Why Africa’s migrant crisis makes no sense to outsiders

People gather to listen to a speech by Sudan's president during his visit to El Daein, in eastern Darfur, on April 5. (Ashraf Shazly/AFP/Getty Images) Since January, 43,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to eastern Darfur. That's right — Darfur, home to one of the 21st century's worst ongoing humanitarian crises. That number, announced by the United Nations on Monday, is a window into a tragic and bewildering refugee crisis in Africa that is often overshadowed by migration flows to Europe. In many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, violence and insecurity have become so bad that families are seeking shelter in other war-torn countries. In 2015, for example, nearly 100,000 Ethiopians and Somalis traveled by boat to Yemen, one of the world's most dangerous countries. Last year, nearly 5,000 citizens of Congo, which is fighting powerful rebel groups, were seeking refuge in the Central African Republic, itself torn apart by civil war. And yet 10,000 Burundians have fled their country's own growing civil unrest for Congo. Thousands of Nigerians escaping the extremist Islamist group Boko Haram have gone to Chad, where different strains of that same insurgency conduct frequent deadly attacks. A host of African nations find themselves in the tragic situation of watching citizens flee their borders as those from neighboring countries pour in seeking refuge. Sometimes, as in the case of South Sudan, that's because particular ethnic groups are targeted in their own countries but can find relative peace across the border. In Ethiopia, a disproportionate number of those fleeing to Yemen are from the Oromo ethnic group, which many say has faced persecution from the government. Developing countries have long taken in a disproportionate number of the world's refugees — roughly 80 percent, according to the United Nations. But even for migration experts and relief workers, the willingness of refugees to leave one war for another is shocking. It's also proving an enormous challenge for humanitarian agencies, which are already overstretched and often not equipped to welcome refugees in countries that are still racked by conflict. "People continue to arrive despite unprecedented escalated internal conflict in Yemen," U.N. spokesman Adrian Edwards said earlier this year. The 43,000 South Sudanese who fled to Darfur this year are from the states of Northern Bahr El Ghazal and Warrap, and they are fleeing their homes because of "worsening food insecurity and ongoing conflict in the area," according to a U.N. statement.


The Brexit clash: Should they stay or should they go? A discussion with Duncan Weldon.

European politicians agree to the United Kingdom retaining full access to the European Union’s Single Market without also signing up to common European Union rules and to the free movement of people. In other words, Brexit doesn’t have to mean diminished trade if, following a vote to leave, the United Kingdom agrees to limit its sovereignty and continue to take immigrants. That would be a tough political sell, amounting to saying we would continue to bear the “costs” of European Union membership despite not being a member. Without Single Market access there would almost certainly be some sort of trade deal (eventually), but with more blockages to trade than currently exist. I’d expect trade volumes to be lower as a result. The “leave” camp are hoping to rapidly sign trade deals with rising parts of the world economy to make up the difference, but they perhaps overestimate how much a priority trade deals with the United Kingdom would be to the major emerging economies. Your Treasury Department’s analysis of the economic costs to the United Kingdom of the Brexit suggested significant income losses — around £4,300 (almost $6,300) per household after 15 years. Are these plausible? And here again, what’s to stop “leavers” from writing this off as elite propaganda? The Treasury report was a solid bit of economic analysis that, like all economic analysis in cases like these, suffered from being used as political ammunition. The broad direction of those numbers though — that Brexit would leave the economy smaller overall — is almost certainly correct. The leavers are already writing it off as propaganda and deriding it as part of a “project fear” similar to that used in Scotland. (Of course, the Scottish “Project Fear” ultimately worked, at least in terms of keeping Scotland in the United Kingdom.) The “remain” strategy is to talk up the risks and costs of Brexit and make people hesitate, such that even those who feel no great love for the European Union may worry about the consequences of leaving. In the short run that argument may be enough to win the referendum, but what it won’t do is build any sort of wider support for European Union membership. One way or another, the referendum is unlikely to settle the issue for good. British finance minister George Osborne said a vote to leave the E.U. would do permanent damage to the country's economy.


Meet the robot monk spreading the teachings of Buddhism around China

The Longquan temple in the outskirts of Beijing has welcomed its newest monk: Xian'er, a small yellow robot. Buddism may be an ancient religion, but one temple is looking to the future to spread its teachings. Xian’er makes for a good Buddhist, chanting his mantras with almost endless energy and chatting with interested parties about the intricacies of the religion. Oh, he’s also a robot. Standing at two feet tall, Xian’er moves around by voice-command and can answer twenty different questions about Buddhism in his version of small talk — comparable to a mini version of Apple’s Siri. The topics he can discuss are listed on a screen he holds in front of his considerable heft. He’s “clad” in yellow rooms and sports a bald dome with eyebrows raised in perpetual interest (or maybe it’s surprise). He calls the Longquan temple on the outskirts of Beijing home, Reuters reported. Master Xianfan looks at robot monk Xian’er as he demonstrates the robot’s conversation function during a photo opportunity in Longquan Buddhist temple on the outskirts of Beijing on April 20, 2016. (Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters) Master Xianfan, his creator, based him on a cartoon he began drawing in 2013, which wound up in animations, published comics and merchandise featuring Xian’er’s likeness. Both the cartoon and the robot have the same goal: to spread the teachings of Buddhism. Xian’er has chosen a good time to do so, as Buddhism is currently on the rise. According to research by Pew, the number of Buddhists worldwide is expected to increase to 511 million people by 2030. It was 488 million in 2010. Xianfan attributes the current rise in Buddhism to harried people seeking peace in a fast-paced digital world. “Buddhism is something that attaches much importance to inner heart, and pays attention to the individual’s spiritual world,” he told Reuters. “It is a kind of elevated culture. Speaking from this perspective, I think it can satisfy the needs of many people.” That’s where Xian’er comes in: He might be able to spread that inner peace to a digital world. And while this same world has created many of the distractions, Xianfan said it makes sense to mix science and Buddhism. “Science and Buddhism are not opposing nor contradicting, and can be combined and mutually compatible,” he said. Spreading the religion might be important, too. After peaking in 2030, Buddhism is expected to drop to 486 million


A good moon is hard to find — but Pluto’s ‘little sister’ just got one

An undated photo provided by NASA and made by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope shows a small, dark moon orbiting Makemake, the second brightest icy dwarf planet after Pluto in the Kuiper Belt. This is the first discovery of a companion object to Makemake. The moon, provisionally designated S/2015 (136472) 1 and nicknamed MK 2, is more than 1,300 times fainter than Makemake. (NASA via AP) Pluto is probably feeling pretty annoyed by his "little sister" right now. First Makemake, the icy dwarf planet that hangs out in the Kuiper Belt, helped get Pluto bumped from the official planet list: In the mid-2000s, scientists argued that the just-discovered trans-Neptunian objects Makemake and Eris should join Pluto under the new designation "dwarf planet." Now the distant dwarf planet, which is a mere 870 miles across, just notched another point in their space sibling rivalry: Researchers at the Hubble Space Telescope say they've found a moon for it, spinning through space some 13,000 miles from its owner. The new moon, provisionally given the unwieldy name "S/2015 (136472) 1" (but called "MK 2" for short), was detected last April by some of the same scientists who discovered Eris and Makemake 10 years ago. It was hard to find amid the glare from Makemake, which is the second-brightest Kuiper Belt object after Pluto. But despite Hubble's advanced age — a ripe 26 as of this month — the space telescope has apparently still got it: Its ability to pinpoint faint objects next to bright ones at a relatively high resolution let astronomers discern MK 2 amid the haze surrounding Makemake. The moon is 100 miles in diameter and charcoal black, possibly because it's so small it lacks the gravitational power necessary to hold onto a bright, icy crust. Lots of comets and other Kuiper Belt objects have the same problem. The moon's discovery bolsters the infamous case made by "Pluto Killer" Mike Brown, who was on the original Makemake team (but is not an author on the latest study). It increases the parallels between Pluto and its fellow dwarf planets, suggesting that have enough in common to be their own class of space object. The presence of a moon also gives astronomers a lot more information to work with when studying Makemake, which was named for the creation deity in the Rapa Nui culture of Easter Island. Just as you learn more about a person


Leaving the European Union could cost every British family a month’s pay, new report says

President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron walk to a news conference in central London on April 22. (AFP PHOTO / PETER NICHOLLS) Less than two months before Britain’s historic vote over whether to remain in the European Union, voters remain deeply divided over the decision. But among economists, there is little question that a so-called Brexit would be costly. The latest analysis was released Wednesday morning by the influential Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It estimated the United Kingdom’s economy would be 3 percent smaller in 2020 if Britain leaves the E.U., damaging consumer confidence, discouraging business investment and unleashing a new era of uncertainty in the financial center of Europe. The numbers translate into an average reduction of 2,200 pounds ($3,206) per household in Britain — the equivalent of a month’s pay, the group said. Angel Gurría, OECD secretary-general, dubbed the impact a “Brexit tax.” The long-term consequences could be even more dire, the group said. Under its most optimistic scenario, the hit to the U.K. economy would total 2.7 percent of its gross domestic product by 2030. But the worst-case estimate is a blow of more than 7.5 percent, or 5,000 pounds per household. “The U.K. is much stronger as a part of Europe, and Europe is much stronger with the U.K. as a driving force,” Gurría said. “There is no upside for the U.K. in Brexit.” Source: OECD If Britons vote to leave the E.U. on June 23, the decision would kick off a lengthy negotiation over the terms of its departure that would last at least two years. Proponents argue that an independent U.K. would be able to secure more favorable trade deals on its own. But during his visit to London last week, President Obama warned that Britain would move “to the back of the queue” for consideration of any trade deal. In his speech Wednesday, Gurría said the expectation of better trade terms after Brexit was “delusional.” Business investment has already begun to decline, he said, while the pound has lost ground against other currencies and financial markets are bracing for volatility around the referendum. The OECD’s estimates echo recent analysis by the U.K. Treasury and the London School of Economics on the cost of Brexit. Even the think tank Open Europe, which has been more skeptical of the benefits of the E.U., has forecast a 2.2 percent hit to the


