Of course you don’t love your job. You’re not supposed to.

a lot of 5ks, including achieving my personal record, in July of that year. When I was really going, I could run 6 or 7 miles easily, just for fun. Once I went out for a 7 mile run, fell on the sidewalk in the first mile, got up, put my water bottle belt back on, dusted myself off, and ran the remaining 6 miles while blood dripped from my elbow. I have never felt more powerful in my life. Well, maybe when I gave birth to my son. A few months after recovering from giving birth, I started running again. That’s the fourth time running has saved me. It gives me identity, personal satisfaction, and the independence I crave. It’s the time I spend every week taking care of only me. When you start getting into running you realize there are a lot of things you can get obsessed with. Keeping track of and relating your average pace and distance and your goals is certainly an interesting topic of conversation (to other runners only), but then you get into gear. Shoes and socks and pants and sports bras and apps and belts and earbuds and podcasts. Do you like music or the sound of birds singing? Now that I’m a mom, there are the jogging strollers. As with any good hobby, running has a lot of interesting, involving, distracting accoutrements. That’s what you want in a hobby. Something that gives you a break from thinking about things that make you sad or worried or angry. My husband is a software engineer, but his favorite hobbies are gardening and foraging. His job is valued very highly in our society, which is great for him and our family because his skills are in demand. But on his own time, he goes outside and digs around in the dirt. He spends lots of time in the spring and summer planting and maintaining his garden. It’s usually a solitary activity, but sometimes the whole family joins him. Last Sunday, we all came with him on a mushroom hunt. He’s a member of Mushroom Lovers USA (MLUSA, I know.) and their weekly hunt was in a forest near our house. The hunt was fun, but the best part was the people. The active members of an organization like MLUSA make the experience worth the $5 yearly membership fee. I met a man with face


What Burundi’s crisis says about U.N. capacity to build peace

To counter this tendency, the United Nations’ successful peacebuilding projects in Burundi developed local accountability mechanisms and bottom-up coherence. Local accountability mechanisms were strong country-level partnerships with civil society members, likeminded government officials, and/or community members, who gave the United Nations regular feedback on the effectiveness of its projects and recommend ways to improve their relevance and impact. Bottom-up coherence facilitated joint actions by different U.N. organizations in response to specific events in the Burundian context. This enabled the United Nations to leverage its capacities to respond to specific problems, rather than spend hours developing a common strategy, plan and targets that would soon be irrelevant. Lesson 2: The U.N. Peacebuilding Architecture is grounded in the belief that once the United Nations has developed the right analysis and strategy, the corresponding projects simply need to be implemented by staff members with technical expertise. Most U.N. entities and member states organize their activities along this traditional political-technical divide. Those at the top of the hierarchy focus on political concerns whereas those who implement projects focus on their technical implementation, without adjusting the project to fit changing circumstances. But, for peacebuilding activities to address the potential determinants of conflict or peace, they need to be sensitive to political dynamics and adapt as these dynamics change. This is not only true at the strategic level, but also at the technical level where the actual transformation of local behaviors and institutions takes place. In Burundi, the successful PBF-funded projects involved country-level U.N. leadership and their close staff members in the design, implementation and monitoring of the project. These key staff members used their political leverage to overcome bureaucratic barriers within the world body and help staff resist possible intimidation by domestic actors who wanted to maintain the status quo. Despite the focus of political scientists on the failure of peacebuilding, my extensive research in Burundi shows that internationally supported peacebuilding activities can help create inclusive and representative domestic institutions. I find that doing so requires the United Nations, bilateral donors and INGOs to circumvent slow bureaucratic systems, develop keen political awareness, and reach beyond the tall walls of their compounds to engage with the people and institutions that they aim to transform. Susanna Campbell is a post-doctoral researcher at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, with the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding. Some of this post draws from earlier synthesis of her research, prepared


As Ethiopia votes, what’s ‘free and fair’ got to do with it?

the free exchange of ideas.” As a consequence of its restrictions on politics over the past decade, the ruling party has little to worry about with regard to the opposition parties competing in the upcoming elections. The limits on formal political competition have made social mobilization outside of the electoral process more important. A series of non-violent protests in 2012 by Ethiopian Muslims provided an important model of sustained, peaceful social mobilization. The regime arrested the movement’s leadership and has tried to link the protests to external enemies and terrorism. In 2014, the security services quickly suppressed demonstrations on university campuses by Oromos, highlighting the historical sense of marginalization perceived by many in Ethiopia’s single largest ethnic group. In April 2015, a government organized rally to mourn the killing of Ethiopian migrants in Libya by the Islamic State (ISIS) ended with arrests and clashes between security forces and protestors. The Ethiopian regime has managed each of these challenges without significant difficulty but the underlying grievances remain. Editor’s Note: This video contains graphic content. Clashes broke out in Addis Ababa at a government-organized demonstration against the killing of Ethiopian Christians by Islamic State militants in Libya. Under Secretary of State Sherman characterized Ethiopia’s elections in terms of “free, fair, and credible” but that obscures the nature of the regime and mischaracterizes the functions of elections under authoritarianism. A Washington Post editorial recently criticized Sherman and argued: “If the election is not judged by independent observers to live up to Ms. Sherman’s billing, the administration should swallow her words — and change its approach.” But the results in Ethiopia and other authoritarian regimes holding elections are largely settled months if not years in advance, as powerful ruling parties restrict political opposition, civil society, and independent media in ways that virtually eliminate competition. The voting that will take place on May 24 will not provide citizens a meaningful role in selecting their next government. Such elections, however, are not pointless. As in other authoritarian states, elections play a key role in providing the setting for the ruling party to demonstrate its domination. Terrence Lyons is an Associate Professor at the School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University. He began his research on Ethiopia in 1987, served as Senior Advisor to the Carter Center’s election monitoring mission to Ethiopia in 2005, and currently is writing a book on Ethiopian politics since 1991.


D.C. area forecast: Humid with storm chances today and Tuesday; drier, cooler mid-week

9:30 a.m. update: TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 4/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL 2-hour radar loop. Refresh page to update. The week starts off steamy and stormy. Let’s hope we can cash in on the rain chances today into Tuesday because another dry weather pattern settles in mid-week. Although many of us will gladly take the reduction in temperatures and humidity Wednesday through Saturday, our plants and trees could use some more watering. The dry weather may hold through the holiday weekend, although temperatures, humidity and rain chances tick up some Sunday into Monday. Today (Monday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Tuesday): Tomorrow night: D.C. dragon boat races, May 17. 2015. (John Sonderman via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD Wednesday should be fantastic, with sunshine, comfortably cooler temperatures and dramatically lower humidity levels (dew points falling into the 40s). Highs range from 70 to 75. Clear and crisp overnight, with lows in the mid-40s in our cooler suburbs to the low 50s downtown. Confidence: Medium-High Weak low pressure passing to the south increases cloud cover and humidity levels slightly Thursday but it should remain rain-free for most of us. Highs are still pleasant, in the 70-75 range – under partly to mostly cloudy skies. Partly to mostly cloudy Thursday night, with lows 50-56 (suburbs-city). Confidence: Medium Friday through Sunday


We’ve been imagining mountains all wrong, say scientists

pinched part of the hourglass. If it were to flee to higher ground, it would lose land area. “This current research is showing that there are potentially optimistic futures for some species, and it’s also highlighting these bottleneck zones,” Elsen says. The research is also relevant for species that move downslope in response to climate change, chasing the increased precipitation that comes with warmer temperatures. Before now, most scientists might have assumed that any species moving downhill would be able to take advantage of greater and greater land area as it moved along. Now we know that in certain mountain ranges, these species may actually encounter a shortage in space as they move toward the base of the mountain, and their populations may shrink as a result. Tingley cautions that other factors must also be taken into account when predicting how climate change will affect mountain-dwelling species. Just because more space is available on certain parts of a mountain doesn’t mean the habitat there will be suitable for a species moving into the area. For example, Tingley says, “if you’re a hummingbird, you’re going to need a source of nectar that might be coming from flowers of specific sizes and shapes. So you can’t move up [the mountain] unless the flower moves up, as well.” Understanding these finer points is important for making accurate predictions about how climate change will affect an organism. Guralnick, the University of Florida curator, says combining the large-scale topographical data presented in Elsen and Tingley’s study with fine-scale data on local mountain landscapes — including information on microclimate, habitat and terrain — can help scientists come up with the best conservation plans for individual species. The study includes a “graphical representation of every single mountain range” the authors analyzed for conservationists to use in their planning, Elsen says. Guralnick believes the new information should cause a fundamental change in the way scientists create models for the impact of climate change on mountain-dwelling species. “We’ll be drawing different mountain shapes when we make our papers now,” he says. Also in Energy Environment: This will give you hope: Developing countries are racing to install wind and solar EPA’s alleged “war on coal” may actually be a war on energy waste This Antarctic ice shelf could collapse by 2020, NASA says For more, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter here.


Which of the D.C. area’s fast-casual pizza places is doing it best?

