Three books on illegal, or not, drugs

The American discourse on narcotics has always been more complex than “Just say no,” but in recent years it has reached new depths of murkiness. Support for medical marijuana (which is legally grown and sold in many states, depending on what day of the week it is) runs headlong into old fears about addiction, violence and social unrest. Into these muddy waters plunge three new books. Pot, Inc. Not so much Mark Haskell Smith, author of Heart of Dankness (Broadway; paperback, $14). He’s a fiending, feverish, globe-trotting knight questing in search of the Holy Grail of highs, a “diggity dank” bud that produces a super-charged form of cannabis-driven higher consciousness. Smith’s book runs parallel to Campbell’s in a number of places: Both authors, for example, recount the somewhat strained and exaggerated doctor consultations they needed to get medical marijuana licenses. But “Heart of Dankness” will speak more to the hard core of THC culture. Coverage of the Cannabis Cup competition, for example, is anthropology with limited appeal outside the circles that already follow the annual event in Amsterdam. Opium: Reality’s Dark Dream Norton is a video blogger for chow.com and editor of the Heavy Table, a Minneapolis-based journal of food and drink.


Montgomery County Animal Watch

These were among the cases received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information on shelter hours and location, adoption and licensing procedures, rabies clinics and low-cost neutering, call 240-773-5960. Lost and blind dog still has bite Fox stays put on the porch: Rabies clinic Pets available for adoption Dogs, cats and other pets will be available through the Montgomery County Humane Society at the following locations. To confirm the schedule, call 240-773-5966 or visit www.mchumane.org. Germantown Shelter has adoptable cats Gaithersburg Germantown — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


D.C., Maryland and Virginia health code violations

These food establishments were closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments. THE DISTRICT Don Pepe Cash and Carry 300 Morse St. NE Food service closed May 7 for failure to minimize vermin. Reopened the next day. Hamilton Liquors 5205 Georgia Ave. NW Closed May 3 for operating without hot water. Reopened the next day. Merry’s Kitchen Carryout 2929 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE Closed May 3 for gross unsanitary conditions. Reopened the next day. Umi Japanese Cuisine 2625 Connecticut Ave. NW Closed May 9 for failure to minimize vermin. Reopened the next day. MARYLAND Little Far East II 26043 Ridge Rd., Damascus Closed May 2 for selling adulterated food products, an insect infestation and lacking a rear door. Reopened the next day. VIRGINIA Dave and Chung’s 362 S. Pickett St., Alexandria Closed May 7 for a stove fire and fire extinguisher discharge. Reopened the next day. Minerva Indian Cuisine 2443-G1 Centreville Rd., Herndon Closed May 3 for operating without refrigeration. Reopened the same day. Moby Dick House of Kabob 5900 Kingstowne Towne Center, Alexandria Closed May 1 for operating without refrigeration. Reopened the same day. — Compiled by Terence McArdle


D.C. news in brief

Weeds, tall grass restricted through Oct. 31; fines possible Seasonal prohibitions on grass and weed growth in the District are in effect through Oct. 31. Weeds must be cut before the seventh day of growth. Property owners who allow grass or weeds to grow higher than 10 inches can be fined by Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Failure to comply can result in the agency clearing the weeds at the owner’s expense. Residents can report suspected violations at 202-442-9557 or e-mail dcra.housingcomplaints@dc.gov. Residents must provide an exact address. Free vaccinations for pets at Saturday health clinics The D.C. Department of Health has scheduled free pet vaccinations at clinics Saturdays. The pet clinics are from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Newark Street Dog Park, 39th and Newark streets NW; 1:30 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Upshur Recreation Center, 4300 Arkansas Ave. NW; 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. June 2, Ruth Webb School, 1375 Mount Olivet Rd. NE; 1:30 to 4 p.m. June 2, King Greenleaf Recreation Center, 201 N St. SW; and 9 to 11:30 a.m. June 16, Triangle Park, Minnesota Avenue and Croffut Place SE. Dogs must be leashed and cats secured in a carrier box. Pets must be accompanied by an adult and be three months or older to receive vaccinations. Owners should bring vaccination records. License fees are $15 for sterilized dogs; $50 for others. Fiesta Asia Street Fair will showcase culture, cuisine The Fiesta Asia Street Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday along Pennsylvania Avenue between Third and Sixth streets NW. The festival will feature pan-Asian cuisine, music and dance, and exhibits of traditional and contemporary Asian crafts. It will include performances by Arayun, a Korean folk ensemble, the Charis Chorale of the Philippines and Red Flower, a Taiwanese pop group. For information, go to www.asiaheritagefoundation.org. Agency to hold symposium for seniors, caregivers Friday The D.C. Office on Aging is hosting a senior symposium from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday at the Park Hyatt Washington, 1201 24th St. NW. Seniors, caregivers and professionals will discuss issues such as health care, recreation and socialization, housing, caregiver support, options counseling and long-term care planning. Free continental breakfast and lunch will be provided for registered attendees. To register, call 202-535-1439 or e-mail monica.best@dc.gov. DDOT to discuss M Street transportation study The D.C. Department of Transportation is hosting a public meeting on the M Street SE/SW


Tom Sietsema’s Spring Dining Guide 2012 Now Available

The Washington Post Magazine today presents the third annual Spring Dining Guide. In this issue, food critic Tom Sietsema visits 15 previously reviewed restaurants, several with new chefs. The Dining Guide is available online at http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/best-bets/dining-guide/dining-guide-spring-2012,102675.html and in The Washington Post Magazine Sunday. Readers can now navigate the guide online in gallery format viewing a restaurant review and photo on the same page. Restaurants can also be sorted by cuisine, star-rating, price or location; readers can also see the restaurants on a map and get directions. Sietsema compares Founding Farmers to “Ishtar,” the box office failure. He also says the small plates still rule at Cork Wine Bar. Here are highlights of how some of the other restaurants stack up in 2012: ·Le Vieux Logis In 1996: Solid cooking with a bit of flair Again: Only fair ·Blue Duck Tavern In 2007: A fashionable tribute to farmers Now: When can I get back? ·Jaleo In 2011: Showing its age Now: At 19, va-va-voom! To read the Spring Dining Guide, visit http://www.washingtonpost.com/gog/best-bets/dining-guide/dining-guide-spring-2012,102675.html or pick up this Sunday’s Washington Post Magazine. Readers can also join Tom Sietsema for an online chat Wednesday, May 23 at 11am.


Army probing PTSD diagnoses

diagnoses made by the military or the Department of Veterans Affairs. Service members with such diagnoses are entitled to a 50 percent disability rating, a level at which the military is responsible for considerable medical benefits after retirement. The Army is investigating whether the Lewis-McChord team used the cost of a PTSD diagnosis as a consideration in their evaluations, according to Murray’s office. Three officers have been placed on leave while the investigation continues, including Col. Dallas Homas, the hospital commander, and William Keppler, the head of the psychiatry team. A PowerPoint presentation that Keppler gave to staff members emphasized that every diagnosis of PTSD costs the military $1.5 million in health benefits and pension payments. Juliana Ellis-Billingsley, a member of the screening team, resigned in February. “I find that I can no longer work in a system that requires me to sacrifice my professional and moral principles to political expediency,” Ellis-Billingsley wrote in her resignation letter. Army leaders had told Murray that the problem was isolated, but the decision to order a nationwide review indicates otherwise, the senator said. “Reviewing our processes and policies will ensure that we apply an appropriate standard at every installation — one that is influenced only by the opinion and expertise of our medical professionals,” McHugh and Odierno said in a joint statement. Lewis-McChord, one of the largest military installations in the nation, has attracted attention in recent months because of several high-profile incidents. It is the home base for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, accused in the massacre of 17 Afghan villagers in March, as well as four soldiers found guilty of charges in the killings of three unarmed Afghan civilians in 2010. (A fifth was found guilty on a related charge.) The Army-wide review is to be led by Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Lloyd Austin and Undersecretary of the Army Joseph Westphal. The review is meant to identify and correct problems in the Army’s approach to behavioral health diagnoses and disability evaluations, according to the statement released by the service. “We owe it to every soldier to ensure that he or she receives the care they need and deserve,” McHugh said. More national security coverage: - Obama executive order designed to help ensure Yemen’s stability - Syrian rebels get influx of arms with U.S. help - Panetta curtails F-22 flights after pilot blackouts - Read more of the latest national security news


Prince George’s County Animal Watch

The following cases were received recently by the Prince George’s County Department of Environmental Resources Animal Management Group. Call 301-780-7200 for directions to the county animal shelter, hours of operation and adoption and licensing procedures. The shelter’s Web site is www.princegeorgescountymd.gov/der/amg. All walled in: Pet survives poisoning that claimed house’s occupants: Struggling cat: Bleeding turtle: Annapolis dog and cat adoption show: — Compiled by Jillian S. Sowah


Anti-American rhetoric subsides in Russia

But even a stern reaction from the president, Urnov stresses, would probably be limited to talk. “Maybe I am too optimistic,” Urnov said, “but if we analyze his previous behavior, we see tough talk but rational behavior.” Divergence, convergence One certain flash point is the Magnitsky Law — backed by Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), among others — which if enacted would freeze assets and bar Russian officials connected to human rights abuses from receiving U.S. visas. The congressional bill was named in memory of Sergei Magnitsky, a corruption-fighting lawyer who died in pretrial detention after he was accused of the crimes he uncovered. Russian officials have lobbied strenuously against the law and made it clear that they consider it provocative. In his decree on good relations with the United States, Putin referred to the Magnitsky bill, telling his Foreign Ministry “to work actively on preventing unilateral extraterritorial sanctions by the U.S. against Russian legal entities and individuals.” The bill has deep support among Putin critics here, who see it as a way of singling out wrongdoers among their countrymen without being anti-Russian. “The Magnitsky bill is a very good thing, and the U.S. should keep emphasizing that there is a difference between the Russian people and those in power,” said Dmitri Oreshkin, an organizer of a movement supporting fair elections. “This bill targets people who break the law, not ordinary Russians.” U.S. policy toward Russia should be tough but polite, Oreshkin said. The United States should avoid pronouncements about promoting democracy in Russia, he said, and emphasize educational and cultural exchanges that would give ordinary Russians direct knowledge of the United States. One of those encounters occurred this week, when jazz pianist Herbie Hancock performed in Moscow. The event was sponsored by the U.S. State Department through its American Seasons program, which has brought a number of American performers to Russia, beginning with the Alvin Ailey dancers last summer. The 1,700-seat International House of Music was well-filled, and the audience was knowledgeable and wildly appreciative. As she was leaving the venue after the performance, Inna Valentik, a 52-year-old Muscovite, frowned when reminded about all the anti-American allusions that had been filling the airwaves until recently. “I don’t like all of that, the way politics can divide us,” she said. “Here, listening to this music, you feel only happiness. It goes straight to the heart, and you feel the truth.”