Why legalizing marijuana will be much harder than you think

every state — to maintain its own laws as to which drugs are illegal and which are not. Completely legalizing marijuana in the United States would require the actions of both the federal government and every state government. If the federal government repealed its criminal prohibition of marijuana or rescheduled the drug under federal law, that would not change state laws that forbid its possession or sale. Likewise, state governments can repeal their marijuana laws, in whole or in part, but that does not change federal law. When Colorado and Washington legalized the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana, questions arose as to how this would interact with federal law. Specifically, the question was whether such state efforts are preempted by the federal law, which still prohibits marijuana as a controlled substance like heroin and cocaine. The answer is clear: States can have whatever laws they want with regard to marijuana or any other drug. No state is required to have a law prohibiting or regulating marijuana. The Supreme Court Similarly, if the federal government were to repeal the prohibition of marijuana or reschedule it under the Controlled Substances Act, that would not change state laws. States still could prohibit and punish the sale and possession of marijuana under state criminal statutes. Contrary to what many believe, marijuana laws continue to be enforced by both states and the federal government. According to Like all drug laws, the prohibition against marijuana is much more likely to be enforced against African Americans and Latinos than against whites. According to a 2013 study, whites and blacks use marijuana at roughly the same rates, but blacks Yet there is little benefit to illegality. The primary argument for keeping marijuana illegal is that it is harmful. But Like the prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s, the prohibition of marijuana has been a failure. The drug is readily available and it is estimated that It is a question of when, not whether, marijuana becomes legal in the United States. A study by the Pew Research Center last year found that Explore these other perspectives: Keith Humphreys: The paradox at the heart of our marijuana laws — and how to fix it John Hudak: How racism and bias criminalized marijuana Bill Piper: There’s something missing from our drug laws: Science David T. Courtwright: Scientists want to study marijuana. Big Pot just wants to sell it.


Here’s one way to prevent election violence in Africa

are zero-sum. Either you win control of the state and its resources or you lose it all. Possible losers fear that they won’t be able to win and motivate loyal voters by giving out the state’s largesse – and so they fear any temporary political loss will lead to permanent political exclusion. And so both incumbents and challengers may turn to violence in order to win. So do ethnic divisiveness and sharp economic inequality But there’s even more to it than that. Winner-takes-all systems are more likely to induce violence if, first, large, politically mobilized ethnic groups are kept out of formal political power. The size of the group is important because it shapes the expectations among voters and politicians of getting access to power. Politicians who draw their support from larger excluded groups are also more likely to be in marginal positions when the outcome of the elections could go either way. These opposition politicians are, therefore, also more likely to constitute an electoral threat to those in government, which increases the incentives to use violent tactics such as detentions, harassment or voter intimidation. Second, election stakes are higher when economic inequality is more extreme. Sometimes winning political power means a group gets economic resources such as jobs, land, government contracts and cash. Winning becomes more urgent in a country where losing can mean poverty for officeholders and their followers. Election violence is most likely in winner-take-all systems where land is controlled by a small segment of society. Peacemakers might want to take note More and more research helps us understand why some countries are more plagued by election violence than others. Other factors that increase the risk of electoral violence include lack of effective checks on executive power, the perception that margin of victory is small, the belief that particular elections are illegitimate and the presence of electoral observers. Peacemakers and others who are helping to craft political systems might wish to take note. If we want nations to accept their election results without violence, policies should reduce the stakes of political competition, diffuse the spoils of political power and make it easier for various parties and factions to have a voice within the government. Hanne Fjelde Kristine Höglund The article from which this post is drawn has been ungated for the next six months as part of our continuing collaboration with the British Journal of Political Science.


SpaceX says it will fly a spacecraft to Mars as soon as 2018

guy known for bold statements,” said Lori Garver, the former deputy NASA administrator. The collaboration “is more similar to what you might have with a government-to-government agreement,” she said. “So it is breaking new ground, and I think it’s a good sign that NASA is even a partner. It shows there are people at NASA who are as excited about this as a lot of us are.” Once a spunky startup, SpaceX, based in Hawthorne, Calif., has become a major force in the burgeoning space industry, with more than 4,000 employees, a backlog of orders to launch commercial satellites and multi-billion dollar contracts with NASA to fly cargo and eventually astronauts to the International Space Station on its Falcon 9 rocket. In its first launch to resupply the International Space Station since its rocket exploded last year, Elon Musk’s SpaceX landed its unmanned rocket on a floating 'drone barge' in the Atlantic Ocean. The landing, the first ever of a rocket’s first stage at sea, is seen as a breakthrough for commercial spaceflight. Recently it pulled off feats once thought impossible—the vertical landings of its Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage, one on a helicopter-like pad at Cape Canaveral and another on a ship in the ocean. The accomplishments of recovering and reusing rockets that were normally discarded after each flight could help lower the cost of spaceflight. And the successes have reignited interest in space, which has seemed dormant since the retirement of the space shuttle in 2011. SpaceX landed the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on a droneship April 8, 2016 in the Atlantic Ocean off the Florida coast. (Photo courtesy of SpaceX) SpaceX is currently developing a new Dragon spacecraft that would be able to fly humans—and not just cargo—to the space station. It’s also working on a more powerful rocket, the Falcon Heavy, which SpaceX says would become the world’s most powerful rocket with thrust at liftoff equivalent to 18 747 jetliners. On twitter, Musk said that the Dragon "is designed to be able to land anywhere in the solar system." But he said he wouldn't recommend using it for missions beyond the moon because the inside is tight -- about the size of a SUV. "Wouldn't be fun for longer journeys," he wrote. On its website, SpaceX says that the Falcon Heavy rocket "was designed from the outset to carry humans into space and


NASA’s new gold-covered telescope will put the Hubble to shame

to be. In 2011, with work on the telescope behind schedule and over budget, Congress nearly voted to scrap the program. In 2010, NASA released this fake "movie trailer” to introduce the James Webb Space Telescope and its mission to the world. A compromise kept things going, with a new launch date of October 2018. Earlier this year, engineers finished assembling the gigantic mirror, and this week they removed its protective coverings for the first time. No one at NASA had seen the assembled telescope in all its gilded splendor before — not even the JWST program director, Eric Smith. "It's amazingly beautiful," Smith said. "I’ve seen this as PowerPoints and CAD drawings for about 20 years now. But to actually see those dreams made manifest is really pretty moving." Named for second NASA administrator James Webb, the telescope is an engineering feat. Its primary mirror, at more than 250 square feet, and two smaller mirrors are designed to collect and focus some of the faintest light in the universe. It is far larger than any other telescope that NASA has launched — the primary mirror on the Hubble Space Telescope, which JWST will be replacing, has less than one-fifth of the collecting area — and it will be orbiting at a much colder and more distant point in space. That meant that NASA had to come up with entirely new ways to build it. Each hexagon in the mirror is made of lightweight beryllium, which can withstand the minus-388-degree temperatures the telescope will encounter in space. The hexagons are coated with a thin layer of gold because the element is the best reflector of infrared light, the wavelength that marks extremely far-off objects (the universe's expansion causes waves of light to stretch out as they travel through space and time, a phenomenon called "red shifting"). The JWST will be able to detect light from stars that formed 13.5 billion years ago — a mere 200 million years after the Big Bang, the cosmic equivalent of the blink of an eye. And it's portable, too: The mirror was designed to fold up like an immense origami figure, so it can fit onto the rocket that will carry it into orbit. In another corner of the cleanroom at Goddard, engineers in white protective suits and blue gloves cluster around the JWST's instrument box, which will be affixed to the back of


There’s something missing from our drug laws: Science

For instance, while methamphetamine and cocaine are Schedule II drugs, making them available for medical use, marijuana is scheduled alongside PCP and heroin as a Schedule I drug, which prohibits any medical use. Making matters worse, the CSA gives law enforcement — not scientists or health officials — the final say on how new drugs should be scheduled and whether or not old drugs should be rescheduled. Unsurprisingly, law enforcement blocks reform. Starting in 1972, the Drug Enforcement Administration The current drug scheduling system is also structurally flawed. For instance, Schedule I is for drugs that are highly addictive and have no medical value, while the other schedules are for drugs with medical value but varying degrees of safety and addiction risks. There are no categories, however, for drugs that have no medical value but have not proved to be highly addictive either, such as various synthetic drugs like “spice” or “bath salts.” Nor are there categories for drugs that are waiting to be evaluated for medical use. In a report published in the esteemed medical journal The Controlled Substances Act was passed in 1970. Forty-six years and eight presidents later, it remains almost exactly as it was enacted (the only major changes have been more draconian penalties such as At a minimum, responsibility for determining drug classifications and other health determinations should be completely removed from the DEA and transferred to a health or scientific body. Congress should overhaul the entire scheduling process to ensure that decisions on whether to criminalize a drug or not, and whether and how to regulate it, are decided by an objective, independent scientific process. An independent body such as the National Academy of Sciences should be appointed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the drug scheduling system. This evaluation should determine if each drug is properly classified, the best way to assess the risks and benefits associated with current and emerging drugs, and how to best redesign the scheduling system. Treating drug use as a health issue instead of a criminal justice issue will require fresh thinking. Explore these other perspectives: Keith Humphreys: The paradox at the heart of our marijuana laws — and how to fix it Erwin Chemerinsky: Why legalizing marijuana will be much harder than you think John Hudak: How racism and bias criminalized marijuana David T. Courtwright: Scientists want to study marijuana. Big Pot just wants to sell it.


