing Trade group expects strong 2015 growth Retailers are set to have a strong 2015, with sales expected to rise 4.1 percent, according to an industry forecast released Thursday that predicts consumers will become more confident as the economy picks up steam this year. The predicted growth, an improvement over the 3.5 sales increase the National Retail Federation says the industry recorded in 2014, would be the largest sales gain since 2011. The trade group projects that a variety of factors will give the industry a boost this year, including low gas prices, a falling jobless rate and wage growth. The NRF’s optimism is also partly fueled by a good holiday season, during which the group says that retailers saw a 4 percent increase in sales. The NRF’s upbeat forecast came on the same day that the Commerce Department released data showing that retail sales declined 0.8 percent in January, to $439.8 billion. Excluding the volatile autos category, sales were down 0.9 percent. The number was largely dragged down by gasoline stations, which saw a 9.3 percent drop in sales as prices at the pump plunged. But many other categories also saw a decline in sales, including food and beverage stores, which had a 0.3 percent drop, and clothing stores, down 0.8 percent. Warehouse club retailer Costco Wholesale Corp will stop accepting American Express Co's credit cards at U.S. stores from next year, threatening nearly 8 percent of the card company's worldwide billed business. (Hyungwon Kang/Reuters) — Sarah Halzack Credit Costco is dropping American Express Warehouse club retailer Costco Wholesale will stop accepting American Express credit cards at U.S. stores next year, threatening nearly 8 percent of the worldwide annual spending on AmEx cards. AmEx said Thursday that the loss of the contract would hurt earnings for the next two years. Its shares fell more than 7 percent on the New York Stock Exchange, wiping out about $6 billion of market value. The agreement between AmEx and Costco is set to end after 16 years on March 31, 2016. Costco warehouses in the United States currently accept only American Express cards. “We were unable to reach terms that would have made economic sense for our company and shareholders,” American Express chief executive Kenneth Chenault said in a statement. Costco declined to comment on the move, which follows its decision to drop AmEx in Canada last year. Capital One Financial and


Bob Simon, much-honored CBS News correspondent, dies in car crash at 73

and gaunt after their 40-day ordeal. In 1992, Mr. Simon published a well-received book, “Forty Days,” in which he described his captivity as “the most searing experience of my life.” He and his fellow prisoners were given two pieces of bread and two glasses of water a day. He often fantasized about being back in New York, he said, eating at the Carnegie Deli or walking down Broadway with an ice cream cone. Robert David Simon was born May 29, 1941, in the Bronx. His father worked on Wall Street, and his mother was an accountant. Mr. Simon was a 1962 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., then studied at the University of Lyon in France on a Fulbright fellowship. He worked for the State Department and later with the U.S. mission to the United Nations before joining CBS in 1967. He received the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award, one of the highest honors in broadcast journalism, for “The Shame of Srebenica,” a 1999 report in which he examined the killings of more than 8,000 civilians in Bosnia earlier in the decade. He received an Emmy Award for lifetime achievement in 2003, two years before he began working full time at “60 Minutes.” At the time his death, Mr. Simon was putting the final touches on a report about a search for a cure for Ebola, working with his daughter, “60 Minutes” producer Tanya Simon. The segment is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday. Other survivors include his wife of 48 years, Francoise Simon, and a grandson. In a medium in which images are paramount, Mr. Simon was known for his graceful writing, which could elevate his stories to a memorable, even literary level. Last year, he won his 27th Emmy for a report about a poverty-stricken town in Paraguay, where children found salvation by playing music on instruments made from recycled garbage. Two years earlier, Mr. Simon received his fourth Peabody for “Joy in the Congo,” a stirring account of an African orchestra led by a determined conductor who taught rank amateurs to play instruments and to love the classics of Western music, including Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. “It’s called the ‘Ode to Joy,’ the last movement of Beethoven’s last symphony,” Mr. Simon said at the end of his 2012 report. “It has been played with more expertise before, but with more joy? Hard to imagine.”


Grounded: Left behind in the contracting race to restore Americans to space

the commercial sector to help offset the losses. “It’s a zero-sum game,” said David Versel, a research associate at George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. “Since there’s so much less funding than there used to be, it’s harder and harder to stay in business.” The consequences are more pronounced in the landmark, and increasingly rare, multibillion-dollar opportunities such as the one Sierra Nevada was pursuing. Winners can be guaranteed a stream of orders that last years, if not decades. Lose, and you could be shut out of an industry for good. But even in the day-to-day scrum of midlevel government contracting, a loss can be agonizing. ‘Still a little chapped’ When Jared Shepard’s team at Reston-based Intelligent Waves went after a $500 million information technology contract for the military a few years ago, about a dozen employees worked on the 300-page proposal for more than six months. Sometimes toiling until 1 or 2 in the morning. Shepard, the company’s chief executive, canceled a three-week honeymoon to Australia and took a week in the Caribbean instead. Even then, he was on his laptop daily — grateful for his forgiving bride. The company’s bid was 30 percent lower than the incumbent contractor, and Shepard felt good about his company’s chances. When they lost, he called his attorney, ready to fight. “They immediately call me angry,” said the attorney, Lee Dougherty. “They spent months and months, full time devoted to a proposal. So when they call me they are usually very emotional. They’re just perplexed because they were so sure they would win.” On those initial calls, he is more therapist than legal adviser, a listener and a voice of reason that, more often than not, says: You lost, and it’s probably not worth filing a protest, which is often costly and unsuccessful. Even when they are successful, it doesn’t mean you get the work. Shepard won the protest, and the competition was reopened. But his company lost again, and three years later it still hurts. “I guess part of me is still a little chapped by that one,” he said. For Chris Dunn’s small company, Applied Network Solutions, based in Columbia, Md., the five-year IT contract for an intelligence agency was a bit of a stretch. But he decided to go for it, thinking, “If you don’t swing, you don’t hit.” If they won, the contract could have doubled the size


