Georgetown basketball heads to Italy with chaotic 2011 trip to China in mind

Georegtown’s 2011 exhibition game in Beijing vs. the Bayi Military Rockets was halted by the fracas involving players and some fans. (CHINA DAILY/VIA REUTERS) Four years ago this month, the Georgetown men’s basketball team visited China on what was intended to be a goodwill trip comprising cultural exchange and friendly exhibition games. Several days into the journey, a benches-clearing brawl in Beijing between the Hoyas and a Chinese professional club turned into an international incident with officials from both countries engaging in full damage control. There was uneasiness and uncertainty regarding the rest of the trip as well until the sides met at an airport conference room to defuse the tense situation. At McDonough Gym on Thursday afternoon, this season’s team was getting in one of several practices before departing the following day for another overseas excursion, this time to Italy for 10 days. It’s the first such trip for the program since China, and with a visit to the Vatican on the itinerary, a far more peaceful experience is expected. “The last trip, if you can exclude the fight, that was a great trip,” Hoyas Coach John Thompson III said. “It was an unbelievable experience. I don’t anticipate this being any different. The food may be a little better. We’re really excited to go. You have a new group. Having these few practices prior to leaving, they can start to feel their way through, but just the overall experience, it can’t be beat.” None of this season’s players were at Georgetown for the last preseason trip overseas, but several said they recalled the news about the melee that erupted one day after Vice President Biden had attended the Hoyas’ first exhibition game in the capital of the most populous country in the world. Biden was in Beijing for four-day economic talks with China. “The last trip, if you can exclude the fight, that was a great trip,” Hoyas Coach John Thompson III said. (Associated Press) So chaotic was the scene at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium on Aug. 18, 2011, that Thompson pulled his players off the court with 9 minutes 32 seconds left in regulation. By that time, members of the Hoyas and the Bayi Military Rockets had come to blows on the court and behind the baskets. Chinese fans even came out of the stands to join the fracas while security did little at first to stem


We need a miracle on climate change

the moon by stacking ladders. That required an entirely different technology. Current environmental responses are the stacking of ladders. “We need breakthroughs,” says Gates. It is sobering when your only sufficient policy response is the production of a miracle. But I’ll add a few more depressing political and economic factors. Human beings are fairly good at calculating costs into their decision-making — saving for a rainy day, buying car insurance — if the time horizon is a few months or a few years. They are not as good at assuming burdens, as in environmental policy, when the time horizon is a few decades or centuries. And they are terrible at shouldering burdens when future costs are paid disproportionately by other people — in this case by people living in poor countries that are more vulnerable to coastal flooding or drought. So how do we get technological miracles at a realistic social and economic cost? Only by dramatically increased investment in basic research and development. Gates (matching money to mouth) has pledged to increase his personal investments in green technologies by $1 billion over the next five years. But sufficient scale only comes from government. So he has also recommended that U.S. investments in basic energy technology be more than tripled — from about $5 billion to $16 billion a year. Even at this level, energy research funding would lag well behind defense and health research. But the increase would allow some impressive scientists to fully explore a variety of speculative options: things like flying wind turbines that collect energy from the jet stream; or reverse engineering photosynthesis to produce usable energy; or batteries with dramatically increased storage capacity; or new nuclear designs that overcome the problem of radioactive waste. This amounts to a series of informed bets. But all can be made at a relatively affordable cost, partially recovered by shifting funds from existing energy subsidies. Collectively, these kinds of bets may be our best shot at the miracle we require. Read more from Michael Gerson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook Read more about this issue here: Stephen Stromberg: How to detect nonsense about climate change Eugene Robinson: GOP candidates range from hopeless to hapless on climate change Robert E. Rubin: How ignoring climate change could sink the U.S. economy Michael Gerson: It’s time for conservatives to end the denial on climate change


A fairy tale with a real-life grit

life from his trailer home. “I tried to show the neighborhood living in a more poetic way,” Ayouch says. Much of the movie rests on the shoulders of the young Michon, who had no professional acting experience. A friend who had read the script (written by Ayouch, Abdel Hafed Benotman and Aicha Yacoubi) suggested the youngster, and Ayouch says he knew Michon was right for the role at their first meeting. Still, before making an official decision, the director called the boy in for a grueling audition that involved doing the same scene over and over. Michon didn’t balk. “He wasn’t giving up. So I said, ‘Okay!’ ” Ayouch recalls. “Fièvres” isn’t the only film at the African Diaspora festival to feature a young actor in a breakout role. Ethiopian writer-director Kinfe Banbu’s “Bilatena,” having its U.S. premiere at the festival, centers on the relationship between two brothers: Abi (Eyob Dawit), a hyper-industrious 12-year-old who juggles several part-time jobs to earn money for his family, and his less resourceful older brother, Zele (Tariku Berehanu). After Abi contracts hepatitis, the disease that killed their mother, Zele struggles to find money to pay for the expensive drugs that will save his brother’s life. Answering questions via e-mail from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, “Bilatena” producer Melkam Yideg said the story drew on Banbu’s experience growing up in a neighborhood of the Ethiopian capital where children often skip school to earn money for their families. While drawing attention to this phenomenon, and to the importance of industriousness in general, the movie also aims to raise awareness about hepatitis, Yideg says. “From the feedback we [have received] from our audience, we can proudly say that we have met our goal,” she says. It wasn’t easy to find a youthful performer who could shoulder the role of Abi. After an extensive search, they settled on the 12-year-old Dawit, who had grown up taking dance and acting classes at an arts school in Addis Ababa and had a previous movie (“Yaltasebew”) on his résumé. “We were amazed by his talent,” Yideg says. The African Diaspora festival lineup also includes the Angolan epic “Njinga: Queen of Angola,” about a 17th-century female warrior; the South African dance tale “Hear Me Move” (think, “Step Up,” but with South Africa’s pantsula dance style); and the Vivian Norris documentary “Obama Mama,” about President Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham. Wren is a freelance writer. “Fièvres”


Bottom line: Baltimore needs jobs

exacerbating the violent situation. While many talk about Gray, few talk of actually solving the problems for a city with an underclass of black citizens who are unskilled, thanks, in part, to the lousy public education system. Inner-city projects have been a miserable failure. Employment opportunities are gone. Baltimore’s General Motors plant closed in 2005. Bethlehem Steel’s Sparrows Point plant was the world’s largest steel mill in the 1960s, employing tens of thousands in high-paying manufacturing jobs, but now it’s gone, too. As illegal immigrants flooded into the state, a large section of East Baltimore became a barrio, forcing out the black population. Unemployed steel workers compete with semi-skilled black citizens and newly arrived Hispanics for a dwindling supply of low-paying, semi-skilled jobs. The key to ending the chaos is a vibrant business environment, not government largess, that creates and sustains jobs. That can happen only by reversing the anti-business tax structures that prevail in the state. Equally important is reversing the policy that turned Maryland into a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants who live in the shadows as a second underclass. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is moving in that direction with his decision to comply with a federal immigration enforcement directive. With the state continually short of cash, incentives to induce Asian manufacturers to import through Baltimore and to entice Hollywood elites to film in Maryland should end. (“House of Cards” will not build long-term jobs in Baltimore.) Instead, aggressively court manufacturing, technology and service companies to relocate in Baltimore’s least desirable neighborhoods. Offer perpetual tax-free zones, non-union labor, fast-track approval for companies that promise to employ unskilled local citizens, government-paid job training and insurance against losses from insurrection. Consider Amazon’s distribution center in Maryland: It will provide at least 1,000 new jobs, and the company received a limited tax holiday to locate here. (Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, also owns The Post.) Maryland will continue to be an investment pariah as long as Baltimore officials concentrate on acrimony over who is responsible for the current violence. We must concentrate on bringing to Baltimore businesses that will provide permanent, high-paying jobs. That is the only solution. Read more about this issue: The Post’s View: Bloody Baltimore The Post’s View: In Baltimore, a toxic stew of violence and broken police relations E.J. Dionne Jr.: The labor roots of Baltimore’s anguish The Post’s View: Was ‘House of Cards’ worth it for Maryland?


Leader of Islamic State used American hostage as sexual slave

teenage girls is seen as religiously endorsed by the group and regarded as a recruiting tool. News of Baghdadi’s abuse of Mueller, who was from Prescott, Ariz., was first reported Friday by the Independent, a London newspaper. “As painful as this is for our family, we just feel like the world needs to know the truth,” said Carl Mueller, Kayla’s father. The Muellers noted that Friday would have been their daughter’s 27th birthday. The Islamic State claimed that Mueller was killed earlier this year after a Jordanian fighter plane dropped a bomb on the building where she was being held. The U.S. government confirmed the death but not the cause. Mueller’s family had previously released a letter their daughter had written in which she talked about the conditions of her captivity. “Please know I am in a safe location, completely unharmed + healthy (put on weight in fact); I have been treated w/the utmost respect + kindness,” she wrote in the letter, which the family received in the spring of 2014. Kayla’s mother said she had thought her daughter had been treated reasonably until she learned about the conditions of her captivity during a June meeting with FBI officials in Washington. The FBI said they learned about Mueller’s mistreatment from the wife of a senior Islamic State operative captured earlier this year, as well as young female members of the Yazidi religious sect who had spent two months in captivity with Mueller before at least one of them escaped last fall. U.S. officials had previously said that Mueller was abused by her captors, but it was not known until now that she was kept as a sex slave of the leader of the Islamic State. Baghdadi is a former Iraqi insurgent who was detained by U.S. forces early in the Iraq war. He was part of an al-Qaeda affiliate in Iraq that was thought to have been largely destroyed before the civil war in Syria allowed it to regenerate. Though little is known about his background, Baghdadi is regarded as an experienced fighter and a capable leader. His most prominent public appearance came last year when he surfaced at a mosque in Mosul to declare himself the leader of a restored caliphate. Mueller was abducted in August 2013 after leaving a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo. Three months after she died, the compound where she had been held