In the past few weeks alone, the Washington area has seen three new quick-serve pizza spots open. Why? People love customizing food. People love food that is fast. And, of course, people love pizza. We sampled newcomers Veloce, SpinFire and Pizza Studio, and the rest of the D.C. area's quick-serve pizzerias, to see how they perform. For consistency’s sake, we visited each restaurant during peak lunch hours and ordered each pizza with mozzarella, hot peppers, onions and mushrooms. &pizza. (Becky Krystal/The Washington Post) Dupont South 1215 Connecticut Ave. NW Price: $9.77, before tax and tip. Size and shape: 17- by 7-inch oval. How many toppings do you get: Unlimited. Wait before order: About 5 minutes. Wait after ordering: About 10 minutes, including making our way down the build-your-own line. Notes: Very thin crust with cornmeal all over and not a ton of depth of flavor; doughy with a little crispness around the edges. Lightly sauced and unevenly topped. More mozzarella would have been nice. Blaze Pizza. (Becky Krystal/The Washington Post) Blaze Pizza 7101 Democracy Blvd., Bethesda Price: $7.65, before tax and tip. Size and shape: 11-inch round. How many toppings do you get: Unlimited. Wait before order: None. Wait after order: A little more than 6 minutes, including making our way down the build-your-own line Notes: A distinct lip but relatively thin and crispy crust. Not a ton of flavor in the dough. Even distribution of toppings, with a lot of cheese and inconspicuously flavored sauce. Custom Fuel Pizza. (Becky Krystal/The Washington Post) Custom Fuel Pizza 1747 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Price: $8.47, before tax and tip. Size and shape: 14- by 7-inch rectangle. How many toppings do you get: Up to 4 from meat, vegetable and cheese categories, plus sauce. Wait before ordering: None, though there was a minute or two of confusion about where to place an order. Wait after ordering: About 4 1/2 minutes. Notes: Chewy crust with a little char (though a bit raw in spots underneath), topped by a sweet-leaning sauce. Raw pieces of jalapeño thrown on after cooking. DC Pizza (Becky Krystal/The Washington Post) DC Pizza 1103 19th St. NW Price: $8.69, before tax and tip. Size and shape: 12- by 8-inch rectangle. How many toppings do you get: 4 from vegetables and proteins, plus sauce and cheese. Wait before order: About 6 1/2 minutes Wait after ordering: About 6 1/2 minutes Notes: Relatively thin


Main Street Morning: Drones, the next start-up frontier?

Former Navy helicopter pilot and San Diego Gas & Electric unmanned aircraft operator Teena Deering holds a drone as it is prepared for takeoff near Boulevard, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File) Welcome to Main Street Morning, The Washington Post’s daily collection of news affecting entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses with a special focus on policy and government. Here’s what’s affecting my small business my clients and other entrepreneurs today. Washington - Here’s what’s on tap this week in Congress, including highway and trade talks. The Elections - Elizabeth Warren lashes out at the GOP 2016 field and warns of an “American nightmare. - Hillary Clinton plans to pitch herself as candidate for small businesses. The Economy - The former President of the Dallas Federal Reserve is concerned about our weakening economy that is getting harder to ignore. - The outlook for the economy seems brighter for some, but not enough yet for higher rates. People - Why inviting co-workers to weddings is risky business. - Two employees of a heating and air conditioning company were arrested after they allegedly were caught by selling leftover work supplies from their home. Cash Flow - These are seven ways to turn your unpaid client bills into cash. Management - Some thoughts on how to get the feedback you need. - Researchers find that many managers lack the ability to recognize a mental health issue and steer struggling employees to potential solutions. - The owner of a small business owner raises everyone’s pay by 35-50 percent. - If you’re not sure that whether you should close your business, shut the doors and start looking for a job, here are three things to try. - These are eight advantages of being a small business owner Entrepreneurs - More celebrity women are taking on the role of business owner. - The four pieces of advice that could have changed this entrepreneur’s fate… if she had listened. Finance - Why this reporter skipped the bank and took out a loan from his “peers.” - Carl Icahn invests $100 million in Lyft. - A lending expert explains why many think fast and furious is the right way to grow a company business, but it’s often not the smartest mentality when it comes to business loans. - Here are 10 tips on how to become filthy rich. Start-ups - Here are five crazy start-up ideas that caught on and


Here’s why some in the Philippines want the U.S. Navy back

past president of the Olongapo Chamber of Commerce, reminisced about going out to a mid-sea lagoon called Scarborough Shoal in the 1970s, where he and his friends would go skinny-dipping. That was before the U.S. Navy started using a wreck on the shoal for target practice, in the 1980s. It was also before the Chinese seized the shoal, in 2012, and set off the current crisis over territorial claims in the sea. If only the Americans hadn't left, Pineda said, there wouldn't be this problem in the South China Sea today. Last year, as Navy visits picked up, 22,000 American military personnel visited here, spending an estimated $4.5 million, said Ramon Agregado, an official with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. But then came the murder, in October, of a transgender person who witnesses say was last seen leaving a local bar with a U.S. Marine. The body of Jennifer Laude, a Philippine national, was found the next day in a bathroom of a cheap hotel across the street; Pfc. Joseph Scott Pemberton, 19, was charged with murder. He is in U.S. custody awaiting trial, and the case has caused an uproar among Filipinos who object to the American military's presence and privileges. But for local officials, what happened next was a disaster. The Navy confined all its personnel to the Freeport zone, so as not to rile Philippine sensibilities any further — but that meant a cutoff of discretionary spending. "Olongapo is not a prostitute city," said Paulino, who owns several bars patronized by visiting sailors. "This is an entertainment city. Of course, we have beautiful people." Willie Capulong, a public relations consultant, said he was organizing a petition to be sent to the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii, demanding that liberty privileges be restored to American service members. Hopes remain high, nonetheless, that the defense agreement will be put into force and a flood of Americans will follow. They would rotate through Philippine bases, and stay longer than the current port calls and training exercises; the United States says it has no plans to establish permanent bases of its own. "We are a vital logistics player," a hopeful Agregado said. "We are a main staging area, a jumping-off point, for any possible military action by the Philippines and the United States." It will never again be like the old days, but Olongapo sees opportunity coming westward across the Pacific.


Target is making a big shift away from sugary cereals, canned foods and mac and cheese

discretionary, with a bigger mark-up," Koo said. "On the one hand, Target is walking away from that model. On the other, it's responding to a market level shift towards things that are less packaged and more fresh." What that means, practically speaking, is that consumers should expect to see less of the sugary cereals, processed snacks and canned foods that have traditionally been dangled up front, near the check-out lines. Instead, Target will promote healthier — and pricier — foods, such as yogurt and granola. "That doesn't mean that mac and cheese is being eliminated, but clearly assortment is being shaped around what consumers are looking for," Cornell told the Journal. Grocers, wary of a growing distaste for foods that aren't fresh, have been prioritizing them less and less for years. The result, which anyone perusing the aisles of a contemporary supermarket might observe, is a grocery shopping experience in which the perimeter — the outer rim, where fruits, vegetables, meats, grains and other less processed foods are stocked — is where shoppers are spending their time and money. "Many people can just walk around the outside these days," said Jon Springer, the retail editor for Supermarket News. "The whole industry is becoming increasingly less reliant on the center of the store, where packaged goods are sold." Target's move could bode particularly poorly for food manufacturers that have traditionally relied on discount stores to dole out their products. The retailer is, after all, one of the largest food businesses in the United States -- Americans buy some $15 billion in food at Target each year. Without priority placement and promotion at Target stores, the potential looms for an excruciating fallout for giants such as General Mills and Kraft Foods Group Inc., which are already suffering amid disappointing cereal sales. But the shift might also help usher some of the commercial food industry's largest players into a clearer alignment with current food trends, particularly those that emphasize healthier, less processed products. Target, for its part, has made it clear that the shift won't happen all at once at its stores. But as packaged foods fade into the background at one of the country's largest food businesses, it's hard to imagine they won't eventually do so elsewhere, too. "This is a dramatic move for Target," said Koo. "And I think that all retailers will soon be asking similar questions of these companies."


Home-brewed heroin could be a thing, thanks to genetically engineered yeast

drugs. Dueber estimates that a strain of yeast allowing for the complete formation of opiates from sugar could be just a year or two away. [Here’s the chemistry that makes your beer taste good (or bad)] “What you really want to do from a fermentation perspective is to be able to feed the yeast glucose, which is a cheap sugar source, and have the yeast do all the chemical steps required downstream to make your target therapeutic drug,” Dueber said in a statement. “With our study, all the steps have been described, and it’s now a matter of linking them together and scaling up the process. It’s not a trivial challenge, but it’s doable.” It might not ever be easy to get a worthwhile yield of drugs from a homebrew kit full of modified yeast. But because of the potential dangers of home-brewed opiates, Dueber and his co-authors hope that regulation will jump ahead of the science to keep DIY-ers from ever taking advantage of the new synthetic biology. [Magic mushrooms found in Buckingham Palace gardens] “Things are moving really fast right now,” Kenneth Oye, an MIT professor not involved in the study told BuzzFeed News. “It’s not like tomorrow someone’s going to have a fully integrated, one-pot pathway to go from sugar to morphine,” Oye said. “But it’s coming.” Oye, who penned a commentary article to accompany the new study in Nature, believes that regulations should be put in place to make brewing with the engineered yeast at home illegal. But others argue that if the process actually turns out to be as simple as brewing beer at home, squeezing people with regulation would just create black market demand for the yeast. And with synthetic biology turning into an increasingly accessible hobby thanks to better, cheaper equipment and techniques, it might just be a matter of time before the strain is recreated outside of a research lab. “An additional concern is that once the knowledge of how to create an opiate-producing strain is out there, anyone trained in basic molecular biology could theoretically build it," Dueber said. Want more science? Give these a click: This biodegradable drone is grown from mushrooms and covered in wasp spit Psychedelic mushrooms put your brain in a “waking dream,” study finds Music festival causes spike in ecstasy and caffeine in nearby river This sea slug steals plant genes to live like a leaf