Boeing and SpaceX. Boeing and SpaceX offered capsules. Sierra Nevada had something different: the Dream Chaser, a quarter the size of the space shuttle, it looked like a Mini Cooper next to an 18-wheeler. But even though it’s a compact “space plane,” it can carry as many passengers — seven — as the shuttle. And unlike its predecessor, and the capsules that splash down in the ocean, the Dream Chaser can land on commercial runways, meaning the cargo and crew could be almost immediately accessible. And then it could fly again. And the American space program could fly astronauts again, too. Since the retirement of the shuttle, it was in an uncomfortable, even embarrassing, position: having to hitch rides on Russian Soyuz rockets to the space station. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden wrote in a blog post that “it is unacceptable that we don’t currently have an American capability to launch our own astronauts.” And costly: NASA paid more than $70 million a seat for the rides. The winner of the “commercial crew” contract would be able to add an American flag next to the corporate logo on its rocket and demonstrate how far commercial space flight has come. The contracts also marked a shift for NASA. Instead of owning and operating the rockets, NASA would essentially hire them in an arrangement not unlike a rental-car agreement, allowing the agency to focus on its main target: Mars. For Boeing, a win would represent another notch in a well-marked belt. For SpaceX, it would cement the once spunky outlier as a legitimate, mainstream player — another coup, after becoming the first commercial company to resupply the space station with a contract worth $1.7 billion. For Sierra Nevada, it would be a breakthrough that could, in an instant, hoist it to the top tier of space companies. A decade in the making, the company wanted this win. Bad. Last September, the call came. NASA announced that Boeing and SpaceX would share the $6.8 billion award, Sirangelo would tell his team that this was their Apollo 13 mission. Like the astronauts who had to abort landing on the moon because of an oxygen tank explosion, the company had come so close to its goal — but fell short. About 100 people would lose their jobs. Denial gave way to depression — and anger. “We all did our grieving,” Sirangelo said. The team “was fairly


Heaving bosoms and joyous endings conquer Capitol Hill

Josephine Essex, “who is a little plump. I told Mary that you cannot make her lose weight in the next book. She has to stay the same. The only thing that can change is her self-confidence.” The literature prof and the Indiana seamstress became “great friends. For two years, we never talked on the phone until she offered me a job,” said Castillo, who is featured in Kahn’s movie and was a conference panel participant. Now, she works as an assistant for James/Bly,“making more than my husband and I did combined before, with insurance and benefits,” managing the Web site and reader relations and mailing out all kinds of insistently feminine swag. Male romance fans are rare, but Eric Selinger, a professor at DePaul University in Chicago, is one of them. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post) Fan relations are enormous in the romance world, and romance readers come in all shapes and sizes, from all backgrounds. But they’re almost never male. “The last thing popular romance needs is a man in a suit ‘mansplaining’ what belongs in the canon,” said DePaul University professor Eric Selinger, the rare man at the conference who actually adores romance fiction. Selinger has taught multiple courses on the genre and edits the Journal of Popular Romance Studies. “There are not a lot of us who read these books,” he admitted. “There’s this thinking that men are not interested in love, which doesn’t make a lot of sense when you look at popular music. For many of the men, they find the books tremendously intimidating.” And why wouldn’t they, when Bly mentions getting a letter from a man worried that he was expected “to have this equipment the size of the Hubble Space Telescope?” Or when Wendell exclaims, “I thought I was the only one who liked gravity-defying sex scenes?” Or when author Brenda Jackson hears from men after their wives and girlfriends have read “Delaney’s Desert Sheikh,” and “my characters have this big kiss, Delaney has the Big O, and passes out” (page 73, to be specific)? And now their women crave a similar osculatory sensation? This is what women appear to want, and they haven’t even mentioned the glistening pecs. Read more: The latest in romance fiction Her romance publisher dropped her. It was the best thing that could have happened. A little yarn inspired by the book of love Valentine’s Day at Harlequin headquarters


Baltimore Symphony Orchestra does the Bach family proud

As temperatures plummeted Thursday night, members of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra under guest conductor Nicholas McGegan generated some heat of their own at Strathmore. The varied program consisted entirely of music by the Bach family — father Johann Sebastian and two of his sons, Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian. This 18th-century fare could scarcely have had a better leader than McGegan. Next season, it will have been 30 years since the conductor, already established among the leaders of the British historically informed original-instrument movement, came to the United States to lead the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra of San Francisco. His visits with the Baltimore Symphony are always welcome. The last of Johann Sebastian Bach’s four orchestral suites opened the program in style. Wind players were grouped in front, closest to the conductor, and in front of the strings in an ensemble of 37 or so players. Tempos were bouncy, phrasing shapely and the instrumental textures beautifully balanced. BSO concertmaster Jonathan Carney and associate concertmaster Madeline Adkins then took the stage as soloists in Bach’s beloved Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor. The lively tempos now considered appropriate in baroque music can be challenging to contemporary string players with their different bows and techniques of using them. Nevertheless, Carney and Adkins acquitted themselves marvelously, particularly in the heartfelt slow movement. Intermission brought a change of style. Johann Sebastian Bach was one of the last great composers of the baroque era, while his sons were contributors to the rapidly developing classical style, brought to maturity by Haydn and Mozart. A quirky, difficult symphony by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (in E flat, Wq 179) was a reminder that the classical style didn’t develop in a day. The orchestra brought focus and ebullient energy to its rigors. Afterward came the more settled and coherent Sinfonia Concertante in C Major by the youngest of the Bach sons, Johann Christian. It required the largest ensemble of the evening, with about 50 players plus four soloists. Violinist Rudi Du, cellist Dariusz Skoraczewski, flutist Emily Skala and oboist Michael Lisicky traded off the spotlight in a give-and-take of sensitive ensemble playing that was a satisfying finale of an evening of fine music-making. Rucker is a freelance writer.