A rare picture of happiness in Afghanistan

A crowd enjoys a comedy performance given by Ibrahim Abed, a comedian and satarist in Afghanistan. (Andrew Quilty / Oculi/For The Washington Post) Regarding the Aug. 7 news article “He keeps Afghans in stitches, and they love it”: It was quite refreshing to see a picture of smiles and laughter from people who have collectively suffered so much in Afghanistan, a country torn by violence, instability and economic hardships. It was especially heartwarming because we are so accustomed to reading bad news almost daily from Afghanistan. Humor is effective in providing relief from hardship and anxiety, and it heals and grounds us. It’s truly disarming to see those beaming faces that leave me with feelings of hope and empathy for our human challenges. Kon Rhyu, Alexandria


Afghan women imprisoned by their culture

ONE TIME USE ONLY A young woman incarcerated for moral crimes in Sheberghan Prison. © Gabriela Maj/ Almond Garden, Portraits from the Women's Prisons in Afghanistan (Daylight Books). (Gabriela Maj/Gabriela Maj) Gabriela Maj is a Polish-Canadian photojournalist whose book “Almond Garden: Portraits from the Women’s Prisons in Afghanistan” was published in June. The first thing you hear as you approach Badam Bagh women’s prison in Kabul is children’s laughter. The closer you get, the more the building sounds like a kindergarten class during recess. Over the past five years, I visited a half-dozen women’s prisons in Afghanistan and met hundreds of women who were arrested while pregnant and gave birth in prison, along with hundreds who came into the system with toddlers. Afghanistan’s prisons are filled with mothers who have been rejected by their families because they are accused of “moral crimes”: women who have been raped or fled abuse or forced marriages, women accused of adultery, unmarried women who have become pregnant with partners their families didn’t approve of. In Afghanistan, such victims of abuse are penalized instead of protected. When a woman’s body, in Afghanistan or elsewhere, is considered the property of her father, husband, community, religion or state, any action she takes without first being given permission by the men who wield power over her becomes a threat to the authority of those men. In Afghanistan, such threats are often met with incarceration and violence. Whenever I asked a female prisoner what she would do when released, the most common response was: “I will be killed.” The justice system in Afghanistan is a funhouse-mirror reflection of what a justice system should be. Women who run away from their homes to escape abuse or forced marriage are tracked down by the police. Victims are transformed into criminals, and the limited resources that should be used to bring perpetrators of violence against women to justice are instead spent to keep young women behind bars. When I first began visiting women’s prisons in Afghanistan, I focused on these “moral crimes.” But as I spent hours seated on prison floors in conversation with prisoners, I met more and more women who had been incarcerated for crimes they actually did commit — such as one 20-year-old who cut the throat of the sleeping husband who forced her into prostitution, unable to withstand another day of the abuse he had inflicted on her


How a Virginia winery in its prime holds its enemies at bay

such as chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, or to dark purple in red varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon and nebbiolo. Acid levels drop and sugars rise, making the berries sweet and tasty for the birds. “They sit in the trees or on power lines and dive-bomb the vines,” Paschina said. Birds pecking at ripening grapes can damage them, leading to rot that can spoil an entire cluster and spread to others. That netting is crucial. Barboursville’s vineyard manager, Fernando Franco, carries a small cap pistol in his pickup truck that can shoot a firecracker into the air to scare birds away, but it’s not effective. “They figure it out soon enough,” he said. There are other predators, of course. “Birds, deer, raccoons, groundhogs, bears,” said Franco, counting off his foes on his fingers. “They all want the grapes.” The enemies list also includes Japanese beetles, which were particularly heavy this year in their onslaught on vine leaves, inhibiting photosynthesis. And fruit flies, which can damage the grapes and promote spoilage. And hail, which can strike during the capricious vengeance of a summer thunderstorm. Anything that can puncture one berry can ruin a cluster. New predators always seem to emerge. The 2013 vintage is known in central Virginia as the Year of the Squirrel. A record shortage of acorns the previous autumn sent swarms of the hungry varmints into vineyards, looking for nourishment. Luckily, they were after the protein in the seeds and never developed a taste for the sweet carbohydrates in the grapes, Paschina said. The squirrels have not been back. “Grape seeds are more work than acorns; otherwise we’d be pfft,” he said. The vigneron is the ultimate predator of the grapes, protecting them from other enemies in order to keep them for himself. Franco’s job is to encourage the vines’ survival instinct and coax the clusters to maximum ripeness, then to harvest the grapes and make wine, not new vines. The 2015 vintage began in January, when Barboursville’s crew of 16 seasonal workers arrived from Mexico and El Salvador and began pruning the vines, positioning them to grow top-quality fruit. Through flowering and fruit-set in April, Franco and his team have tried to coax about 330,000 vines over 182 acres to produce about four pounds of fruit each, their formula for maximum quality. That involves pulling leaves and hedging the tops off the vines to control vigor, an important


Animal Watch: Wildlife advocate

FAIRFAX CITY, Among cases received by the animal control section of the Fairfax City Police Department.


The government’s top workers, Group 9

of people in war-torn Syria and neighboring countries As team leader of USAID’s Syrian food-assistance program, Thayer has worked closely with the United Nations World Food Program and international and local donors to provide food assistance to millions of hungry and desperate people — those caught in the crossfire within Syria and those now living as refugees in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. “Rob has been the go-to guy on Syria since the beginning,” said Dina Esposito, director of USAID’s Office of Food for Peace. The United States is the largest food donor in the Syrian crisis, having provided more than $1.1 billion in assistance so far, including monthly household food rations, supplementary nutritional food for children, more than 90,000 tons of flour for its innovative flour-to-bakeries program and food voucher debit cards for refugees. The flour-to-bakeries program, which Thayer launched, supports flour and yeast purchases from neighboring countries and enlists humanitarian groups to deliver these bread ingredients to bakeries around Syria. Bread is a pillar of Syrian society, not only for dietary purposes but also for social and cultural reasons, and is ubiquitous at mealtime. Richard Alan Feely. (Aaron Clamage/Partnership for Public Service) Richard Alan Feely National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Researched ocean acidification, which threatens sea life and the marine environment Every day, the oceans absorb 22 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, acidifying the water and threatening the marine ecosystem and the welfare of coastal communities and businesses tied to the sea. Feely, a senior scientist at NOAA, has done pioneering research demonstrating the ecological damage to the oceans and sea life from carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from human activity. He has made policymakers aware of the consequences, helped contribute to legislation and created an international network to track the effects of these emissions. Spending 1,000 days at sea on more than 50 scientific expeditions, Feely has found that an increase in carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, factories and agricultural activities has dramatically changed the biology and chemistry of the oceans. He predicted that a continuation of this trend will double the acidity of the world’s oceans by the end of the century. His studies found, in part, that in some conditions acidified water corrodes the minerals that many organisms — such as oysters, clams, scallops, lobsters, crabs, shrimp and sea urchins — rely on to build their protective armor of shells and exoskeletons.


Black civil rights activist recalls white ally who took a shotgun blast for her

its best and brightest when they stand up for freedom?” Sales, who lived in Washington for many years, now resides in Atlanta, where she heads the SpiritHouse Project, a program that uses the arts, education and spirituality to bring about racial, economic and social justice, according to its Web site. She is a former college professor who has taught at the University of Maryland and Spelman College in Atlanta and is an advocate for civil and welfare rights, women’s rights, and lesbian and gay rights. “I often imagine what would Jonathan be doing today,” she said. “Would he have participated in other movements? Would he have become a starchy bishop?” That long-ago summer of 1965, Sales, Daniels and two other civil rights workers, Joyce Bailey, 19, of Fort Deposit, Ala., and the Rev. Richard Morrisroe, 26, a newly ordained Catholic priest from Chicago, had just been released from jail in Hayneville. They and others had been arrested six days earlier for protesting discrimination in nearby Fort Deposit, in Lowndes County, Ala., the same county where civil rights worker Viola Liuzzo had been killed by members of the Ku Klux Klan several months before. As the group walked to a ramshackle business called “the Cash Store” to buy cold drinks, they were met at the door by Coleman, who was armed with a 12-gauge shotgun. “Get off this property or I’ll blow your goddamn heads off, you sons of bitches,” he snarled. As Daniels shoved Sales aside, Coleman fired, according to historians and accounts from the time. Daniels was struck in the chest and killed instantly. He collapsed face up just outside the store, still wearing his clerical collar and college ring. As the others fled, Coleman fired again, cutting down Morrisroe, who was struck in the back and critically injured but survived. After the murder trial, at which she testified, Sales eventually went back to college, then to graduate school at Princeton, and to divinity school in Massachusetts, telling no one what she had witnessed. She tried to deal with her trauma, “tried to settle and ground myself, tried to learn to speak again without being a silent person,” she said. “I withdrew inside of myself,” Sales said. “I tried to figure out what did it mean to be young again . . . (while) I was still bone-weary from the war on the South.” Sales said she was raised


‘Straight up execution’: Crime surges across the District

D.C. police officers are seen during a community crime awareness walk in Columbia Heights on Tuesday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) The gunman ran up Georgia Avenue, shooting along the way. Struck in the back, the 33-year-old victim collapsed in front of a Metrobus. A witness on the bus told police the assailant “stood over him and shot him two more times.” This brazen killing last month in Northwest Washington’s Park View neighborhood, described in a police report, underscores the renewed violence that is surging across the District. It occurred at 9:30 p.m. and was witnessed by a man looking out a nearby window. “Straight up execution,” the man said in an interview. “Right in the middle of a main thoroughfare of Washington, D.C.” The slaying remains unsolved. Authorities are grappling with the District’s escalating homicide count. As of Sunday there were 93 so far this year, a 23 percent increase over the 72 at the same time last year. One challenge for police is that the violence has not been contained to any particular part of the city. Although some areas that have been persistent pockets of crime continue to see shootings, the uptick in violence also has affected many neighborhoods that have been targeted for growth and revitalization. Residents in Northwest are complaining about more gunfire, from Columbia Heights to Petworth, from Park View to Logan Circle. Three people have been killed in Columbia Heights this year, and a man reported being abducted from a bus stop on Georgia Avenue and gang-raped in a van. The slaying near the Metrobus occurred just a few blocks south. Closer to downtown, another man was shot and killed on July 18, just off Logan Circle’s 14th Street, a onetime prostitution strip that has transformed into a bustling entertainment district. “It would be nice to see the police walking up and down,” said John Fanning, chairman of the Logan Circle Advisory Neighborhood Commission. The July fatal shooting there occurred in the same area where nearly two years ago a stray bullet flew over 14th Street and the heads of sidewalk diners, crashing through the window of a wine shop. There also is concern in adjacent Shaw, one of the District’s most historic neighborhoods. In the midst of its own makeover, it is home to the gleaming new City Market — upscale apartments with solar window shades over lines of fresh food stands. The