D.C. area forecast: Showery and cool today; Saturday is best hope for a dry day

A damp and dreary day, but then on Friday we start to slowly dry out. 12:40 p.m. update: TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 5/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL We are frequently in the path of showers over the next five days, but rain amounts may be too light to make much of a dent in our rainfall deficit. Still, any rain is good rain for gardens, parks and farms alike. The best news is that it looks like we get a break between weather systems on Saturday, the weekend day to be out and about. Keep the jackets handy through early next week, at least, as temps remain stubbornly cool. Today (Thursday): Two-hour radar loop of rain and storm movement through the area. Refresh page to update. Tonight: Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates. For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Friday): Tomorrow night: A prairie warbler at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge on April 27. (rishaisomphotography via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD Saturday Showers scatter across the area much of Sunday and continue right on through the night as the weakening Midwest storm passes through. Rain amounts are likely to be only light to locally moderate. Highs reach the upper 50s to lower 60s, and nighttime lows hold in the upper 40s to lower 50s. Confidence: Medium Monday


11 things to do in the D.C. area on the weekend of April 29-May 1

It could be a wet weekend in D.C., but there's still plenty of fun to be had, both inside and out. So here are this weekend's best bets in nightlife, festivals, museums, music and much more around the Washington area. - Capital Weather Gang forecast: Overcast, cooler and rainy - It's taco time: The $20 Diner's favorite taquerias in D.C. - No ticket required: 8 places in D.C. to catch a free concert Under the Cherry Red Moon - Trailer #1 Through Sunday: Through Saturday: [More upcoming comedy shows to catch in D.C.] Friday: Friday-Sunday: [Saturday is International Jazz Day] Saturday: [More music on Saturday: The Broccoli City Festival, featuring Future] Saturday: [A guide to D.C.'s most underrated bars] Saturday: Saturday: This is a rendering of what "Raise/Raze" will look like in the Dupont Underground. We'll finally get to see the real thing this weekend. (Hou de Sousa) Saturday-Sunday: Sunday: [Five can't-miss May concerts: Avett Brothers, Parquet Courts and more] Sunday:


Obama is defending his record on Wall Street against Bernie Sanders

sitting president directed at a major presidential candidate in the same party, and a reminder that the government's response to the financial crisis still divides Democrats bitterly, almost eight years later. The Obama administration, together with independent federal regulators and Congress, imposed strict new rules on the financial system with the Dodd-Frank financial reform in 2010 and other policies. Among other things, these rules required banks to insure themselves by holding more capital, giving up profits for the sake of stability. Investors were required to trade derivatives in public exchanges, and banks were barred (at least on paper) from using their customers' federally insured deposits to make risky bets on Wall Street. Liberal Democrats including Sanders have long argued that the measures aren't enough to prevent another financial crisis. His supporters point out that the largest banks have only become larger since the Dodd-Frank reform. Eric Rosengren, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, presented data earlier this year showing that the assets controlled by the largest and most important banks had increased from about $6.5 trillion in 2010 to about $7.5 trillion today. At the same time, the economy in general has been expanding, and even as those banks were getting bigger, so were other, smaller institutions. The share of the overall financial sector's assets controlled by the largest banks actually declined modestly over the same period, Rosengren's data showed. In general, data from the Commerce Department shows that banks still account for less of the economy than they did before the crisis. The recession was especially bad for finance and insurance, and while the sector has recovered more quickly than the rest of the economy, Wall Street still hasn't caught up to other industries yet. Meanwhile, the largest banks are holding more of their shareholders' capital as insurance against a crisis. Rosengren showed that the ratio of stock and other forms of capital to overall assets has improved at those organizations from about 7 percent in 2010 to 9 percent today. In case of another catastrophe, the banks' shareholders would have to put that money toward saving the bank. The hope is that taxpayers wouldn't be asked to contribute. "There is no doubt that the financial system is substantially more stable," Obama said. Those who agree with Sanders counter that the administration and the lawmakers who put together the Dodd-Frank legislation can't take credit for these improvements.


Are women headed for the draft? Support for the idea grows in Congress

Army 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, center, and Capt. Kristen Griest, right, the first female graduates of the Army’s Ranger School. (John Bazemore/AP) The House Armed Services Committee took a big and unexpected step toward making women register for the draft as a handful of Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday night to back a measure whose own sponsor hoped would fail. “Right now the draft is sexist,” said Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-Calif.), who filed an amendment to the House’s annual defense authorization bill to require women between the ages of 18 and 26 to register for the Selective Service, the government agency that keeps records of who is eligible to be conscripted. Hunter, who is against the Obama administration’s recent policy change allowing women to serve in all combat roles, said he proposed the measure only to start a discussion about the draft. He voted against his amendment, arguing that anyone who favored it would be siding with the administration. But Hunter’s gamble that committee members would shy away from forcing women into the draft backfired when a slim majority — including five Republicans — opted to endorse the measure by a vote of 32 to 30. “We have a standards-based force now, and we don’t have a standards-based Selective Service,” Rep. Christopher P. Gibson (R-N.Y.) argued, joining Democrats, all but one of whom also supported the measure. “We should be willing to support universal conscription,” said Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). “There’s great merit in recognizing that each of us have an obligation to be willing to serve our country in a time of war.” At a Senate committee hearing on Feb. 2, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) asked top military leaders if women should have to sign up for the selective service now that combat jobs are opening up to them. This is what they said. But a measure including women in the draft still has a long way to go. It would have to survive a full House vote and then make it through the Senate. It would change a policy that has been in place since 1981, when the Supreme Court ruled that because women could not hold combat jobs, they did not have to register for the draft. The idea got a boost, however, on Thursday when Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he is open to the idea. “As far as I’m concerned,


Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan: The world’s most-needed hospitals are under attack

Burnt vehicles are pictured in front of the damaged the Doctors Without Borders-backed al-Quds hospital after it was hit by airstrikes, in a rebel-held area of Syria's Aleppo, April 28, 2016. (Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters) The al-Quds hospital in Aleppo targeted in Wednesday night's attacks was one of 150 hospitals supported by Doctors Without Borders in Syria. The organization directly runs six in the country, but provides funding and medical supplies to other medical facilities. The international charity group, also referred to as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in French, said the medical facility was directly hit and reduced to "rubble." The organization has condemned the overnight attack, which also claimed the life of one of the area's last pediatricians. "Where is the outrage among those with the power and obligation to stop this carnage?” said Muskilda Zancada, the MSF head in Syria, in an online statement. The United Nations estimates that at least half of Syria's hospitals have been destroyed, and the spark of attacks on hospitals is an especially disturbing trend. In armed conflict, hospitals are protected by international law. Yet the facilities supported and run by the Nobel Prize-winning organization have frequently come under attack. And it's not only medical structures. The group said five rescue workers from the Syrian Civil Defense organization have also been killed. Here is a look at the three recent attacks on Doctors Without Borders hospitals: 1. Kunduz, Afghanistan. Doctors Without Borders medical personnel treat civilians injured following an offensive against Taliban militants by Afghan and coalition forces at a hospital in Kunduz. (Doctors Without Borders/AFP via Getty Images) On Oct. 3, 2015, U.S. military forces "mistakenly struck" a hospital as they attempted to help Afghan forces. The attack killed 44 people and injured 30. The hospital was deemed a neutral zone, even for Taliban militants fighting Afghan forces who were being treated there. Inside the hospital, which the international relief agency in recent years had turned into the province’s most advanced medical facility, doctors and nurses were busier than ever. Between Sept. 28 and Oct. 3, exhausted hospital staffers treated 394 people, many of whom had received gunshot wounds during the battle for the city. All that week, a steady stream of Taliban fighters appeared at the hospital seeking treatment, adding to the patient load, according to a hospital security guard. Before fighters were admitted onto hospital grounds, the guard said, they were required


D.C. area forecast: Showers may dampen this morning; weekend features more clouds and rain chances

Two-hour radar loop of rain and storm movement through the area. Refresh page to update. TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 6/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: Another gray, chilly day with rain and drizzle. The forecast for Saturday at one time looked so promising with the potential for partly sunny skies, now it's looking cloudier. FORECAST IN DETAIL Today’s not too bad once we get past the morning shower risk, although it will be cool. Saturday may end up mostly passable as well. A storm system coming from the Midwest could add showers, rain or storms atop clouds already camping out in our region by Saturday night and maybe into Sunday. Today (Friday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast into next week… Tomorrow (Saturday): Tomorrow night: Sunday: “Ballston rain” April 28. (Kevin Wolf via our CWG Flickr group) A LOOK AHEAD Sunday night: Clouds seem easiest to predict for probable conditions on Monday but rain could continue much of the day. It appears, currently, that morning rain is more likely than it continuing through the entire afternoon. It could be a bit windy, as high temperatures try to reach the mid-60s to around 70. We’ll watch this weekend how it shapes up and adjust if needed. Confidence: Medium Tuesday


‘I want everyone to know what happened’: Brothers arrested in the homicide of couple found with chilling note