U.S. banks cut off cash transfers to Somalia amid terrorism concerns

has left smaller banks, eager for business and more willing to take risks, to service the hawala trade. By last month, 85 percent of all U.S. cash remittances to Somalia were going through tiny Merchants Bank in California, which finally abandoned ship recently. The rest was funneled through scattered small financial entities such as credit unions. Officials at Merchants did not return calls, but officials of the American Bankers Association said such banks have been squeezed too hard. “The government wants these transactions to be fully transparent, but in a country like Somalia, there is no transparency,” said Robert Rowe, a vice president of the ABA in Washington. “You don’t know whether the money goes to feed a starving mother with six kids or to buy machine guns. You have law enforcement concerns on one side and humanitarian concerns on the other. The banks get caught in the middle.” This week, the effect of Merchants’ decision was palpable in the distraught faces of Somalis who gathered in coffee shops and transfer agencies around Baileys Crossroads to exchange news of the cutoff. Some were still carrying envelopes of cash they had been planning to send to an ailing grandmother, to pay for their children’s school fees or to subsidize relatives stuck in refugee camps. Several rejected customers said they were helping to support relatives in South Sudan, Eritrea and Kenya, as well. “My country has no stability, no security, no jobs,” said Yusuf Nasir, 55, a retired Verizon employee in Arlington. “America saved my life and my children, and I would never do anything to harm it. I have worked hard to send $100 to my family in their village. It is the same for all of us. If we don’t send this money, people will starve.” Several local Somalis in the money transfer business insisted that they were strictly compliant with financial safeguards and reporting rules under the Banking Security Act Bank Secrecy Act and the Patriot Act. On the wall at Dahabshiil is a sign that reads, “Dahabshiil does not pay or send any money from or to finance terrorism or other unlawful activities.” Next to that is a new poster that reads, “Help Save Somalia’s Lifeline.” “We have always done everything the government asked,” said Farah Mohammed, 50, a former compliance officer at Dahabshiil, who recently returned from a visit to Somalia. Like other Somali emigres interviewed, he


An abstract depiction of climate change?

The Feb. 8 news article “Short-term fixes for climate change?” focused on an upcoming report about the prospects of geoengineering. The article was accompanied by a photo, captioned “Earth is seen from the space shuttle Discovery in 1992. An upcoming report examines the use of geoengineering to address climate change,” that left me bewildered. The black-and-white NASA photo came across as an abstract depiction of some light-colored rugged mass next to a darker, fluid area with swirls in it. There was no indication of the scale of what is covered. It was not a pretty picture. It could just as easily have been rain water soiled with leaked motor oil on a curbless street as a view of the polluted ocean lapping on the forlorn shore of a continent. What in the world were we looking at? And what did it have to do with the article? David Culp, Fairfax


Yarrow Mamout, the slave who became a Georgetown financier

to become a financier who lent money to merchants. He owned stock in the Columbia Bank of Georgetown. It’s doubtful, however, that Mamout attended stockholder meetings. As Johnston observed, “The tavern where the bank held stockholder meetings also served as a site for slave sales.” The Dent Place lot is what brings us to this day. Mamout’s home, described as a “log house,” is gone. It was replaced after the Civil War by a wood-frame structure, Johnston said, which was demolished in 2013 after being crushed by a tree. But the property is still there: D.C. land once owned and occupied by a slave brought from Africa. Not much is known about Mamout’s occupancy of 3324 Dent Pl. because its history is buried — where, to this day, it may remain undisturbed. So, too, Mamout’s body, which reportedly was laid to rest in the corner where he went to pray, facing Mecca. Johnston speculates that Mamout’s final remains may still be there under the earth. Could it be that 3324 Dent Pl. contains artifacts, architecture and a body, as Johnston suggests? Could this plot contain a one-of-a-kind piece of America’s racial history? If so, doesn’t that warrant recovery and preservation, as recommended by Johnston and some members of the historically black Mount Zion Methodist Church in Georgetown? According to Thomas Luebke, secretary of the Commission of Fine Arts, the Old Georgetown Board reviewed an application for construction on Mamout’s property last week but took no action pending a decision by the city to participate in an archaeology dig at the site. On Feb. 2, the D.C. Historic Preservation Office advised the commission that the Dent property “has archaeology potential, including a potential for human remains.” The Historic Preservation Office said that it received permission from the property owner to conduct an archaeological survey but that the work has to “be pro bono,” without needed mechanical equipment. The office said that it could partner with archaeologists, students and volunteers but that it would have to ask the developer for “some material support” to acquire tools to do “remote sensing, or other high-tech studies.” Meanwhile, Yarrow Mamout’s remarkable story remains out of sight, and perhaps under the ground, as Black History Month is celebrated downtown. Read more from Colbert King’s archive. Read more about this topic: News article: The search for Yarrow Mamout Colbert I. King: The unsung heroes of black history