Egyptian presidential hopefuls travel across country in bid for votes

said of Aboul Fotouh. “I hope he doesn’t win.”. Sadiq said he wants Mubarak’s last prime minister, Ahmed Shafiq — who is seen by revolutionaries as an arm of the old regime and the favored candidate of the military rulers — to lead and finally stabilize Egypt after a year marked by bouts of violence, continual protests and a faltering economy. Seeking a liberal alternative A couple of days later, Aboul Fotouh’s arch rival on the campaign trail, Amr Moussa, the former Arab League chief and the liberal front-runner, was in the presidential suite of the Marriott Hotel, in the upscale Cairo district of Zamalek, being interviewed by the ultraconservative Islamic channel al-Nas. He was trying to reach out to puritanical Muslims who will probably vote for his Islamist competitors, reminding viewers that he is a Muslim and not against Islamists but that he believes in freedom of expression. Then he rushed downstairs to have lunch with more than 100 representatives of 42 Bedouin tribes. Moussa had spent weeks traveling around the country to win their endorsement and, with the lunch, they publicly offered their support. As Moussa stopped at each table to shake hands and greet tribal leaders with traditional kisses, they were already referring to him as “Mr. President.” As he settled onto the stage, a man jumped up from his seat to recite an impromptu poem. “Tomorrow, God willing, the command will be yours and you will be president of Egypt,” Mohammed Seif Mohammed said, before rushing up to the stage for a quick hug. Some of the tribesmen said they saw the former foreign minister as a source of stability. Most said he was the right man for this transitional phase, a face of the past and a man of experience at a time of deep uncertainty. After all, Mubarak wasn’t that bad, said Muftah Gibrany, a member of a Bedouin tribe. “Mubarak’s palace was 500 meters from where we live, and we used to salute him,” Gibrany said. “Now we have hope in Amr Moussa and God to solve our problems.” Special correspondents Ingy Hassieb and Haitham Mohamed contributed to this report. More world news coverage: - Chinese dissident case offers rare glimpse into how Chinese leadership operates - G-8 leaders agree on more spending to boost struggling European economy - Egyptian presidential hopefuls on campaign trail - Read more headlines from around the world


On joint U.S.-Afghan mission, balancing suspicion and ambition

partnership after NATO personnel burned dozens of Korans on a military base, and after Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was charged with murdering 17 civilians in Kandahar province. The relationship in the field appears to have reached a stasis in which isolated betrayals don’t threaten to undermine broader progress, they say. That relationship has in Paktika become a transactional one, with Afghan forces dealing directly with Afghan villagers and Americans handling the operational logistics and much of the intelligence gathering. Spina is considered one of the most significant Taliban strongholds in the region — a common stopover for insurgents on their way to and from Pakistan. There is no regular U.S. or Afghan security presence in the village. It’s so unstable that even the district sub-governor — Spina’s ostensible conduit to the capital, Kabul — hasn’t visited in five years. He lives nearly 10 miles away. A ground mission would force Afghan and American soldiers closer together — on the same patrols and into the same makeshift bases. Col. Curtis Taylor announced the mission days before Wilson was buried, before writing a eulogy that included a line reflecting the blow endured by the 172nd Brigade: “His death hit this task force like a hurricane.” Taylor was adamant that the storm not consume his battalion’s primary goal of extending the reach of the Afghan security forces. He said the mission would be “Afghan-led” — a term that U.S. military officials use to suggest the long-term sustainability of the decade-long war effort, which will soon be inherited by this country’s soldiers and policemen. But to some of the U.S. battalion’s soldiers, that meant putting their lives in the hands of men whom they couldn’t trust. Wilson’s death was fresh when they packed in their armored vehicles last month and followed the Afghan army through the winding mountain passes that give way to Spina. “You have to trust the Afghans, but you also have to protect your men,” Perkins said. “There is a residual concern to watch your back after these incidents.” There was also some confusion about what “Afghan-led” really meant. “How many of my men do you need?” asked Col. Safai Mirwais, head of the Afghan battalion partnered with Taylor’s. “It’s your mission,” Taylor responded. “You tell me how many of my men you need.” Taylor looks the part of the quintessential American soldier: broad-shouldered and impeccably uniformed. Mirwais traipses up the


John Boehner’s debt sword — at the ready

off a crisis, he still wins, because the resulting drop in confidence will slow the economy and injure the incumbent president. This possibility is more than theoretical. During the last default showdown, the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index fell precipitously to the lowest level in more than two years. Analysts cited the debt-ceiling standoff as a factor. Of course, it’s a time-honored tradition to disparage the economy when you’re in the opposition. I covered a hearing in early 2008, before the financial collapse, when Democrats spoke of “hemorrhaging” and “crisis” and then-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson complained bitterly that they were trying to talk down the economy. But Boehner goes beyond talking down and approaches the realm of precipitating a crisis. On Thursday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi complained that the other side is willing to “risk the full faith and credit of the United States. . . . It already can be damaging, just the fact that it’s brought up. I think we should snuff it out immediately.” House Republicans have strategic reasons for precipitating a fight over the debt. In its absence, they have been debating issues on the Democrats’ turf, such as the Violence Against Women Act (Republicans passed a face-saving alternative to the Democrats’ version) and renewing the Export-Import Bank (93 House Republicans broke with their leaders). On Thursday, conservatives on Capitol Hill were grumbling over a report by Politico that, if the Supreme Court invalidates the Obamacare health reforms, Republican leaders would attempt to reinstate some of the more popular pieces of the legislation. Returning the discussion to a debt-limit showdown reunites Republicans. But at what cost? I asked Boehner’s spokesman, Michael Steel, whether the speaker worried that the showdown talk would rattle markets and consumers. “If you go back and read the S&P report” when the U.S. debt was downgraded, he said, “it was the failure to come to a more comprehensive agreement to deal with the deficit and debt that caused the downgrade, not the debate over raising the debt limit.” True, Standard & Poor’s said that last summer’s budget deal “falls short” of what would stabilize the debt. But the rating agency also noted that the downgrade reflected “our view that the effectiveness, stability and predictability of American policymaking and political institutions have weakened.” Nobody doubts the need to address the debt, but Boehner’s moves won’t dispel worries about stability and predictability. He


Small, intense schools rule new High School Challenge rankings

or math among 17-year-olds. I started the Challenge Index ratings of public high schools in 1998 after I watched teachers like Jaime Escalante in East Los Angeles prove that average students could thrive in AP, IB and AICE courses if given extra time and encouragement. The top school on that first ranked list was Stanton College Prep in Jacksonville, Fla., a magnet funneling a large number of minority as well as white children into demanding courses. The other schools at the top of that first list were mostly suburban schools whose strong AP programs were the result of having affluent, college-oriented parents, not any great plan for social change. Fourteen years later, Stanton remains in the top 10, but this time, Stanton is joined by many schools like it, although much smaller. Science and Engineering Magnet in Dallas, ranked third, draws 63 percent of its students from low-income families. At the sixth-ranked School for the Talented and Gifted, located in the same building in Dallas, 33 percent come from low-income homes. For the first time, The Post list includes a sampling of private schools as a way to compare private to public schools, and private to private schools. Most private schools appear not to like such comparisons. On Monday, I will explore their traditional resistance to releasing much data, and why a few have decided to be more open, in part because they think their efforts to strengthen courses for all merit attention. (I should note here that I am continuing my long-standing practice of keeping certain elite public schools, such as Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, on a separate list because they have few or no average students.) The Challenge Index uses a measure of college-level test participation simple enough for readers to calculate the ratings of their neighborhood schools. The complex weightings that characterize many other school rankings are not a factor. I divide the number of AP, IB and AICE exams at each school by the number of graduating seniors. A rural Oregon school like Corbett Charter, which gave only 334 AP tests in 2011, can outrank a big magnet school like Suncoast in Florida, which gave 2,523 AP exams and 1,069 IB exams, because Corbett had only 19 graduates in 2011 and Suncoast had 317. High school rankings by U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek have appeared in the past few years


Chen Guangcheng’s far-reaching fate

T he departure from China on Saturday of Chen Guangcheng and his family is an occasion, as he said, for mixed emotions. It is wonderful that Mr. Chen is free and will have a respite, at least, from the harassment, confinement and beatings he has endured in recent years. It is troubling that he had to leave relatives behind in less certain conditions. It is worrying to think about what the entire episode has retaught the world about arbitrary rule in China. Mr. Chen is the blind lawyer-activist whose escape from rural house arrest to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing inspired human-rights supporters the world over — and roiled U.S.-China relations. Last month U.S. officials thought they had a deal under which Mr. Chen would be allowed to stay in China and live freely, as he preferred; that fell through, in part due to his second thoughts. U.S. officials then helped negotiate his exit, to study law at New York University. Fulfillment of this deal Saturday should give Mr. Chen, whose vocal opposition to forced abortions and other abuses of China’s “one-child” policy first attracted the attention of China’s security apparatus in 2005, a measure of calm in which to think about his future. Not so, however, for the rest of Mr. Chen’s family or his home village. According to a report released Wednesday by the Hong Kong-based China Human Rights Defenders (CHRD), Mr. Chen’s brother, Chen Guangfu, was shackled and severely beaten with a leather belt by plainclothes police who burst into his house looking for the escaped dissident on April 27. When the plainclothesmen returned to the house later that night and began beating Chen Guangfu’s wife, Ren Zongju, their son Chen Kegui reportedly rushed to defend her, knife in hand. The minor injuries he allegedly inflicted on the security men have earned him a criminal charge, for which he is now being held in the Yinan County Detention Center, according to CHRD. Obviously, these reports come from Mr. Chen and his supporters, but Chinese officials’ behavior toward those attempting to gather independent information strongly implies that the government has something to hide. When The Post’s Keith B. Richburg approached Mr. Chen’s home village, Dongshigu, a week ago, he found it sealed off by plainclothes thugs who kicked his car and chased him away. The fear of these men has spread from Dongshigu to the surrounding villages, Mr.