The only thing Hasib would comment upon was the alleged innocence of his younger brother. When asked if the teenager was involved, Hasib said, “No, and that’s all I can say. He’s innocent.” The younger brother, who attended classes at Evergreen Valley High School on Monday, was described by his 16-year-old classmate as being quiet and keeping mostly to himself, according to the Associated Press. Hasib’s friend Matthew Kuch, on the other hand, claims to have firsthand knowledge of the murders, according to an interview with CBS. Kuch allegedly housed Hasib in his bedroom closet in Tracy following the murders out of fear for his and his family’s safety and eventually turned the brothers in to the police. “He told me that he couldn’t shoot his father in the head, because that’s a dishonor, because he wanted his father to be buried with his face,” Kuch said. He added that Hasib had a plan to create a video and throw the police off his trail. He also claims Hasib offered a motive. “He told me that somebody has come in and tortured him for several months, and it would not stop unless he killed his parents,” Kuch told CBS. The final message Hasib posted on his Facebook page before being arrested read, “F— yeah to the kids who feel like they’re dying inside but still gather up the strength to roll out of bed, get dressed and leave the house. You are strong and beautiful and worth so much more than you know,” The Mercury News reported. Golam Mustakim, the couple’s 37-year-old nephew, told the San Francisco Chronicle he never noticed any bad blood between the parents and their sons. “Any tension was completely out of my knowledge,” he said. “They were quiet, nice children. They always got along with their parents.” “Emotionally, I’m broken right now,” he told the Mercury News. Community members are praying the brothers are innocent. “Everybody is praying that it’s somebody else who did this and not the kids,” Abdul Jaka, a co-founder of Evergreen Islamic Center co-founder, told the Associated Press. “They were a nice family.” “This is one of those tragedies nobody ever wants to be in,” mosque spokesman Faisal Yazadi added. “All we can do is pray.” More from Morning Mix Officials reportedly probe possible Prince overdose involving painkiller Percocet 80-year-old woman shoots and kills young intruder after he stabs her husband


Maryland open houses April 30-May 1

Weymouth St #w-202 5201 Roosevelt St 8007 Overhill Rd 7600 Honeywell Lane 9605 Bellevue Dr 7413 Beverly Rd 5225 Pooks Hill Rd #709n 7500 Woodmont Ave #s921 5723 Bradley Blvd 5504 Nelson Rd 5200 Edgemoor Lane 20815 4819 Wellington Dr 20816 4309 Torchlight Cir 4309 Torchlight Cir 5101 River Rd #816 6114 Madawaska Rd 5116 Brookview Dr 5021 Baltan Rd 5211 Carlton St 6401 Broad St 6416 Dahlonega Rd 6422 Brookes Lane 5310 Sangamore Rd 5110 Dalecarlia Dr 5023 Wissioming Rd 20817 7576 Westlake Ter #58 6704 Bradley Blvd 6716 Melody Lane 8409 Carlynn Dr 7600 Savannah Dr 8301 Rising Ridge Way 7208 Grubby Thicket Way 8605 Ewing Dr 8307 Meadowlark Lane 6622 Wilson Lane 9910 Montauk Ave 9109 Aldershot Dr 6308 Orchid Dr 5508 Oak Pl 10004 Mayfield Dr 7501 Democracy Blvd NW #b-415 5913 Sonoma Rd 7801 Whittier Blvd BOYDS 20841 18220 Dark Star Way BROOKEVILLE 20833 3409 Forest Wood Dr BURTONSVILLE 20866 4016 Dustin Rd CABIN JOHN 20818 6408 82nd Pl CHEVY CHASE 20815 7304 Summit Ave 4620 Park Ave #304w 4550 Park Ave #713 7209 Summit Ave 4515 Willard Ave #716s 4601 Park Ave N #105 3601 Husted Drwy 9202 Jones Mill Rd 7200 Chestnut St 5 Primrose St 7007 Georgia St 7301 Summit Ave 4601 N. Park Ave #1405e 4601 Park Ave N #519-U 4209 Bradley Lane 8319 Kerry Rd 4242 East West Hwy #1105 2715 Blaine Dr CLARKSBURG 20871 23273 Scholl Manor Way #1334 23124 Birch Mead Rd 23105 Meadow Mist Rd 11893 Chestnut Branch Way 23102 Cypress Spring Cir 22485 Glenbow Way #2005 DAMASCUS 20872 24036 Preakness Dr DARNESTOWN 20874 14313 Poplar Hill Rd 20878 11924 Darnestown Rd #208 13901 Turkey Run Ct DICKERSON 20842 16501 Comus Rd GAITHERSBURG 20877 212 Desellum Ave 20878 614 Firehouse Lane 458 Golden Ash Mews 510 Nirvana St 993 Hillside Lake Ter #907 423 Danbridge St 127 Timberbrook Lane #104 423 Little Quarry Rd 23 Redding Ridge Dr 724 Quince Orchard Blvd #p-2 7 Deer Trail Ct 1 Earth Star Pl 15604 Indian Run Ct 20879 19008 Glendower Rd 18632 Blue Violet Lane 7903 Plum Creek Dr 19301 Cypress Hill Way 20882 22000 Foxlair Rd 6501 Garden Grove Way 9308 Harrisons Farm Way 20319 Rosethorn Ave 24200 Woodfield School Rd 9331 Warfield Rd 20548 Farcroft Lane 20886 13 Mastenbrook Ct 19151 Stedwick Dr 20404 Aspenwood Lane GERMANTOWN 20874 18642 Mustard Seed Ct 12900 Churchill Ridge Cir #1-6


Scientists want to study marijuana. Big Pot just wants to sell it.

Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said, “We don’t want state monopolies. We want to see innovation in this industry.” Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, agreed: “A vigorous, competitive process will produce better products for the consumer.” The cannabis industry, with a capitalization in excess of $4 billion, has embraced the free market. Its opponents, such as Smart Approaches to Marijuana, counter that unfettered legalization means another Big Tobacco. The danger is that “better products” (mostly high-THC pot and more seductive ways to deliver it) will produce more addiction, accidents, psychoses and cognitive deficits, particularly among daily users who account for the vast majority of sales. When the core business model is phishing for phools by exploiting misinformed buyers, more research is not necessarily welcome. If rescheduling produces additional studies confirming that regular cannabis use causes abnormal brain development, memory impairment and diminished IQ, the drug would look more like lead exposure than a harmless party plant. Of course, the same research could verify cannabis’s value in treating nausea, spasticity, loss of appetite and other ailments. But evidence of serious side effects and high potential for dependence would make it impossible for the FDA to rationalize nonprescription sale or to recommend that the DEA place cannabis (or products containing THC) in one of the CSA’s least restrictive categories. Research into marijuana’s non-intoxicating compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD), is another matter. Even conservative legislatures in states such as Florida have approved high-CBD, low-THC marijuana to treat pediatric epilepsy. Yet whatever PR value the industry derives from such products, they remain orphan drugs. The money is in commercializing the intoxicating strains. Big Cannabis is not inevitable, given the growing concern over opioid- and alcohol-related deaths among downwardly mobile, working-class whites. Once burned by legal drugs, policymakers are twice cautious. But this much is certain: Should marijuana be descheduled and cut free from the CSA, it will be through congressional legislation, not scientifically informed regulatory action by the DEA. And descheduling by legislative fiat would benefit the cannabis industry, not necessarily those in medical need. Explore these other perspectives: Keith Humphreys: The paradox at the heart of our marijuana laws — and how to fix it Erwin Chemerinsky: Why legalizing marijuana will be much harder than you think John Hudak: How racism and bias criminalized marijuana Bill Piper: There’s something missing from our drug laws: Science


5 reasons marijuana is not medicine

other drugs, loss of motivation, reduced IQ, psychosis, anxiety, excessive vomiting, sleep problems and reduced lifespan. Without a standardized product and long-term studies, the safety of indefinite use of marijuana remains unknown. - There must be adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy. Twelve meta-analyses of clinical trials scrutinizing smoked marijuana and cannabinoids conclude that there is no or insufficient evidence for the use of smoked marijuana for specific medical conditions. There are no studies of raw marijuana that include high-quality, unbiased, blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled or long-duration trials. - The drug must be accepted by well-qualified experts. Medical associations generally call for more cannabinoid research but do not endorse smoked marijuana as a medicine. The American Medical Association: “Cannabis is a dangerous drug and as such is a public health concern”; the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: “Medicalization” of smoked marijuana has distorted the perception of the known risks and purposed benefits of this drug;” the American Psychiatric Association: “No current scientific evidence that marijuana is in any way beneficial for treatment of any psychiatric disorder … the approval process should go through the FDA.” - Scientific evidence must be widely available. The evidence for approval of medical conditions in state ballot and legislative initiatives did not conform to rigorous, objective clinical trials nor was it widely available for scrutiny. Marijuana fails to meet any of these five criteria for accepted medical use in the United States. At present, it belongs in Schedule I. Is Schedule I drug a roadblock to marijuana research? Not really. The major roadblock to five proposed studies at the California Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research was not the Schedule I label, but the scarcity of patients willing to enroll in five major clinical trials. The process for marijuana research could be streamlined by Drug Enforcement Administration oversight and expansion of marijuana production, and a special sub-category of Schedule I could further reduce paperwork. But moving marijuana to Schedule II “to promote research” is conceivably unethical, as marijuana would then be designated a safe and effective medicine in the absence of high-quality evidence. Should we dismiss heartfelt appeals from people suffering various diseases, knowing that a host of chronic, debilitating ailments are inadequately managed? Human stories should not be ignored, and rigorous, creative solutions can be formulated in response. However, the “marijuana mess” and its “new realities” were created not by the federal government but