READ IN: The Buzzy Edition

served as a moderator and awards judge for an arm of the Clinton Foundation for several years without disclosing that role to viewers. Stephanopoulos was one of a handful of well-known TV figures who volunteered for the Clinton Global Initiative; he participated in CGI panels in 2006, 2008 and 2009 and judged CGI contests in 2013 and 2014. An ABC spokeswoman said those activities didn't violate the network's internal policies. (Washington Post) -- The White House today will unveil a new national strategy to protect honeybees, as colonies disappear across the country. The strategy includes forest wildfire management and replanting, office landscaping and roadside habitat management. Winter losses of commercial honeybee colonies have averaged about 30 percent over the last five years, and spiked to 42 percent between 2014 and 2015. The White House plan aims to keep colony loss to 15 percent a year within the decade. (Washington Post) -- Federal District Court Judge Frederick Scullin ruled Monday that Washington's gun permitting system is unconstitutional. Scullin said a provision of the law that requires applicants to give a reason for carrying a weapon in order to obtain a permit violates the Second Amendment. The ruling runs counter to other federal courts that have upheld "may-issue" discretionary laws in Maryland and New Jersey. (Washington Post) -- The Islamic State brought in an estimated $1.2 billion in revenue last year, about half of it from extortion and taxation of residents in territory under its control in Iraq. Another $500 million came from money stolen from state-owned banks in Iraq, and $100 million came from oil sales. The group spends $3 million to $10 million a month on salaries, and oil revenue has fallen to about $2 million a week. (New York Times) -- Front Pages: WaPo leads with the E.U.'s decision to use force to stem the migrant crisis from Northern Africa. LA Times leads with the Supreme Court's decision on 401(k)s. NYT reports on Boko Haram's horrific tactics in Nigeria, where mass rapes are frequent. WSJ kicks off with Shiite militias moving in to Sunni-dominated Ramadi. And USA Today takes a grim view on the Afghan Army's ability to defeat the Taliban. White House 2016 -- Jindal: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) formally set up a presidential exploratory committee on Monday. "If I run, my candidacy will be based on the idea that the American people are ready to try


Why D.C. and Maryland still think they need more retail

The $100 million Tanger Outlets complex in Prince George’s County. (Mark Gail/TWP) The Washington region has become one of the hottest areas for retailers in recent years, with new restaurants considered among the nation’s best, a slate of tony downtown shops at CityCenterDC and a glut of Whole Foods stores on the way. Why then, are District officials — along with representatives of Prince George’s County and the state of Maryland — in Las Vegas this week pitching their jurisdictions to chain retailers? Because not every neighborhood has enjoyed the same success. The annual conference of the International Council of Shopping Centers is so large that it is always held at the cavernous Las Vegas Convention Center. Thousands of retailers and real estate developers attend, trying to find matches. When then-mayor Anthony Williams began attending in the early 2000s, big-name retailers had been shunning the city for decades. At the time the District had seen crime numbers spike and the population drop — two critical metrics for many chains. The District’s presence in the ensuring years helped persuade retailers including Home Depot and Target to open their first stores in the city. That seems like a long time ago now, at least in many parts of the city, where sidewalk cafes and grocery stores have become more norm than exception. That outfitter REI would open a 51,000-square-foot store in what had been the decrepit Uline Arena probably seemed unimaginable back then. Similarly Prince George’s County, once spurned by many retailers, now has a Wegman’s open and a resort-casino by MGM and a Whole Foods on the way. A rendering of REI’s first District store, which is scheduled to open in NoMa in late 2016. (Courtesy of REI) But there is still a long way to go in a lot of neighborhoods, said Keith Sellars, president and chief executive of the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership, the public-private group that manages the District’s efforts at ICSC (and other conferences like South by Southwest). In the District’s two easternmost wards near Prince George’s County, Wards 7 and 8, there are around 150,000 people. There are just two full-service grocery stores (Safeway and Giant Food). There are hardly any “white tablecloth” restaurants, after a steakhouse, opened with the help of the District a few years ago, closed. Movie theaters, bowling alleys, bookstores and brand-name gyms are scarce if they exist at all. So Sellars


at least in many parts of the city, where sidewalk cafes and grocery stores have become more norm than exception. That outfitter REI would open a 51,000-square-foot store in what had been the decrepit Uline Arena probably seemed unimaginable back then. Similarly Prince George’s County, once spurned by many retailers, now has a Wegman’s open and a resort-casino by MGM and a Whole Foods on the way. A rendering of REI’s first District store, which is scheduled to open in NoMa in late 2016. (Courtesy of REI) But there is still a long way to go in a lot of neighborhoods, said Keith Sellars, president and chief executive of the Washington D.C. Economic Partnership, the public-private group that manages the District’s efforts at ICSC (and other conferences like South by Southwest). In the District’s two easternmost wards near Prince George’s County, Wards 7 and 8, there are around 150,000 people. There are just two full-service grocery stores (Safeway and Giant Food). There are hardly any “white tablecloth” restaurants, after a steakhouse, opened with the help of the District a few years ago, closed. Movie theaters, bowling alleys, bookstores and brand-name gyms are scarce if they exist at all. So Sellars is back at the conference, with one of the biggest booths of any jurisdiction (though he has scaled it back about 20 percent from previous years). “Our organization has pivoted, shifted into emerging neighborhoods,” said Sellars, who arrived in Vegas late last week. “We still focus on the entire city but we want to make sure people are aware of opportunities in emerging neighborhoods.” Arlington Economic Development had a presence at the conference for the first time this year, led by director Victor L. Hoskins. Using the slogan “Young. Hip. Hungry,” Hoskins said the group’s goal was to “bring in unique grocers, fashion retailers and more entertainment-lifestyle options” aimed at attracting young workers and residents. Sellars said his top priorities for D.C. this year included promoting big-name projects such as the redevelopment of the former Walter Reed hospital and McMillan Reservoir. But is also pitching neighborhoods many retailers may not have heard about, including those along New York Avenue NE and Rhode Island Avenue NE, as well as Anacostia, Deanwood, Congress Heights and the intersection of Minnesota Ave. and Benning Road NE. Every year the conference raises questions about how much time and money public officials should be spending there.


The Army’s all-women special ops teams show us how we’ll win tomorrow’s wars

the reporting of “Ashley’s War,” in specific roles within Special Forces. Along the way, the men who run our military realized that they would never kill their way to the fight’s end. And they recruited women to help fill the security gaps they saw. But even as our conversations about women in war still frequently seem to focus on what jobs women are capable of doing or should be allowed to do, there’s been insufficient recognition of what women have already done. For years, military leaders have put the personnel they need into the roles they required, regardless of restrictions on women’s service to the United States, dating back to 1948’s Women’s Armed Services Integration Act. A decade ago, military leaders began putting women service-members alongside men on the constantly shape-shifting battlefield that was Iraq and, later, Afghanistan. First came the Marines’ “Lioness” program in Iraq that took women from all kinds of specialties out of their previous assignments and put them on house-to-house missions and patrol checkpoints, searching women to make certain they weren’t concealing weapons or explosives. Then came the Female Engagement Teams in Afghanistan created to meet and listen to Afghan women and gather information about the communities in which NATO troops were operating. Their effectiveness won attention and support among top military brass and within the Afghan government, which sought to replicate the program among its own female forces. The special operations community built on the idea and made it their own with the 2010 creation of the Cultural Support Teams, the brainchild of Adm. Eric Olson, the Navy SEAL then leading U.S. Special Operations Command. Army special operations recruited and trained women, first from within special operations and then from across the Army, National Guard and Reserves, to deploy alongside Green Berets on Village Stability Operations—then a central part of counterinsurgency efforts — and go out at night on special ops missions with the ground-pounders of Ranger Regiment. In 2011, the 20 women who became part of Ranger and other special operations “direct action” missions soon joined the kinds of combat operations undertaken by only a small fraction of service-members, regardless of gender. Night after night they served alongside Rangers as well as other elite teams and, as women, were able to speak to and gather information from Afghan women who had previously remained mostly out of reach. One night a woman told one of


‘Eat quinoa and drink soy milk’: What an innovative food pyramid looks like

store. Plant-based foods, which are listed at the bottom, and therefore meant to be consumed the most often, are represented by over 30 different foods, including peas, lentils, and bok choy. Grains, listed just above, include couscous and quinoa. Dairy, which is next in line, includes alternatives like soy milk. And proteins, which are level with dairy, are depicted with a prominent bag of tofu. At the very top, there are healthy fats, illustrated with a bottle of olive oil. Now, compare that with the U.S. visual guideline, which is a plate, divided into different-sized categories. (source: USDA) MyPlate was introduced in order to lessen clutter. The hope was that by simplifying the visual representation of the nutritional guidelines, the government could make it easier for children to understand them. The change was met with reluctant applause. While it did represent what many viewed as an improvement over MyPyramid, which had been used since 2005, it failed to achieve the standards many nutritionists hoped the government would keep. "Clearly MyPlate will be better than MyPyramid, but the most important issues are in the details that are not captured by the icon," Walter Willett, a professor and chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health said at the time. "What type of grain? What sources of proteins? What fats are used to prepare the vegetables and the grains?" There is ample reason for why Willett is troubled by the ambiguity of current U.S. visual guidelines. Numerous studies have shown that Americans lack even basic knowledge of nutrition. A 2013 study showed that adults in the United States misunderstood caloric intake, while a 2012 survey found that Americans weren't too great at identifying which foods are high in fat, calcium and fiber. Telling someone to eat dairy, but not delineating clearly that that category can also include dairy alternatives can amount to confusion. So, too, can a portion of grains or proteins, when not all are created equal. What Nutrition Australia's guide does is allow for clarity where it might be useful. What grains and proteins should someone opt for? How about these, pictured in the pyramid, which are optimal by government standards. The graphic even takes it a step further, by tacking on a couple of tips — like 'limit salt and added sugar,' and 'choose water.' And coyly excluding any depiction of butter, margarine, or sugar.