Minimum-wage offensive could speed arrival of robot-powered restaurants

as a whole has largely been resistant to cuts in labor. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, since 1987, labor productivity in limited-service restaurants has grown at a rate of only 0.3 percent per year, which is low compared with most other industries. The market research company IBISWorld has calculated that the average number of employees at fast-food restaurants declined by fewer than two people over the past decade, from 17.16 employees to 15.28. And restaurants tend to rely more on labor than other food outlets: According to the National Restaurant Association, dining establishments average $84,000 in sales per worker, compared with $304,000 for grocery stores and $855,000 for gas stations. Labor isn’t the only ingredient that factors into the price of a Big Mac: There’s also real estate, which has been getting more expensive, especially in the hot urban markets where restaurants are seeking to locate. Wholesale food costs, meanwhile, have escalated 25 percent over the past five years. The avalanche of rising costs is why franchisers are aggressively looking for technology that can allow them to produce more food faster with higher quality and lower waste. Dave Brewer is chief operating officer with Middleby Corp., which owns dozens of kitchen equipment brands, and is constantly developing new ways to optimize performance and minimize cost. “The miracle is, the wage increase is driving the interest,” Brewer said. “But the innovation and the automation, they’re going after it even before the wages go up. Why wait?” All that innovation helps restaurants streamline other parts of their operations — and draw more customers. Electronic menus can be constantly updated so that items that are out of stock can be removed. Connecting the point of the sale to the oven’s operating system allows precise amounts of food to be cooked, which helps cut down on costs. Other inventions save energy, reduce maintenance and better dispose of grease. On the digital side, restaurants are working on apps that include reward systems and location tracking that prompt customers to eat with them more frequently. It’s possible that new inventions could start to eliminate positions faster than they have in the past. The labor-saving technology that has so far been rolled out most extensively — kiosk and tablet-based ordering — could be used to replace cashiers and the part of the wait staff’s job that involves taking orders and bringing checks. Olive Garden said


Everyone wants Joe Morrissey to go away — except maybe his constituents

who is sometimes seen as too buddy-buddy with the Republicans. She and Morrissey fought bitterly two years ago, when Morrissey backed her opponent in a House primary. Dance, who did not return calls for comment, has held the seat for less than a year and never won the district in a regular general election. One afternoon in May, Morrissey and I drove to King’s Market, which is in a struggling neighborhood just off Jefferson Davis Highway a few miles from the sprawling Marlboro factory that informally marks the southern boundary of Richmond. The store was a hive of activity as people came in after work to buy snacks, cigarettes and beer. Morrissey stood at the curb, handing out leaflets and talking to customers. He had told me ahead of time what I was likely to see, but the spectacle was still something to behold. He was at times nearly swarmed. People got out of their cars to take selfies with him. A woman yelled “Joe Morrissey, we got you and your sexy ass.” On and on it went. Leonidas Young, a former mayor of Richmond, is a longtime supporter and friend of Morrissey’s. He said Morrissey has a talent for relating to voters and using his problems to establish his bona fides and build a bond. “Here’s the oddity of it. I told Joe, ‘I don’t understand your popularity. But I would not have gone through what you went through,’ ” he said. “He told me, ‘Lee, the only way I would have gotten it is to go through these trials.’ ” In truth, Young has had his own trials. He went to prison for two years after pleading guilty in 1999 for mail fraud and other charges and is now pastor of New Kingdom Christian Ministries in Richmond. He tried his own political comeback this spring, running for Morrissey’s delegate seat, and was trounced in the primary. Morrissey’s opponents viewed the result as a hopeful sign. Perhaps because he is a lawyer, Morrissey likes to equate voters to jurors, an arrangement that in a sense makes the candidates the ones on trial. If you give the people enough information and present your case with passion, he said, they will almost always come to the right verdict. It’s hard to argue with that logic, and many of the politicians lined up against him struggled to find a path that proves


The 10 best perennials you’ve never heard of

feet across. Yellow false indigo Yellow false indigo Screaming Yellow . (Chip Tynan/Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder) False indigo (Baptisia australis) is a shrubby perennial that makes a fine addition to the garden, with gray-green leaves and spikes of lupinelike blooms, a deep indigo blue, that appear in May on plants that are already three to four feet high. The yellow false indigo is another species (Baptisia sphaericarpa), but it is smaller and tidier and is covered in shorter spikes of bright yellow blooms in late spring. A number of varieties have been introduced, including the particularly floriferous Screaming Yellow. Use it singly or in small groups as a filler plant or accent, in full sun to light shade. It won’t work well in moist soil. Slimleaf ironweed Iron Butterfly Slimleaf Ironweed Iron Butterfly. (Chicago Botanic Garden) Common New York ironweed is a tall and somewhat rangy wildflower of damp meadows that is valued for its sprays of purple flowers in August and September. Slimleaf ironweed is another species (Vernonia lettermannii) and grows to about three feet in height and spread. In late summer, it is smothered in small purple flowers that are magnets for butterflies. Until then, it looks tidy and compact, with dark, fine-textured foliage that makes it a great foil for other perennials. Diblik pairs it with prairie dropseed in a hot dry setting. Iron Butterfly is a selection that is more compact and densely flowered, growing about three feet high and two feet across. As with blue grama, vernonia needs a sunny location. Calamint Montrose White Calamint Montrose White (Monrovia) The calamint (Calamintha nepeta) is an aromatic, ornamental mint that calls to mind the gray-leafed, blue-flowered mounds of the related catmints of early summer, except the calamint produces masses of small white blossoms all summer long. It draws a host of pollinating insects and hummingbirds. The variety Montrose White corrects a couple of disadvantages of other calamints: It is somewhat compact, though can still spread to three feet, and the flowers are sterile, so it doesn’t seed about. It grows in full sun or partial shade but does require free-draining soil, which is especially important during winter dormancy. A mulch of grit or gravel would be preferred to one of wood chips or shredded bark. Another good variety is White Cloud. Use calamint as a filler in a sunny border, as an edging plant along paths


The breakthrough technologies needed to address climate change

This combination of images shows a view of La Parva, Chile, taken on June 6, 2008, and on June 11, 2009. A study published by Journal of Glaciology has revealed the melting of the glaciers since the early 2000s have reached an historic level never seen before. (Martin Bernetti/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) In his Aug. 14 op-ed column, “Looking for a climate change miracle,” Michael Gerson drew an apt analogy between the need for breakthrough technologies to get to the moon and those for weaning mankind from reliance on fossil fuels. Not noted by Mr. Gerson was that the breakthrough technologies that allowed us to get to the moon were developed with federal dollars, spent to meet a goal set by President John F. Kennedy — to land a man on the moon within a decade. As commander in chief, Kennedy recognized the Cold War as an existential threat that would be fought on the battlefield of technological development. He saw his goal as putting the United States on the path to winning the Cold War, resulting in a golden age of research in mathematics, engineering and physics. This research brought us to the point at which the number of good ideas for technological development exceeds our resources. The problem is not a lack of financial resources for accomplishing the “climate change miracle”; it is that the breakthrough technologies for making this miracle a reality must compete with others also deemed worthy. Mr. Gerson may be on to something in encouraging a Kennedy-like goal for developing breakthrough technologies that would make accessible heretofore not considered renewable energy sources, e.g., the vast waste mechanical energy pools that exist in both the natural and man-made worlds. John J. McCoy, Washington


Firefighters are called to the rescue of someone stuck in tree in Northwest DC

Firefighters were called to the rescue of someone stuck in a tree Monday afternoon in Northwest Washington, authorities said. One person was removed from the tree around 3 p.m. in the 4600 block of Argyle Terrace NW, said Timothy J. Wilson, a spokesman for the D.C. fire and emergency services departmenht. After being removed from the tree, Wilson said, the person was taken to a hospital, with injuries that were believed to be serious, but not life-threatening. He said a report indicated that the tree was being trimmed.


Local digest

all of the new cars are due for a software update to fix problems. Mike Tolbert, a Metro spokesman, said he could not share details about what is wrong with the software. But Metro expects the company that manufactured the trains to provide an update soon. On Monday, Tolbert said, the operator noticed that something was wrong and stopped a Red Line train at Fort Totten at about 3:45 p.m. All riders disembarked. Tolbert said that sophisticated new trains can have sophisticated new problems. “These types of issues are not uncommon with new equipment,” he said. “It’s like your car. A car built in 2015 has a lot more software than a car built in 1980.” — Julie Zauzmer MARYLAND Shooting victim found in car is identified Prince George’s County police have identified a man who was slain in Riverdale over the weekend as Felix Nazas, 20, of Silver Spring. Officers found Nazas suffering from gunshot wounds in a car about 5:40 a.m. Sunday, police said. He died later at a hospital. VIRGINIA Land exchange possible in Arlington Arlington County has announced that progress has been made toward a land exchange and road realignment that would make new acreage available for Arlington National Cemetery. The land is the bulk of the site of the now-demolished Navy Annex. That land is to be turned over to the cemetery, but it is divided by roads into three parcels, which limits its use for cemetery expansion. The county said in a statement that realignment of roads in the area would make more of the annex site contiguous with the cemetery. In exchange, the county will get annex land south of a realigned Columbia Pike. Details are being worked out, and the project is a few years off. Herndon police probe four gunfire incidents Authorities are investigating four incidents in which someone fired shots at closed businesses in the Herndon area during overnight hours, according to Fairfax County Crime Solvers. Several shots were fired at a business in the 2200 block of Monroe Street on Aug. 3, according to a news release. A second incident occurred late Aug. 4 and or early Aug. 5 in the 2200 block of Corporate Drive. In both cases, the suspect, or suspects, fled after firing the shots, which struck the front of the buildings. Herndon police are also investigating two similar incidents that occurred July 24 and 30.