Donald Trump, José Andrés and the death of a grand Washington restaurant

basketball arena downtown, Metro’s Green Line was only two years old and the neighborhood’s current moniker, Penn Quarter, had not been coined. The city’s restaurant boom was two decades off. Andrés built his empire with business partner Rob Wilder one restaurant at a time, adding Zaytinya, Oyamel, Beefsteak and others in the District, plus outposts in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Puerto Rico. Success in the kitchen advanced him as a television star, philanthropist and celebrity, one whom Time Magazine named one of the world’s most influential people in 2012. Andrés became one of the few international food stars distinct to Washington, his adopted home town, where he has a bar, food truck and seven area restaurants and has been lauded by officials for his investments and belief in the city. The chef’s stature in the District was attractive to the developer, whose sons and daughter handle day-to-day operations. Although they have hotels in five American cities and three foreign countries, the Trumps pride themselves on building getaways for their high-rolling guests that feel of and about the places they are in, even if they are all encased in the same shimmer and shine. To that end, the Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C. is to feature large “presidential” suites, public access to the historic clock tower on the roof and a curated museum dedicated to the 19th century building and the Bells of Congress that hang above. Ivanka, who oversaw its development and who lived in Washington briefly while attending Georgetown University, has repeatedly talked about respecting the building’s historic place in the city even as she designed the spa and bathrooms trimmed in gold. “Anyone who is concerned about how we may alter or affect the historic character of the building can be assuaged by looking at our plans,” she said in 2012, seeking to reassure preservationists. “This isn’t, I think, a very polarizing concept.” In search of a D.C. chef to match, the Trumps refrained from using their New York connections and hired a restaurant adviser, Bethesda, Md.-based Streetsense, that they met through D.C. developer Douglas Jemal. Andrés was not the only big name in Washington they approached. Early on, the Trumps, according to executives familiar with the search, contacted Patrick O’Connell of the famed Inn at Little Washington in Rappahannock County, Va., about opening a D.C. flagship restaurant. Ultimately, Trump and his family settled on Andrés,


First Zika virus-related death reported in U.S. in Puerto Rico

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are seen at the Laboratory of Entomology and Ecology of the Dengue Branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in San Juan, in this March 6 photo. (Alvin Baez/Reuters) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported the first Zika-virus-related death in the United States, a Puerto Rican man in his 70s who died in late February. The man died from internal bleeding resulting from a rare immune reaction to his Zika infection. The agency issued a report Friday on the growing Zika transmission in Puerto Rico. It said the patient died after developing severe thrombocytopenia, or low levels of platelets that help blood clot. The report provided no details. In an interview, Tyler Sharp, acting chief epidemiologist at CDC's Dengue Branch in San Juan, Puerto Rico, said the man had a rare autoimmune condition that has been linked to Zika virus infections in other countries hit by the epidemic. The condition, known as ITP, immune thrombocytopenic purpura, has also been associated with other infectious diseases, Sharp said. In cases involving Zika infections, people develop antibodies to the infection and then the "antibodies are directed against the platelets, and they get destroyed, and bleeding increases," Sharp said. Although Zika virus-associated deaths are rare, "the first identified death in Puerto Rico highlights the possibility of severe cases, as well as the need for continued outreach to raise health care providers' awareness of complications that might lead to severe disease or death," the CDC report said. Colombia has reported three deaths of people infected with Zika who also had ITP. The cases in Colombia involved an infant girl, a 30-year-old woman, and a 72-year-old woman. All were hospitalized and died last October. There has also been one case involving a 54-year-old woman who had been living in the Netherlands but got bitten by infected mosquitoes when she visited her native Suriname in January 2016. French Polynesia also reported four cases during its outbreak of Zika from 2013 to 2014. Sharp said the man presumably was bitten by an infected mosquito and was hospitalized. He had no other serious or potentially life-threatening health conditions, Sharp said. Sharp said health officials are also investigating other potential cases of ITP related to Zika infections. Zika virus infections have been confirmed to cause microcephaly and a host of other birth defects. There is also strong evidence linking Zika to


D.C. area forecast: Showers and clouds today; warmer but still showery at times through midweek

Two-hour radar loop of rain and storm movement through the area. Refresh page to update. 10 a.m. update: TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 4/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL I’ve got good news if you’ve enjoyed this cool, damp weather (or if you’re a fern). The clouds and shower chances look to continue today and at times through midweek. The small bit of good news, besides the potential to make up some of our recent rainfall deficit, is that we should see temperatures running warmer as head into the work week. That’s especially true tomorrow when some spots could see highs up near 80. Today (Sunday): Tonight: Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for the latest updates. For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. When will this dreary weather end!? Keep reading for the forecast through midweek… Tomorrow (Monday): Tomorrow night: A Blue Heron watches over the Rappahannock River on Friday. (Theresa Rasmussen via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD Some more showers are possible Tuesday (50-60% chance) with mostly cloudy skies expected. Temperatures cool off compared to Monday, but they’re still decently mild with highs from the mid-60s to low 70s. Drier air manages to sneak in Tuesday night as lows dip to the upper 40s to mid-50s. Confidence: Low-Medium The pattern remains unsettled Wednesday. Skies should be at least partly cloudy, with the chance of some more showers especially by later in the day, as another system heads our way from the northwest. Expect highs somewhere in the mid-60s to mid-70s as winds increase from the south. Confidence: Low Dan Stillman contributed to this forecast.


“Compelled Commercial Speech and the Consumer ‘Right to Know'”

Compelled commercial speech implicates the First Amendment. Commercial speech is protected speech (even if it is not protected as much as political speech), and the First Amendment protects against speech compulsions just as it protects against speech limitations. Nonetheless, the government often mandates the disclosure of information by firms that produce or sell products or services. What are the limits of compelled commercial speech under existing First Amendment doctrine? That is the subject of my article, “Compelled Commercial Speech and the Consumer ‘Right to Know,'” just published by the Arizona Law Review. Among other things, I argue that some commentators and courts have mistakenly assumed that the mandated disclosure of truthful information need not be justified by a substantial government interest. I also suggest that some policy proposals (such as mandatory GMO labels) are unconstitutional, while others (such as mandatory nanotech labels or calorie content disclosure) may well satisfy the relevant constitutional requirements. Here is the abstract: Compelled commercial speech, including mandatory labeling and the disclosure of factually true information, should not be seen as a separate category of speech under the First Amendment. Rather, compelled commercial speech should be understood as a type of commercial speech and be subject to the same level of protection as commercial speech generally. Accordingly, commercial speech compulsions, such as mandatory disclosures and labeling requirements, must be supported by a substantial government interest under the Central Hudson framework. The assertion of a consumer “right to know” does not constitute such an interest and cannot, by itself, justify compelled commercial speech within this framework. Allowing such a justification for compelled commercial speech would eviscerate any meaningful First Amendment protection against compelled commercial speech and threaten core First Amendment values. Such protection against speech compulsions will neither inhibit government efforts to protect consumers nor prevent consumers from obtaining information they desire about products and services. A dynamic market discovery process, with only limited and targeted government interventions, is a more effective way to serve the consumer interest in obtaining more complete information about goods and services. Most existing compelled disclosure requirements are consistent with this approach to compelled commercial speech, but some new and proposed disclosure requirements—including those for genetically modified organisms—are likely to violate the First Amendment. The full article is available on the Arizona Law Review website here.


Spy court rejected no surveillance requests last year; Sanders voters complain to FCC about media bias; did this man found Bitcoin?

An illustration picture shows a projection of binary code on a man holding a laptop computer. (REUTERS/Kacper Pempel) GOOD ODDS: NOT FAIR?: WOW, REALLY?


11 things to do in the D.C. area the week of May 2-8

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, Tico offers food and drink specials on Thursday. (Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post) Monday, May 2 Ottoman Taverna opens: Tuesday, May 3 Young Thug at 9:30 Club: Wednesday, May 4 The Washington Ballet presents "Bowie and Queen" at the Kennedy Center: Retail's Night Out at CityCenterDC: Thursday, May 5 Del the Funky Homosapien at U Street Music Hall: Marvel Men at the University of the District of Columbia: Cinco de Mayo specials at multiple area locations: Friday, May 6 Santigold at the Fillmore: Flower Mart at the Washington National Cathedral: Saturday, May 7 Kentucky Derby parties at multiple area locations: Sunday, May 8 In Celebration of Paul Mellon at National Gallery of Art: Becky Krystal, John Taylor and Lavanya Ramanathan contributed to this report.


These three Earth-like planets may be our best chance yet at detecting life

off a signal that the Hubble can detect. That's why scientists have previously only used this method for studying the atmospheres of gas giants and so-called super-Earths, which are rocky but too close to their suns to host life as we know it. "Relatively speaking, the amplitude from these planets will be the same as that coming from giant planets and more solar-type stars," study lead Gillon told The Post. The team has already started to collect atmospheric measurements from the three planets using the Hubble, and they hope to have an approximate assessment of their atmospheres soon. When the James Webb Space Telescope, which is much larger than the Hubble, launches in 2018, the team will collect even more precise data. Around 15 percent of the stars near the sun are ultra-cool dwarf stars like TRAPPIST-1, so if this glut of Earth-like planets is "normal" for such a system, we could have lots of potential targets in the search for life. TRAPPIST (the telescope, not the star) focuses on these ultra-cool dwarfs, so the team hopes this is just the first system of many. "While such a 'cold' star might sound exotic, many, if not most, of the stars in our Milky Way Galaxy are of this cool, red, small and dim variety," study author Adam Burgasser of University of California in San Diego said in a statement. "If Earth-like planets around these stars turn out to be common, there may be many more habitable planets out there than current estimates predict." And that brings us back to the question that all of these surveys hope to answer: How common is life in the universe? "We know that life on Earth requires water, requires energy, requires organic compounds, and we know these three elements are very frequent in the universe," Gillon said. "But what we don’t know is whether these three elements are enough, or if life is some kind of cosmic accident." Read More: Why NASA’s top scientist is sure that we’ll find signs of alien life in the next decade This strange, tailless comet could teach us about Earth’s origins Stephen Hawking wants to use lasers to propel a tiny spaceship to Alpha Centauri Scientists have a wild idea for hiding us from evil aliens The new biggest thing in the universe, and why it’s a headache for scientists This broken space telescope keeps spotting new planets


Famous Indian guru says he rejected a Nobel, and Malala did nothing to deserve hers