Lauren Webster, University of Virginia student and volunteer paramedic, dies at 25

case remains under investigation by Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Lauren had completed her paramedic training at Northern Virginia Community College. When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, she went to Biloxi, Miss., to do relief work, first with AmeriCorps and later through Habitat for Humanity. During Mardi Gras in New Orleans, she saw a man drop to the ground and yell, “Help me!” When no one else responded, Lauren began administering CPR. “I couldn’t let him die in front of me,” she told her mother. Lauren’s experience in Mississippi, where she saw the consequences of debt, unemployment and poor medical care, inspired her to apply to the global development studies program at U-Va. “Hearing the stories of families living on the coast taught me why some people suffered more than others, whether the crisis is a natural disaster or a medical emergency,” Lauren wrote in her application for the program. “These drastically different crises have one thing in common — poverty makes the prognosis for recovery far worse.” While at U-Va., Lauren studied in Nicaragua and did research in an Appalachian region of Virginia about how clinics could improve health care through technology. “Although it was a group project,” a classmate wrote in an e-mail, “Lauren really was the core of the research and innovation.” For her graduation thesis, Lauren wrote about first responders to emergencies including the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Her central question: What motivates people to act altruistically? Lauren Hollis Webster was born Dec. 7, 1986, in Washington. As an elementary student at the Montessori School of Alexandria, she wrote plays for her fellow students, recalled a former teacher, Arlene Kowalski. Lauren went to Burgundy Farm Country Day School in Alexandria, where she and her friends founded a Shakespeare club, and later attended Bard College at Simon’s Rock, a private school in Great Barrington, Mass. Survivors include her parents, Sharon Webster of Arlington and Ronald Webster of Warner, Okla.; a brother, Adam Webster of Arlington; and her maternal grandparents, Norman and Marilyn Weizenbaum of Pittsburgh. As an NIH intern last summer, Lauren did research on mitochondrial DNA. She was scheduled to return to work at the lab in June. “She made a significant contribution to our research, but that wasn’t what impacted me the most,” her NIH mentor, Jahda Hill, wrote in an e-mail. “Lauren had tremendous compassion for others.”


As Chen Guancheng flies to U.S., concern persists over family members left behind

accompanied him and his family on the journey. Dramatic escape Chen’s dramatic escape one month ago from unlawful house arrest in his native Shandong province, and his emergence a week later at the fortified U.S. Embassy in Beijing, had threatened to derail U.S.-China relations as Washington seeks to engage China’s leaders on a wide range of global political and economic issues. But the relatively quick resolution of Chen’s case — so sudden that Chen himself did not know Saturday morning that he was leaving for the United States — suggested that both countries were eager to resolve the matter swiftly and not let it unduly affect their broader relationship. An initial, vitriolic statement by China’s Foreign Ministry accused U.S. diplomats of acting inappropriately by harboring Chen and demanded an apology. But Chinese officials have largely refrained from public comment on the case. And in the midst of the crisis, China’s Defense Minister Liang Guanglie went ahead this month with a planned six-day visit to the United States, the first by a Chinese defense minister in nine years. Still, Chen’s departure leaves several unresolved questions that seem to guarantee that the case will continue to push human rights to the forefront of the agenda of the U.S.-China relationship. The largest unsettled issue is the fate of relatives Chen left behind, particularly a nephew, Chen Kegui, who is in prison in Shandong facing charges of intent to murder. Chen Kegui used a kitchen knife to fight off three intruders in his home April 26 after the discovery of his uncle’s escape. The three turned out to be government agents. In addition, Chen Guangfu, Chen Guangcheng’s older brother, reportedly told a Hong Kong magazine that local officials shackled him to a chair for three days and beat him to make him reveal how Chen Guangcheng managed to escape. Meanwhile, Chen’s home village, Dongshigu, and at least three other villages remain under the control of plainclothes police and armed thugs, and villagers in one location, Xishigu, told The Washington Post in interviews that they are frightened. The thugs have probably clamped down on neighboring villages because they suspect residents aided in Chen Guangcheng’s nighttime escape, friends and others said. After he was taken to Beijing airport Saturday, Chen Guangcheng told The Post by telephone that he had mixed emotions about leaving because of his concern for his relatives. “I really regret not being able


Apartment building sales boost Capitol Riverfront development

Washington’s emerging waterfront continues to attract interest for the already hot apartment and condominium market, with investors making acquisitions and developers snapping up sites in the Capitol Riverfront area near Nationals Park. Most recently, JP Morgan Asset Management acquired two apartment buildings at 100 Eye St. SE and 909 New Jersey Ave. SE, on behalf of institutional investor clients. The two-building apartment property, known respectively as Axiom at Capitol Yards and 909 at Capitol Yards, includes a total of 483 units and sold for a combined price of more than $188 million. The sellers were entities affiliated with Dallas-based JPI Multifamily Partners. At approximately $392,000 a unit, the luxury apartments sold for more than twice the market average of $155,000 a unit for apartment property sales in the Washington region during the first quarter. The same investors have plans to buy the third property in the portfolio, having placed the much-larger 448-unit Jefferson at Capitol Yards, located at 70 Eye St. SE, under contract. All three of the Capitol Yards apartment buildings include high-end amenities such as fitness centers, lounges and rooftop pools. Also in April, Toll Bros., a luxury home builder, purchased a 1.2-acre lot for $24 million, or $481 a square foot. Though no set plans have been filed for development, the site will likely see apartment or condo units. The lot is located at 1025 First St. SE, within two blocks of the three Capitol Yards buildings being acquired by JP Morgan. According to brokers, these types of properties appeal to those who could afford to own a residence but instead prefer to rent in a location that offers a “Live-Work-Play” urban lifestyle planners envisioned for the area, which has undergone a transformation since the Washington Nationals baseball stadium opened. The influx of residents is also beginning to attract retailers. Harris Teeter and Austin Grill are among retailers that recently signed leases for locations in the area. These recent sales, along with the five proposed or under-construction multifamily projects in the area, help support a growing trend in the Capitol Riverfront area. Kirstie Boatright is a research manager for CoStar Group in Washington.


Capital Buzz: Rosetta Stone’s new strategy translates into smaller workforce

Thomas Heath is away, but he didn’t leave us empty-handed. We also turned up some news ourselves. Rosetta Stone A spokeswoman for the company declined to specify how many employees were terminated, but said the departures were spread across several of the company’s offices. Rosetta Stone reported having 1,878 employees last December, including 228 in the Washington area. An earnings report earlier this month showed that number had fallen to 1,700 by March 31. “To align with our global growth plan and to provide streamlined efficiencies within our workforce, select members of the Rosetta Stone team will no longer be working with the company,” chief executive Stephen Swad said in a statement. — Steven Overly A stem cell first Columbia- based Osiris Therapeutics got the stamp of approval from health regulators in Canada last week for a stem cell drug to treat children whose bodies react negatively to a bone-marrow transplant. Chief executive C. Randal Mills said the endorsement of Prochymal marks the first time a stem cell drug has been approved by regulators in any country, adding that the company will now pursue approval in the United States and other nations. — Steven Overly There’s money in the air Safeway Not off the shelves per se, but above them. Based in Pleasanton, Calif., Safeway has struck a string of deals by selling the “air rights” above some of its older local stores to apartment developers who then build new apartments above new Safeway stores. After Safeway opened a store in the ground floor of the mixed-use City Vista development in Mount Vernon Triangle, it struck deals to have apartments built above its stores in Wheaton and on Georgia Avenue in D.C. The Wheaton project is under construction and the one on Georgia Avenue is expected to begin later this year. The latest offering, issued by brokers at KLNB May 1, is for the air space above the store at 5101 Wilson Blvd. in Arlington. — Jonathan O’Connell The Buzz hears: Former TV newsie Brooke Salkoff’s CampEasy Web site has its first $200,000 in angel funding. CampEasy, which helps parents connect with summer camps for their kids, gets its revenue from monthly and yearly subscriptions. The round is still open. A group of Washington area private detectives met recently at Dos Gringos restaurant in Mount Pleasant to discuss the formation of a trade association in the wake of the D.C.