Police seek three men after brazen stabbing near police headquarters

Three men wanted in a fatal stabbing on E Street in Northwest D.C. (D.C. Police) Police in the District said they are seeking three men in connection with a fatal stabbing on E Street in Northwest, near several prominent buildings in the Judiciary Square area. Police released surveillance video showing the three men, who are wanted for questioning. The incident occurred about 3 p.m. July 27 when police said Antonio Austin, 31, of Capitol Heights, was stabbed in the 400 block of E Street NW. That area is near D.C. police headquarters in Judiciary Square and the Washington field office for the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. D.C. police said that a bystander flagged down a passing police officer, who found Austin lying alongside a building. He died later at an area hospital. There is a reward of up to $25,000 for anyone with information in the case. Those with information are asked to call 202-727-9099. The homicide comes as the city has seen an uptick this summer in violence.


Part of National Zoo panda exhibit closes amid Mei Xiang’s possible pregnancy

Mei Xiang at the National Zoo. (National Zoo) Part of the National Zoo’s indoor panda exhibit has been closed to public view because the female giant panda Mei Xiang is showing some behaviors consistent with pregnancy or “pseudo-pregnancy,” zoo officials said Tuesday. For example, she is becoming very sensitive to noise, acting restless and moving around. “Normally, when she dens, she is mostly sleeping or resting,” said Jennifer Zoon, a spokeswoman for the National Zoo. “If there is noise around her, she’s looking around and moving.” If she is pregnant, zoo officials said, she could give birth within 30 to 50 days. Her hormones began to rise in late July — a possible sign that she is carrying a cub. Mei Xiang has already given birth to two cubs — Tai Shan and Bao Bao in 2005 and 2013, respectively. The father of both is Tian Tian. National Zoo officials say panda Mei Xiang is showing signs that she could give birth to another cub, but warn that she could also be experiencing the end of pseudopregnancy. In April, Mei Xiang was artificially inseminated with frozen sperm from a panda in China. It was the first time frozen panda semen had made such a long journey to the zoo for breeding, according to zoo officials. The semen sample belonged to Hui Hui — a 9-year-old panda who lives at the China Research and Conservation Center for the Giant Panda in Wolong, Sichuan Province. Mei Xiang’s first ultrasound in June didn’t show much and that’s what zookeepers expected. She’s had a few other ultrasounds but in the last few weeks, she has refused to participate in an ultrasound — even with the lure of honey water, a panda favorite. Zoo officials said Mei Xiang is showing other signs of possibly being pregnant. She is nest building and spending “more time in her den, sleeping more and eating less.” The zoo’s public relations team has tracked the panda’s pregnancy using the hashtag #PandaStory on social media. Unlike in humans, where the egg is fertilized and the fetus starts to grow and can be measured, pregnancy isn’t so obvious in a panda, zoo officials said. A female panda has what’s known as “delayed implantation.” She can have a fertilized egg, which can float in her uterus for weeks before it attaches to the wall of her uterus, according to zoo officials. And there’s


U.S. military missed signs before Afghan shooting rampage by soldier

The investigation started within two weeks of the shootings, ran for a month and was forwarded to CentCom in June 2012, about a year before Bales’s 2013 guilty pleas. When he pleaded guilty, Bales admitted that while deployed he used sleeping pills, steroids and liquor — including drinking whiskey in the hours before he twice sneaked away from his post on March 11, 2012, to walk to two villages. Bales went door to door before shooting 22 people. He burned bodies using kerosene from a lamp, testimony showed. Bales had left his camp before dawn, killing some villagers, then returned to his base and woke a fellow soldier, telling him he had shot people, that soldier recounted in court. The statement — which amounted to a confession — seemed so preposterous that the soldier said he did not believe Bales and went back to sleep, he told the court. Bales left the post a second time and killed the rest of his victims in another nearby village. He returned to the base in a blood-stained uniform and wearing sheeting torn from a doorway that he had fashioned into a cape. Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, who was commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan at the time of Bales’s actions but has since retired, commissioned the investigation. In accepting the report, Allen wrote, “I want to express my heartfelt sorrow” and extended his condolences to the families and friends of the villagers. He also pledged tighter discipline and urged better training of conventional forces, such as Bales and others on the base, who are selected to work in villages to stabilize them and counter insurgents. “Though words and investigations cannot undo what happened, please be assured that I will continue to take every measure to ensure that our forces are well disciplined and follow the laws of armed conflict,” Allen wrote. After the shootings, a commander at Bales’s outpost warned soldiers to get rid of alcohol and hide contraband because Army investigators were on their way, according to the report. Some military members also lacked credibility in their accounts of events and some Special Forces members showed “disdain” for infantry units and more loyalty to one another than to Army values, the investigation found. The report on Bales — known as an Army 15-6 report— was withheld as Bales’s criminal case progressed but finally was released after repeated


As women finish Ranger course, military faces new pressure on gender barriers

A female Ranger student, crouching left, waits to climb a cliff on Mount Yonah in northern Georgia. She will be one of the first two female graduates of the Ranger course on Friday. (Dan Lamothe/The Washington Post) The graduation this week of two female soldiers from the Army’s famously difficult Ranger School has put new pressure on the U.S. military to make women eligible to serve across its combat ranks, current and former U.S. officials said. The historic achievement by the two women, who are expected to be awarded the prestigious Ranger Tab at a ceremony on Friday, comes amid a sweeping assessment at the Pentagon that is expected to lead to the removal of long-standing barriers to female soldiers across the armed services. How far and fast those gender boundaries shift is expected to become evident within months, when each branch of the military is required to submit a petition to senior leaders in the Pentagon listing the dwindling set of jobs that they want to remain all-male, with detailed justifications required for every category from which women would be excluded. There are already emerging signals on how some of the services plan to proceed. Each of the services is considering changes to physical requirements for certain positions that could enable greater female participation — a move that some have resisted out of concern that it would erode standards in place for decades. Military history was made as two women passed the U.S. Army's grueling 62-day Ranger Course in Fort Benning, Ga. The Army’s decision to allow women to attend Ranger School this year was seen by many as an unambiguous signal from a military branch that nevertheless has yet to allow females to serve in its elite units, including its 75th Ranger Regiment, a light-infantry force of about 3,600 soldiers. The graduations this week of Kristen Griest, a military police officer from Orange, Conn., and Shaye Haver, an Apache helicopter pilot from Copperas Cove, Tex., make that ban on female Rangers increasingly precarious and could accelerate broader changes across the Army. The completion of the Ranger course by two female West Point graduates punches holes in arguments that women are not capable of serving in the infantry or other physically demanding jobs, said retired Army Lt. Gen. David Barno, who commanded troops as a general in Afghanistan and served earlier in his career in Ranger battalions. “From the


Russia’s summer of intrigue: Political trials take center stage

a visit to the capital that the United States would “defend our NATO allies, and that means every ally,” from an attack. It was clear that he meant Russia. Kohver was convicted this summer in a two-month closed trial in Pskov, the capital of an eponymous region bordering Estonia. Estonia complained that its consul was not permitted to attend the proceedings, and Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand called it “a blatant breach of international law.” The European Union condemned the sentence. “I see it as a harsher sentence,” Trenin said, speaking by telephone. “Two or three years ago, this would have been dealt with very differently.” Kohver’s trial attracted far less attention than that of Savchenko, the Ukrainian pilot accused of directing a mortar strike that killed two Russian journalists last year. Like Kohver, Savchenko appeared unexpectedly in Russian custody. She has said that she was abducted, while Russia said that she sneaked across the border disguised as a refugee. Even before the conflict, Russia had been accused of abducting suspects in Ukraine. In 2012, a fugitive member of Russia’s political opposition mysteriously disappeared from the streets of Kiev, Ukraine’s capital, and was next seen in a Russian jail cell. Savchenko, who was elected to Ukraine’s parliament after her arrest, has become a cause célèbre among politicians there. A Ukrainian lawmaker previously told The Washington Post that Russia had offered to exchange her for two alleged Russian servicemen arrested in eastern Ukraine. In another courtroom in Rostov-on-Don, closing arguments were held in the trial of Oleh Sentsov, a Ukrainian film director, and Oleksandr Kolchenko, a Ukrainian activist. The two are accused of plotting to blow up a statue of Vladimir Lenin in Crimea, a former peninsula of Ukraine that Russia annexed in March 2014. During a visit to Crimea on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin told security officials to be alert for unspecified foreign-linked plots. Sentsov has said that he was tortured in a failed bid to extract a confession. Investigators declined to investigate, suggesting that Sentsov’s injuries were caused by sadomasochistic sex. “All of the evidence is based on people who have been tortured,” said Zoya Svetova, a journalist and longtime rights activist who serves on a prison oversight committee in Moscow. “Of course these people are all material to be traded, but how many years will they spend in prison first?” Prosecutors on Wednesday requested prison terms of 23