Indian spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar delivers a speech at the World Culture Festival in New Delhi on March 11. (Harish Tyagi/European Pressphoto Agency) For many years, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, one of the world's most prominent spiritual leaders and the founder of the Art of Living Foundation, went about his work without much controversy. He wrote a dozen best-selling books, opened thousands of meditation centers and amassed an international following in the millions, many in the United States. But in the past two months, the Indian guru has found his statements being replayed on television and trending on Twitter more than he probably ever wanted. In March, he came under fire (some say undeservedly) for sanctioning the construction of a gigantic tent city along the fragile riverbank of the Yamuna, which flows through New Delhi, for the Art of Living Foundation's 35th anniversary. Activists said the project, which the foundation claims accommodated millions of people, caused damage that would take years to undo. India's president canceled his plans to attend the event, and the foundation was fined $750,000 by the country's National Green Tribunal. Many Delhiites viewed the controversy with cynicism, if only because the Yamuna has long been polluted with sewage and industrial waste such that its brown water barely flows. Then in April, the guru, who has sought to extend his teachings on inner peace, stress relief and mindfulness to those in conflict zones, inadvertently ended up calling for war against the Islamic State after the militant group rebuffed his entreaties for peace talks. He told Indian media that in response to his overture, the Islamic State sent him a photo of a beheaded man — a clear enough signal that his message was unwelcome in Raqqa, the de facto capital of the militant group, which is also known as ISIS and ISIL. "I think the ISIS does not want any peace talks," he said. "Hence, they should be dealt with militarily." And finally, this weekend, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, when asked by a journalist whether he would accept the Nobel Peace Prize should it be offered to him, claimed that he had already rejected it at least once and expressed particular distaste for the "political" decision to award the Nobel to then-17-year-old Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani national, who was shot by the Taliban for her advocacy for girls' education. “I was in the past offered


What the heck happened during Ireland’s recent election?

Election officials take part in the eighth count on the second day of the general election tabulation in the Royal Dublin Society on Feb. 28. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters) The United States isn’t the only country in which, despite an economic recovery, the political system is being turned upside down by an anti-establishment public mood. Voters in Ireland appear similarly disenchanted, to judge from the general election held at the end of February, which resulted in an unprecedentedly fragmented Dáil Éireann (the Irish Parliament). After ten weeks of negotiations, a minority government finally looks set to enter office, but its rule is expected to be short-lived. Unlike the United States, Ireland doesn’t have nuclear weapons. Nor (unlike elsewhere in Europe) was there ever any threat that someone as colorful as Donald Trump would become Taoiseach (prime minister). But seen as the latest in a series in the austerity-hit euro-zone periphery, the election’s result should worry anybody in Brussels, Frankfurt or Berlin who is concerned about the euro zone’s long-term political sustainability. Irish politics are especially unusual Every country is unique in its own way, of course, but Irish politics have always been especially unusual by the standards of Western democracies. The party system has traditionally been defined not by a contest between left and right but between the winners and losers of the brief but bitter civil war that ended in 1923, immediately after independence from Britain. Fianna Fáil (“the soldiers of destiny”) lost that conflict. Nevertheless, the party went on to dominate Irish politics, remaining the largest party for nearly 80 years, until 2011. That’s when it suffered defeat at the hands of Fine Gael (“tribe of the Gaels”), its historic rival, and the successor to the winners of the 1923 civil war. So what’s the difference between them? Fianna Fáil is traditionally the more nationalistic. Otherwise, ideological differences have been small and inconsistent, with each party sometimes slightly to the left and sometimes slightly to the right of its rival, but essentially rooted close to the center. Political scientists would call them “catch-all parties.” While Fine Gael has always had a more affluent electorate (and even has roots in the closest thing Ireland had to a fascist movement), it has also always had to rely on the support of the center-left Labour Party (the “half-party” in what was once known as a “two-and-a-half party system”) to reach a governing majority.


Main Street Morning: Saudi Arabia launches a women’s business and technology park

landline business shrinks. - This fast-growing meat supplier has plans for expansion. Entrepreneurs - An Australian entrepreneur says he is the founder of Bitcoin. - A college student starts a business recycling dorm fridges. - This is exactly how hard it is for mothers who become entrepreneurs. - A refugee who sold pens to feed his daughter now owns four businesses. Finance - Fedex is offering grants up to $100K. Start-ups - This floral business started with a gift from mom. - These gas delivery start-ups want to enable their customers to fill up their cars anywhere. Technology - Google’s parent Alphabet is developing a wide range of wearable products. - Will.i.am is back with a new product that lives on your wrist—or in your clothes. - A new phone fingerprint sensor doesn’t need a button. - Windows 10 growth stalled in April. Online - An expert in cartography tries to figure out why Google Maps has changed so much over the past few years. - These are 38 business-ready apps for the Android that will help you get stuff done on the run. - Chrome overtakes Internet Explorer for the most popular desktop browser. Social Media - A comic book shop owner joins Facebook’s small business council. Ideas and Opportunities - Kit Kat launches possibly the most bizarre flavored chocolate bar ever. - A Space Jam sequel starring LeBron James might finally be on the way! - How a Chinese business travel boom brings opportunities for U.S. companies. Around the Country - Missouri’s state legislature weighs business tax breaks. - A tiny Nebraska town says no to 1,100 jobs, citing its way of life. - New York’s police department is using a “nuisance abatement” law to force small businesses to install cameras and agree to warrantless searches. - Gas prices in Nebraska jump 30 cents in a week. Around the World - An all-women business park will likely create 21,000 jobs by 2025 in Saudi Arabia. - One of McDonald’s oldest employees is this 92-year-old woman in Singapore. - The first U.S. cruise ship in decades reaches Cuba. Small Business, Big Impact - A legendary pizza maker and business owner dies at 78. Gene Marks owns the Marks Group, a Bala Cynwyd PA consulting firm that helps clients with customer relationship management. Follow Gene Marks and On Small Business on Twitter. News we should know about? Email us here.


Earth may be home to a staggering one trillion species, scientists say

to a dataset including more than 5 million species observed at 35,000 different sites around the world. The researchers then analyzed the data to find out how various aspects of biodiversity changed as a community grew, focusing especially on the number and abundance of species present (and the number of individual organisms representing each species). They found that across all communities — including both microscopic organisms and larger plants and animals — the same types of scaling laws applied. As the total number of organisms in a community increased, the number of species present grew and the ways the different species changed in abundance — some becoming more dominant, and some becoming more rare — were similar across all communities. In essence, the researchers had discovered what appeared to be a universal scaling law. By combining their scaling law with a well-established biodiversity model, the researchers were able to produce an estimate of the number of microbial species that should exist. In doing so, they concluded that Earth likely contains upwards of a trillion species of microbes alone. In contrast, fewer than 10 million microbe species have ever been observed in nature (and some of these have only been documented once or twice) — meaning there may be 100,000 times more microbe species on the planet than have been found so far. Finding all of them would be a monumental task, the researchers note, pointing out that at the very least we’d need a major increase in microbial sampling efforts around the world. “The profound magnitude of our prediction for Earth’s microbial diversity stresses the need for continued investigation,” they wrote. “We expect the dominance scaling law that we uncovered to be valuable in predicting richness, commonness, and rarity across all scales of abundance. To move forward, biologists will need to push beyond current computational limits and increase their investment in collaborative sampling efforts to catalog Earth’s microbial diversity.” Even so, the study is a staggering reminder that life on Earth is far more abundant — and mysterious — than meets the eye. Read more at Energy Environment: Why we’re still so confused about methane’s role in global warming This key psychological factor could explain why you care about the environment Dominoes fall: Vanishing Arctic ice shifts jet stream, which melts Greenland’s glaciers For more, you can sign up for our weekly newsletter here, and follow us on Twitter here.


Bin Laden family’s huge company faces its worst crisis since 9/11

Buses, which witnesses said were torched by workers of the Saudi Binladin Group, a construction conglomerate, in a protest over delayed wages, are seen in Mecca on Sunday. (Reuters) A vast multinational construction conglomerate run by Osama bin Laden's brother and founded by his father is facing street protests over its failure to pay wages to tens of thousands of its employees for months. On Saturday, seven buses were torched in the holy city of Mecca by non-Saudi workers who were part of the 77,000 foreign employees the Saudi Binladin Group (SBG) announced it will be sacking, almost half of its total workforce. The protests intensify pressure on the company to pay an estimated $660 million in back wages to large groups of foreign workers as well as 12,000 Saudi nationals, all of whom have been asked to "resign or wait." All employees waiting for wages have been promised a two-month bonus should they stick it out. عمال شركة بن لادن يحرقون الباصات لتاخر رواتبهم SBG's cash crunch is another instance of collateral damage from oil's plummeting price. The company controls 70 percent of Saudi Arabia's government-sanctioned construction projects when measured by value, and the decline in oil revenue has left the government about $100 billion in debt, according to the International Monetary Fund. The government has derived as much of 90 percent of its income from oil in recent years, and Bloomberg News reported that the government has delayed payments to contractors, though no one has confirmed whether that includes SBG. Reuters reported that plans for large-scale construction projects, such as football stadiums and high-speed rail lines, have been put on hold. SBG is in the process of building what would be the world's tallest building — a 3,280-foot-tall skyscraper in Jiddah, the kingdom's second-largest city. The crisis for SBG is somewhat self-inflicted, though. In September, on a busy afternoon during Friday prayers at Islam's holiest mosque, in Mecca, a crane it was operating tumbled into a crowd and killed 107 people. A government investigation found that the crane was not secured as per instructions in a manual, and the government subsequently said it would not consider bids from SBG for upcoming projects, leading to a tumble in stock prices. The company is said to be almost $30 billion in debt. The Saudi BinLadin Group's headquarters in Jiddah. (Getty Images) After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, families of


A video and other startling revelations from the NTSB’s investigation of the fatal Yellow Line smoke incident