Advocates parade in support of pit bulls

up in domestic violence cases. Kilborn said the number of volunteers for the group’s annual lobby day visits to lawmakers in Annapolis has grown from 10 to 126. Last year, Charles County officials who were considering a ban on pit bulls found themselves outnumbered at public forums as scores of pit bull advocates from across the Washington region descended on the county. The proposal was dropped. Critics of “breed-specific” restrictions argue that such policies don’t stop dog biting incidents and wrongly blame animals instead of irresponsible owners. They have so far been unsuccessful in overturning the pit bull ban in Prince George’s County, which has been in place for more than a decade. Recent battles on the city and county levels have helped pit bull advocates organize. Houliaras started B-More Dogs in response to a 2007 effort to institute a ban in Baltimore County. That effort failed. Kilborn, 53, said Maryland Votes for Animals took off quickly because animal advocates have begun to embrace lobbying as something nearly as critical as rescue work. Pit bull owner Kelli Parker, 37, formed another local advocacy group, The Pretty Chic with The Pits, because of the Charles County battle. She said she wants to separate pit bull advocacy from the blood-throwing stereotype attached to some animal activists. “We wanted to be more professional,” she said. “You don’t want to come off pushy.” The parading pit bulls in Baltimore offered one gauge of public opinion. The canines drew a largely sympathetic response. “I’m fine as long as it doesn’t pee on my leg,” said a police officer as a dog sniffed at him. Passersby snapped photos and boat tour workers kneeled down to pet the dogs as they brushed past. But not everyone was feeling the love, even for this particularly obedient and well-behaved group. A man pushing his grandson in a stroller who only gave his first name, Nick, steered clear. Nodding his head in the direction of a dog on a pink leash, he said, “I wouldn’t want to get near that dog.” The parade petered out in a field not far from the aquarium. As owners and dogs lolled in the grass. Houliaras chatted with other owners. At her feet lay her docile 4-year-old pit bull, Ruby. When Ruby, a therapy dog, gets this way, which is often, Houliaras looks at her and says, “so much for an inherently dangerous dog.”


‘Ring of Fire’ solar eclipse delights millions across western US, Asia

be the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen,” said Brent Veltri of Salida, Colo. Elsewhere, viewing parties were held at observatories in Reno, Nev., and Oakland, Calif., while skywatchers gathered in coastal and forest counties in California. In some areas, special camera filters for taking photographs have been sold out for weeks in anticipation of the big event. Yet, while millions were making an effort to view the eclipse, some American Indians were adhering to tradition by staying indoors. Navajo Bonnie Charley of Monument Valley in northeast Arizona said she follows her tribe’s traditions. “You’re supposed to stay inside,” said the 75-year-old Charley, whose father was a medicine man. “No eating, drinking or sleeping. That’s for the duration of the eclipse.” She said Navajo traditions surrounding eclipses stem from their beliefs regarding creation. The eclipse was broadcast live on TV in Tokyo, where such an eclipse hasn’t been visible since 1839. Japanese TV crews watched from the top of Mount Fuji and even staked out a zoo south of Tokyo to capture the reaction of the chimpanzees — who didn’t seem to notice. Eclipse tours were arranged in Japan at schools and parks, on pleasure boats and even private airplanes. Similar events were held in China and Taiwan as well, with skywatchers warned to protect their eyes. A light rain fell on Tokyo as the eclipse began, but the clouds thinned as it reached its peak, providing near perfect conditions. “It was a very mysterious sight,” said Kaori Sasaki, who joined a crowd in downtown Tokyo to watch event. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” A Japanese zoo said the eclipse apparently made ring-tailed lemurs believe it was evening. Some 20 lemurs at the Japan Monkey Center in central Japan skipped breakfast, climbed up and jumped between trees and poles, a typical evening behavior, according to the zoo web site. They returned to normal after the eclipse. “They must be reacting to the eclipse,” zoo director Akira Kato told public broadcaster NHK. At the Taipei Astronomical Museum in Taiwan, the spectacle emerged from dark clouds for only about 30 seconds. But the view was nearly perfect against Manila’s orange skies. “It’s amazing. We do this for the awe (and) it has not disappointed. I am awed, literally floored,” said astronomical hobbyist Garry Andreassen, whose long camera lenses were lined up with those of about 10 other gazers in a downtown Manila


Bob McDonnell’s national security problem

Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.) has long been on almost everyone’s short list for the Republican vice presidential nomination. But the recent controversy over Virginia’s law requiring ultrasounds before abortions may have hurt McDonnell’s chances at the VP nod (he somehow managed to anger social conservatives by backing a watered-down version of the bill and moderates who say the fight plays right into Obama’s “war on women” strategy). Still, McDonnell enjoys 62 percent approval in a swing state that is critical to the GOP’s prospects this November. And as a 21-year Army veteran, and the father of a daughter who served as a platoon leader in Iraq, he seemed to bring strong national security credentials to the GOP ticket. But now McDonnell’s national security credentials have come into question, thanks to his mishandling of a bill passed by the Virginia General Assembly that disassociates the commonwealth from the military detention of al-Qaeda or its terrorist affiliates who happen to be U.S. citizens. The bill, HB 1160, would effectively bar Virginia state troopers from arresting a terrorist like Anwar al-Awlaki if they knew he would be put in military detention. McDonnell didn’t raise a finger to stop this odious legislation as it made its way through the Virginia legislature. As a result, it passed 97-3 in the House of Delegates and 39-1 in the state Senate. Far from fighting this bill, McDonnell’s office issued a statement on passage expressing the governor’s “shared concern that Virginia does not participate in the unconstitutional detention of U.S. citizens.” Of course, there have been no “unconstitutional detentions of U.S. citizens” — but instead of pointing this out and opposing the statute, McDonnell gave credence to the false premise that underpins it. Former attorney general Ed Meese and former Homeland Security secretary Mike Chertoff wrote McDonnell detailing HB 1160’s many practical dangers and constitutional flaws, and told him, “We strongly urge you to veto the bill.” The governor rejected their advice. McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin told me the governor believes “that terrorist acts against our nation by enemy groups and combatants should be dealt with for what they are — acts of war,” and that an American citizen can be held as an enemy combatant, provided he can challenge his detention in court. But once the bill had been approved by such overwhelming margins, his office says, McDonnell had only three options: veto it (and see his


Loudoun, Maryland teens claim top spots at international science fair

Loudoun County science whiz Ari Dyckovsky, who was one of 40 teenage finalists in the 2012 national Intel Science Talent Search for his work in quantum physics, was among the top three winners announced Friday at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, the world’s largest high school science research competition. Although Dyckovsky, 18, did not claim one of the top spots at the talent search competition in March, his work in quantum teleportation earned him a place in the international science fair, where he was awarded one of two $50,000 Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards last week. The other Young Scientist Award went to Nicholas Schiefer, 17, of Ontario, Canada, who studied the ability to search small amounts of Internet content, such as tweets and Facebook status updates. The competition’s first-place Gordon E. Moore Award, a $75,000 prize, went to another teen from the Washington region — Jack Andraka, 15, of Crownsville, who devised a noninvasive method to detect pancreatic cancer. Dyckovsky was among more than 1,500 young scientists chosen to compete in the contest, selected from 446 affiliate science fairs (including the Intel Science Talent Search) in about 70 countries, regions and territories, the Intel Corp. announcement said. “It’s been incredible — I didn’t think I had a chance, but people were so interested in my project. And everyone else I talked to here was so brilliant. We all appreciate each other’s work so much,” Dyckovsky said, shortly after the top prizes were announced. “I’m pretty speechless.” Over the past few years, Dyckovsky has spent many hours researching quantum “entanglement” with his mentor, Steven Olmschenk, at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg. Dyckovsky said his research shows how, through the entanglement process, information from one atom can be made to appear in a second atom when the quantum state of the first atom is destroyed. It’s a complicated concept, but the potential impact is significant: The entanglement method could ultimately allow organizations to send encrypted messages without the risk of interception, because the information would not actually travel to its new location — it would simply appear there. Dyckovsky, a senior at Heritage High School and the Loudoun Academy of Science, plans to continue his education at Stanford University on a scholarship in the fall. “I’m going to start with studying mathematics, and we’ll see from there,” he said. Andraka, who took the


Some planets have no star to circle; book relates dispute over medical discovery

Space Lonely planets, with nothing to orbit Astronomy Magazine, May What’s lonelier than the loneliest person in the world? The loneliest world in the galaxy. In this month’s issue of Astronomy, Steve Nadis writes about rogue planets, worlds that are freely floating through interstellar space. In the chaotic early stages of their development, planetary systems are thought to form a bunch of objects (planets, planetoids, etc.). But as the system stabilizes, not everybody makes the gravitational cut. “Some of these planets get thrown out, and what remains is a stable configuration,” writes Nadis. “At that point, the system is dynamically full, with no unoccupied niches for large bodies to slip into.” Thus, a few planets slip off. Because they are tiny and dim objects, it’s tough for scientists to get a glimpse of them. But by using a process called microlensing — monitoring subtle shifts in brightness when an object, such as a planet, drifts in front of a more distant light source — researchers have built a strong case for their existence and now think that these lonely worlds are highly numerous, perhaps outnumbering more familiar, tethered worlds. Biology A question of scientific credit “Experiment Eleven,” Walker Books The discovery of streptomycin, the first antibiotic effective against tuberculosis, was a big step forward for medicine, but, from an ethical standpoint, it was not a golden moment for the scientific community. In “Experiment Eleven,” Peter Pringle writes about Albert Schatz, a graduate student at Rutgers College of Agriculture who was working as a lab assistant when, in 1943, he discovered the microbe that produced the antibiotic. As Pringle tells the story, the lab’s director, Selman Waksman, took the credit, even though he did not participate in the experiments that yielded the drug. Though Schatz was initially listed as co-discoverer, Pringle writes, his boss eventually pressured him into relinquishing the patent rights to the university and hid the fact that he was getting a significant portion of the royalties. Schatz eventually sued and won an out-of-court settlement, but the lawsuit sullied his reputation in the scientific community, and when the discovery led to a Nobel Prize in 1952, his boss was the sole recipient. (Neither Waksman’s Nobel laureate biography nor his Wikipedia entry mentions the controversy.) Ultimately, Schatz’s lab notes were rediscovered and his work was recognized, but his story remains a cautionary tale. — Aaron Leitko


Yahoo seals Alibaba deal, kicks turnaround into high gear

Yahoo may have hit a low point last week when it announced that chief executive Scott Thompson had left the company after just five months after questions were raised about his academic record. But the company is wasting no time in trying to turn around its fortunes, announcing Sunday that it had finally closed a long-rumored deal for its stake in the Chinese Web company Alibaba. Yahoo said the agreement included selling a 20 percent share of its stake in Alibaba, worth about $7.1 billion, according to a company news release. Sealing the deal with Alibaba had been a top priority for Daniel Loeb, the activist investor who first raised questions about Thompson’s academic record. Loeb and two others nominated by his hedge fund, Third Point, were appointed to Yahoo’s board of directors after Thompson’s departure. Analysts said the deal with Alibaba was an aggressive way to push the company forward and move on from its executive’s troubles.. In a note to investors, BCG’s Collin Gillis upgraded Yahoo from “Buy” to “Hold,” saying that believes the new board will be good for the company. “We see the new board as increasing the focus on Yahoo’s core media business and limiting the potential for large dilutive acquisitions,” he said. Next up, Gillis said that he is looking to see Yahoo monetize its stake in Yahoo Japan. The announcement and Yahoo’s dogged pursuit of a turnaround could suggest that interim CEO Ross Levinsohn is primed for the top job, but Forbes notes that it’s much too soon to be popping champagne corks for the ad veteran. Ronald Josey, an analyst with ThinkEquity in New York, told the publication, “Levinsohn has the right credentials for the job, but it’s still early, and I think Yahoo knows that.” After all, Levinsohn has been on the job for only about a week. Yahoo was trading up just over 1 percent Monday, at $15.60 per share near closing bell. Related stories: Yahoo chief executive resigns, company adds new board members Yahoo adds to Facebook suit Yahoo: Who is Ross Levinsohn?