D.C. news in brief

Section of O Street NW, near Dunbar High, goes green The District recently reopened O Street NW between First and Third streets, an area adjacent to Dunbar Senior High School, and designated it as a “green street.” The two-block stretch, which was closed in 1977, now includes 33 bioretention cells, more commonly called rain gardens — small landscaped areas lined with porous material to reduce stormwater runoff. Large tree boxes with native plants, such as purple coneflower, switchgrass, inkberry and river birch, will also collect stormwater and provide habitat for District wildlife. The project received funding from the Chesapeake Bay Trust and the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the G3 (Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns) initiative. For information, go to doee.dc.gov. Sickle cell walk is scheduled for Sept. 12 on the Mall The Stomp Out Sickle Cell 5K walk is from 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 12 on the Mall. Proceeds benefit the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease and the nonprofit group Faces of Our Children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that sickle cell disease, a hereditary blood disorder, affects 90,000 to 100,000 Americans and occurs in one out of every 500 African American births. The walk begins and ends at 14th and Jefferson streets NW. Registration is $10 for children younger than 18 and $25 for adults before Aug. 28. Adult registration is $30 on the day of the walk. For information, go to www.soswalk.org. Light the Way Walk will benefit services for the blind Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind will hold its annual Light the Way 5K Run/Walk from 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 12 at Nationals Park. The non-competitive event will raise money for services benefiting the blind and visually impaired in the Washington region. A children’s race will take place on the warming track and include a Nationals mascot. Other activities include live music, food, a silent auction and giveaways. For information, go to www.lighttheway5k.org. To register, donate or volunteer, go to www.giveffect.com/campaigns. — Compiled by Terence McArdle


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. Retriever bites boy: 10100 block, Clearspring Rd., Damascus, Aug. 2. A golden retriever bit a 10-year-old boy on the forearm. The boy was reportedly outside a neighbor’s house, banging on the windows, when the dog got out of the house and bit him. The youth’s wounds were treated at a hospital. The animal, current on its rabies vaccination, was placed under a 10-day home quarantine. Husky bites girl’s finger: Dogfight: Online licensing: Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: Rockville Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Gaithersburg — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


National Zoo officials believe they’ve spotted a fetus in giant panda

Mei Xiang at the National Zoo. (Courtesy of the National Zoo) The National Zoo said Wednesday that experts believe they have spotted a developing fetus inside its female giant panda Mei Xiang. Based on the size of the fetus, which is about four centimeters, veterinarians estimate that Mei Xiang could give birth early next week, or possibly in early September . The fetus was spotted by chief zoo veterinarian Don Neiffer during a morning ultrasound test. He said he spotted what appeared to be a rib cage and some cranial structure, and saw the fetus move. “Everything points to this being a really healthy, normal pregnancy at this point,” he said Wednesday. “I am expecting this to progress nicely.” National Zoo veterinarians have detected a developing fetus during an ultrasound procedure on giant panda Mei Xiang. He said the panda could give birth as early as seven to 10 days, or as late as 21 to 28 days. He said it looked like it might be sooner rather than later. Neiffer cautioned, however, that the fetus could also be “resorbed,” which can happen in bears, and a birth might not occur. “The ability for this fetus to become unviable and be resorbed from now until the time when we would expect delivery is a real possibility,” he said. “Don’t know what the chances of that are, but it is a possibility,” he said. He said experts have been trying to conduct regular ultrasound tests, which give an image of the uterus, on the panda. But Mei Xiang is generally reluctant to participate in the tests as her pregnancy cycles conclude, which is the time a fetus might be seen in a giant panda. Neiffer said keepers alerted him Wednesday morning, however, that Mei looked like she might cooperate. Neiffer said he took his ultrasound equipment to the panda complex. He tried three or four times to conduct the test, but each time Mei Xiang walked away. “We thought that we weren’t going to be successful,” he said. “On the last attempt,” she submitted, reclined and was presented with honey water as a reward. He ran the ultrasound probe over a shaved area on her abdomen, “and in a very short period of time was able to identify . . . fetal tissue in an embryonic sack in her uterus,” he said by telephone from the zoo. “We were able to


thought that we weren’t going to be successful,” he said. “On the last attempt,” she submitted, reclined and was presented with honey water as a reward. He ran the ultrasound probe over a shaved area on her abdomen, “and in a very short period of time was able to identify . . . fetal tissue in an embryonic sack in her uterus,” he said by telephone from the zoo. “We were able to take some images as well as some short video clips,” he said. “I was not able to get a fetal heart rate. We did get a nice, healthy heart rate from mom. And at one point did actually see fetal movement.” “All signs point to us currently having a healthy, viable fetus, based on the ultrasound,” he said. “So we are cautiously optimistic.” He said Mei Xiang’s heart rate was a healthy 40 beats per minute. “That supports that the uterine structures are getting a nice, healthy blood supply,” he said. “I was really hopeful that I would be able to see the heart and get a fetal heart rate,” he said. “One, because it’s cool. And two because it obviously confirms viability. But Mom was done with it at that point. So we took what we could get.” The zoo said it will now be on 24-hour-a-day panda pregnancy watch, where staff and volunteers monitor Mei Xiang to see whether she gives birth. The giant panda was artificially inseminated twice — on April 26 and 27 — with semen collected from the zoo’s male giant panda, Tian Tian, and from a male giant panda at a research center in Wolong, China. The Wolong panda, Hui Hui, was picked because he was a good genetic match for Mei Xiang, the zoo said. The sample from Hui Hui was frozen and flown from China to the zoo’s cryopreservation bank. If Mei Xiang has a cub, a DNA test can be used to see which male sired the cub. The gestation period for a female giant panda is between three and six months. Mei Xiang began nest-building, spending more time in her den and sleeping more recently, the zoo said. Mei Xiang has given birth to two surviving cubs: Tai Shan and Bao Bao. Tai Shan was born July 9, 2005, and he now lives in China. Bao Bao was born Aug. 23, 2013 This story has been updated.


Giant panda gives birth to 2 cubs at National Zoo

Chinese colleagues who contributed and therefore deserve credit for this conservation success.” The second cub appeared at 10:07 p.m., zoo officials said. It has not been determined whether the cubs are male or female. Zookeepers took one of the cubs from Mei and placed it in an incubator. This is the standard procedure when a panda has twins, the zoo said. The keepers plan to allow each cub to nurse and spend time with its mother while the other is bottle fed. The cub taken from Mei Xiang weighed about 4.9 ounces and appeared healthy, according to a zoo statement. Pregnancies in giant pandas are tricky to detect, and the excitement about a possible birth grew Wednesday, when zookeepers were surprised to spot the unborn panda during an ultrasound, a test that can show pictures from inside the body. “Today, we are cautiously optimistic,” Kelly said at the time. “We want a healthy cub for all the right conservation reasons. . . . Our expert team of keepers, scientists and veterinarians are going to do exactly what they are trained to do and I’ll just ask everyone to remain positive with us.” Veterinarians examine one of giant panda Mei Xiang's two cubs that were born August 22, 2015, at the National Zoo. (Smithsonian's National Zoo) Veterinarians had not performed an ultrasound since August 7 because Mei Xiang was not willing to participate, zoo officials said. The fetus measured about 1 1/ 2 inches, so veterinarians estimated that Mei Xiang could give birth as early as next week. The cub arrived earlier than expected. Mei, who is 17 years old, has given birth to two surviving cubs: a male, Tai Shan (pronounced tie-SHON), was born in 2005 and a female, Bao Bao (rhymes with how-how), in 2013. Tai Shan now lives in China. Bao Bao will be sent to China when she is 4. The indoor panda exhibit is closed until further notice to give Mei Xiang and the cubs quiet time, zoo officials said. They will be visible on the panda cam, which was temporarily offline late Saturday. Male panda Tian Tian and Bao Bao, who will turn 2 on Sunday, are still on view outside. Bao Bao is scheduled to celebrate her birthday with a frozen treat at 10 a.m. in her outdoor yard. Mei Xiang holds her first cub minutes after it was born Saturday. (Smithsonian's National Zoo)


Japan’s move to restart a nuclear reactor is a good decision

This aerial photo shows two reactors at the Sendai Nuclear Power Station in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima prefecture, southern Japan, last week. (Associated Press) THE MELTDOWN in 2011 at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor terrified people in the densely packed nation of Japan, persuaded the government to close all reactors and turned public opinion there and in many other places decidedly against the technology. Yet last week Japan restarted a reactor at the Sendai nuclear power plant. More Japanese nuclear units could begin producing electricity again soon. This should not concern the world. It should be a relief. If you care about climate change or air pollution, you cannot casually write off nuclear power, which produces virtually no carbon dioxide emissions while generating a tremendous amount of reliable power. Yes, solar and wind are alternatives. But renewables are intermittent, making them harder to integrate into the power grid at large scale, and they can be expensive. Even if those obstacles weren’t present, it would still take a lot of time to generate the astonishing amount of energy that modern countries need with mostly alternative technologies. Shutting down nuclear plants in the meantime guarantees that countries will burn more coal, oil and natural gas and therefore produce more pollution. That’s just what happened in Japan. After the nuclear shutdown, the country’s trade deficit ballooned as it imported more coal and gas to run the world’s third-largest economy. Energy efficiency campaigns couldn’t reduce electricity demand enough to eliminate the need for fossil fuels. The country’s aversion to nuclear power, moreover, blew a hole in its plan to cut carbon dioxide emissions, which cause climate change. Japan had planned to ramp up emissions-free nuclear power to generate half of its electricity by 2030. The plan now is to get about a fifth from nuclear by then. Even that may be wishful thinking. The government would have to do quite a bit to meet its new nuclear target, according to Jane Nakano at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, even as the Japanese public remains worried about reactors. At the moment, it’s planning to reopen additional plants after they’ve passed a new, more rigorous regulatory process. Reaching Japan’s new goal, which is key to reaching its carbon-emissions targets, will require older plants to be relicensed to operate beyond their original 40-year lifespans. Another option is to build new plants, some of which are already under