Wal-Mart’s first-quarter earnings: A mix of good and bad news

The Wal-Mart logo is displayed in a meeting room of the company in Hong Kong. (Jerome Favre/Bloomberg) Wal-Mart said Tuesday that its profit slipped 7 percent to $3.34 billion in the first quarter, as a strong dollar and an investment in a wage increase for 500,000 of its U.S. workers weighed on its bottom line. But the world’s largest retailer also saw encouraging improvements in its U.S. business, including a pickup in foot traffic at its stores and a 1.1 percent increase in sales at stores open more than a year. Wal-Mart executives have stressed that improving its U.S. business is a key priority. In April, the company pledged that it was working to make its 4,540 U.S. stores tidier and easier to navigate. They are also trying to cut down on the number of out-of-stock items, improve fresh grocery offerings and speed checkout times by adding more workers to the registers. The pickup in the U.S. business was seen across several merchandise categories, including apparel, home and health. Wal-Mart said each of these departments saw “mid-single digit” improvement in sales at stores open more than a year. Some of the drag that Wal-Mart experienced in the quarter is likely to be temporary. The 6.6 percent decrease in net sales at its international division was largely attributable to the fact that its overseas sales were worth less when converted into dollars. However, the dollar has retreated from its first-quarter surge. But the pay hike promises a more lasting effect on Wal-Mart’s balance sheet. The chain raised its minimum wage to $9 in April. By February 2016, workers will make at least $10 per hour. Wal-Mart executives made clear in press releases and remarks on Tuesday that they want a piece of the extra money that consumers have in their wallets thanks to lower gas prices. “Based on recent surveys, we know that many of our U.S. customers are using their tax refunds and the extra money from lower gas prices to pay down debt or put it into savings. They’re also using these funds for everyday expenses like utilities and groceries,” said Doug McMillon, Wal-Mart’s chief executive, in a statement. “That’s where we can be their destination of choice.” But because Wal-Mart’s uptick in U.S. foot traffic and sales was modest, not blockbuster, some analysts are seeing the retailer’s earnings as another sign that consumers are still cautious about spending


Minorities and poor college students are shouldering the most student debt

loans. "No matter what I decide to do after graduation I know I'm going to be in a lot of debt," she said. "Going to grad school would be great, but that's just another expense that I'm going to have to pay back." A body of research suggests that taking out small loans to pay for college is a manageable expense for graduates, but borrowing more than $10,000 could be detrimental to students of color or students without family resources to buffer against the risk of borrowing, according to the Demos report. High debt load can also lead students to drop out of college, which can make it more difficult to repay the loans. According to Demos, black and Latino students are dropping out of college with debt at higher rates than white students. At all schools, almost 40 percent of black borrowers drop out, compared to 29 percent of whites. More than two-thirds of black and Latino student borrowers at for-profit, four-year schools drop out. Meanwhile, nearly a third of low-income student borrowers at public four-year schools drop out, a rate 10 percent higher than student borrowers on the whole. Across the racial and socioeconomic spectrum, Americans with student debt are delaying home and auto purchases, according to the Federal Reserve, a trend that stands to dampen economic growth. But the impact of student debt is more pronounced for black and Latino households that have a fraction of the wealth of whites and have for decades been shut out of traditional ladders of economic opportunity, according to Demos. And in many ways the same can be said for low-income households of all races. "We have created a system in which more underrepresented students take on debt and drop out with debt, thereby saddling communities of color and those with modest means with substantial disadvantages as they enter the workforce," Huelsman said. "We also see worrying signs around the impact of student debt on the ability to build wealth and assets, find a satisfying or civic-minded job or start a business." Demos has sketched out a plan, the inspiration for the Democrats' Debt-Free college initiative, for the federal government to award grants to states that increase spending on higher education. That way fewer students would have to take on high debt loads to attend public colleges. The plan is gaining support from Democratic presidential hopefuls such as Sen. Bernie Sanders


Hill Country to host game-day pop-up across the street from Nationals Park

The Hill Country Backyard BBQ will not return to the National Building Museum this year. (2014 Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) Let's get the bad news out of the way: Hill Country's Backyard Barbecue, which has brought country music, smoked meat, margaritas and Shiner to the grassy lawn of the National Building Museum for the past two summers, will not return in 2015. Instead, perhaps as soon as Friday, the Hill Country team is launching a summer pop-up called the Home Stand in a parking lot across the street from Nationals Park, at the corner of South Capitol and N streets. "If not this Friday, then by the next homestand," Hill Country representative Christina Graham said. The Nationals host the Phillies on Friday at 7:05 p.m.; they return to Nationals Park on Monday, June 1, against the Blue Jays. [Related: New bars and restaurants near Nationals Park] The site is currently a parking lot, and is slated to become another mix of retail and apartments later this year, according to a previous report in the Washington Business Journal. Back in 2013, we reported that Hill Country was considering opening a similar concept called the Hill Country Home Stand near the Department of Transportation, but plans for that venture fell through. The Home Stand will be open whenever there's a home game at Nationals Park, beginning two hours before the first pitch. It will close two hours after the final out. Picnic table seating for 200 is promised, and the menu will be similar to the Backyard Barbecue, with chopped brisket sandwiches, smoked turkey sandwiches and hot link sausages on a bun, in addition to rotating specials. Beer and wine are "coming soon," according to an e-mail from Hill Country. The Home Stand has not yet acquired a liquor license, "but definitely will in the near future," Graham said. The Home Stand, 1244 South Capitol Street SE. www.hillcountrywdc.com.


See document excerpts in the Army’s war-crimes case against a Green Beret war hero

Army Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn is shown here in Afghanistan as a captain in 2010. (Photo courtesy the office of Rep. Duncan Hunter) As detailed by Checkpoint today, the Army launched a wide-ranging investigation in 2011 after it was informed by the CIA that a highly regarded Green Beret officer had admitted to killing an unarmed Taliban suspect in February 2010. The Army declined to file criminal charges filed against Maj. Mathew L. Golsteyn due to a lack of evidence, and the investigation was closed last year. Documents obtained by The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act, however, outline the nature of the allegations in new detail as well as the Army’s frustrated efforts to corroborate the remarks Golsteyn allegedly made during during a CIA polygraph test. [Inside the stunning fall and war-crimes investigation of an Army Green Beret war hero] Below, a look at some excerpts that are key to the investigation or otherwise interesting. Golsteyn’s lawyers have questioned whether the narratives in these documents are accurate, while Army officials have described the investigation as fair and impartial. An Army special agent lays out his case for the investigation This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) Narrative of Golsteyn’s polygraph admission This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) Golsteyn’s reaction when questioned This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) Medic defends Golsteyn This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) Marine captain recalls Golsteyn’s vow Barry said he doesn’t remember Golsteyn saying anything more. The comment also wouldn’t be uncommon for an officer leading men in those circumstances. This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) Investigators go to embedded journalist looking for information This screen grab is taken from documents released to The Washington Post through the Freedom of Information Act. (Army documents) Read the documents obtained by The Post in their entirety here: Golsteyn Army CID investigation


Gaze upon the Medusa (Nebula) in unprecedented detail

is looking pretty good for a snake-headed monster. The nebula, located some 1,500 light years away in the constellation Gemini, is prettier than ever in this new shot from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The new image is the most detailed-ever image of the nebula, showing its namesake serpentine tendrils like never before. For comparison, here's the most famous pic of the nebula up until now. [Do stars have a sound? A new study says they might.] Even though it may seem huge to us at four light years across, the Medusa Nebula is actually a fairly dim object. It's a planetary nebula, which is the star within's last stop before becoming a dense, faint little white dwarf -- and, fun fact, has absolutely nothing to do with planets. This wide-field view shows the sky around the large but faint planetary nebula known as the Medusa Nebula. The full extent of the object can be seen, as well as many faint stars and, far beyond them, numerous distant galaxies.This picture was created from images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. (ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2) Before they get to the end of the line and assume dwarfhood, most stars will swell massively and become red giants, which gradually shed their outer layers and send them out on solar winds. Eventually the highly radioactive core will ionize the gas that now surrounds it, creating a spectacle of light and color. Compared with the rest of a star's life, the nebula phase is a mere blip -- just tens of thousands of years -- but it's arguably the most beautiful period to catch on camera. [A single exploding star could build 7,000 Earths] The new image of Medusa shows off the features of a dynamic planetary nebula. Stars at this life stage start to throw off their gasses with less regularity, which creates the twisting and turning filaments that make up Medusa's snakes. Hydrogen glows red, and oxygen glows green, extending beyond the frame of the captured image. Want more space? Give these a click: Stunning new picture of the Pillars of Creation Astronomers saw the same star explode four times in four places because of a rare cosmic phenomenon Breathtaking new image captures birth of countless stars From the Hubble, a new image of a glittering cosmic wonderland with stars as old as the universe itself