Government has foreign language deficit

choices.” The Defense Department has similar difficulties. More than 80 percent of its language slots were filled in fiscal year 2011, but just 28 percent “were filled with personnel at the required foreign-language proficiency level,” Laura Junor, a deputy assistant secretary of defense, said in her statement. “Although we may be filling the positions, we are not filling those positions with individuals with the requisite proficiency skill level.” Recruiting and hiring is tough. “At the outset, it is difficult to identify the right people,” Tracey North, an FBI deputy assistant director, said in her testimony. Not only must they speak the foreign language excellently, but their reputations must survive thorough background investigations. “On average, one out of every 10 applicants gets through the entire contract linguist applicant process,” North said. “Furthermore, there is a limited availability of qualified speakers of vital foreign languages who are U.S. citizens and have the English skills to support our requirements.” People such as Shauna Kaplan, a fifth-grader at Providence Elementary School in Fairfax County and one of three students at the hearing who spoke about their foreign language experiences, are changing that. Shauna presented herself well at the hearing, delivering parts of her testimony in fluent Chinese, which she translated for her audience. “That means: Thank you everyone. I am happy to speak some Chinese today. Learning Chinese is not hard. You also can learn Chinese.” She did so well that she earned applause. Too bad Uncle Sam can’t hire her — yet. Long odds for DPBO Gay and lesbian advocates cheered last week when a Senate committee advanced legislation that would allow employment fringe benefits for same-sex partners of federal employees. The Human Rights Campaign, which pushes for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, issued a news release saying it “hailed” and “applauds” the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approval of the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act (DPBO). But that might be where the bill stops, at least for now. Action by the full, Democratically controlled Senate is uncertain, and chances the Republican-ruled House will vote on the bill are not good. “Given the fact that the House is controlled by conservative Republicans, this legislation is unlikely to become law this year,” said Fred Sainz, HRC vice president. “And that does not speak well of the federal government as an employer.” Leonard Hirsch, president of Federal Globe, an organization of


Jill Tarter steps down as director of SETI

For more than three decades, astronomer and extraterrestrial life visionary Jill Tarter has been the public face of the sometimes controversial, sometimes lauded search for signs of intelligent beings throughout the cosmos. A founding member in 1984 of the nonprofit Center for SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Research, Tarter has led the group’s expansion and evolution as the broader science of astrobiology has blossomed. To her great disappointment, she said last week, SETI has not detected the kind of compressed radio signals from afar that nature cannot create but intelligent beings can. Nonetheless, she said she is beyond delighted about how the search for life beyond Earth has become so much more sophisticated, more promising and more mainstream. Yet Tarter and SETI announced Tuesday morning that its longtime director will step down from that post and turn her efforts to fundraising to keep the organization afloat. Tarter will hand over the director’s reins to Gerry Harp, an expert in quantum mechanics who has been an innovator in using the Northern California radio telescope array that SETI partially owns and has helped run. Why the move now? “When we started SETI, we had two goals in mind,” Tarter said, “to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, and to create a center where that search could continue into the future as our technologies, our understandings and our computing powers increased. “The search is more robust now than ever, but the center is struggling financially. It needs somebody to spend all their time raising funds so the Center for SETI Research itself can be around to understand that signal we are confident will be sent.” Tarter, 68, was the obvious choice to lead the fundraising effort. Well-respected and honored in the scientific community, she is also known in popular culture as Ellie Arroway, a young woman obsessed with extraterrestrial life, played by actress Jodie Foster in the 1997 movie “Contact.” Tarter has also long been involved in outreach programs such as SETI@home, which encourages computer owners to help process SETI data on their machines, and has been the principal investigator for two elementary, middle and high school curriculum projects on “Life in the Universe” and evolution funded by NASA, the National Science Foundation and others. The immediacy of the financial threat became clear last year. SETI and the University of California at Berkeley jointly operated a sophisticated radio telescope array built with $30 million donated


of collision with the growing amount of orbiting space junk. Tarter said that SETI will be able to continue its operations at the array — at Hat Creek, between Mount Lassen and Mount Shasta — while the space debris tracking gears up. Fascinated by the work of Frank Drake, a pioneer in the field, Tarter started her work on the search for extraterrestrial life in the mid-1970s. For some time she worked on a small NASA-sponsored program focused on that search. The program was scheduled to expand in the early 1990s, but then-Sen. Richard H. Bryan (D-Nev.) effectively killed it, famously saying the federal government shouldn’t be spending money in the search for little green men and UFOs. (It wasn’t.) SETI wasn’t allowed to compete for federal funds from 1993 until the last years of the George W. Bush administration. SETI’s work continued under the nonprofit SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif. A primary focus now is to look for signals that might be coming from the stars with orbiting exoplanets that have been identified by NASA’s Kepler telescope. The Kepler space observatory has already found more than 2,300 “candidate” planets, and its discoveries have led astronomers and planetary scientists to conclude that there are probably hundreds of billions of planets in the Milky Way alone. Tarter is a member of the science team working with the Kepler data streaming in. “Kepler has dramatically changed and improved how we do our SETI searches,” Tarter said. “Before we were pointing at stars that just might have planets and moons, and now we know they’re out there. Very exciting.” She said she’s also encouraged by the growing international interest in SETI observation. Under the initiative of Japanese astronomer and observatory director Shin-ya Narusawa, a worldwide SETI effort to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Drake’s first efforts brought in 27 institutions from 15 nations. The idea for the Northern California radio telescope array was born of SETI’s desire to have dedicated telescope time all its own, coupled with the pioneering work of William “Jack” Welch, former director of University of California at Berkeley’s Radio Astronomy Laboratory and of the fledgling Hat Creek facility. That Tarter and Welch are married no doubt lent additional energy to the joint venture. Tarter says she hopes her greater role in fundraising will allow the Allen Array to grow to its initially planned size, but more immediately to


7 bad foods that are actually good for you

cups of fruits and vegetables a day because of their superior health benefits. Soy Though popular for centuries in many Asian cuisines, soy is sometimes seen as dangerous after studies found elevated rates of breast cancer among rats when they were fed a concentrated soy derivative. But studies looking at whole soy foods in humans have not found a connection. In fact, the reverse may be true. Soy, “when consumed in childhood or adolescence may make breast tissue less vulnerable to cancer development later in life and probably has no effect on breast cancer risk when consumption begins in adulthood,” said Karen Collins, registered dietitian and nutrition adviser with the American Institute for Cancer Research. Actually, Collins said, the evidence is so strong for protection against heart disease that the FDA allowed a health claim for labels on soy food products. Alcohol Alcohol is feared because of the potential for abuse and alcoholism and complications such as liver disease, which are valid concerns. But decades’ worth of research shows that moderate alcohol consumption “can reduce deaths from most causes, particularly heart disease, and it raises HDL (good) cholesterol,” the USDA’s David Baer said. Wine may have additional benefits because its grapes are filled with nutrients called polyphenols, which reduce blood-clotting, inflammation and oxidation. The key is to drink alcohol moderately and with meals. What’s moderation? One serving daily for women and two servings for men, with a serving being 5 ounces of wine, 12 ounces of beer or 1.5 ounces of spirits. Fried Foods While it’s true that frying food usually increases its caloric content, that doesn’t necessarily make it unhealthful. As long as food is fried in healthful oil instead of butter, shortening, or trans fat, and it’s eaten in moderation, it isn’t less healthy. In fact, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, and heart-healthy, cancer-preventive carotenoids such as beta-carotene (e.g., carrots, sweet potatoes), lycopene (e.g., tomatoes) and lutein/zeaxanthin (deep-green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale), need fat in order to be absorbed by the body. “The consumption of certain fats, such as saturated fatty acids and trans fatty acids [fats that are solid at room temperature], is associated with an . . . increased risk of cardiovascular disease. On the other hand, the unsaturated fats, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids [canola, safflower and olive oils] have significant metabolic benefits and are health promoting,” said


With milestone launch, SpaceX aims to make space cheap — and cool

drive down the cost of routine launches, NASA can focus instead on developing future deep-space missions. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, shown in 2011 unveiling the Falcon Heavy rocket at the National Press Club in Washington. (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES) Q: How is the SpaceX spacecraft different from a space shuttle? A: The company’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule are much smaller than the shuttle and carry less cargo. With construction of the space station complete, NASA didn’t need a vehicle as large as the shuttle. Unlike the shuttle, which landed on a runway, Dragon will splash down in the ocean, off the coast of California. Although the current Dragon is unmanned, SpaceX plans to upgrade the vehicle to— someday — carry as many as seven passengers into orbit and back to Earth. Q: What is the goal of the current mission? A: It’s a shakedown cruise. SpaceX has to prove that it is ready to fulfill a NASA contract to send a dozen supply-stuffed Dragon capsules to the space station over the next five to seven years. If Dragon does dock with the station as planned, it will signal that SpaceX is ready to move from vehicle development to regular operations. Q: Is the commercial space strategy really saving NASA money? A: A NASA report published last year found that the development costs of the Falcon 9 rocket were about a third of what NASA would have spent. That’s a huge savings to NASA. Instead of micromanaging vehicle design and construction, NASA instead handed $381 million in seed cash to SpaceX and let the company find ways to be efficient. SpaceX officials love to talk about how they save money. Theybuild rockets from scratch at a site near Los Angeles. Keeping construction compact saves money. The company is using a refurbished launch pad at Cape Canaveral — which was a lot cheaper than building a new one. When the company needed a fuel tank for the pad, they bought one from the Air Force for a dollar over scrap. SpaceX rockets also require fewer people to build, launch and operate than the shuttle did. There’s no standing army of shuttle workers to pay year-round for just a few launches. Everything about SpaceX’s operations — including the modest, metal-sided launch center on Cape Canaveral — screams “efficiency.” And it should. SpaceX founder Elon Musk is in this business to make money.