March 14 tunnel fire near the McPherson Square Metro station, an incident that the NTSB– and Metro– says was similar to the Yellow Line incident at L’Enfant Plaza. That incident, in which no one was injured, also involved faulty electrical cables and prompted Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld to order an unprecedented 24-hour weekday shut down of the entire subway, on March 16, so crews could reinspect the cables. The video clip from a surveillance camera captures the electrical arcing, followed by interment flashes, and smoke filling the platform. Cable inspections after the L’Enfant incident After the L’Enfant Plaza incident, the NTSB examined cables at multiple locations and “found many were not in accordance with WMATA’s engineering design specifications, including those replaced after the accident,” the report said. The Jan. 12, 2015 incident began due to electrical “leakage” from degraded power cables, according to the board. The NTSB said that cable-connection assemblies lacked the proper type of sealing sleeves. The sleeves are vital to keeping electrical current properly contained. The leakage led to burning and smoke in the tunnel, the NTSB said. After the L’Enfant Plaza incidents, investigators found that sleeves were not used to protect the cables from moisture. Metro smoke investigations involved passengers NTSB investigators found that “it was common practice (for Metro) to use trains with passengers to investigate reports of fire or smoke,” an NTSB official said. That practice was done instead of “stopping all trains and using a qualified person to follow up on a report.” Metro said it has stopped the practice. No emergency drills? Prior to the fatal incident, Metro had not conducted a full-scale tunnel evacuation drill in years. The transit authority last conducted such exercise in March of 2010, five years before the L’Enfant Plaza incident. The NTSB said the Federal Railroad Administration requires annual emergency drills on commuter and intercity rail properties it regulates, but the Federal Transit Administration does not. Investigators concluded that response drills would have better prepared the Metro and other response agencies for the Jan. 12 incident. Unprepared Fire and EMS A review of the Fire and Emergency Services response found flaws in the actions and procedures taken by the incident commander who was the active fire chief at the time. The NTSB said the commander had not training on the incident management system that would have prepared him to better command the response. Investigators


How to keep fresh cut flowers from dying (with science)

slip below the water line. These can decay and rot, encouraging bacterial growth. 2. Make the water as floral-friendly as possible Just turning on the tap and filling a vase isn't good enough. Instead, clean out your vase with soap and water. If you can minimize the number of microorganisms living alongside your flowers, you can help keep them healthy for longer. Then, fill the vase with warm, filtered water and let it sit for a few minutes. This will let the water de-gas a little, limiting the air bubbles that can gurgle into your flowers' plumbing. (giphy) Finally, add plant food. This stuff contains sugar (the actual food part), some citric acid (to make the water more acidic, which plants are into) and some kind of bleach or other antimicrobial (to keep the water clean). Don't bother putting a penny in there — that's just an old wives' tale. But you can actually make your own plant food very easily. Just remember to use a complete recipe — one with all three of these components — instead of just dumping sugar in, since that's likely to attract bacteria. The best way to give your flowers a long life is to change the water every single day, which kind of sounds like more trouble than most flowers are worth. 3. Be smart about storage Leave your flowers in a cool place, because this will slow down their metabolic processes and keep them going a bit longer. If you're going out of town for a while and won't be home to gaze upon them in all their splendor, stick them in the fridge until you get back. But not next to fruit! You know how fruits give off gases that cause other fruits and veggies to ripen? Those same gases (ethylene) will make your flowers "ripen," too — and that means a quicker death. There you have it, folks. Whether you're buying mom a special bouquet, fielding endless bunches of flowers from your flock of romantic admirers, or just picking wildflowers for your own amusement, now you know how to keep them from dying — at least for a week or so. Read More: Better spring cleaning through chemistry Giant plant waits 80 years to bloom, immediately begins dying Bees love caffeine, too — and tricky flowers take advantage Spring has sprung, so does science say love is in the air?


These out-of-shape athletes should give hope to Pablo Sandoval and the Red Sox

a stack of pancakes. He missed a game. But it didn’t affect him all season. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime to advance the Kings to the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals. The Kings partied with Lord Stanley a few days later. Penner was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in 2013 and then the Washington Capitals in 2014. He scored 13 goals with the Ducks, but only one with the Capitals. Tony Stewart, NASCAR driver We’ll just let do fellow driver Carl Edwards fill you in on this one. Edwards was asked last year who the worst athlete was in the Sprint Cup Series. “That’s obviously Tony Stewart,” Edwards told Fox Sports. “He’s the worst. We give Tony a lot of trouble. He must be the toughest guy in the world because he does nothing for his fitness and he’s able to just go out there and do a great job.” Bartolo Colon, Mets pitcher Vines don’t lie, people. Prince Fielder Remember the one time he chased down a foul ball at Tiger Stadium and the ball bounced in front of him, but he kept running to the stands and grabbed a fan’s nachos and crunched his way back to first base? How could you forget it? Phil Mickelson, PGA golfer Maybe you’d call it a dad bod Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees shortstop After his suspension from baseball for violating the drug agreement and labor contract, the media was asking if A-Rod was too fat for pinstripes. “Like all our players, you have a report weight we’re hopeful that they hit,” Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman told the Associated Press in December 2014. “[Rodriguez] is approaching that. He’s not at that spring-training weight that we desire just yet. But there was progress, and he continues to tweak – Matt [Krause, the team’s strength and condition coach] continues o tweak his conditioning program.” Michael Phelps What is there to do after winning a record-setting eight gold medals and having a 6,000-calorie intake but stock your bachelor pad with chips, Rice Krispie Treats and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups? That’s what Phelps told Anderson Cooper he did in this “60 Minutes” segment. You go to the next Olympics, of course, and win four gold and two silver medals to become the most successful swimmer of the meet for the third consecutive Olympics. Pablo Sandoval, may the odds be ever in your favor.


The NTSB recommendations not directed at Metro

Passengers react on Jan. 12, 2015, as smoke fills a Metro train in a tunnel outside the L’Enfant Plaza station. (Saleh Damiger) The National Transportation Safety Board issued a comprehensive report Tuesday on the Jan. 12, 2015, smoke incident in a tunnel near the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station, chiefly blaming Metro’s long-standing “ineffective inspection and maintenance practices” and the failure of senior management to “proactively assess and mitigate foreseeable risk.” The NTSB said little has changed at the transit agency more than a year after the incident that killed one person and injured scores more. But the panel also directed nearly one-fourth of its recommendations to other key players, including the Federal Transit Administration, which provides safety oversight of the rail system. The National Safety Transportation Board (NTSB) released on May 3 its results on the investigation into the Jan. 2015 Yellow Line tunnel fire that killed one passenger and injured dozens more near the L'Enfant plaza station. These are the key findings. Seven of the 31 recommendations are for the FTA, the D.C. mayor’s office, the District’s Office of Unified Communications and the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. An earlier version of the document offered 33 recommendations, including one directed at the National Capital Region Emergency Preparedness Council. For the FTA, the board said the federal agency should issue regulatory standards for inspections, maintenance and repair of Metro’s infrastructure and set safety procedures for exiting tunnels during an emergency. Meanwhile, the board was critical of D.C. Fire and EMS and recommended the agency boost training, particularly specialized emergency management training for command officers who are likely to take the lead during emergencies like the Jan. 12 smoke incident. The board noted that investigators found the battalion chief commanding the Jan. 12 response had not been properly trained and “did not take appropriate immediate action to provide emergency assistance to passengers” on the stalled Yellow Line train that had filled with smoke. Originally, the board had recommended that the National Capital Region Emergency Preparedness Council, a group established by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, evaluate the city’s fire and EMS ability to respond to an emergency situation in the Metro system. But the board later voted to redirect that recommendation to the city. It recommended instead that the office of the mayor “convene an independent panel of experts” to assess the city’s preparedness for mass-casualty events. The


Why is it so hard to get a federal job? Here’s one reason.

tools they have to work with, doing the work the way they were taught to do it. The problem is that the rules and tools are inadequate and the way most people are taught to do the work was OK in the last millennium, but not in this one. [USAJobs revamp to consider job seekers’ ’emotional experience‘] Agencies have more tools than they think to recruit and hire for an increasing number of jobs without going through USAJobs, the government’s main job board, officials said. The USAJobs site itself is going through its own gradual reinvention, with tweaks to smooth out the navigation and application process for the job seeker and a pilot program to make résumés and candidate profiles easily searchable for hiring staffs, which in turn can invite candidates to apply for openings. The government also is reaching back to the days before the Internet to revive general aptitude tests as a tool to screen applicants for some jobs and to promote employees. [For federal-worker hopefuls, the civil service exam is making a comeback] “We want to make sure hiring managers know that there is not just one way to fill a position,” said Kim Holden, OPM’s deputy associate director for employee services. Asked about the hiring preference given to veterans, a policy that is causing confusion and resentment among some former service members and non-veterans who apply, as well as among hiring staffs, Cobert said the problem is not the policy itself but a lack of coordination between hiring managers and human resources staffs. “The problem is the hiring manager-HR relationship,” she said. “They need to find a better way to assess people, to say, ‘What does it really take to do this job, and how do I make sure the person understands those qualifications?’ ” [Push to hire veterans is causing confusing and resentment, officials and veterans say] Raymond Limon, hiring chief at the Interior Department, said hiring and personnel staffs have the same goals. But they face different pressures. “The HR person speaks in acronyms and worries about following the rules, for example,” he said, while subject-matter experts think about the specific skills they need for the job. Read more: Record numbers of veterans are getting hired into government, but a lot of them quit Millennials exit the workforce as federal jobs lose their allure Obama push to hire veterans into federal jobs spurs resentment