The questions you were unafraid to ask about making plans in the D.C. area

killer footwear and have a bite created by Toki Underground chef Erik Bruner-Yang: Khmer sausage or a plate of chow fun noodles are top tips. Cross the street to Tacos Impala, where a gooey bowl of queso fundido or some house-made tacos await: The pancita de Puerco, or pork belly with chilis and oranges, is a treat, especially paired with a house margarita or michelada. For dessert, head down the block to Dangerously Delicious Pies for the Baltimore Bomb or Lemon Chess. Ready to burn some calories? Treat yourself to late-night dancing at RedRocks or Little Miss Whiskey’s, neither of which charges a cover. Vendetta: 1212 H St. NE. www.vendettadc.com ; Copycat Co.: 1110 H St. NE. www.copycatcompany.com ; Maketto: 1351 H St. NE. www.maketto1351.com ; Tacos Impala: 1358 H St. NE. www.impala-dc.com ; Dangerously Delicious Pies: 1339 H St. NE. www.dangerouspiesdc.com ; Red Rocks: 1348 H St. NE. www.redrocksdc.com ; Little Miss Whiskey’s: 1104 H St. NE. www.littlemisswhiskeys.com. I am new to the area and am looking for ways to meet people, and preferably not just hanging out in bars. Any suggestions? Social rides with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association are a great way to meet new people. (Amanda Voisard/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST) This is one of the most common questions we’ve received in the nearly 15 years of doing the online chat. The first thing to think about: What are you interested in? Cyclists can look into social rides with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association or the more suburbs-friendly Potomac Pedalers. Marathoners and 5K enthusiasts can train and compete with the D.C. Road Runners. Yogis might check out classes held in breweries, including Port City and Old Bust Head, where the post-workout happy hours inspire a more social atmosphere than a normal studio. There’s the Capital Hiking Club, social sailing with DC Sail, and if you want something less strenuous, Politics and Prose offers 20 different monthly book clubs, with genres from Girl Power to Graphic Novels. Whether you’re just out of school or not, it’s worth contacting your college or university’s local alumni club to see about happy hours, sports viewing parties and volunteer opportunities. Recent transplants to D.C. might also look up their State Society , which brings a little taste of home to Washington: Think Mississippi’s annual cookout on the Mall, or Pacific Northwest states teaming up for the Go West Beer Fest. We get


The end of polio in Africa?

An Afghan health worker administers the polio vaccine to a child on the outskirts of Jalalabad this week. (Noorullah Shirzada/Agence FrancePresse/Getty Images) AFRICA HAS reported some genuinely good news in the battle to eradicate polio. Late last month , Nigeria passed a full year without a case of wild poliovirus. As of Aug. 11, it has been a year since the last case was detected anywhere on the continent (it was in Somalia). These anniversaries are unofficial milestones, but they point toward continued progress against polio, a scourge that once claimed hundreds of thousands of lives each year. Unfortunately, polio has shown a fierce tendency to return. Hopefully this time will be different. Nigeria’s accomplishment is impressive. The country suffered a major setback in the struggle against the disease more than a decade ago when a state governor and religious leaders in the predominantly Islamic north put into effect a year-long vaccination ban, claiming that the vaccines were contaminated by the West to spread sterility and HIV/AIDS among Muslims. This led to a wider outbreak of the virus, which is highly contagious, largely strikes children under 5 years old and can cause permanent paralysis. Another effort by Nigeria to come to grips with polio in 2009 seemed to falter when the militant group Boko Haram carried out a wave of violent attacks in the north that disrupted vaccination. The oral vaccine is effective if it can be given to enough children to prevent and interrupt transmission. As recently as 2012, Nigeria had 122 cases — and it now is down to zero. A valuable lesson from Nigeria is that containing polio requires a multifaceted campaign that goes beyond dispensing vaccines. One important tactic was to address head-on the rumors and myths about the vaccine that undermined earlier campaigns. Local volunteers were brought in to build trust. Health teams used “hit and run” tactics to enter a dangerous area quickly, vaccinate and then exit. Yet another approach was to offer “health camps” that provided a wide array of everyday medical treatments, not just for polio, which gave parents an incentive to bring their children for vaccination. Nigeria also benefited from the determined focus of organizations such as Rotary International, which invested $207 million to fight polio in the country, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and


The great American heroin emergency

OxyContin pills. (Toby Talbot/Associated Press) NOT EVEN the federal government can solve the nation’s growing heroin epidemic on its own, but it could always do more. That’s probably the best way to think about the new anti-heroin initiative unveiled by the White House on Monday. A one-year, $2.5 million plan to track the flow of drugs through the Northeastern states and other “high-intensity” regions certainly can’t hurt; but the White House isn’t pretending that its new initiative will conquer the problem and nor should anyone else. Two out of every 1,000 Americans were addicted to heroin in 2013, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, double the rate in 2002. There were 8,200 heroin-related overdose deaths in 2013; the number of such deaths per 100,000 people nearly quadrupled between 2002 and 2013, the CDC reports. These figures are especially troubling given that heroin abuse increased at a time when the United States made significant progress against so many other stubborn social ills — including drunken driving and teen pregnancy. Even more frustrating, the heroin epidemic is itself an unintended consequence of what had previously been thought to be a great medical advance: the rise of prescription opioid pain medications. Massively prescribed, often for routine ailments rather than cancer or other excruciating diseases, these painkillers addicted hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom eventually turned to chemically similar, but cheaper, heroin. Prescription-opioid addicts are the highest-risk group for heroin addiction, according to the CDC, and controlling the flow of prescription opioids is, accordingly, the most important thing that government — federal and state — can do to prevent it. One key program is the use of state-level electronic databases to track the dispensing of opioids; additional federal funds for these prescription drug monitoring programs were part of $133 million in new spending to curb opioid overprescription in President Obama’s fiscal 2016 budget, and those dollars would probably do as much or more to fight heroin abuse than anything specifically targeted at heroin. It would also help if the federal government could find a way to speak with a single voice on this issue. In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration baffled many officials in heroin-ravaged states by approving a new opioid despite a negative recommendation from its own expert advisory panel. And on Aug. 13, just days before the White House rolled out its latest anti-heroin plan, the


District reports first West Nile virus case this summer

A Culex quinquefasciatus mosquito is seen on the skin of a human host in this 2014 photo. C. quinquefasciatus is known as one of the many arthropodal vectors responsible for spreading the arboviral encephalitis, West Nile virus to human beings through their bite. (James Gathany/CDC/Reuters) Health officials in the District said one person has come down with the West Nile virus, coming on the heels of another report of the mosquito-borne illness in Maryland. Officials with the District’s Department of Health released few details on the case, which is the first reported case this summer of someone getting the virus in the city. The person who contracted the virus is an adult. The virus causes no symptoms in most people, but can lead to severe fevers and death in rare cases. D.C. health officials said the patient has been released this week from the hospital and is reported to be doing well, according to Marcus Williams, a spokesman for the city’s health department. For the last three years, D.C. has reported one case each year of a person getting the virus, health officials said. In Maryland, it was the state’s first case of the virus being transmitted to a human this year. Health officials in Maryland said a resident who lives in the Baltimore area is sick. They also said they found the virus in a pool of mosquitoes for the first time in 2015. The virus has also been detected in mosquito pools in Prince George’s and Anne Arundel counties. The Baltimore area resident who is sick contracted the virus locally. Maryland’s Department of Agriculture sprayed neighborhoods within a one-mile radius of the person’s home, in addition to routine spraying throughout the state, to prevent further spread of the illness. Staff writer Julie Zauzmer contributed to this report.


Woman fatally shot in NE Washington; suspect possibly barricaded inside

A woman was shot and killed Friday in Northeast Washington, according to D.C. police, who said a suspect barricaded himself inside a residence after firing at responding officers. The shooting occurred about 10:40 a.m. in the 3600 block of 18th Street NE in the Brookland area. The standoff was still going on at 11:00 p.m., with nearby residents in lockdown. D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said the woman was shot outside a house but did not give a specific address. She said the suspect, believed to be a relative, was standing on the porch when police arrived and that several shots were fired, forcing the officers to take cover. Michael Czin, a spokesman for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), said officials immediately urged residents near the scene to “shelter in place” and follow police commands. Lanier said police were trying to persuade the man to surrender. The shooting is part of a recent wave of violence in the city. But it came amid a brief lull: It was the first shooting since Wednesday night, when a man was wounded on Missouri Avenue in Northwest Washington. Three people were killed in five hours Tuesday, and a man was found fatally shot in the woods in Southeast Washington on Wednesday morning. A man was shot later Friday in the 2300 block of Pitts Place SE, and about 10:20 p.m. a shooting was reported in the 2400 block of Elvans Road SE. The condition of the victim was not known The first shooting of Saturday appeared to be the one reported at 13 minutes after midnight in the Trinidad area of northeast. It occurred at Florida Avenue and Orren street, and police were told that two attackers may have been involved. . Friday’s homicide victim, whose name police did not make public, is the 99th person killed in homicides so far this year, compared with 72 at this time in 2014, an increase of more than 37 percent. Police say 105 people were killed in all of 2014. Martin Weil contributed to this report.