Why giant pandas have to eat and poop all day

and places pandas at an evolutionary dilemma." Another article published Taken together, both studies underscore the giant panda's place as a bear in the animal kingdom, while red pandas are more closely linked to the raccoon, said Mike Maslanka, head of the nutrition science department at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D.C. "Regardless of their diet, giant pandas are bears. They're cool and fuzzy, black and white, but they're bears," said Maslanka, who did not work on these particular studies. "It just reinforces that, from the inside out." During the summer, the giant pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoo usually receive a refreshing fruitsicle treat every day. [Bigfoot: still imaginary, probably not an undiscovered species of bear] For the mBio study, researchers sampled the poop of 45 captive pandas during the spring, summer and fall and looked to older data from nine captive and seven wild pandas. They then used a type of sequencing called 16S rRNA to determine the pandas' microbial profiles. The findings showed that the guts of these pandas had "extremely low gut microbiota diversity" and lacked the type of bacteria found in other herbivores. Instead, their guts had Escherichia/Shigella and Streptococcus. While these results aren't all that surprising given what we know about giant panda diets, Maslanka said the studies on the gut bacteria "set a good foundation for future work" on bamboo-eating animals, including exploring possibilities for slightly adjusting diets. [Life would go on if all bacteria disappeared (but it would totally suck)] So, okay, how in the world can these creatures continue to live on this planet when their guts are nearly incapable of breaking down the only kind of food they eat? They do so by stuffing their faces all day long and passing a lot of bamboo through their GI tracts. "Let's say their GI tracts had these microorganisms. Maybe we would only have to feed them a quarter of what they're eating now. But because they don't have that mechanism, to compensate they eat a whole bunch," Maslanka said. "They essentially adapted to a very poorly digestible diet, and they do it well." [Just asking: The National Zoo’s Bill McShea on pandas] Giant pandas at the National Zoo are given somewhere between 50 to 100 pounds of bamboo daily. The leaves have less fiber and are easier to digest; the bamboo stalk may have more fiber and are harder to


It’s beer festival season, or how to spend your weekends for the next two months

This post has been updated. We're in the midst of peak Beer Festival Season. Through the end of June, it's tough to go more than two weeks without at least one event offering the chance to drink dozens of beers outdoors for one low(ish) price. Representatives from Baltimore's Brewer's Art brewpub pour their beers at the 2014 Maryland Craft Beer Festival, including brewer Victor Rini. (Photo by Nicholas Karlin/Courtesy of Brewers Association of Maryland) What follows is an analysis of the upcoming beer festivals, with criteria including the all-important level of Beer Geek Appeal. Maryland Craft Beer Festival Date: The annual Savor craft beer festival brings the biggest names in brewing to Washington for two nights of tastings and seminars. (Photo by Eddie Arrossi/Courtesy of Savor) Savor Date: The downside is that Savor sells out very quickly, though friends of mine have always managed to find a last-minute ticket on Craigslist or StubHub. Right now, tickets for Friday night range from $189 to $297 on StubHub, with more expensive tickets usually including access to a seminar. Summerfest DC Date: Northern Virginia Summer Brewfest Date: The following festivals have taken place since this post was first published on April 9. DC Beer Festival Date: Cherry Blossom Beer and Wine Festival Date: Mid-Atlantic Spring Beer Festival Date: Mad Fox Spring Bock Fest Date: D.C. Craft Beer Festival Date: D.C. Hopfest Date: ABV: D.C.'s Leading Libation Festival Date: Beer, Bacon, Music Date:


The mystery behind the Air Force’s classified space plane

In a testing procedure, the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle taxis on the flightline in 2010 at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, FLa. (Air Force photo) The last time the Air Force's super secretive X-37B space plane launched, it didn't come down until almost two years later--674 days to be exact. On Wednesday, it launched again, and was scheduled to stay in orbit for 270 days. Or maybe more. No one knows for sure because the largely classified project is shrouded in mystery. The Air Force will only say that it will test a new, experimental thruster. The rocket carrying the space craft will also deliver a small satellite that would fly using a "solar sail." But the broader mission of the Boeing-made X-37B, which looks like a miniature version of a the space shuttle, is not publicly known. Space has become an increasingly important part of national security, a realm the Pentagon and the intelligence community is keenly focused on. And the ability to keep an unmanned space craft that could circle the Earth for months at a time and then land on an airstrip so that it could be used again could have all kinds of potential, from keeping an eye on the weather as well as the enemy. "Space is so vitally important to everything we do," Maj. Gen. Tom Masiello, the commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Space and Missile Systems Center, said in a recent statement. In Congressional testimony last month, Air Force Lt. Gen John Raymond said that space has become a "warfighting domain," and he warned that other countries, particularly, China and Russia, "remain concerns for us as we assess threats in the space domain." Officials have said the countries have the ability to blind satellites with lasers or blow them up with missiles. "We are quickly approaching the point where every satellite in every orbit can be threatened," Raymond said. U.S. Rep Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.) argued in an op-ed published in the Hill this month that the U.S. "must take these threats seriously and respond accordingly in order to defend ourselves and our allies." "How do we prevent reckless actions in space, or even worse, a war in space? Our best option is to deter bad actions." Wednesday's launch, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla, was the fourth mission of the X-37B, which before takeoff had


Rich D.C. residents like to cheat on their spouses, according to dating Web site for cheating spouses

(Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post) The District once again lives up to its TV drama-concocted reputation. The city topped a list ranking the country’s most adulterous cities for the third year in a row. The dubious title comes courtesy of Ashleymadison.com, a dating Web site for married people looking for extramarital affairs, which culled through its membership data to determine which cities have the most members per capita. Ashley Madison claims to have more than 59,000 people registered on the site with a D.C. Zip code. (Note: This does include people who register for the site while visiting D.C. using a city Zip code.) And the neighborhood with the most cheaters? Capitol Hill, the land of politicians, staffers and lobbyists. The dating Web site says 10.4 percent of Capitol Hill residents are registered on the Web site. Tenleytown and Takoma Park finished second and third, respectively. With the exception of Capitol Hill, all of the top 10 D.C. neighborhoods are in the Northwest portion of the city, with the majority of the neighborhoods in affluent upper Northwest. Back in 2012, Noel Biderman, chief executive of Avid Life Media, which owns Ashley Madison, told The Wahington Post that he saw a correlation between much of the professional success on Capitol Hill and adultery. “First, most people who achieve a level of success do so from taking professional risks that for the most part pay off, and this underlying personality trait may then lead these individuals to take personal risks, as well,” he said at the time. “Second, cheating is directly correlated to opportunity. The more successful you are the more you tend to travel for work and pleasure, and more often removed from your family, interacting with individuals with whom commonalities surface.” Nationwide, Pittsburgh and Austin finished second and third on the list of cheaters. Here are the 10 cities with the highest rate of membership on the site: 1. Washington, D.C. 2. Pittsburgh 3. Austin 4. New York 5. Boston 6. Los Angeles 7. Las Vegas 8. New Orleans 9. Houston 10. San Diego


The long history of linking climate change to American security

a speculative plan that addressed the national security threat from an abrupt change to the world's climate -- a shift of several degrees of temperature in a matter of a decade or so. It garnered a substantial amount of attention at the time, but was mostly regarded as a thought experiment. Consensus remains that such a temperature change will happen much more slowly. But military experts under President George W. Bush were addressing the more realistic, slower effects of climate change, too. We reported in 2007 that the U.S. Army War College funded a conference to address the security implications of climate change. That was soon followed by a report from a panel of retired military leaders that was blunt: "Global climate change presents a serious national security threat which could impact Americans at home, impact United States military operations and heighten global tensions." DARPA started looking into military use of biofuels before Bush left office. Under Clinton, the administration was open in its advocacy on the issue, even if the military was more reserved. Vice President Al Gore had already called climate change "the most serious threat we have ever faced" in his book "Earth in the Balance" by the time Clinton was moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. After Clinton signed the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions, House Republicans and retired military officials at that point worried that the protocol itself posed a national security risk, given that it required the reduction of energy use -- and the military used more energy than any other part of the government. In response, Clinton exempted the military from being affected. A link between national security and the climate even predates Clinton. In June 1988, a Senate committee addressed the problem of climate change for the first time, hearing testimony from several scientists, including James Hansen, then of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and who since has been an outspoken activist on the subject. After that hearing, Michael Oppenheimer of the Environmental Defense Fund was asked to clarify some of his comments. In a responding letter, he wrote, "For the U.S., continuous emissions at current levels or higher means continuous change, loss of ecosystems, and probably loss of farm productivity, wetlands, beaches and coastal infrastructure. The security of the nation depends on stabilization of the atmosphere." At the Coast Guard Academy on Wednesday, President Obama played the same tune.


Jeb Bush: ‘The climate is changing’

Potential 2016 GOP presidential candidate and former Florida governor Jeb Bush speaks at a business roundtable in Portsmouth, N.H. on Wednesday. (REUTERS/Brian Snyder) BEDFORD, N.H. -- Jeb Bush believes that the Earth's climate is changing -- but don't just blame humans. The former Florida governor, whose state bears the brunt of rising seas and a changing climate more than most, conceded Wednesday evening that humans are partly -- but not entirely -- responsible for the changes. "The climate is changing. I don't think the science is clear on what percentage is man-made and what percentage is natural. It's convoluted," he told roughly 150 people at a house party here Wednesday night. "And for the people to say the science is decided on this is just really arrogant, to be honest with you. It's this intellectual arrogance that now you can't have a conversation about it even." The issue of climate change came up as the host of the house party asked Bush to comment on a speech given Wednesday by President Obama, who said that climate change is a "serious threat" to national security. "Climate change constitutes a serious threat to global security, an immediate risk to our national security," Obama told Coast Guard graduates in their dress white uniforms at the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut, "and, make no mistake, it will impact how our military defends our country. And so we need to act— and we need to act now.” In response, Bush said that climate change should be just "part of, a small part of prioritization of our foreign policy." He suggested that the United States should encourage countries that have higher carbon emissions rates to reduce them. But, he added, "We've had a pretty significant decrease and we'll continue on, not because of Barack Obama, but because of the energy revolution." He credited hydraulic fracking, horizontal drilling and an increased use of natural gas for helping cut American carbon emissions. "I don't think it's the highest priority," he said of climate change, "I don't think we should ignore it, either. Generally, I think as conservatives we should embrace innovation, embrace technology, embrace science. It's the source of a lot more solutions than any government-imposed idea and sometimes I sense that we pull back from the embrace of these things. We shouldn't. We're the party that should be the party of discovery, the party of science, the