See the U.S.A. in interesting ways; more bucket list achievements

especially when he was stationed in Hawaii. When he started working in the private sector, he packed his clubs for business trips. “One day, after a round of golf, I was sitting talking with friends about where we’d played,” said Bob, 72, from Eldersburg, Md. “One guy said, ‘Gee, Bob, you’ve played in like half the states.’ ” That’s when he decided to bag the other half. All the courses he played were public, many of them municipal courses. The strangers he played with were always keen to learn about his quest. He burned the last of his frequent-flier miles to get to Alaska, where he played a round at 10 p.m. June 21 — the longest day of the year. (Bad decision, he says in retrospect. It’s practically still winter there then.) Cross-country road trips to play golf allowed Bob and his wife of 50 years, Pat, to visit friends they hadn’t seen for decades. Pat doesn’t golf. “I don’t know if the marriage is strong enough to sustain both of us on the golf course at the same time,” Bob said. Run, Larry, run Larry Dickerson But at age 48, he decided to get back into the sport. He’d smoked for most of his adult life and was feeling pretty unhealthy. He signed up for the Chicago Marathon and asked a friend to send him some training tips. “I was grossly unprepared for the Chicago Marathon,” Larry said. “I finished it in just under five hours. My calves were so tied up I was afraid I couldn’t get to my car and get home.” But Larry kept at it, running road races whenever he could. He tried to fit them in when he was traveling for his job in facilities management and human resources for a defense contractor. “Then I realized, ‘Hey I’ve run in 20 states. Why not just keep going?’ It hasn’t been a fevered chase until about now. I know I’m running short on time.” Larry is 80. He’s often the oldest participant in any race he runs. This month, he knocked off two states, running a 5K in Tulsa on a Friday evening and another 5K in Wichita two days later. He has eight more states to go, including most of the Great Plains. He plans to run his final race in Alaska. “I’m getting closer,” Larry said. Read previous columns by John Kelly.


Consumer agency to target prepaid cards

The new federal consumer watchdog agency is considering drafting new rules governing transparency and safety in the rapidly growing market for prepaid cards. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray said the cards have fewer regulatory protections than bank accounts and debit cards. The agency said it will focus rule-making on three key areas: disclosure of fees and terms, liability for unauthorized transactions and niche product features, such as overdrawing an account. The agency is holding a field hearing on the cards Wednesday in North Carolina. “The people who use prepaid cards are, in many instances, the most vulnerable among us,” Cordray said. “All consumers need, and deserve, products which are safe and whose costs and risks are clear upfront.” The rules would apply specifically to prepaid cards that can be reloaded and used at an array of locations. Many consumers are using these cards as replacements for traditional checking accounts. According to a recent focus group convened by the Pew Health Group, consumers said the cards help them avoid costly bank overdraft fees and are a useful budgeting tool. Generally, consumers can only spend the money they have loaded onto the card. But the Pew focus group found that consumers were concerned about the number of fees associated with prepaid cards. They include charges to buy the card, reload money, withdraw money from an ATM and call customer service. The CFPB said there is no industry-wide standard on disclosures, making it hard for consumers to comparison shop. In addition, some cards offer features allowing customers to overdraw their accounts or build their credit. The agency is seeking feedback on the costs, benefits and consumer-protection issues associated with those features. Terry Maher, general counsel at the Network Branded Prepaid Card Association, said the trade group supports transparent disclosures. Several of its members have been working with advocacy groups on test forms, he said. Maher said the group is also open to requiring prepaid card providers that offer overdraft to comply with the same regulations for those fees as banks. But he said it “would be a mistake” to ban the product all together. “We’re in favor of consumers being able to choose the product that’s right for them after they get clear and transparent disclosures,” Maher said. More of the latest business news: CBO report: Taxmageddon would throw U.S. back into recession Generic-drug makers: Brand-name rivals are exploiting loopholes Energy


What to do on rainy days at the beach

Ocean City. 410-524-1000. www.carouselhotel.com. Skating, $5; for hotel guests, $4. Skate rental, $3; for hotel guests, $2. Shopping When it rains, a lot of people head to the popular outlet malls in Rehoboth, but there’s much more to explore. Berlin’s historic downtown is filled with small antique shops and boutiques. Highlights include the Coconut Bay Trading Co., where objects range from Burmese marionettes to 19th-century Russian icons, and the eclectic Nest, which mixes new bags and scarves with antique furnishings. Delaware destinations include antique malls and bookstores on the quaint main streets of Milford and downtown Lewes. Coconut Bay Trading Co., 18 Williams St., Berlin, Md. 443-513-4012. Nest, 116 Broad St., Berlin, Md. 410-629-1030. Brewery tours A visit to Dogfish Head Brewery is probably at the top of every beer lover’s list — reservations for free tours are recommended — but the Delmarva beer scene has greatly expanded since last Memorial Day. The 16 Mile Brewing Co., which is getting its brews on the menu at more beach bars, unveiled a new tavern and tasting room at its Georgetown, Del., brewery in January. The Evolution Craft Brewing Co. left Delaware for Salisbury, Md., earlier this spring, and its owners opened a much larger tasting room and brewery along with Public House, a locavore-friendly restaurant and bar next door. On the menu: beers on a dozen taps, sauteed asparagus topped with sauteed duck eggs and honeyed yogurt, and pork belly served with ramps and fiddlehead greens. Now open daily, the Burley Oak bar and brewery in Berlin poured its first beer in August 2011; its brews debuted in the District in the middle of this month. Stop by the bar to pick up the Rude Boy Ale. Perhaps the most unusual new arrival is the Fin City Brewing nanobrewery inside Hooper’s Crab House in West Ocean City. It offers two draft beers — a spicy Sneaky Wheat ale and the Fin Light, which my bartender compared to Coors Light — and you can get them only at the riverfront restaurant and bar. ●Dogfish Head, 6 Cannery Village Center, Milton, Del. 302-684-1000. www.dogfish.com. Tours offered Tuesday-Saturday. ●16 Mile Brewing Co., 413 S. Bedford St., Georgetown, Del. 302-253-8816. www.16milebrewery.com. Tasting room open Tuesday-Saturday; tours offered Thursday-Saturday. ●Evolution Craft Brewing Co., 201 E. Vine St., Salisbury, Md. 443-260-2337. www.evolutioncraftbrewing.com. Tasting room and restaurant open daily. No brewery tours yet. ●Burley Oak Brewing Co, 10016


Obama touts American exceptionalism, end of wars in Air Force graduation speech

COLORADO SPRINGS — In a commencement address to the graduating service members, Obama hailed a milestone moment as the country winds down its military involvement in the two wars that have defined the generation that has come of age after Sept. 11, 2001. The Class of 2012 is the first in nearly a decade, Obama said, that is entering active service with no U.S. troops fighting in Iraq and the first that can envision an end to the Afghanistan conflict. “For a decade, we have labored under the dark cloud of war. Now, we can see the light of a new day on the horizon,” the president said, speaking on a stage in the middle of the academy’s football field as the cadets, dressed in blue-and-white uniforms, sat in rows before him. “The end of these wars will shape your service, and it will make our military stronger.” Obama’s appearance came just two days after he presided over a NATO summit in Chicago at which the allied nations agreed to a framework to wind down the Afghanistan war by the end of 2014. Over the past half-year, the president has touted the end of the Iraq war and the drawdown in Afghanistan as centerpieces of his foreign policy record as he makes his case for reelection, reminding the public that he made good on his campaign promise to end the Iraq conflict. The Obama campaign has identified military families as a potential source of votes in battleground states, hoping to undercut a traditionally strong voting bloc for Republicans. Vice President Biden is scheduled to speak at West Point’s graduation ceremony Saturday. The president used much of his speech Wednesday to declare that American influence has not waned, as some of his critics have suggested. Instead, he argued, “the United States is leading once more. From Europe to Asia, our alliances are stronger than ever.” He pointed to the partnership with Japan after the earthquake and tsunami there last year and his administration’s approach to aiding Libyan rebels in overthrowing the oppressive regime of Moammar Gaddafi last fall. The argument was aimed squarely at sharp criticism from the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, who has called Obama too soft on Iran. Republicans also have accused the president of responding too slowly to the pro-democracy movements that have challenged long-standing autocracies in the Middle East and North Africa, and failing to