China’s international efforts to silence free speech

Shohret Hoshur, a reporter for Radio Free Asia. (Smith Augustin Jr./Radio Free Asia) THE CHINESE government has sent covert law enforcement agents to the United States to intimidate expatriates into returning to China, the New York Times recently reported. The effort — called Operation Fox Hunt — is part of an anti-corruption crusade targeting those who have supposedly committed crimes in China. But China’s reach is not limited to corruption cases. The Communist government also works to project its repressive policies and abuse of human rights beyond its borders, with repeated threats to cancel passports, withhold visas and even jail family members of former and current Chinese citizens who criticize the country from foreign ground. The Chinese government exerts its influence overseas in many ways. Academics must tread lightly when speaking or writing about the country if they want visas for research. News organizations may lose access or advertising revenue if their reports displease authorities. In Britain last month, employees of the Chinese Embassy tried to persuade a hot air balloon festival to ban a balloon bearing the Tibetan flag. More insidious, however, are the government’s efforts to control Chinese people outside of China. For example, Uighur journalist and U.S. citizen Shohret Hoshur has shed light in his reporting for Radio Free Asia on the conflict between ethnic Han Chinese and Uighurs in his home province of Xinjiang. Mr. Hoshur’s family has received threats for years. Now, one of his brothers is in prison, and two others have been jailed and are awaiting trial on charges of leaking state secrets. There’s also Anastasia Lin, a Chinese-born Canadian actor who was crowned Miss World Canada in May. Ms. Lin, who wrote of her situation in a Post op-ed, was a vocal human rights advocate in the pageant. After her victory, Ms. Lin’s father in Hunan province told her she had to stop speaking ill of the Chinese government or stop speaking to him — the police had threatened him. Ms. Lin has not backed down; so far she has not secured a visa to compete in the Miss World championships in Sanya, China. We’d like to think other contestants would stay away, too, if all aren’t admitted, but we’re not holding our breath. Mr. Hoshur and Ms. Lin are not alone: Many more advocates, journalists and dissidents in the United States and elsewhere take a risk or put their relatives in


National Zoo’s giant panda Mei Xiang gives birth to two cubs hours apart

home outside of Magnolia, Ark., said the event was a rare treat. “In south Arkansas, we don’t have anything like this,” she said. “We get deer and foxes, but not pandas.” Powell’s granddaughter Jorja, 7, sat on a wooden block nearby with her father. “I think it’s really cool,” the girl said. Her nickname when she was younger, she said, was “Panda” — because she is half-white and half-Asian, she joked. Suddenly at 5:33, someone said, “I think it’s coming.” A silence fell over the crowd. “Come on, sweet mama,” Powell said. “Come on, baby.” At 5:35, the first glimpse of the baby came on the screen. People burst into applause and shouted, “Yes! Yes! Oh, my God!” Jorja jumped up: “She had a baby!” Mei Xiang, who went into labor about 10:30 a.m. Saturday, has already delivered two surviving cubs since 2005 — Tai Shan on July 9, 2005, and Bao Bao on Aug. 23, 2013. She gave birth to a stillborn cub about 26 hours after Bao Bao. And on Sept. 16, 2012, she gave birth to a cub with liver abnormalities, and it died six days later. Giant panda cubs, like many newborns at the zoo, are extremely fragile. Six other giant panda cubs have died at the zoo dating to the 1980s. The birth came three years after zoo officials were prepared to request replacements for Mei Xiang and the zoo’s male giant panda, Tian Tian, because of their poor reproductive record. In 2011, the pair had gone five years without producing a cub. The first new cub was the second in two years. At a news conference after the first birth Saturday, zoo officials cautioned that Mei Xiang and her cub would need to be monitored very closely. The mother and her offspring were to be watched on the panda cam around the clock, with staffers on hand at all hours to respond, said the zoo’s director, Dennis Kelly. That was how the second birth was spotted. “We’re very cautious,” Kelly said. “In 2012, we lost a cub after six days. This is still a very fragile time for this cub.” Don Neiffer, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, appeared in his navy scrubs and described the walk-up to the birth. Mei Xiang was behaving very lethargically, and Neiffer on Wednesday had spotted on an ultrasound scan what he said was a developing fetus inside the panda.


National Zoo’s twin pandas are only the 3rd set to be born at a U.S. zoo

you’re always nervous because you don’t know if it’s okay,” she said. “But it sounded okay. . . . Because it was squealing and carrying on, we thought, ‘Oh, it's good.’ But we . . . were anxious for everybody to get there.” As they waited, they allowed themselves a modest celebration. “We . . . high-fived a little bit, fist bumps, all that,” she said. When Copper Aitken-Palmer, chief veterinarian at the Smithsonian’s Conservation Biology Institute, arrived, she began calling colleagues at a panda breeding center in Wolong, China. She speaks a little Chinese, and many of her Chinese colleagues speak English, she said at the zoo Sunday. But she couldn’t reach anyone. So the zoo contacted a friend in California who works as a liaison with China, and she was able to get through. “We had a bunch of questions that we were mulling around,” Aitken-Palmer said. The Chinese have many more pandas in captivity and much more experience with cubs. She also wanted to share the good news with the Chinese. Pandas often have twins and sometimes triplets. One set of twins was born at the National Zoo to Ling-Ling decades ago, but both cubs died. Mei’s second cub was the more robust, weighing about 138 grams, zoo director Dennis Kelly said Sunday. The first cub weighed about 86 grams, he said. Veterinarians were unable to determine the sex of the cubs during their exams. “We’ve developed a bunch of strategies to be able to swap the cubs, but it’s ultimately up to Mei Xiang and how cooperative she is with us in the whole swapping process,” Kelly said. “Obviously, these are her cubs and she’s not too keen on us taking them from her.” The cubs’ eyes are not open and their ears are small “nubs,” Thompson said. They have fine white fur and distinct claws. Mei has delivered two surviving cubs since 2005 — Tai Shan, a male, born on July 9, 2005, and Bao Bao, a female, who celebrated her second birthday at the zoo Sunday before a large crowd of visitors. Tai Shan lives in China, which owns and leases all giant pandas in U.S. zoos. Mei also gave birth to a stillborn cub about 26 hours after Bao Bao in 2013. And on Sept. 16, 2012, she gave birth to a cub that survived less than a week because of liver abnormalities.


Arizona’s Kitt Peak Observatory offers a perfect sight-line to the stars

Durango, Colo., who have booked a private, all-night program. “We’re not astronomically inclined but we really wanted to do this,” Keith tells me. “It’s his birthday present,” Holly chimes in. “We called all over to find this, even down to Chile. Not many places offer anything like it.” I let myself into the observatory that houses the world’s largest solar telescope, the McMath-Pierce, which relays the sun’s rays off of three mirrors positioned in a 500-foot shaft, helping diffuse the intense light for more precise observation. Next I enter Kitt Peak’s crowning glory, the Nicholas U. Mayall telescope. Named for the observatory’s second director, the scope occupies a 187-foot-high, 500-ton dome that is visible from 50 miles away — a claim I verified earlier in the day when I spotted it from Gates Pass, on the west side of Tucson. The telescope boasts a 27-foot-wide shutter and 706,660-pound mounting. The Mayall four-meter telescope held within its horseshoe mounting. When fully extended, the telescope is 92 feet long; its primary mirror weighs 15 tons and has a protective aluminum coating one thousandth the thickness of human hair. (John Briley/for The Washington Post) The Mayall was revolutionary when it went operational in 1973, enabling the study of objects well beyond our galaxy and, a few years later, the discovery of dark matter. It has since been surpassed in size and complexity but remains beloved in the astronomy community because, Buckingham says, “almost any interested astronomer” with a good research case can gain access. NOAO also has partnered with the Department of Energy to use the device to capture spectra of up to 5,000 galaxies at a time from — get this — up to 10 billion light years away. That, says Buckingham, will yield a detailed motion map of the universe and significantly advance astronomers’ understanding of dark energy, that particle-filled emptiness composing 68 percent of the universe that could just up and collapse, like a moody souffle, and wipe out literally everything. Maybe ignorance really is bliss! From the dome’s observation deck, 10 stories up, the telescope looks like a space capsule, with a wide cylindrical base tapering to a triangular point. It is operated from an adjacent control room, where astronomers view images on computer screens. The observation area also features breathtaking images taken by the Mayall and, through a generous windowpane, 360-degree views of the surrounding desert. I note


Keeping nuclear energy on the table

Kyushu Electric Power's Sendai nuclear power station is seen in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan, this month. (Issei Kato/Reuters) The United States should take note of Japan’s recognition that nuclear energy is critical to its carbon reduction goals, especially in light of the Obama administration’s recently finalized Clean Power Plan [“A good nuclear move,” editorial, Aug. 20]. While we need an “all of the above” strategy that includes wind, nuclear, solar and hydroelectric energy to reduce air pollution, the significance of our existing nuclear fleet in helping generate carbon-free power cannot be overstated. Last year, U.S. nuclear energy facilities produced nearly 20 percent of the country’s electricity supply. More important, in 2013 they accounted for 63 percent of carbon-free electricity. It will be very difficult for states to meet the mandates set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency without our existing nuclear assets. Unfortunately, there is a real risk that premature nuclear shutdowns, a result of nuclear not being properly valued for its reliability and carbon-free power, could hinder the ability of states to meet the EPA’s goals. Policymakers in the United States should put their money where their mouth is: If reducing carbon emissions is one of our greatest priorities, they must address the market challenges that nuclear faces to avoid sleepwalking into an energy future where nuclear isn’t on the table and our goals of carbon reduction are so much harder to reach. Blanche Lincoln, Washington The writer, a former Democratic U.S. senator from Arkansas, is a member of the leadership council of Nuclear Matters.


Maintaining safety in the skies

Recent incidents by rogue operators of unmanned aircraft do not represent the organized hobbyist community [“Rogue drones clogging U.S. airspace,” front page, Aug. 21]. For nearly 80 years, members of the Academy of Model Aeronautics have followed community-based safety guidelines. Our more than 176,000 members know where to fly and where not to. Unfortunately, that is not always true for new users increasingly taking to the skies. The Federal Aviation Administration has regulations that prohibit careless and reckless operation of unmanned aircraft, but very few of these rogue operators have been penalized. That needs to change. In addition to stricter enforcement, the FAA should finalize its small unmanned aircraft systems rules. The draft rules would enhance safety by requiring everyone who wants to fly to either follow the safety programming of a community-based organization or follow new FAA rules for commercial operators. Finally, education is vital. That’s why the AMA works closely with the FAA and the unmanned aircraft industry on the Know Before You Fly campaign to ensure that new users have information on safety guidelines before they fly for the first time. Dave Mathewson, Muncie, Ind. The writer is executive director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics. ● The article “Rogue drones clogging U.S. airspace” identified an alarming problem that technology can readily address. The technology that is in cellphones could be incorporated into drones using an inexpensive chip. Specifically, the drones should contain identification numbers and require activation (based on verified registration and passing an online test of use limitations). Each time a drone is flown, the user’s individual code (obtained at activation) would be inputted. Flying drones would constantly broadcast the ID number and user code. The problem would be eliminated because offending users would be identified. Certainly, the technology could be hacked, but such action would demonstrate intent to violate protected airspace, which should be a felony. That the FAA has not initiated such regulatory action suggests a serious management problem. Robert Berman, Vienna