The White House plan to save the monarch butterfly: Build a butterfly highway

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced new steps to reverse the decline of the Monarch butterfly, including efforts to restore more than 200,000 acres of habitat along the Interstate 35 corridor from Texas to Minnesota. Traffic on Interstate 35 is about to get a lot … buggier. That’s thanks to President Obama, newfound friend to imperiled pollinators everywhere, and his strategy for protecting the nation’s insects. Among the proposals is a plan to create a pollinator highway along the I-35 corridor, which extends from Mexico to Minnesota and follows a main route for the annual monarch butterfly migration. [How the White House plans to help the humble bee maintain its buzz] The route won’t be indicated by road signs or traffic lights (butterflies see ultraviolet light, so they would probably be confused by the red light/green light distinction). Instead, it’ll be lined with milkweed and other habitat plants, providing refuge and a food source to monarchs on the move. A designated monarch corridor is quite the coup for insects who won’t even be paying tolls. But an annual, multi-generation, 2,000-mile trip — each way! — can be a doozy. Especially if you’re only three inches long. The average monarch has a pretty cushy life, as described by the Monarch Butterfly Fund. Born in summer, it’ll live for a few weeks, preoccupied only by its need to eat, grow and mate. But those who undertake the annual migration — the “supergeneration” — have no time for frittering around. These are born in late summer or fall and must find a way to survive until the following spring, if they want to continue their species. In that time, they battle pesticides, predators and disappearing habitats to travel down to Mexico, spend a winter in the warmth, and then summon their remaining energy to fly back into the southern United States. There they lay eggs, usually on milkweed plants, giving birth to the first generation of summer butterflies, who complete the journey north and start a new yearly cycle. It’s no easy feat, and it’s getting more difficult — over the past 25 years, nearly a billion monarchs have vanished. [The monarch massacre: Nearly a billion butterflies have vanished] Meanwhile, scientists still don’t understand how they make their impressive journey in the first place: Do they follow the sun? Leave chemical markers on their way south that they then follow on the


Why Marco Rubio should embrace his money issues and ‘feel your pain’

the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration found that in 1998, 2003, and 2006, about 15 percent of workers with a retirement savings account made early withdrawals in each of these years. And all that was before the recession. What’s happening isn't some kind of unforeseeable trend or a sheer function of American profligate spending. A small majority of Americans – 55 percent – have almost no emergency savings. They don’t have enough money in the bank to cover one month’s expenses, much less the three-to-six months that most financial planners recommend in case of a job loss, a broken car transmission or sudden illness. The workers most likely to tap into their retirement savings long before they stop working are those earning less than $50,000 per year, blacks and Latinos. These demographics also face the steepest challenges in accessing low-interest loans and are more likely to come from families that typically can offer them little financial support. What they have done is follow the advice that just about every financial planner and the tax code recommends: they have taken advantage of pre-tax retirement savings options. And, for most, the infrastructure of automatic retirement savings created by the nation’s employers has made retirement savings more than logical. It has become relatively easy. That’s the driving idea behind programs in Illinois and California. Both sates are building a government-administered retirement savings program for workers whose employers don’t offer such an option. And similar programs are being tested, debated or studied in many other states. But none of these programs include tax incentives to encourage workers to also build an emergency savings fund. Making matters more difficult is that Americans living closest to the financial edge – those receiving SNAP benefits or cash welfare assistance, emergency energy aid and other programs – aren't eligible in many states if they have anything in a savings account. As Rubio himself explained, his income and multiple retirement accounts put him well above that kind of financial struggle. But Rubio – the son of Cuban immigrants who worked modestly paid jobs, a man who still has significant student loan debt and has apparently urgent budget needs -- was and is in a unique position to say to millions of Americans that he knows some portion of their struggle. In a Republican Party badly hoping to reconnect with the middle and working classes, it's almost a no-brainer.


Scientists: This is what it would take to keep the world super safe from global warming

the 2 degree target,” says Luderer. Last year the world emitted about 32 gigatons, according to the International Energy Agency. So a budget of 200 to 400 gigatons — the study intends this as a cumulative total by the year 2100 — either gives us a narrow window to sharply slash emissions, or requires that we overshoot and then somehow pull large amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere later in the century. Measured in terms of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, meanwhile, staying under 1.5 degrees C would mean concentrations of 420 to 440 parts per million by 2100, versus 455 to 480 parts per million for a “likely” chance of staying under 2 degrees C, the study says. Currently, atmospheric concentrations are just in the process of firmly crossing the 400 parts per million threshold. Slashing emissions so dramatically in a few decades probably will not happen, of course — which leads to the second major punchline of the study. This is that you will still have to temporarily go past the 1.5 degree threshold, and then employ so-called “negative emissions” technologies to subtract some net carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and get back down to 1.5 degrees C by 2100. “You have to have these technologies to do negative emissions, and that is directly related to the property that really, staying below one and a half degrees at all times is not possible,” says Luderer. “There will be a temporary overshoot of the one and a half degrees.” What are those technologies? In essence, they combine planting a massive amount of trees with something called bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, or BECCS. In this technology, trees or other plants would be used to make fuels or electricity, but the carbon they contain would be captured in the process — and then, when the plants grow back again, the net result would be negative emissions. It certainly sounds nifty, but “important barriers to its widespread implementation still exist,” the study notes. Taking all of this in, I finally asked Luderer whether he was saying that it’s impossible to stay under 1.5 degrees. “It’s feasible from a pure technological point of view,” he said. “But given the sluggish progress in the international climate policy arena, it is going to be extremely difficult.” Of course, the likeliest scenario is that the world will keep muddling through, examining more science


Commentary: The Pentagon goes West to be with the cool kids. It should stay home.

Why rub shoulders with the likes of these guys, when we have perfectly competent technologists here at home? (Frank Masi) Recently, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to open offices in Silicon Valley to reach new sources of technology innovation. Entering the world of Uber-ization and disruption, they are attempting to rekindle their success in the last century tapping Silicon Valley know-how to improve space missions and computer hardware. Without question, re-energizing engagement between the national security agencies and our most talented technologists has never been as important. However, merely opening up an office in Silicon Valley does not address two important challenges that must be overcome for this effort to succeed. The first is to match up with the motivations of nontraditional innovators. Many have noted that Silicon Valley start-up entrepreneurs generally start companies for commercial reasons — to sell out to Google as soon as possible or to be the next “unicorn,” a start-up valued at $1 billion. For most Silicon Valley innovators, working with the government as a customer seems less interesting in comparison. Overcoming this cultural gulf and getting Silicon Valley innovators to engage with the national security agencies will neither be easy nor rapid, if it is achieved at all. The second is challenge is operational. Nontraditional innovators like to work quickly – their mantra is speed to market, funding, failure and success. This means that to work with these people the national security agencies must change and adapt their approach to contracting, promoting opportunities and talent scouting to truly be part of the entrepreneurial ecosystem that holds so many nontraditional innovators. This requires a blending of arcane rules with new techniques to become more approachable and agile; it’s not disruption but informed iteration. Merely opening an office in Silicon Valley will not overcome these challenges. National security agencies need an approach that combines a number of important attributes: (i) ready and willing nontraditional innovators, (ii) a broader community of experienced technology companies that have the experience and skills necessary to deliver a product or solution in compliance with the Federal Acquisition Rules, (iii) variations to contract rules to accommodate nontraditional innovators, particularly in emerging technologies and (iv) a consistent, persistent and national process for identifying and engaging with nontraditional innovators in the ways that they wish to be engaged. To succeed in this new mission the national security agencies must


Smokehouse Live will become the region’s largest barbecue joint when it opens in Leesburg

LIve) The place will seat 600, says Foss, and it will feature two Ole Hickory smokers, the largest the company makes, capable of cooking 2,500 pounds of meat. Foss and Kris Diemer, his partner in Pitmaster Hospitality and both former top guns at Capital Restaurant Concepts, plan to treat those smokers like equipment in an open fine-dining kitchen: Diners will be able to watch the pitmasters at work. "Our pit room is the showpiece of the restaurant," Foss explains. Barbecue is no backyard hobby for Foss. Well, okay, maybe it is. The man has not one, but two off-set smokers in his backyard, which sort of makes sense for a guy who competed on the barbecue circuit with a team that included David Calkins, co-founder of Urban Bar-B-Que Company. “I’ve been a barbecue geek for 25 years," Foss says proudly. Smokehouse Live will take a pan-barbecue approach, incorporating proteins and styles from Texas, Kansas City, the Carolinas and other regions. It's the time-honored way of selling barbecue in the Washington area, which attracts folks from all over the country, their barbecue preferences often firmly fixed. As the guy who will handle back-of-house duties, Foss plans to make freshness a selling point at his market counter, where diners will order brisket, ribs, pulled pork and all other meats by the pound — or fractions thereof. "We may run out of something before [the next round] comes out of the smoker," says Foss. The 16,000 square-foot Smokehouse Live will feature two large bars. (Photo courtesy of Smokehouse Live) What's more, Smokehouse Live will place as much emphasis on its bar and dessert programs as it does on its barbecue. General manager George Rudolph will be the keeper of the bar — or bars, since the place will have two of them. Expect local beers, craft cocktails (including one splashed with Cheerwine, the cherry-infused nectar of North Carolina) and lots of bourbon. Jessika Yealy The "live" portion of Smokehouse Live, Foss says, will mostly be an "amenity to our guests." The vast majority of concerts, including a bluegrass brunch on Sundays, will be free and open to whoever visits the barbecue joint. "If we get Willie Nelson," Foss says with a laugh, "I'm going to ticket" the event. "We're first and foremost," adds the longtime barbecue geek, "a restaurant." Smokehouse Live, 1602 Village Market Blvd. in Leesburg, will open sometime after Memorial Day.