Abuse of diarrhea medicine you know well is alarming physicians

swept up in America’s ongoing opioid epidemic. Some of these people, pharmacists fear, are now turning to loperamide to reduce their symptoms. Or to achieve euphoria. “Loperamide’s accessibility, low cost, over-the-counter legal status and lack of social stigma all contribute to its potential for abuse,” William Eggleston, an author of the case study and a pharmacist at Upstate New York Poison Center, said in a news release. Timed with their report, Eggleston and his colleagues released a searing The active ingredient in loperamide is an opioid, as is the active ingredient in Vicodin, Oxycontin and Percocet. But unlike the latter trio of drugs, loperamide is not used as a painkiller. Humans have opioid receptors in our guts and in our brains. Typical opioids can access both types of receptors. In fact, because painkillers can AstraZeneca's 2016 super bowl ad features a man looking for relief from constipation due to opioid use. But loperamide seemed to be different: all gut, no brain. A membrane called the blood-brain barrier, the popular thinking went, prevented the drug from stimulating the receptors in our heads. The Food and Drug Administration approved loperamide in the 1970s, and early pharmacological trials left experts feeling confident the likelihood of addiction was low. “Loperamide poses little threat of potential abuse,” concluded one 1980 study in the journal Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics; the researchers reported that men randomly given codeine, a placebo or loperamide rarely reported loperamide as “dope” and “‘liked’ little or not at all.” A few decades later, as the number of Americans addicted to opioids rises, loperamide’s fate changed. By 2013, reports of loperamide being used recreationally had circled the Web long enough for loperamide to pick up a nickname: “poor man’s methadone.” A 2012 study of nearly 1,300 posts on online drug forums determined that people were dosing themselves with Just how significant a problem loperamide poses is uncertain. Eggleston and his colleagues believe that the Web-forum data, coupled with an influx of calls to poison-control centers, indicate loperamide abuse is on the rise. Between 2011 and 2014, according to their statement, U.S. poison-control calls reflected a 71 percent increase in people dosing themselves with high amounts of loperamide. That doesn’t mean everyone should abstain from taking anti-diarrhea medication. In the recommended doses, the pharmacists note, loperamide is safe. More from Morning Mix H.S. yearbook recalled after lewd photo prank. Teen charged with indecent exposure.


Has the American military fallen behind?

Lt. Gen. John Toolan, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific, during joint military exercises in Tarlac province in the Philippines in April. (Francis R. Malasig/EPA) One of the prominent themes in this year’s presidential primaries is the state of the U.S. military. In his April 27 foreign policy speech, Republican front-runner Donald Trump summed up the majority view of the GOP: [W]e have to rebuild our military and our economy. The Russians and Chinese have rapidly expanded their military capability, but look at what’s happened to us. … Our military dominance must be unquestioned, and I mean unquestioned, by anybody and everybody. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, by contrast, sees little need to rebuild. She pledges to “ensure the United States maintains the best-trained, best-equipped and strongest military the world has ever known.” Bernie Sanders, the other Democratic contender, argues that the military should be reduced: Sanders expresses frank concern about the size of the U.S. military budget, which in 2015 was “greater than the spending of the next seven largest defense budgets combined.” Hearing these contradictory statements may confuse voters. Is our military over-funded or falling behind? To answer this question, it helps to examine three perspectives on military capabilities: readiness, relative strength and efficacy. How ready are we? The military itself, as well as many think-tank scholars, tends to focus on one or more of four major dimensions of military capacity. One is force structure, or the raw numbers of tanks, ships, divisions and so on that make up our armed forces. The second is modernization, or the level of technical sophistication. The third is sustainability, or the ability to maintain operations once underway. The last is combat readiness. Such measures gauge the current military capability of the United States relative to what our military says it needs to be fully operational. Based on these criteria, the conservative Heritage Foundation ranks the overall U.S. military capability as “marginal, [as] a consequence of the cumulative effect of many years of simultaneous underinvestment and extensive operations.” Readiness measures such as this one can help the military and Congress set budget priorities. But they don’t tell us anything about whether we are falling behind other countries. What is our relative strength? When academics who study international relations measure military strength, we focus on metrics that directly compare the military capabilities of one country with those of another. The most


PM Update: Cool and sometimes showery tonight through Thursday

Two-hour radar loop of rain and storm movement through the area. Refresh page to update. We’re near the start of another gray and gloomy period as an “omega block” sets up shop for the next few days. The D.C. area sits under an upper-level area of low preussure, which means at least passing shower potential and cooler temperatures. At least those drought concerns are dwindling and pollen has been kept in check. Through Tonight: Tomorrow (Thursday): See Dan Stillman’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Want our 5 a.m. forecast delivered to your email in-box? Subscribe here. The colors of spring. (Erin Kelly via Flickr) Pollen update: Omega block: GFS forecast for 500mb, showing the omega block over the country. (College of Dupage)


Another golfer will skip the Rio Olympics over Zika concerns

Marc Leishman, No. 35 in the world, won’t be going to Rio. (Bryan Snyder/Reuters) Australian Marc Leishman, the No. 35-ranked golfer in the world, announced Wednesday that he would be skipping the Olympic tournament in Brazil this summer because of concerns about the Zika virus. Leishman’s wife, Audrey, suffered a near-fatal case of toxic shock syndrome last year, and Leishman didn’t want to jeopardize her recovery by putting himself at risk to Zika in Rio de Janeiro. “Last April my children and I almost lost Audrey,” Leishman said in a statement. “Since then Audrey has been prone to infection and is far removed from 100 percent recovery of her immune system. We have consulted with Audrey’s physician and due to her ongoing recovery and potential risks associated with the transmission of the Zika virus it was a difficult yet easy decision not to participate.” Leishman is the fifth big-name golfer to beg out of the Olympics, joining countryman Adam Scott, South Africans Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, and Fiji’s Vijay Singh. Scott, ranked seventh in the world, cited his PGA Tour commitments and the tournament’s stroke-play format as his reasons for skipping the Games, a decision that was criticized by some. Singh said he would not be going because of Zika, which can cause birth defects in newborns and has become prevalent in Brazil. Golf is returning to the Olympics for the first time in 112 years, and teams will be finalized July 11 based on the world rankings. Top-ranked Jason Day of Australia has said he would be participating along with No. 2 Jordan Spieth, third-ranked Rory McIlroy and Masters champion Danny Willett, according to the Associated Press.


Most male Germans will be drunk today for no particular reason

beware yourself... it's #Vatertag! https://t.co/aX7nwyDaHf The goal for many German men today, it appears, is to get too drunk to walk. There is no deeper meaning behind this mass-drinking event which occupies Europe's largest country and economic powerhouse for one full day every year. Although many Germans simply decide to leave their phones at home for Father's Day in order not to lose them, some Twitter users shared insights into how their day had gone, so far, using the German hashtag #Vatertag. One commentator complained about the lack of beer at a forest party -- a situation he described as a "catastrophe." Fast keine #Leute da! Kein #bier mehr da! #vatertag #katastrophe (@ Teufelskanzel) https://t.co/qRBWEmTCwV https://t.co/n73W3dJtFT Public radio station Bayern 1 -- which broadcasts from the southern German beer capital of Munich -- published a short video on Thursday with "5 things one should avoid on Father's Day." The report recommended Germans to not take embarrassing photos (a proposal which was accompanied by the photo of a half naked man lying on a street). The country's public broadcaster also urged Germans not to drink hard liquor too early in the morning, but rather later in the day, and to not "forget about the way home." In a popular YouTube video which seeks to explain why Germans get so drunk so randomly on Father's Day, the narrator points out that it was Americans who invented the day officially in the 19th century, following the creation of Mother's Day which will take place on Sunday. However, the very German tradition of men celebrating themselves with beer might go back centuries. The tradition has caused debates in the past. In 2008, for instance, former German family minister and current defense minister Ursula von der Leyen urged male Germans to stop drinking in front of their kids or leaving their families for the day. "Men who want their kids to be as far away as possible are really just awful," she said in an interview. The comments sparked outrage, according to multiple reports back then. Recent research, however, has found that an increasing number of fathers now spend the day together with their families -- presumably sober. Also read: This man sued his former company because his work was ‘too boring’ Germany welcomed more than 1 million refugees in 2015. Now, the country is searching for its soul. Don’t drive in these European countries


New cease-fire in Syria, AUMF question put to the courts, and boots run aground in Afghanistan

New members of the Afghan National Army march during their graduation ceremony at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul) NEW CEASE-FIRE IN SYRIA: There are also questions about how the United States and Russia, at odds elsewhere, will be able to smooth over their differences in order to ensure that the skies over Syria stay as calm as possible. In other spheres, tensions between Washington and Moscow only appear to be growing: Russia warned this week, in advance of its Victory Day celebration, that it would be ramping up its military presence in the south and west of the country in order to respond to increased NATO drills and plans to boost troop presence in Eastern Europe, Reuters reports. AUMF QUESTION PUT TO THE COURTS: The suit openly questions whether the fight against the Islamic State is “the administration’s war” or “America’s war,” given that “Congress is AWOL” on the issue. The administration is currently fighting the war against the group also known as ISIS using legal authority it claims under authorizations for use of military force passed in 2001 and 2002, greenlighting operations against al-Qaeda affiliates and in Iraq. The captain who filed the lawsuit, Nathan Michael Smith, has served in Afghanistan and is currently stationed in Kuwait as an intelligence officer. BOOTS RUN AGROUND: It’s an example of how procurement can botch up an entire operation when there aren’t reliable standards of quality control – in this case, the Afghan system, plagued by corruption, went with the lowest bid, a Chinese supplier that often sent boots that were shoddily made, sometimes with mismatched sizes. Pumping more money into the country to make sure soldiers get decent footwear isn’t going to break the international community. But it does raise questions about what type of oversight there will be over basic military operations as the United States reduces its footprint in the country.