Smithsonian’s new fundraising strategy: collect collectively

Smithsonian Institution's Smithsonian Castle is seen at the National Mall in Washington. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Historic. Bold. Transformative. When Smithsonian officials unveiled their fundraising campaign last fall, they used these glowing terms to describe the $1.5 billion effort that they boast is the largest ever attempted by a cultural institution in U.S. history. They could have added conservative or reasonable, because what looks like an extensive undertaking is in reality a minor reach. The Smithsonian is not a single entity but a group of 19 far-flung museums and research centers operating on a $1.3 billion annual budget. For this seven-year campaign, it tossed each unit’s annual fund, special programs and construction and renovation projects together, creating a “combined campaign.” The headline-grabbing $1.5 billion goal might seem audacious, but it actually represents about a 20 percent increase over the funds the various units have been raising for years. “Campaigns like this typically raise an institution’s profile,” said Tim Seiler, director of Public Service and the Fund Raising School at Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. “It’s for visibility and image and awareness.” Giant Panda mom Mei Xiang (top) pins her cub Bao Bao (bottom) during a wrestling match in the snow at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington. (Gary Cameron/Reuters) And it’s garnering attention. “We have not until recently focused on taking advantage of the name Smithsonian. It’s a name that works magic,” said Elizabeth Broun, director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Part of the magic is in the numbers. Private donations to the various Smithsonian units averaged $142 million annually in the years before the campaign began in 2011, officials said. That puts the institution on pace to raise almost $1 billion over seven years. Remove the $270 million cost of building the National Museum of African American History and Culture — a project that began in 2003 and is expected to open next year — and those same member institutions must raise $170 million annually, or about $28 million a year over the status quo. The unified campaign is forcing the museums and centers to collaborate and coordinate in ways they haven’t. One database collects and shares all donor information, and the Smithsonian administration is directly involved in finding new donors and deciding which museum gets to cultivate them. That’s new, and not always welcome. Despite its defined timeline and goal, the campaign is actually a flexible


André Brink, South African novelist whose works were banned, dies at 79

surveillance. “There was a period when he was in almost-daily confrontation with the censorship apparatus,” South African Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee told Britain’s Guardian newspaper in 2004. “He was subjected to a degree of persecution, some of it simply small-minded, some of it quite chilling.” He became internationally known as a dissident writer dedicated to opposing his country’s political orthodoxy and its long history of racial oppression. To ensure a wider readership, Mr. Brink began to write in English as well as Afrikaans. He was a central figure in a South African literary movement that included Coetzee, Breyten Breytenbach and Nadine Gordimer, who would also win the Nobel Prize for literature. Mr. Brink was short-listed for the Booker Prize, Britain’s most prestigious literary award, for “An Instant in the Wind” (1976) and “Rumours of Rain” (1978), and was long said to be a contender for the Nobel Prize. Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who spent 27 years in prison before he was elected South Africa’s first black president in 1994, reportedly recommended Mr. Brink’s books to fellow inmates. Mr. Brink published his best-known novel, “A Dry White Season,” in 1979. The book tells the story of a white South African man who tries to investigate the disappearance and subsequent death of the son of a black acquaintance. He encounters resistance at every turn, a coverup and, eventually, personal ostracism and violence. His wife leaves him, and his daughter turns over information to the police. Mr. Brink used actual court documents in the book, describing torture and systematic killings by security forces. “I wanted to make sure no one could say afterwards, ‘I didn’t know’ — the old sort of Nazi excuse — about the intolerably inhumane way the blacks are treated as a whole,” he told The Washington Post in 1979. A look at those who have died. Authorities banned the novel, ruling that it was “calculated to undermine the status of the South African security police” and the “ability to ensure state security.” The ban was later lifted when underground copies of the book began to circulate throughout the country. When a film version of “A Dry White Season,” with Marlon Brando and Donald Sutherland, came out in 1989, South African officials restricted its release. Mr. Brink’s novels were sometimes praised more for their message than for their literary quality. But his fiction challenged “the idea that South Africa


In D.C., fears of chaos grow as legal pot nears

Burnett, D.C. policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, which advocates for liberalizing U.S. drug laws, is the proliferation of “cannabis clubs.” Under such arrangements, a District resident or visitor may pay a membership fee to an organization where marijuana is freely exchanged. “If you look at Spain, this is how it works,” Burnett said. “Spain has these social clubs that are totally nonprofit entities. They are private, you pay to the social club a membership fee, and they cultivate, grow and allow you to consume marijuana for free as a member of the social club. There is a whole blueprint for this that is totally a real possibility for the District.” Bowden, of ComfyTree, said several expo presenters plan to discuss how entrepreneurs in the District could operate subscription or cooperative-type businesses inspired by Colorado’s lesser-known “caregiver” medical marijuana law. That law allows caregivers to obtain marijuana for family members or patients. “They can’t technically sell cannabis directly, but it does allow for donations to the organization,” Bowden said. “Most people think of the dispensary retail shops when they think of Colorado, but more often, they are not, they are home-based businesses,” she said. “They can make money — they just can’t make it on the direct sale.” Businesses could also sell a different product, such as a dinner, and “give” away the pot, she said. “You have a home-based operation, maybe you do a food thing or massages . . . say you sell cookies. They are very expensive cookies — $50-a-month membership . . . you work out the rest out on the back end,” Bowden said. One entrepreneur who will attend the expo is a former federal contractor who now runs a concierge wellness program in the District. He has filed for a business license in the District and has begun practicing in his kitchen how to infuse chocolates with cannabidiol oils — mostly hemp-related substances that do not produce psychoactive effects. It’s a placeholder business that could transition to infusing chocolates and other foods with tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active chemical in pot. The business owner spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is unsure where the legal lines will fall. “Some of the things that I am involved with are borderline, they are gray areas,” he said. One of those was a test run recently with a four-course meal in which the olive