This bug’s pick up line to females draws a biting response: Death

like Barry White singing "Baby, baby, baby" in "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," except that he would never get to that third baby. Or Bruno Mars crooning "Locked Out of Heaven" just before being dispatched directly to it. The value of the study is that it takes the understanding of predator and prey behaviors one step further, said Jay Falk, a graduate student at Cornell who was a lead co-author for the study, published this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society: B. Key details in what the scientists found was pretty disturbing for lovesick male katydids, but very exciting for the researchers. Different types of the gleaning bats observed for the study preferred different types of songs from various species of katydids. So there was really no escape. Regardless of katydid type, or what they sang, they risked going down. A bat, trachops cirrhosus, dines on a katydid. (Marco Tschapka) Scientists knew that several species of gleaning bats eavesdrop on katydids for a meal, Falk said. "What we didn't know was whether all these different bats had favorite katydid calls, or whether each species had a different preference," he said. Every pick-up line had a biting response, the research found. Falk and Hannah ter Hofstede, an assistant professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth, the study's second lead co-author, entered the investigation thinking bats listened for conspicuous sounds that exposed katydids — long calls, for example, with a tell-tale range of frequencies. That wasn't the case. "Actually, one bat species preferred pure-tone calls, while another preferred long calls, and another preferred broadband calls," said the statement that announced the study Tuesday. Pure tone calls have a single frequency. Long calls are self explanatory. And broadband calls cover a range of harmonies. If at this point you're feeling sorry for katydids, don't get things too twisted. Katydids gnaw on leaves and fruits, including crops, and are a bane to farmers. If there were too many, major problems would follow. Gleaning bats hold nature in balance. And boy do they. Male katydids sing love songs to attract a mate but when bats hear this they attack. The findings got even worse for katydids, Falk said. There are all types of katydids — crickets with big jumping legs like grasshoppers, and each researcher who contributed to the study thought bats preferred the mushy kind, the ones without a spine. "We


Kansas has found the ultimate way to punish the poor

households without enough money to maintain a minimum balance in a conventional checking account will pay their rent and their utility bills in cash. A single mother with two children seeking to withdraw just $200 in cash could incur $30 or more in fees, which is a big chunk of the roughly $400 such a family would receive under the program in Kansas. "The complexity of functioning in that cash economy as a very poor family is just not a reality that most of us experience day to day,” said Shannon Cotsoradis, the president of Kansas Action for Children in Topeka. “I pay my bills online." Since most banking machines are stocked only with $20 bills, the $25 limit is effectively a $20 limit. A family seeking to withdraw even $200 in cash would have to visit an ATM 10 times a month, a real burden for a parent who might not have a car and might not live in a neighborhood where ATMs are easy to find. "Banks have traditionally not located themselves in neighborhoods that they perceive either to be unsafe, or where there's no customer base," said Kristin Seefeldt, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies the lives of low-income Americans. "If that's the way they're getting cash, that can be a real chore and a challenge." The provision restricting cash withdrawals for poor Americans was an amendment to broader legislation passed in April on what Kansans can do with their welfare payments. The bill, which prevents beneficiaries from redeeming benefits at swimming pools, movie theaters and tattoo parlors, was an example of efforts in several states to restrict what the poor can do with government aid. In Kansas, Gov. Sam Brownback (R) also signed legislation that had the effect of raising taxes on the poor while lowering them for wealthy residents. [Read about other states that rob from the poor and give to the rich.] But the new provision limiting what the poor can do with their debit cards is causing particular problems for Kansas because it could conflict with federal rules that appear to require that states provide beneficiaries with “adequate access” to their benefits, putting more than $100 million in funding for the program in jeopardy. Brownback told McClatchy last week that he planned to work with administrators in Washington to make sure that money remains available for poor families. It is


America’s 1 million missing entrepreneurs

60 percent of all business-owning households, but who flatlined on their rates of new business ownership after decades of growth. The wealthiest families, in contrast, kept increasing their rates until the recession: Center for American Progress The analysis, released by the liberal Center for American Progress think tank - and which is not an official position of the World Bank in any way -finds that it now takes would-be entrepreneurs more time, more income and more education to start a business, compared to previous decades. The average new business owner was 47 years old in 2010, up from 41 in 1970. About 67 percent of those new owners had at least some college education in the 2000s, up from about 60 percent in the '90s. The median wealth of a family that was about to start a business was three times as high in 2009 than a comparable family that wasn't about to start a business. That's up from two times as high in the '90s. Those trends, Mondragón-Vélez notes, happen to coincide with a period of middle-class income stagnation and widening gaps between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else. He overlays those trends and speculates that "limited wealth accumulation capacity has been gradually making entrepreneurship in America a luxury type of good." There is plenty of evidence that declining entrepreneurship is hurting middle-class Americans. Mondragón-Vélez is arguing that the reverse is also true: that the weakening of the middle class is eroding new business growth. “Given the constraints to accumulate wealth for the middle class, what I was seeing was, all the consequences," he said in an interview. "If you don’t have enough wealth, you have to wait longer to be an entrepreneur.” [Related story: How a slowdown in start-ups hampers the middle class.] The paper also raises questions that Mondragón-Vélez does not really attempt to answer, but which could have broad implications for policymakers. Most notably, he finds that while new-business creation stalled in the 2000s, the failure rates of existing businesses increased. It's reasonable to ask why that is - whether increased government regulation, crimped access to credit, growing power for incumbent firms, or something else entirely, is pushing more businesses to extinction. “Maybe now the environment has become more competitive," he said. "Maybe it’s getting riskier to start a small business.” And maybe that risk, whatever its cause, is getting harder for middle-class Americans to bear.


How a Domino’s pizza crust led police to a suspect in mysterious D.C. slayings

Police say DNA on leftover pizza crust helped lead them to a murder suspect in Northwest Washington. An expert from the National Museum of Crime & Punishment explains how DNA investigations work and how even the littlest piece of evidence can help. D.C. police are searching for a suspect they believe is connected to the deaths of four people at a home in an upscale Washington neighborhood. The critical clue that led police to 34-year old Daron Dylon Wint: A leftover pizza crust. Three law enforcement officials with knowledge of the investigation told The Washington Post on Wednesday that Wint was a match for DNA evidence left on the crust of a Domino’s pizza delivered to the home on May 13. They believe that Savvas Savopoulos, 46; Amy Savopoulos, 47; their 10-year-old son, Philip; and housekeeper Veralicia Figueroa, 57, were held captive overnight in the multimillion-dollar Northwest Washington home, then killed before the house was set afire the following day. [Suspect in quadruple killings worked for victims’ family business, police say] Despite the fact that the home had been burned, D.C. Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier said Tuesday that investigators had been able to collect quite a lot of evidence from the scene, including a video and DNA samples. Hunger and perhaps an oversight may have caused the suspect to leave a critical clue in this growing murder mystery that has captivated and terrified Washington. “It’s not unusual for criminals to leave their evidence behind,” Lawrence Kobilinsky, an expert on DNA technology, told The Post on Thursday. “In fact, it’s quite common.” D.C. police have an arrest warrant for a 34-year-old man, Daron Dylon Wint from Maryland. Law enforcement sources said DNA evidence linked him to the killing of Savvas Savopoulos, his wife, young son and housekeeper. During home break-ins, criminals are often known to do something very simple: Eat. “They usually do strange things,” noted Kobilinsky, chair of the forensic sciences department at the City University of New York. “They’ll eat food from the refrigerator and thereby leave their DNA. Or they’ll leave their cigarette butts and leave their saliva. They just seem to go out of their way to leave their calling card behind.” [Woman being held hostage uses Pizza Hut order to raise alarm and summon the police] Savvas Savopoulos and Amy Savopoulos at the Starlight Children’s Foundation MidAtlantic’s Wine Dinner in 2008. (Tony Powell/Washington Life Magazine)


Headed to the beach? Check out these new bars and brewpubs.

and his brother Orion are opening Grandpa (MAC), a casual pasta-focused restaurant and carry-out, at 33 Baltimore Ave. The restaurateurs hope to dish out Trailer Park Mac and other specialties by the end of the month. Longtime pub favorite Stoney Lonen closed its doors during the offseason and is now 208 Social. The new owners kept the warren of rooms and the patio, but have upgraded the menu. Don't overlook the cocktails, which feature housemade juices and syrups; the savory El Maguey draws its flavors from pineapples charred on the grill before being juiced and mixed with mezcal, ginger syrup and lemon. All the action isn't downtown: Two new bars opened across the canal in West Rehoboth last week. The Swell Tiki Bar, which replaced Big Sissies on Rehoboth Avenue, isn't your usual kitschy tiki bar - the decor is surprisingly restrained. The sticky-sweet house cocktail, Hippie Juice, includes Bacardi, Malibu coconut rum and Watermelon Pucker. DJs and karaoke provide entertainment on weekends. Down the block, Murph's Beef and Ale is a bare-bones Irish pub-style restaurant specializing in roast beef and roast pork sandwiches, plates of roasted Italian hot peppers and fries smothered in beef or turkey gravy. Yuengling and Guinness are on tap, but the menu also features such sweet, boozy cocktails as the Tropic Thunder (coconut water vodka, pineapple juice and club soda). Farther away from the beach, the Fins Ale House on Coastal Highway is now a brewpub. The Big Oyster Brewery, located next door to the dining room, released a test batch of its first beer, Summer Hefe, an unfiltered, easy-drinking hefeweizen, last weekend, and another keg is scheduled to go on tap on Memorial Day weekend. Fins makes the most of its strip mall location, setting up corn hole in the parking lot while offering a good selection of oysters and seafood. (A real crowd-pleaser: The potato skins stuffed with crab, scallops and shrimp before being smothered in cheese.) Dewey Beach Dewey Beer Co. is the resort town's first brewpub. (Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) When the Dewey Beer Co., Dewey Beach's first brewpub, finally opens later this month, five beers will flow from gleaming bright tanks behind the bar, including an aromatic American Pale Ale, dry-hopped with Centennial, and a zesty Summer Saison brewed with a French saison yeast. Brewer Mike Reilly, a high school science teacher, is at work on 10 beers, but he