D.C. news in brief

Housing expo to focus on foreclosure prevention The Department of Housing and Community Development and the Greater Washington Urban League have scheduled the D.C. Housing Expo and Foreclosure Clinic from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 2 at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Pl. NW. Highlights include workshops on foreclosure prevention, homeownership, senior housing and financial literacy; free credit reports and counseling; home repair and cooking demonstrations; and exhibits from community and government organizations, lenders and real estate agents. Borrowers can meet with mortgage companies and a HUD-approved counseling agency to work on a foreclosure prevention plan. Lenders, including most major area banks, will be present to work with homeowners. For information, call 202-442-7200 or go to dhcd.dc.gov. DDOT to discuss Parkside pedestrian bridge The D.C. Department of Transportation has scheduled a public meeting on the Parkside pedestrian bridge from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Neval Thomas Elementary School, 650 Anacostia Ave. NE. The bridge will connect the Mayfair neighborhood and proposed Parkside development on the west with the Minnesota Avenue Metro stations, downtown Ward 7 and the Deanwood Community on the east. Transportation staff members will show how the bridge, its access ramps and stairs will be aligned and outline the steps for design and construction. For information, go to www.anacostiawaterfront.org/parksidepedestrianbridge, e-mail ddot.awi@dc.gov or call 202-741-8528. ‘Mobile job store’ helps veterans find work A “mobile job store” made a stop at the D.C. Armory last week to help National Guard and reservists find employment, according to a news release. The Hero 2 Hired mobile job store helped National Guard members and reservists search for jobs online and put them in contact with companies committed to hiring military personnel. Service members were also shown how to create a résumé, including translating their military skills into civilian job qualifications. More than 125 veterans and service members visited the store during its May 17 stop at the D.C. Armory. For information, go to h2h.jobs. DDOT to discuss two-way cycle track on First St. NE A public meeting on the First Street NE Reconstruction Project is scheduled from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Flats 130 Apartment Building, 130 M St. NE. The D.C. Department of Transportation project will create a two-way cycle track on the east side of First Street NE from K Street to G Street NE. The project will upgrade signals and streetlights, add sidewalks, enhance crosswalks


D.C., Maryland and Virginia health code violations

This food establishment was closed because of health code violations. The list, compiled from health department reports, reflects actions taken by the departments. THE DISTRICT Three Way Liquors 4823 Georgia Ave. NW Closed May 14 for circumstances that might endanger public health. Reopened May 15. MARYLAND No new closures reported. VIRGINIA No new closures reported. — Compiled by Terence McArdle


USOC, IOC reach deal that will pave the way for future Olympics in United States

the way for the USOC to submit a candidate city for the 2022 Winter Games or the 2024 Summer Games. USOC leadership, which did not put forth a bid for the 2020 Games, had vowed not to bid again until the revenue matter was resolved. Chicago’s defeat in the race for the 2016 Games was considered particularly humiliating because President Obama had traveled to Copenhagen, where the vote took place in 2009, to campaign personally. A Winter Games has not been staged in the United States since Salt Lake City played host in 2002. Atlanta held the last Summer Games in the United States in 1996. Reno-Tahoe, Nev.; Salt Lake City; and Denver have formally expressed interest in the 2022 Games. Dallas and Tulsa are interested in bidding for the 2024 Summer Games. Other cities, including Bozeman, Mont., have unofficially made known their interest. A U.S. official said no determination has been made on which Games the USOC would seek. USOC officials have “not even considered that issue or had discussions or even looked at that until this is done,” the official said. Canadian IOC member Dick Pound, who helped negotiate the original revenue-sharing deal, played down the impact the deal had on New York’s and Chicago’s bids but suggested the United States might continue to face opposition in its bids to win Olympic Games. “The danger right now, if they reach an agreement, is they may think the problem has gone away and America is back,” Pound said. “I don’t think they’re there yet.” Pound noted that new cities continue to emerge in Olympic bidding. Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2016 Summer Games, became the first South American city to win the Olympics. Doha, Qatar, and Baku, Azerbaijan, bid for the 2020 Games, though both were eliminated Wednesday. Tokyo, Madrid and Istanbul remain in the hunt. Those Games will be awarded next summer. U.S. officials have long argued that they deserve more of the international revenue pie because U.S. sponsors and television rights holders provide the bulk of IOC revenues. The USOC is also the only national Olympic committee in the world that receives no government funding, making IOC money critical to supporting U.S. athletes. The most recent negotiations began more than two years ago. Talks about renegotiating the deal, however, got underway more than five years ago under previous USOC president Peter Ueberroth. Those talks stalled.


Ultramarathon runners hope to raise their profile, and their prize money

Karl Meltzer runs down the West Rim Trail at Zion National Park, about six miles from the main canyon. (Photo by Jeff Browning ) Just a few decades back, marathons were small, obscure races run by a handful of hard-core zealots, nearly all of them men. The idea of big-city mega-races that attract tens of thousands of participants and millions of spectators had not even been conceived. But then came the running boom of the 1970s, which popularized the sport and transformed marathons into televised, inclusive events that feature elites from around the globe competing for large cash prizes, running alongside men and women pursuing only their personal goals. Long-distance trail runners hope to follow a similar path in a bid to raise the profile of a sport that has experienced significant growth but has yet to become even a blip on the competitive sports radar. Instead, ultramarathoning (any race of more than 26.2 miles) on trails has been characterized by sporadic and chaotic development. Events haven’t been able to keep up with demand, fields are limited by government restrictions on trail use, access for spectators and media is hampered by difficult logistics and there is no unified championship as there is in marathoning and triathlon. “Anyone who is reasonably competitive wants to see [the sport] grow,” said Karl Meltzer, who holds the record for most victories in 100-mile races. “But for the mid-packers especially, it’s a bummer that people can’t get in because of the limited field size and how many join the lottery.” According to the American Trail Running Association (ATRA), the number of trail races has more than tripled since 2000 to 2,400 events, and the number of participants has grown from 90,000 to 230,000.UltraRunning Magazine reported the number of runners who finished ultra-length trail races increased from 15,500 in 1998 to 52,000 in 2011. Though participation still does not compare with marathoning — 518,000 people finished U.S. marathons in 2011 — ultramarathon trail running has grown as much in the last four years as it did in its first 27. A few of the most prestigious ultras — including the Western States Endurance Run in California and the Leadville Trail 100 and Hardrock 100 Endurance Run, both in Colorado — attract as many as eight times the number of applicants they can accommodate. Despite offering little or no prize money, they serve as unofficial championships. Elites


National Geographic Bee winner is Texas student Rahul Nagvekar

was among the 10 finalists at the contest. (Sarah L. Voisin/WASHINGTON POST) “It was a complete guess,” Nagvekar said later. “I was thinking of two cities, Regensburg and Ingolstadt. Luckily, Regensburg was correct.” If this question seems obscure, it’s not your imagination. The questions at Thursday’s bee presented geography puzzles in the context of world history, culture and current events. President Obama even appeared via video, asking students which Asian city on the Han River hosted the nuclear security summit in March. (The answer was Seoul.) The questions were the last step of a months-long process to whittle down a pool of thousands of students from each state, the District and the U.S. territories. In the end, 10 finalists competed for their share of more than $50,000 in prizes. While Nagvekar won the the grand prize, runnerup Jain and third-place finisher Varun Mahadevan, 13, of California got $15,000 and $10,000 scholarships, respectively. In fourth place, Raghav Ranga, 14, of Arizona took home $1,000. Adam Rusak “I want you to take some solace in the fact that you made it here to the top 10,” Trebek told him. Rounding out the top 10 were Karthik Karnik, 14, of Massachusetts; Gopi Ramanathan, 14, of Minnesota; Anthony Cheng, 13, of Utah; Anthony Stoner, 14, of Louisiana; and Neelam Sandhu, 13, of New Hampshire. With each incorrect answer, the teenagers fought to maintain their composure. Emotions ranged from visible shock to audible disappointment to, finally, utter surprise. Nagvekar said he had only two things on his mind during the course of the competition: to stay calm and survive through the final round. “My goal was to be on the stage when the last question was read,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to win.” Several of Nagvekar’s competitors had ahistory with the bee. Karnik was a finalist in 2011, Stoner was a three-time state champion in Louisiana, and this was Jain’s third time competing in the finals. Sandhu, the only girl in the competition, said her older brother had competed in 2008, when he came in fifth. “There were people on stage that had won state three or four times and had perfect scores at prelims on Tuesday,” Nagvekar said. “I didn’t have that.” What he lacked in competitive experience, Nagvekar made up for in discipline. “I’ve been preparing since I was in the fourth grade,” he said. “I’ve gone through a lot of maps.”


USOC can focus on Olympics bid after signing revenue sharing deal with IOC

The U.S. Olympic Committee put a contentious financial dispute officially behind it Thursday by signing a 20-year revenue-sharing deal with the International Olympic Committee, and then almost immediately turning its attention to another major task: bringing the Olympic Games back to the United States. “We hope that this has removed a major roadblock from a successful bid from the United States,” USOC President Larry Probst said during a news conference in Quebec City on Thursday afternoon. The USOC’s board will develop a process to determine which U.S. city to support and whether to pursue the Winter or Summer Olympics — the next available are the 2022 Winter Games and the 2024 Summer Games — during its next meeting in San Jose at the end of June, USOC Chief Executive Scott Blackmun said. “Our strategy is to develop a strategy at this point,” Blackmun said during the news conference, then added later during an interview by phone: “Everybody on the board feels having the Games in the U.S. is a priority, but I don’t think anybody wants to put a bid together that we don’t think will win.” Salt Lake City; Reno-Lake Tahoe, Nev.; Denver; and Bozeman, Mont., have all expressed interest in bidding for the 2022 Winter Games. Dallas and Tulsa wanted to submit bids for the 2020 Summer Games. The two sides signed the new deal around 1 p.m. Thursday, shortly after the IOC’s executive board approved it during a regularly scheduled meeting. The USOC board signed off on it Wednesday night via conference call. The deal brings relief to the USOC on two fronts: It ensures the organization won’t get less revenue from television and sponsors than it currently does — barring an unforeseen collapse in either category — and it enables the USOC to send out a U.S. bid city for a future Olympic Games without fear it will get sabotaged by animosity over the previous agreement. International resentment over the old deal “It’s true, as long as the USOC did not recognize the problem with its relations with the rest of the Olympic movement, any bid would have gone with that handicap,” IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper said during a telephone call after the news conference. “Definitely I think it’s a good day for both parties. . . . Both parties need strong U.S. Olympic bids and Olympic Games . . . held in the