Next steps in the Ukraine-Russia crisis

According to Fareed Zakaria’s Feb. 13 Washington Forum column, “Sanctions Russia will respect,” the United States could stop a military aggressor by canceling its bank account. Blocking Russia’s access to the international monetary transfer mechanism known as “SWIFT” would put the country at an enormous financial disadvantage. Russia’s response to this was that it would be very mad at the United States and would expel the U.S. ambassador from Russia and withdraw its representative from the United States. The United States has the ability to end the invasion into Ukraine by putting the economic brakes on Russia’s ability to cash checks. This could save U.S. fortunes and Ukrainian lives. Is there any good reason we wouldn’t want to take that reasonable path? Annette Lando, Potomac ● Now that another scrap of paper has been added to Ukraine’s guarantees, a question needs to be answered: Does an Obama administration that is busily scrapping a 50-year sanctions policy against Cuba seriously expect anyone to believe that Russia, a major industrial power with huge resources, will give in to sanctions? The boundaries of Ukraine were guaranteed by the United Kingdom, Russia and the United States to persuade Ukraine to give up the Soviet nuclear weapons Ukraine controlled when it left the Soviet Union. Now that guarantee has proved to be worth nothing, so who believes that the Russians will abide by this peace agreement? The Ukrainians have only one way to guarantee their survival as a nation: build nuclear weapons. The unintended consequence of our feeble support and the Europeans’ obvious terror at confronting Russia is that Ukraine must rely on itself. It has the industrial base, the technical knowledge and skill and the fissionable material. I would be surprised if it is not already working on them. Does anyone in the administration consider what a desperate Ukraine may do? Henry J. Gordon, Falls Church


Why is there a measles outbreak?

A poster in a California doctor’s office show characters from the book “Ivy & Bean” encouraging measles vaccination. (Eric Risberg/AP) There has been an outbreak of measles in the United States for the past two months. During this time, you may have read about the outbreak or overheard your parents talking about it. KidsPost thought it would help to explain what’s going on. What is measles? Measles is a viral infection that used to be a common childhood disease in the United States. Before the measles vaccine was given to American children in 1963, there were about 500,000 cases and 450 deaths reported each year. In the past 10 years, there have been an average of 60 cases of measles each year. Compare that to the 20 million cases that occur worldwide each year. Is measles serious? Most kids who get measles are sick for seven to 10 days. It begins with the symptoms of a cold: runny nose, cough, sore throat, conjunctivitis (pink eye) and fever. After a few days, a red, blotchy rash starts on the face and spreads all over the body. Serious complications include dehydration, pneumonia or an inflammation of the brain called encephalitis. Is measles contagious? When the Ebola scare hit last summer, one of the things doctors told people is that Ebola, while serious, is not highly contagious. The reason for this is because you can’t catch Ebola unless you come in direct contact with the bodily fluids of someone who has the infection. Health officials reassured the public that Ebola was not airborne. That means you can’t catch it from breathing the same air as someone who has the infection. But measles is one of the most contagious viruses known to science. People with measles can spread the infection for four days before the onset of the rash and four days after. (That means people are contagious before they know they have measles.) Not only is measles spread through airborne exposure, but the virus can remain in the air for two hours after an infected person has left the area. How is measles treated? Like most viral infections, there is no specific treatment for measles. If someone gets the infection, he is treated with rest, fluids and fever medication. In some cases, people are hospitalized because they developed a complication of the disease. When did the current outbreak begin? The outbreak began in


Can science solve climate change?

In this Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, file photo a plume of smoke billows from the coal-fired Merrimack Station in Bow, N.H. (Jim Cole/AP) WHAT HAPPENS if humans fail to cut carbon dioxide emissions enough to prevent worsening climate change? A new report from the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences contemplates some very unattractive — but potentially necessary — backup plans. Ending deforestation seems like an obvious answer. But, the report found, planting more trees won’t do enough to suck CO2 out of the air. Instead, humans might have to use decidedly less natural methods to counteract global warming. The report discusses two options. Scientists could try to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Or they could reflect more sunlight back into space. This is called climate intervention or geoengineering, and it’s very controversial in scientific and environmental circles. Geoengineering poses all kinds of problems. Directly removing carbon dioxide from the air is a very slow process, and the removed gas would need to be stored somewhere. Fertilizing the ocean with tiny bits of iron would encourage phytoplankton to grow and consume CO2, but it could alter the ocean environment in unknown ways. Spraying sulfur dioxide particles — which spew out of erupting volcanoes naturally — would reflect sunlight, but doing so would also thin the ozone layer, change rain patterns and potentially encourage international conflict. Other ideas, such as painting rooftops and streets white, might help. But no strategy to increase reflection would solve problems such as ocean acidification, which would continue so long as carbon dioxide levels are high. The financial cost of researching, building and operating climate intervention projects would be formidable. Facilities to remove carbon dioxide from the air, the report notes, might well cost more than simply replacing polluting power plants with renewables. Cheaper techniques such as blasting sulfur dioxide into the sky would require perpetual effort absent serious cuts in carbon dioxide output. The longer the world hesitates to put global emissions on a downward slope, the harder the cleanup task will be. Given the risks associated with climate intervention, it makes no sense to bet the climate on the ingenuity of future generations. But the planet should have a backup plan — or, at least, the beginnings of a backup plan. The National Academy report points out that policymakers and scientists have hardly embarked on the basic