The best barbecue joints in the D.C. area in 2015

[NEW: The $20 Diner’s 2016 guide to the best barbecue in the D.C. area] Over the course of several weeks, the $20 Diner visited nearly 20 barbecue restaurants in the region to rank them according to some kind of arbitrary hierarchy. (Hold your phone calls and e-mails; some joints were skipped either for the sake of time or out of ignorance.) The organizing method I chose was how closely each place adhered to the tenets of the new barbecue traditionalists. [Right on 'cue: Why urban barbecue is suddenly better than ever] Think of this exercise as Six Degrees of Aaron Franklin, the James Beard Award-winning purveyor of Austin's Franklin Barbecue. First degree DCity's Brisket Champ sandwich (left) and Fat Pete's grilled cheese sandwich made with burnt ends. (Amanda Voisard/Tim Carman) It’s no contest. These two are smoking at a higher level than their peers. Their products, although not perfect, display an extraordinary level of commitment to barbecue. What’s more, they’re constantly tinkering. The kitchen team at Fat Pete’s spent much of the winter refining its rubs and smoker operations, to the point where the Cleveland Park joint has quickly joined the upper ranks of D.C. barbecue. Both places also prepare a few killer sandwiches, whether the Brisket Champ at DCity or the Burnt Ends and Grilled Cheese at Fat Pete’s. [How Fat Pete's smokes its meats] Second degree: [Hill Country to host game-day pop-up at Nationals Park] Barbecue meals at Hill Country (left) and BBQ Joint at Union Market. (Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post/Sarah. L Voisin/The Washington Post) Third degree Garden District on 14th Street NW (left) and Kangaroo Boxing Club in Columbia Heights (Astrid Riecken/For The Washington Post/Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) Fourth, fifth and sixth degrees Urban Bar-B-Que Company Pork Barrel BBQ Bethesda Barbecue Company BBQ Bus at Denizens Brewing Co. Mission BBQ KBQ Barbeque Rocklands Barbeque and Grilling Co. Smoke and Barrel Dixie Bones BBQ Kenny’s Smokehouse In an orbit of their own: Few pitmasters start their careers in kitchens run by Tom Colicchio and Thomas Keller, but Robert Gadsby of RG's BBQ Cafe did. After running refined restaurants in Los Angeles and Houston, then flaming out at the Mussel Bar in Bethesda, Gadsby opened this chef-driven barbecue joint. I’m not sure I would call Gadsby’s beef “barbecue”; it’s more like shaved roast beef first smoked then finished to your desired temperature on the grill. Whatever you call


Irish expats are crossing borders and seas to get #hometovote in historic same-sex marriage referendum

Didn't get a badge so made this little print out instead. Home to vote YES #MarRef @gettheboat2vote @YesEquality2015 http://t.co/oxP7pUa3eT On Friday, Irish voters began heading to polls to help decide whether same-sex marriage should become legal in the country. If more than 50 percent vote "yes," Ireland's conservative constitution will be rewritten to add a clause that would allow same-sex marriage: "Marriage may be contracted in accordance with law by two persons without distinction as to their sex.” Ireland could very well become the first country in the world to legalize gay marriage by popular vote, and most polls suggest a lead for the "yes" vote. But things are close and there's an added complication: Voting must be done in person at specific polling stations. That's an issue for those who work in the capital of Dublin and who must travel to rural areas to vote. But it's even more dramatic for the many Irish citizens who live abroad and want to vote. According to the Irish Times, 250,000 people emigrated from Ireland after the 2008 financial crisis, heading abroad to find better economic opportunities. In a country with a population of 4.5 million, that's a big number. More than 70 percent of those who left after 2008 were in their 20s. That could be important to the outcome of the vote: One poll released this month found that 90 percent of those ages 18 to 35 supported gay marriage, though not all intended to vote. It's unclear how many Irish who live abroad are making their way back to vote. But judging by the success of #HomeToVote, which has been shared on Twitter almost 40,000 times in the past 24 hours, plenty of people are making the journey and sharing their experiences on social media. On the way- from Bangkok airport #hometovote http://t.co/NmpzHE8e1F 1st to vote this morning - with real queue behind me as doors opened. V high turnout predicted! #MarRef #hometovote http://t.co/w91xWxRHzp Here's the vibe on the Euston to Dublin Equality Train right now #hometovote http://t.co/y9y8auAGo0 This is the scene on the 9:10 London to Holyhead train as Irish abroad return #hometovote #marref http://t.co/spVfkb5sIT Came #hometovote all the way from London and found my mum had made some subtle changes to my room for me #VoteYes http://t.co/BOdxqXhJoN Not long now #hometovote http://t.co/v6ztDY8dw7 On the Ulysses ferry coming into dock right now. The Stena ahead of us. Plenty


Senate panel backs allowing vets to ask about medical pot for PTSD

Extracting Innovations chief operating officer Seth Cox shows Navy veteran Hikima Nukes how to make active butter for edibles at the Grow 4 Vets cannabis giveaway in 2014 in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Michael Ciaglo/(Colorado Springs) Gazette via AP) Veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other chronic pain issues may be able to ask their VA doctors for a new treatment soon: medical marijuana. This week, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted to back the Veterans Equal Access Amendment. Under the measure, Veterans Affairs (VA) would be allowed to recommend medical marijuana to patients for medicinal purposes for everything from back pain to depression to flashbacks. Veterans who support the proposal say that it is safer and helps more than the addictive and debilitating painkillers that are often prescribed. They say using medical cannabis can help combat PTSD’s insomnia and panic attacks. The legislation would overturn VA’s policy that forbids doctors from talking to patients about medical pot use. [More veterans press VA to recognize medical marijuana as treatment option] Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who introduced the legislation, argued that forbidding VA doctors from talking about the option of medical marijuana is unconstitutional. He said that First Amendment rights include the right of patients to discuss whatever they want with their doctors. “They can’t discuss all the options available to them that they could discuss if they literally walked next door to a non-VA facility,” he said. “I don’t believe we should discriminate against veterans just because they are in the care of the VA.” While medical marijuana is legal in the District and 23 states, the federal government classifies marijuana as a Schedule I drug, like heroin and LSD. That means it has no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. VA physicians and chronic-pain specialists say they often want to suggest the drug but haven’t been able to. Several studies have shown that states that allow medical marijuana for health purposes also found a decrease in the number of painkiller-related overdoses. “Veterans in medical marijuana states should be treated the same as any other resident, and should be able to discuss marijuana with their doctor and use it if it’s medically necessary,” Michael Collins, policy manager for the Drug Policy Alliance, said in a statement. “They have served this country valiantly, so the least we can do is allow them to have full and open discussions with


Main Street Morning: Multi-national banks admit to currency manipulation

Stacks of money move through a machine during the phase of production where the new 100 USD bills are applied with a serial number, a US Federal Reserve seal, are cut and stacked at the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility October 11, 2013 in Fort Worth, Texas. The facility is currently the sole producer of the new 100 USD bill. The bill went into circulation on October 8 and includes new security features such as a purple band with moving images, ink that changes color with the angle as well as a new more colorful design. AFP PHOTO/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKIBRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images Welcome to Main Street Morning, The Washington Post’s daily collection of news affecting entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses with a special focus on policy and government. Here’s what’s affecting my small business my clients and other entrepreneurs today. Washington - The trade bill backed by the President clears Senate hurdle. - The Obama administration proposes a new rule forcing banks to report small-business lending data by race. The Elections - Hillary Clinton talks about community banks, joins LinkedIn and lets a small business owner take over her Twitter account. The Economy - Study suggests many high earners are living paycheck to paycheck. - Existing home sales fall as prices increase. - Consumers’ expectations for the U.S. economy suffered the largest dive since 2013. - Manufacturing declines in the Kansas City region. - America is missing one million entrepreneurs…where did they go? Start-up - A payment start-up appears ready to join the “private IPO” parade. Finance - Survey finds that minority-owned businesses still have a tougher time getting back loans. Sales and Marketing - How big brands are engaging mobile customers. - Seven deadly sins of digital marketing. - The chief executive of Carl’s Jr. doesn’t care if you’re offended by the chain’s sexy ads. - Here are seven critical marketing strategies if you own an auto repair shop. - Delta’s hilarious new safety video features the stars from 23 of the most viral memes ever. Entrepreneurs - How an entrepreneur stopped chasing every new idea so he could focus on one big goal. - Actress, academic, tech entrepreneur, vocal supporter of the Greens and expectant mother Lily Cole explains why she’s an accidental entrepreneur. - A penny stock investor explains why entrepreneurship will always beat a 9-to-5 job. - He’s a successful video game entrepreneur,