Romney holds key advantages among financially struggling white voters

of campaign contributions. Romney, meanwhile, portrays the president as out of his depth on economic issues. And in the Republican’s current advertising campaign, he highlights steps he would take as president to roll back policies that the Obama administration has put into place. In the poll, Americans overall reported widespread economic pain, with more than seven in 10 saying they have been affected directly or indirectly by unemployment in the past few years. Four in 10 report struggling to maintain their socioeconomic status, with about one in five saying they are in the middle class and straining to stay there. Fifty percent of all voters On that question, Obama has an advantage of 53 percent to 41 percent among those who think their foothold in the middle class is relatively secure, while the two candidates divide about equally among those struggling to stay there. That overall parity, as has been the case in the past, disguises a vast racial divide. Among white voters trying to stay in the middle class, Romney is considered the better candidate for that group by a 20-point margin; Obama is preferred by better than 3 to 1 among middle-class nonwhite voters, regardless of their sense of security. Whites and nonwhites — as well as voters across party lines — agree that Romney would do more than Obama to advocate for the economic interests of wealthy Americans. By a 23-point margin, voters say it’s Romney, not Obama, who would do more to advance the interests of Wall Street. As for the new federal regulations for banks and other financial institutions put in place during the current administration, few voters — about one in four — say they have struck the right balance. About 25 percent of all voters say the regulations “go too far,” while 39 percent say “not far enough.” Most Democrats say the new rules are not sufficiently tough; among Republicans, twice as many say they are unnecessarily restrictive compared with those saying they are too lenient. Independents tilt in the “not far enough” direction. The telephone poll was conducted May 17 to 20 among a random national sample of 1,004 adults. The margin of sampling error for the full poll is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. The margin is four points for the sample of 874 registered voters. Polling analyst Scott Clement and polling manager Peyton M. Craighill contributed to this report.


The tasting room is where it’s happening

Robert F. McDonnell dropped by Richmond’s Hardywood Park Craft Brewery to sign the bill into law and toss a few hops into a kettle. Eric McKay, a founder of Hardywood, says the law will promote tourism and encourage more start-ups. What’s more, he blogs, “With more breweries from the western part of the country looking to expand to the East Coast, more favorable beer laws will certainly make Virginia more competitive in attracting $20 million to $100 million-plus in expansion projects.” Steve Crandall, owner of the Devils Backbone brewpub in Roseland, Va., said he’s hiring three additional employees to staff the tasting room at his new production brewery in Lexington, Va., where his Vienna Lager and Eight Point IPA are packaged for the Northern Virginia market. Crandall says he hopes to host more events like the recent 600-guest fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity at the Lexington brewery. Bill Butcher, founder of Alexandria’s Port City Brewing, plans to throw a “pint party” on July 1, when SB 604 goes into effect. The change in law couldn’t come at a better time: he’s adding a second bar and doubling the taps. The new law has limitations. Breweries can sell only beer they make, not guest beers from other breweries. Lost Rhino Brewing in Ashburn will be able to dodge that restriction by applying for an on-premises license, says co-founder and head brewer Favio Garcia. The brewery also is installing a kitchen. Chef Becky Jordan, who used to work at the Capital Ale Houses in Richmond and Fredericksburg, will dish up a menu that includes cheese plates, barbecued duck tacos and Thai shrimp salad. “It’s not your typical pub fare,” laughs Garcia, who says the kitchen should be operational by the first week in June. Garcia will serve an experimental hoppy wheat ale dubbed Wild Farmwell Wheat. Garcia brewed the beer with the help of local home-brewers Peter Lee and Jasper Akerboom, scientists at nearby Janelia Farm Research Campus. Akerboom, a microbiologist, isolated a local yeast strain that was used to ferment the beer, which Garcia describes as “hoppy like an IPA” and earthy, but “not quite as sour as a lambic.” That’s typical of the business strategies small beermakers are employing: Offer your customers something unique and they’ll beat a path to your brewery, no matter how far out in the ’burbs or backwaters. Kitsock is the editor of Mid-Atlantic Brewing News.


Getting a good meal in D.C. requires some ruthless economics

by the standards of major global cities. Second, a lot of Washington doesn’t have a very good public school system. Education-conscious Asian immigrants usually prefer the suburbs and that means D.C. proper doesn’t have a lot of first-rate Asian food. Finally, the highest-status people in town — the politicians — usually have, or at least feel inclined to demonstrate, remarkably conservative taste in food (President Obama has been a welcome exception). Finance professionals in New York and entertainment moguls in L.A. set a flashier and more innovative tone for their favored dining-out places. Washington does have its strengths. Namely, the city has a lot of high-income, highly educated transients. It attracts visitors, tourists, young interns and other workers who do a brief spell here but have no intention of staying. Because they come from all over, transients support food variety. Yet transients also encourage restaurants that build up their reputations rapidly to appeal to a busy, underinformed and sometimes underseasoned audience. Those same restaurants also tend to fall in quality relatively rapidly; even when they don’t go outright bad, they usually descend into the realm of the ordinary. Be the early bird The key is to hit these restaurants in the “sweet spot” of their cycle of rise and fall. At any point in time Washington probably has five to 10 excellent restaurants; they just don’t last very long at their highest levels of quality. Here’s how it works. A new chef opens a place or a well-known chef comes to town and starts up a branch. Good reviews are essential to get the place off the ground, and so they pull out all stops to make the opening three months, or six months, special. And it works. In today’s world of food blogs, Twitter and texting, the word gets out quickly. Which restaurants have held this crown? A partial recent list would include The Source, Zengo, Sei, Palena, Oyamel, Hook, Equinox and Central Michel Richard, among many others. They all had their moments of glory. Which places are peaking right now? I would nominate Little Serow and Rasika West. I have been seeing the right kind of stellar reviews for Mintwood Place (I have yet to visit). I had an excellent meal at Fiola a few months ago, but I’ve already heard reports of quality decline. I’ll continue to monitor the situation. Avoid the beautiful people Through information technology,


Does military service still matter for the presidency?

service is increasingly limited to a small swath of volunteers, widely admired but little known. Early in our nation’s history, Americans fought to claim a continent both from its native inhabitants and from foreign powers that coveted its riches. Fighting for the country was a regular part of the American experience, and excellence in that service was one way to demonstrate leadership to the nation. The pool of citizens who were veterans was broadened by the draft during the Civil War and both World Wars, increasing the number of political candidates with military service and the connection voters felt to contenders with whom they had shared the experience of combat. Everyone respected those who had served — and perhaps even looked down a bit on those who had not been a part of America’s battles. That relationship broke down during the Vietnam War, when not all segments of society were called upon to fight. When Johnson chose not to mobilize the National Guard for combat duty, it became a refuge for the sons of the elite who were avoiding war. James Fallows has written, movingly and guiltily, of how the most privileged Americans found ways to avoid the draft, sending the less fortunate to war in their place. The long conflict in Southeast Asia tore the United States in two, destroying an effective consensus about the use of American power abroad. The soldier became the symbol of an unpopular war. Presidential candidates who had answered the nation’s call struggled to connect with voters who often hated the war that had helped form them. Gore played down his service in Vietnam during his bid for the White House, while Kerry’s service became a liability; although he was one of a few candidates to have been wounded in combat, he was “swift boated” by opponents who questioned some details of his service. No American veteran of any earlier war, let alone another recipient of several Purple Heart medals, would have been treated this way. But this black mark on America’s treatment of its veterans is fading. In the wake of Vietnam, the country chose to meet its national security needs with a force composed entirely of professionals who had volunteered for duty. This force has proved enormously capable — triumphing in Desert Storm, easily defeating both the Taliban rulers and Saddam Hussein’s army, and demonstrating adaptability when performing counterinsurgency in Iraq and


Book review: Michael Mann’s ‘The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars’

When it comes to key warriors in America’s battle over the causes of climate change, few rival Pennsylvania State University professor Michael E. Mann. Mann, who directs the Penn State Earth System Science Center, led a 1998 reconstruction of temperature records going back thousands of years and showing that global averages had shot up in recent decades. Featured in a 2001 report by the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the chart resembled a hockey stick, with the ancient temperatures running along the handle and the latest figures rising sharply at the base. It sparked intense debate over the human contribution to global warming and transformed Mann from a geeky geophysicist into a public fighter in a bruising political and legal war over how to conduct science and public policy. Much of the industrial and developing world accepts the scientific consensus that the burning of fossil fuels, and other activities that release heat-trapping greenhouse gases, contribute to climate change; on Friday, the International Energy Agency announced that global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel burning had reached a record high of 31.6 gigatons in 2011, up 3.2 percent from 2010. A March survey by Gallup shows that 53 percent of Americans attribute global warming to human activity. But in the past three years, some Americans have challenged this view, particularly conservative Republicans, and the political elite is sharply divided. Some advocates have gone so far as to hack computers and steal the e-mails of Mann and other climate researchers in an effort to undermine global climate negotiations. A respected hydrologist retaliated by tricking a climate-skeptic group into releasing its internal documents. Mann’s new book, “The Hockey Stick and the Climate Wars,” is part of a series of attempts by activists and others to answer the question of why global warming has become a political flash point. Mann has devised an analogy to explain why he and other researchers have become the objects of such fierce public scrutiny and vilification, which he terms “the Serengeti strategy.” Likening climate scientists to zebras, he writes, “The climate change deniers isolate individual scientists just as predators on the Serengeti Plain of Africa hunt their prey: picking off vulnerable individuals from the rest of the herd.” He asserts that he and others have become targets because their findings challenge the entrenched fossil-fuel industries, which have tried to discredit them. "The Hockey Stick and the Climate