Post reporter wins Polk award for articles on Secret Service lapses

were investigations into alleged abuse by guards at correction facilities and a detailed exploration of the Ebola crisis in West Africa. Washington Post reporter Carol D. Leonnig. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) Two New York Times reporters, Michael Schwirtz and Michael Winerip, and a Miami Herald reporter, Julie K. Brown, shared the award for justice reporting at correction and detention facilities. The Times reports resulted in dismissals and resignations at Rikers Island, the New York City jail complex. The Times’ Adam Nossiter, Norimitsu Onishi, Ben Solomon, Sheri Fink and Helene Cooper and contributor Daniel Berehulak won the health reporting award, for risking “their own health and safety” to give American readers the earliest and most reliable coverage of Ebola in West Africa, according to the announcement. Nossiter and Onishi are foreign correspondents with a combined nine years in West Africa; Solomon is a videographer; Fink is a physician who spent three weeks embedded in an Ebola treatment unit; Cooper is a Liberian American who normally covers the Pentagon; and Berehulak an Australian-born news photographer. Rukmini Callimachi of the Times received the prize for international reporting for her account of how European nations secretly paid millions to win the freedom of hostages held by the Islamic State. Garry Several stories were published exclusively online. The award for foreign reporting went to Rania Abouzeid, who wrote “The Jihad Next Door,” which chronicled the history and current rise of the Islamic State and was published online by Politico Magazine. James Verini, who explored the U.N. intervention in Congo, won for magazine reporting. His story appeared in National Geographic online. Ta-Nehisi Coates received the award for commentary for “The Case for Reparations,” an essay in the Atlantic. It examines the gap in wealth, privilege and opportunity between black and white Americans. Four reporters at The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C. — Doug Pardue, Glenn Smith, Jennifer Berry Hawes and Natalie Caula Hauff — won the state reporting award for a series on women who died as a result of domestic abuse. Colleagues of Leonnig at The Washington Post described the reporter’s interviewing style as “delightfully aggressive.” Cameron Barr, the paper’s national editor, added, “Carol’s diligent and persistent reporting exposed missteps and a lack of preparation and focus at an agency charged with protecting the life of the president. We couldn’t be prouder of her work and the reform it has helped to bring about.”


Metro knew smoke-emergency system had problems before fatal incident

Transportation Safety Board said the tunnel calamity, near the L’Enfant Plaza station, was exacerbated by Metro’s inability to quickly identify the origin point of the smoke. Metro then activated two sets of tunnel ventilation fans at cross-purposes, pulling the smoke toward the train instead of pushing it away, the NTSB said. Metro has been aware for months that its Landover train controllers are not adequately served by computer software that dates to 2002, even with modifications made in the past decade, the documents show. A complete software replacement is needed to “make the rail system safer for customers and employees [and to] provide improved customer satisfaction through more reliable and efficient operation,” according to the documents. Called a “request for information,” the paperwork was prepared in January 2014 and made available to companies so Metro could start a dialogue with potential vendors about software products. Metro hopes that the years-long process of overhauling the software eventually will make it easier for train controllers to perform a variety of tasks — particularly in emergencies. According to the documents, Metro wants its computer system to provide information that is “updated from real time, real world data” with “a very high level of accuracy [and] detail availability.” If Metro proceeds with the project, its next steps will be drafting specifications for what it wants to buy and issuing a request for contract bids. To date, the replacement effort has not gone beyond the information-gathering stage. In the Jan. 12 incident, scores of passengers were left gasping for air, with many sickened, after they were caught on a six-car Yellow Line train that stopped in a smoke-filled tunnel just south of the L’Enfant Plaza station. One woman died, and an autopsy found smoke inhalation to be the cause. Because of the ongoing NTSB investigation, Metro has said it is barred by federal regulations from commenting in detail on the incident. As for any software overhaul, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel would say only that all aspects of the train-control center are under review. The software modernization that Metro envisionsdovetails with “urgent recommendations” that the NTSB’s acting chairman, Christopher A. Hart, issued last week concerning Metro’s procedures for dealing with smoke in tunnels. The recommendations, along with a letter Hart sent to Metro, offered new details about the Jan. 12 incident. Those details, combined with earlier information from officials and witnesses, create a clearer picture of


Survival for some endangered species hinges on ‘Frozen Zoo’

Nola, a 40-year-old northern white rhino, is only one of five remaining examples of the species. She lives at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park near Escondido, Calif. (Lenny Ignelzi /AP) Whenever an endangered animal dies at the San Diego Zoo, researchers race out, regardless of the hour, to remove its sperm or eggs, maybe a bit of ear or eyeball, and carefully freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen. Today, the survival of the northern white rhinoceros and dozens of other species could hinge on the collection amassed over nearly 40 years that has become the largest gene bank of its kind: the Frozen Zoo. The icy vials may someday even be used in experiments to resurrect recently extinct animals such as the Hawaiian po’ouli bird. The stainless-steel tanks hold the genetic material of more than 10,000 individual animals from more than 1,000 species and subspecies. The Frozen Zoo’s work has taken on renewed urgency since the San Diego Zoo Safari Park lost 42-year-old Angalifu to cancer in December, leaving only five northern white rhinos in the world — and all unable to reproduce. Scientists are racing to find the best way to utilize the bank’s frozen sperm to produce another one before the northern white goes extinct, which could happen within a decade. Barbara Durant of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research removes vials of frozen cells from a stainless-steel container cooled with liquid nitrogen. (Lenny Ignelzi /AP) Critics question whether it’s worth spending millions of dollars on species that are down to so few. The bank is valued as a genetic archive that has helped advance artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization, cloning and stem cell technology. But debate is stirring over how far such research should go. “The Frozen Zoo is basically rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic,” said Paul Ehrlich, a senior fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University. He noted the world needs to address the problem’s root causes, such as population growth and climate change. “Screwing around with science to save a white rhino might be fun and I would like to see it preserved and am all for biodiversity, but it’s so far down the list of things we should be doing first,” he said. With species going extinct at a faster rate, zoos are taking on greater conservation roles and facing decisions about which animals