Nature got the dragonfly’s primitive design right – and even astronomers are taking note

The insects, around for 300 million years, seem masters of their universe. Bees and butterflies are the poster insects of our time — this is good; they need our help — but there is another amazing garden creature that enriches our world and gives a flash of color and life to the languid days of late summer. Dragonflies seem masters of their universe — powerful, aerobatic, predatory in an endearing way. I speak as an impartial human, not a gnat. Dragonflies and the related (and seemingly gentler) damselflies are also beautiful. This is not obvious, because to perceive this you have to wait for a dragonfly to be still and to spend some time being still yourself. What you might see is the common whitetail, an abundant dragonfly with a dusky blue-white abdomen and black bands on its otherwise clear wings; the common green darner, a three-inch-long dragon with black and green stripes on its thorax and a blue-flecked abdomen; or the eastern amberwing, just an inch long and with wings the color of smoky cellophane. But it is not just the marvelous colors and markings, but the form, a primeval beauty that nature got right from the start (as in 300 million years ago). The four wings extend out from a muscle-bound thorax, signaling, even when still, a potent mastery of the air. The wings are long and veined — the veins act as bracing — so the effect is like looking at stained glass, with a mosaic of panes and tracery of leading. The four wings of a dragonfly are controlled separately, giving the insect mastery of the air. (Pieter van Dokkum/Yale University Press) Adult dragonflies aren’t much good at walking (the legs capture prey), but the wings turn them into aerial acrobats. Photographer Pieter van Dokkum writes in his new picture book, “Dragonflies,” “They have mastery of their environment that is unique in the animal kingdom: they can fly upside down, stop, and change direction in the blink of an eye, hover and suddenly accelerate to speeds of up to thirty miles per hour.” One ubiquitous species, the wandering glider, has turned itself into the albatross of the arthropod world by sticking out its wings, working the currents and soaring for thousands of miles. “They ride the winds,” says Oliver Flint, the Smithsonian’s curator emeritus of Neuroptera (net-winged insects). “They appear on oceangoing vessels, far out at


array of these insects are Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Northeast Washington and Huntley Meadows Park in Fairfax County. Van Dokkum has been photographing dragonflies for years, but his main gig, so to speak, is astronomy; he chairs the astronomy department at Yale University. He observes nature at both poles of its scale, at the microcosm of the insect world and the vast expanses of the cosmos. Both are mysterious worlds that reveal their secrets slowly, but van Dokkum has been inspired by one to study the other. Fascinated by the dragonfly’s compound optics, he has collaborated with other astronomers to create a telescope consisting of a cluster of 10 telephoto camera lenses. Called the Dragonfly Telephoto Array, it has proved highly effective at finding new low-light galaxies, specifically seven dwarf galaxies in the field of a large spiral galaxy known as M101. The images of each of the 400mm lenses are assembled into a single picture of galaxies that were too diffuse to find with conventional telescopes. Pieter van Dokkum was inspired by the dragonfly's compound eyes in creating the Dragonfly Telephoto Array, a telescope that has proven highly effective at finding new low-light galaxies. (Pieter van Dokkum) The actual eyes are highly faceted, with as many as 30,000 separate lenses. (Pieter van Dokkum/Yale University Press) This artificial dragonfly eye differs from the real McCoy in a couple of regards. Each of the camera lenses is focused on a common point, whereas each of the dragonfly’s is directed at a slightly different angle, “with all the segments together creating a nearly 360-degree view,” van Dokkum said. Taking a leaf straight out of the dragonfly’s book, he is thinking of assembling a 50-lens array where clusters of 10 would look at five adjacent points in the heavens. The other big difference, he points out, is that a dragonfly’s eye has as many as 30,000 segments. Try replicating that with telephoto lenses. By my calculations you would spend $300 million on the optics alone. (I’d ask for free shipping.) Calico Pennant dragonfly with dew on her ragged, end-of-season wings. (Pieter van Dokkum/Yale University Press) Van Dokkum is struck that dragonflies have been on Earth for a period of time that is mind-boggling even by astronomic standards. And yet the life span of each individual adult is a matter of weeks or months. By the autumn, their bodies are faded and their wings


10 years after Hurricane Katrina, better forecasts could save more lives

Earth are taking better and more frequent pictures of the planet. Supercomputers that forecasters use to collect and model the data into the future have become more efficient and better at making predictions. And more young adults have chosen meteorology as a career, according to the American Meteorological Society. So more research is being done to improve and advance the science. Hurricane forecasting has improved in the 10 years since Katrina. This map is from three days before the storm slammed the Gulf Coast. It shows what scientists thought would be the path of the storm. The white area is the “cone of uncertainty.” (National Hurricane Center) This map re-creates that moment using today’s weather tools, shrink the area in the cone. A smaller cone means the government can focus on people who are much more likely to be in danger because of the storm. (National Hurricane Center) Shrinking the cone The result of improved technology is a smaller “cone of uncertainty.” The cone is the prediction for where a storm will go. It looks like a cone because scientists are less sure of the storm path over time. Take a look at the images with this article from the National Hurricane Center. They compare the three-day forecast cone for Hurricane Katrina and what that cone would look like using the tools meteorologists have today. In 2005, the size of the cone from side to side was approximately 440 miles, stretching from Lake Charles, Louisiana, to Panama City Beach, Florida. Now take a look at the 2015 cone: It is less than 300 miles wide. Fast-forward to 2025. If technological advancements were to continue at the same pace, the cone would be just 205 miles in width. “This advancement means reductions in evacuation costs [per mile] and less chances for cry-wolf syndrome,” said Marshall Shepherd, director of atmospheric sciences at the University of Georgia. (Cry-wolf syndrome means that people don’t take storm warnings seriously.) About 80 percent of New Orleans was flooded after Hurricane Katrina struck the region. The storm caused an estimated $135 billion in damage. (Marc Serota/Reuters) So as technology improves, the government can focus on the safety of people who are truly in danger. And hopefully, those people will take warnings and evacuations seriously. Jim Cantore, a meteorologist at the Weather Channel, said it’s been fascinating to watch the cones get smaller over the past 25 years.


Military women should not have to keep proving their fitness for service

due to advocacy by an early feminist, Dr. Estelle Ramey, and graduated in 1971. With my MD in hand, I went to a Navy recruiter and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve. Because the Navy was not admitting women to its regular service ranks, I was designated a WAVE during my first year. I received unequal pay compared with male colleagues because I was married. Fellow male physicians pointed out that their marital status had no bearing on their allowance. But, in fact, it increased those amounts. As a female physician, I lost track of the times when colleagues and patients mistook me for a nurse. There were no female on-call rooms or bathrooms with showers. Some (adult male) patients refused to be treated by a female. But I completed residency training and served as a pediatrician and then eventually as a psychiatrist. In 1977, while on active duty, I delivered my first of two children. There was no maternity uniform available, so I wore civilian dress. I received four weeks of maternity leave, as I did in 1986 when my son was born, also by Caesarian section. Both postpartum leaves were extended by two weeks because of post-surgical complications. I retired from active duty in 1997. I have continued to treat patients full time, long after my 1971 male medical school classmates have retired to fish or golf. There are definitely more military opportunities open to women since the days when the Naval Academy refused admittance due to gender. I’m happy to see that. But Dvorak rightly called out those in the Defense Department who continue to deny women opportunities to use all their skills and to provide all the leadership of which they are capable, 50 years after I first ran into gender discrimination. The two female Rangers are breaking ground literally and symbolically, and I salute them. But in 2015, it is long past the time when women should have to continue proving their fitness for service. I pray that my granddaughter will one day see the United States provide a better example to the rest of the world by offering all the opportunity, pay and recognition to women that have been so long overdue. To read more on this topic: Brian Wagner : Drop ban on women in combat units Dave Kelm, Jayne Lawlor and Nicole Martin: Reevaluate standards for women Vivien Labaton:


Fine Print: A push to boost military support to Israel because of Iranian nuclear deal

defense budget comes as the Pentagon is facing budgetary pressures and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is having an internal debate over “efficiency reforms” recommended in the Israel Defense Forces. A June 10 Congressional Research Service study found that the U.S. military assistance has not only “helped transform Israel’s armed forces into one of the most technologically sophisticated militaries in the world,” but also “helped Israel build a domestic defense industry, which ranks as one of the top 10 suppliers of arms worldwide.” On May 19, the United States announced a $1.88 billion sale to Israel, using the assistance money, for bombs and tail kits for several types of precision-guided weapons. Included are 50 BLU-113, 5,000-pound bombs and special, penetrating nose cones that are designed for use on deeply buried targets, such as Iran’s Fordow underground uranium enrichment facility. Beyond that annual $3.1 billion in foreign military sales money, the administration has been providing grant money for Israeli missile defense programs. Obama noted that the United States has provided $3 billion over the years to help develop and purchase the Israeli-manufactured Iron Dome short-range missile interceptor systems and to pay for the Arrow 4 and David Sling [Israeli] missile defense systems. Obama also told Nadler that the United States would “accelerate the ongoing collaborative research and development for tunnel detection and mapping technologies . . . to detect and destroy tunnels before they can be used to threaten Israeli civilians.” About $40 million for this program has been added to the fiscal 2016 defense bill now before Congress. Obama also pointed out that Israel is the only country in the Middle East that has been offered the new F-35, a fifth-generation U.S. strike fighter, the first of which is expected to be delivered next year. It’s an example of Qualitative Military Edge, or QME, a policy enacted into law by Congress in 2008 that requires U.S. presidents to carry out an “empirical and qualitative assessment on an ongoing basis of the extent to which Israel possesses a qualitative military edge over military threats to Israel.” That same law requires that any U.S. proposed sale of arms to any other Middle East country carry a certification that the defense articles or services “will not adversely affect Israel’s qualitative military edge.” In an example of how the United States follows that formula, on May 19 — the same day the proposed $1.88 billion Israeli