The nightmare of pot legalization

Regarding the Feb. 16 front-page article “D.C. lacks pot rules even as legalization day nears”: Do city officials want the District to be known for pot use and as a pot distribution center? A recent Police Foundation report on the impact of pot legalization tells of the nightmare that is unfolding in Colorado. The same nightmare is likely to unfold in the District if the law goes forward with or without regulation. The following can be expected: increased use among youth; increased numbers of those seeking treatment; increased pot-related DUIs; increased secondhand smoke issues; increased drug cartel and black-market activity; and increased homelessness. A Lancet Psychiatry study published this week on pot use and psychosis says daily users of high-potency marijuana were five times more likely than non-users to have a psychotic disorder; weekend users were three times more likely. D.C. officials, Congress and the Supreme Court can still stop this nightmare. Paula D. Gordon, Washington The writer helped draft the legislation that established the Special Action Office for Drug Abuse Prevention under President Richard Nixon.


Readers speak out on Secret Service, whistleblowers, hiring and the CIA

that stretches their meaning. The statute here is designed to allow people the freedom to disclose essential information that curbs bad decision making. I’ve often wanted to expose fraud and waste of the taxpayers’ [money] in my agency and I’ve been told repeatedly, “You can do that, but you’d better be ready to look for work.” If more disclosures were to take place, then more of the bureaucracy would try to do the “right” thing as opposed to CYA. The issue is the responsibility to disclose where appropriate, and faithfulness to ethical principles. On that there can be no debate. — William Webster Federal hiring fix A recent Merit Systems Protection Board report on federal hiring pointed to issues with the preference given to veterans. A definite barrier to a diverse workforce is the veterans’ preference. I am a veteran and I agree with the preference to initially enter the federal workforce. Veterans are well qualified and can bring plenty of life’s experiences to a federal civilian position. Where I have a problem is with promotions and advancement. Veterans who hold federal civilian jobs can leverage their veterans’ preferences ad infinitum for promotions and other federal job vacancies. This is not fair to people who are more qualified for promotions because of their work experience in the current position and their ability to move into the higher grade. I believe that once a veteran enters the federal work force, the veterans’ preference should not be allowed and that veterans and non-veterans alike should compete for promotions and other vacancies on equal footing. Federal hiring needs some serious improvement and enforcement. I hope the civilian leadership takes action on the report. — Will Gildner CIA torture Thank you so much for writing about the dismaying news that CIA personnel tortured suspected terrorists in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. As a retired civil servant, I am deeply saddened and outraged by the fact that fellow public servants committed such heinous and obviously illegal acts. I am grateful that you wrote about it so clearly, rejecting the euphemisms that the shrill defenders of these practices have adopted as an essential part of their unconvincing attempts to justify these crimes. My fear is that, now that these practices have come to the public’s attention and no one is going to be held accountable for them, the door is open for future administrations to


More than 10,000 Afghan civilians died or were injured in 2014, U.N. says

formal end of the U.S. combat mission in December. A sharp rise in ground battles between Taliban insurgents and pro-government forces largely accounted for 3,699 war-related civilian deaths and 6,849 injuries — a 22 percent increase over 2013, the United Nations said in a wide-ranging report released Wednesday. For the first time since 2009, when record-keeping began, face-to-face ground engagements killed or injured more Afghan civilians than roadside bombs, suicide attacks or any other tactic, registering an increase of 54 percent. Casualties among women and children also reached new highs. The rise in civilian casualties illuminates the extent to which Afghanistan’s war has been transformed in the wake of the departure of most U.S. and international troops. Afghanistan’s security forces can no longer rely on U.S. airstrikes and other high-tech weaponry and must engage in more head-on battles with Taliban and other insurgents. Both sides have deployed mortars, rockets and grenades, “sometimes indiscriminately in civilian-populated areas,” the United Nations said. “Rising civilian deaths and injuries in 2014 attests to a failure to fulfill commitments to protect Afghan civilians from harm,” Nicholas Haysom, the U.N. secretary general’s special representative for Afghanistan, said in a statement. The report was released by the U.N. Assistance Mission for Afghanistan, of which Haysom is the head. Taliban and other militants were responsible for more than two-thirds of all the civilian casualties, the U.N. report said. Last year also saw more Afghan security forces killed or injured than in any year since the Taliban was ousted from power in 2001. Suicide attacks by insurgents killed 371 civilians and injured 1,211, marking a 28 percent increase over 2013. It was the third-leading cause of civilian casualties after the ground battles and roadside bombs. December was last year’s deadliest month, with the United Nations recording 511 deaths. Violence unleashed by the Taliban Pro-government forces were responsible for 1,478 civilian casualties, a 51 percent increase from 2013. Most occurred during ground operations by Afghan security forces. Pro-government militias were behind 53 deaths and 49 injuries, up 85 percent from 2013, highlighting a key challenge for President Ashraf Ghani, who has promised to disarm such irregular forces. The United Nations noted the significant rise in human rights abuses against civilians by these militias and urged the government to disband them. Since 2009, a total of 17,774 civilian deaths and 29,971 injuries have been recorded in Afghanistan, the world body said.


D.C. news in brief

Street sweeping begins March 2 The residential street sweeping season will begin March 2 and last until Oct. 31. Posted signs will identify the days and hours when sweeping-related parking restrictions will be enforced. Parking is typically prohibited for two hours while sweeping is underway. Violations carry a $45 fine, and parked cars might be towed to allow the sweepers access to the curbside. For information, go to dpw.dc.gov. Tax resolution day at MLK Library The D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue is having a tax resolution day from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. The event will allow taxpayers with unresolved D.C. income, business and real property tax matters to meet individually with tax office representatives. Taxpayers can receive walk-in assistance with payment arrangements, account reconciliation, business registrations, and the homestead credits, senior deductions and tax deferrals for real property tax. Tax preparation will not be provided. Service is first-come, first-served. For information, go to otr.dc.gov or call 202-727-4829. Group seeks artwork for recycling trucks The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities is seeking proposals for art to adorn District recycling trucks for two years, beginning this spring. The works will be printed on vinyl and then wrapped onto the trucks. A panel will select up to 10 designs and announce the finalists March 16. Selected artists or art teams will receive a $2,500 award for their design. A launch event is scheduled for April 22, Earth Day. District artists 18 and older are eligible to apply. The submission deadline is March 5. For information, go to www.dcarts.dc.gov or call 202-724-5613. Program for dating abuse awareness “Love Is Blind,” an event to raise awareness of teen dating abuse, will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Henry C. Gregory III Family Life Center Foundation, 1510 Ninth St. NW. The free program is open to girls in grades six through 12 and will include a panel discussion, an image and beauty workshop, a cupcake social, and raffles. The nonprofit group A Legacy Left Behind and the Web site Black Celebrity Giving are co-sponsoring the event as part of Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Month. To register, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/love-is-blind-tickets-15571352334 by Feb. 25. — Compiled by Terence McArdle


Going Out Guide

Eric Bibb performs Tuesday with Guy Davis at BlackRock Center for the Arts. (Courtesy of Eric Bibb/Courtesy of Eric Bibb) THU 19 Patti Austin and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra FRI 20 “Chambre” “Songs I Cannot Sing” SAT 21 John Henry the Guitar Playing Man Lunar New Year celebration Guy Davis and Eric Bibb: Blues Troubadours National String Symphonia Play in a Day Rebel Baroque The Bach Sinfonia presents the New York ensemble in a concert of Bach chamber music written in Germany and the Netherlands. 8 p.m. Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center, 7995 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. 301-362-6525. www.bachsinfonia.org. $35, age 60 and older $30, students $15, age 14 and younger free. SUN 22 Maple Sugar Festival “Rapture, Blister, Burn” “Frogz” “About 286,000,000 Results” MON 23 “A Day at the Pool” TUE 24 South American Tea Tea is served with a meal and concert by flutist Noreen Friedman and guitarist Bob Wysong. 1 p.m. Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. 301-581-5108. www.strathmore.org. $28. WED 25 “Grounded” “Rent” Tango Buenos Aires — Compiled by Carrie Donovan from staff reports


New rules on narcotic painkillers cause grief for veterans and VA

have showed that the opioid overdose rate is higher in the United States than anywhere else. DEA officials offer some flexibility, allowing doctors to write prescriptions for up to 90 days by post-dating them. But many VA doctors will not do that because of concerns over fraud or fatal overdoses; doctors are telling patients they need to come back every month, medical staff say. Half of all returning troops suffer chronic pain, according to a study in the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. So a new generation of pain doctors is pushing for alternative ways to help veterans cope with chronic pain. Some alternatives are acupuncture, bright light therapy and medical marijuana. As part of a $21.7 million initiative with the National Institutes of Health, VA is looking for therapies that could substitute for opioids. “Our hospitals are doing some really exciting things to combat chronic pain and take care of our veterans. There are VA hospitals that are using alpha-stimulation devices to treat pain and depression,” VA Secretary Robert McDonald said. “That’s only going to continue and keep getting better. And we are getting there.” [Federal research seeks alternatives to addictive opioids for veterans in pain] In the meantime, however, veterans say they continue to bear the burden of the new restrictions on narcotic painkillers. A retired staff Army sergeant who served in Iraq, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for medical privacy reasons, said he can’t drive because of shrapnel in his femur and pelvis. He takes the bus nearly two hours for “a one-minute consult” to get his medications. He has been taking them for more than nine years and has never had an addiction problem, he said. Mike Davis, a retired Army corporal, said he shattered his left arm from the elbow to the fingertips when he fell off of a Pershing missile during maneuvers in Germany in 1979. Over the years, he has had six surgeries. After the last one, in 2003, he was prescribed opioids and said he has been on them since. Davis, who now works as a social worker in Illinois, said he feels lucky to have found a combination of painkillers that works for him. “It’s just insulting to the veteran to assume they are abusing these drugs,” said his wife, Linda Davis, who works as his personal patient advocate. “I’m fully aware that people


Montgomery County Animal Watch

These cases were 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. Pit bulls irk neighbor: Dog walker vs. client’s pet: Workshop for pet owners: Adopt or foster rescue dogs: Rockville Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: Rockville Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Gaithersburg — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton