Beer Madness 2014: Our annual quest to find the region’s best brews unveils its bracket

tinkered with the definition of “local,” admitting three eastern Pennsylvania breweries that have a strong presence in the D.C. area and are likely to make further inroads as a result of bringing modern new plants on line (most recently, Victory Brewing’s branch brewery in Parkesburg, Pa.). Availability was a key factor in choosing our contestants. Beer’s ability to lubricate conversation (and dissent) has been noted since colonial times. We want our readers to conduct their own Beer Madnesses and do their own second-guessing, back-seat driving and Monday morning quarterbacking (even more so than they do in the online comments throughout the competition). “We tried to pick 32 beers that are readily accessible, not just at Meridian Pint but throughout the city,” said Fitz, “so you don’t have to drive 40 miles to get them.” In fact, all you’ll have to do is commandeer a barstool, because Meridian Pint is making available all 32 beers for tasting on draft this year, helping the competition bridge the gap between the private judging panel that wields the power over the bracket and readers who go online and cast their own votes without necessarily tasting the beers, let alone tasting them blind. (For details on when you can taste which brews in the 2014 Beer Madness lineup, see the related story.) Although forced to seek a new venue, we retained Greg Engert’s system of classification, with one minor tweak. Our four categories: Crisp: Fruit Spice: Malt: Hop: (Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post) We corralled our beers at under 8 percent alcohol by volume and avoided extreme styles such as sour ales and barrel-aged brews. One change in tasting methodology: We chose a champion in each category before proceeding to the next. As a palate-preserving precaution, we saved the hoppy beers until last. Once again, we enlisted a jury of eight, with this writer as the ninth (and potentially tie-breaking) vote. Our panel was evenly split between Post readers who submitted their beer credentials (four were chosen from a pool of 300 applicants) and industry professionals. One of our judges — Ruth Gresser, owner of Pizzeria Paradiso — had to exit early and was replaced by Greg Jasgur, beer manager for her three restaurants. Aside from myself, the one return presence on our panel was Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), co-chair of the 124-person-strong House Small Brewers Caucus and himself a home-brewer. DeFazio took his


Data deleted from Malaysian pilot’s home flight simulator intensifies focus of probe

Police visits to their homes have caused suspicion that one or both of them might have had a hand in the plane’s disappearance. Shortly after the simulator was taken by police from the family home, it was discovered that some material had been deleted. Forensic experts want to recover that information to determine whether it has any relevance to the investigation. FBI specialists often can retrieve data from computers that has been damaged or erased. “The goal is to find any indication that the flight simulator had been used to reproduce flight conditions or circumstances that are now the subject of potential theories,” said Weysan Dunn, a retired senior FBI agent who has dealt with many sophisticated cyber-investigations. People familiar with flight simulators said it was common practice to erase data. The disclosure about deleted data underscores the delicate job facing Malaysian authorities, who have selectively disclosed details of their investigation to a public hungry for any hint of guilt or innocence. Frustration over the trickle of information boiled over Wednesday when relatives of Chinese passengers on the missing plane burst into the news media auditorium in the Malaysian capital, wailing with grief and anger, and unfurled a banner demanding that the government “tell the truth.” Investigators have not publicly suggested that either Zaharie or Fariq had a motive or mind-set to sabotage a plane with227 passengers and 12 crew members aboard. But they have said that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 was almost surely diverted by somebody with aviation experience. Scrutiny has fallen on Zaharie and Fariq amid reports that the plane’s westward turn from Beijing, the intended destination, was programmed into the flight computer even while other communications systems remained working and before the co-pilot’s last radio contact with the ground. The change in direction was entered into the system before the final burst of automatic data sent from the plane via satellite at 1:07 a.m. and several minutes before Fariq said “good night” to Malaysian air-traffic control. Two minutes after that, the plane’s transponder went dark and the airliner disappeared from civilian radar. The sequence of events seemed to indicate that the westward turn was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but some experts said that path could have been pre-programmed as an alternative in case of emergency. Determining what happened in the plane’s cockpit in the 40 minutes between its takeoff and disappearance is crucial for investigators as they


Wildlife group hopes that Leesburg will show some appreciation for vultures

with the hope of encouraging residents to be less fearful and more accepting of the stereotypically ominous-looking birds. “We’re going to support the town’s efforts through education. A lot of people . . . have fears due to an incomplete understanding of vultures,” Mahoney said. “We’ve already put articles in our newsletter, and those kinds of steps will continue. But we’d also like to host a vulture appreciation event, and this fall would be a good time to try to launch that.” Mahoney said the group will aim to dispel some of the myths surrounding vultures and teach residents about their benefits. By feeding on carrion, the birds can help prevent the spread of disease and contamination of groundwater, wildlife officials say. As the vultures started leaving Leesburg this month, Dubé met with the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy and other town officials to discuss how best to deal with the vultures when they make their anticipated return in the fall. In the past, local authorities have joined with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to discourage the vultures with a variety of methods, including noisy pyrotechnic displays and hanging a vulture carcass from a tree. Because the birds are a protected species, killing them is not an option. Pyrotechnics worked well in January, Dubé said, when police and officials with the USDA successfully chased off a committee of about 200 vultures that had made themselves at home in a Leesburg neighborhood. “This year, they were more spread out than they normally were in year’s past,” Dubé said. “Usually they flock to a specific area, but this time we had them in two or three areas in town.” Mahoney said that the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy does not object to displacing the vultures or encouraging them to roost in less populated areas when necessary but that she hopes to see humane methods used — hanging a dead-vulture effigy, she said, caused some concern among conservancy members. Dubé said, “We’ve agreed to keep [the Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy] in the loop about what the town is experiencing as far as complaints . . . and to use them as a resource for public education and notification.” The officials will be meeting in the coming months to develop a comprehensive plan, he said. When the birds return in the fall, he said, the town will be ready. “We’re at the end of the current cycle, and we


Agony mounts for families of Malaysia Airlines pilots

A front page picture of Zaharie Ahmad Shah, the pilot of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370, is seen at a stand near Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday. (Damir Sagolj/Reuters) KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Deprived of a beloved relative, still uncertain whether he is alive or dead, the family of Malaysia Airlines captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah has watched in agony as some media have suggested he deliberately hijacked his own plane and potentially flew 238 other people to their death. Meanwhile, the family of the plane’s 27-year-old co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, has seen him portrayed on television as a reckless flirt. This week, evidence has mounted that at least one of the pilots reprogrammed the flight path and turned off various communication systems before the plane disappeared from civilian radar in the early hours of March 8. But it remains unclear whether the person at the controls was acting voluntarily or under duress. Even if one of the pilots was behind the plane’s disappearance, it is uncertain who it might have been. But that has not stopped some from assembling a case against the 53-year-old Zaharie. Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah “It is very agonizing for the family, and the media is not helping at all,” said Mohammed Ghouse, a longtime friend of Zaharie’s brother-in-law. “The daughter especially is very upset. She was very close to her father.” Zaharie’s 27-year-old daughter, Aishah, was living in Melbourne, Australia, when the plane vanished, and she returned the following day to be with her mother. None of the family members have spoken to journalists, but relatives released a tribute to “loving Uncle Ari” on YouTube this week. “Loving, reflective, generous, cool, sporting, intelligent and supportive, the list goes on,” one caption reads, in between photos of Zaharie posing with his family, doing volunteer activities and working as a pilot in his younger days. Peter Chong, a friend of Zaharie’s and the private secretary to an opposition member of parliament, used such words as “humble” and “jovial” to describe the pilot.“In the two years I knew him, I didn’t ever see him angry,” he said. Nasir Othman was a school friend of Zaharie’s who has stayed in touch, attending a barbecue at the pilot’s house two years ago and seeing him once last year. “He was a harmless person, a nice person, very cheerful, the kind who makes an event come alive,” he said. Yin


Assessing the theories about Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370’s disappearance

don’t think they should be running to vilify the pilots.” There are many scenarios being discussed by aviation experts, and they include: Mechanical failure The plane could have suffered some kind of electrical fire that caused a crisis and an emergency response. This was the hypothesis of a much-discussed article on Wired.com by a pilot who argued that the pilot of MH370 must have turned the plane around in hopes of reaching an airport for an emergency landing, only to crash somewhere at sea. Another scenario is catastrophic decompression. The crew could have lost consciousness and the plane could have kept flying — what people have been calling the “Payne Stewart scenario,” after the golfer who died in 1999 when a Learjet underwent decompression and kept flying for more than 1,000 miles before crashing in South Dakota. If the MH370 diversion was preprogrammed, however, that pretty much rules out an accident. The pilot never radioed any distress, and the radios rely on batteries and would still operate after an electrical fire, said Hans Weber, a San Diego-based aviation consultant. Moreover, a fire would presumably be progressive and would allow time to transmit a distress signal. Cassidy said that the lack of radio transmission makes the fire scenario difficult to believe. But the lack of communication doesn’t prove anything, he said. “Every single professional pilot is trained that, when you have an emergency, the first focus is on actually flying the plane, next is on navigating it and the third priority is actually communicating,” Cassidy said. “The absence of a distress call does not imply that there was no distress in the airplane.” Hijacking/commandeering Technically, a hijacking comes with demands, whereas commandeering can be for a variety of malevolent or idiosyncratic purposes. But in both cases this would have been a plane intentionally diverted — for reasons unknown — from its flight to Beijing. “It had enough fuel to go many places, and unfortunately it had enough fuel to go into places where you don’t have civil radar systems, for example, and into a part of the world where terrorism and to some extent state-supported terrorism exists,” said George Hamlin, a Fairfax, Va.-based aviation consultant. He broached the possibility that this is part of an ongoing operation akin to the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks — including, perhaps, using the plane to deliver an explosive weapon somewhere. “It suggests something else


Montgomery County Animal Watch

These were among the cases received recently by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5054. That number provides recorded information on such topics as the Montgomery County Animal Shelter’s hours and location, adoption and licensing procedures, rabies clinics and low-cost neutering. No quarantine for Labs: Rabid raccoon bites horse on leg: Free “Dogs at Play” workshop Volunteers needed: Montgomery County Humane Society Gaithersburg Olney No-kill shelter has adoptable cats: Gaithersburg Gaithersburg Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Mixed messages on Russia and Ukraine

Regarding the March 18 front-page article “U.S., Europe hit Russians with sanctions”: Sanctions on seven Russians? Seven? This is the strong response that President Obama and Congress promised? The more the United States and the European Union dilly-dally, the less credible — and weaker — Russian President Vladimir Putin and those of his ilk will believe we are. If the democratic world can’t come up with a meaningful response to this invasion, can we ever be expected to keep our promises and make good on our threats? Ukrainians now fear they are on their own — and why wouldn’t they? Shame on Mr. Obama, Europe’s leaders and their advisers if they can’t even put a real sanctions package together. The number and scale of outrageous acts by despotic rulers will only rise as a result. Helen Luryi, Washington ● How silly of the United States to pick a fight with Russia for reclaiming territory that had belonged to it for centuries and that is inhabited mostly by Russians who want to be in Russia. Wouldn’t our energies be better spent reexamining the thought processes by which, in 1991, we accepted all those territories as full-fledged independent states without determining their long-term capacity for governance, including the ability to manage ethnic diversity, and the natural desire of the Russian state, once it recovered from a moment of exceptional weakness, to want its land back? James Morrell, Washington ● It was 100 years ago that vacillation, uncertainty and an inability to control events by bumbling and ineffective leaders led to the catastrophe of World War I and its inevitable stepchild, World War II. Those events compelled the United States to take on a global leadership role that led to more than 60 years of relative peace. Now, by contrast, the neo-isolationist approach of the Obama administration leaves this nation incapable of dealing decisively with Russia, Syria, North Korea or any other minor-league dictatorship bold enough to seize the day while the United States is dismally led by such a weakling. Risks are growing hourly that some miscalculation — especially because of Mr. Obama’s vacillation — could set a fuse burning for another global powder keg. Louis H. Knapp, Winchester ● Angela Stent’s March 16 Outlook commentary, “The Cold War is cool again,” was a timely reminder of the danger of defunding academia, particularly as the humanities increasingly come under attack. But it


White House launches climate data initiative

The White House launched an initiative Wednesday aimed at expanding the use of climate data nationwide, to help communities cope with the impacts of global warming. The effort includes making federal data more accessible through climate.data.gov and launching a design competition to demonstrate the extent to which Americans are vulnerable to coastal flooding. The administration also is releasing new federal map data to depict which parts of the nation’s infrastructure are vulnerable to climate change, and is enlisting Google, Esri and other private firms to distribute and store data. White House counselor John D. Podesta and presidential science adviser John P. Holdren told reporters the initiative would allow government officials and businesses to prepare for rising sea levels, flooding and drought. “This begins to make clearer what the risks are of inaction,” Podesta said. The idea of creating a centralized climate data center dates back to 2006, during the Bush administration, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration formally proposed its creation in 2010. NOAA’s administrator at the time, Jane Lubchenco, called it a National Climate Service, since it is modeled loosely on the National Weather Service. Congress, which was controlled by Democrats, called for an independent review of the proposal. But Republicans later rejected the plan after taking control of the House. In an interview Wednesday, Lubchenco called the effort “very timely. As we saw at NOAA the requests for information are just escalating exponentially . . . It’s not just data, it is being able to visualize it, to manipulate it, and to tailor it to the decisions you are making.” Holdren said the effort is “broader” than the 2010 plan and “brought more resources to bear” by involving other agencies as well as the private sector. The climate service has practical appeal beyond the political dispute over global warming: NOAA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Western Governors Association in June 2011 to provide them with climate data on drought and other issues. Jack Dangermond, chief executive of the software firm Esri, said his company had already analyzed how a one-meter rise in sea level would affect the New York City area; 780,000 people would be displaced. But the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity, an industry group that opposes federal limits on carbon dioxide, said the idea is part of an effort to justify stricter regulations based on the prospect of harmful climate impact. While


Adjusting the balance of power in Maryland’s prisons

even bore gang leader Tavon White’s children. Mr. Rosenstein has secured 44 indictments, including 27 against corrections officers. Eighteen, including 11 correctional officers , have pleaded guilty. Criminal prosecutions, while necessary to prevent a repetition of this episode, are not sufficient. Last year, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) convened a joint commission of state senators and delegates to consider legislative reforms. Now the General Assembly is working on several bills to put the panel’s recommendations into law. For example, on March 3, the Senate voted unanimously to allow the emergency 90-day suspension, without pay, of correctional officers who are suspected of smuggling contraband — specifically including “telecommunications” devices — to inmates. The same measure also increased the penalties for correctional officers and inmates involved in cellphone smuggling. The most contentious issue raised by the jail scandal was the role of a 2010 law known as the “correctional officers’ bill of rights ” (COBR). FBI wiretaps and agent affidavits in the case showed that corrupt guards at the Baltimore jail felt enabled by the elaborate procedural protections against administrative discipline in the law, an election-year project of Mr. O’Malley and a political ally, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents correctional officers. Though the commission essentially ducked that question, Mr. O’Malley’s administration has, to its credit, introduced a bill that would at least partially restore the management prerogatives COBR unwisely ceded. The measure would permit prison officials to waive the usual 90-day limit on disciplinary investigations in cases involving alleged criminal conduct by a correctional officer. COBR required authorities to either bring charges or close the investigation after 90 days, whether the offense in question was criminal or administrative. Last week, the House of Delegates adopted the new rule unanimously. We would have liked to see the investigative period extended to one year, which is the period state law prescribes for allegations of police misconduct. But if, as expected, the new law passes the Senate, it could be a step in the right direction, and a welcome, if belated, recognition that COBR had tipped the balance of power within the prison hierarchy too far in favor of officers and their union. Read more about this issue: Charles Lane: A Baltimore jail scandal aided by union politics The Post’s View: Baltimore’s detention center was a victim of bad management The Post’s View: An escape route for Maryland’s bad cops


Marco Rubio: Making Putin pay

Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Vladimir Putin’s annexation of Crimea is a direct challenge and long-term threat to the post-World War II international order for which the United States and our allies have made great sacrifices over the past seven decades. If Putin is allowed to take land from a neighboring nation through deceit and raw military force without serious consequences, the precedent could have global repercussions, including in Asia. Some have suggested that Crimea is not worth triggering tensions with Russia, given other interests that are more important. While it is best to avoid conflict whenever possible, history shows that illegitimate aggressions that go unchallenged are a virtual guarantee of even more dangerous conflict in the future. Fortunately, Putin’s illegitimate actions have united the United States and its allies in the free world in opposition. But while the steps taken so far by President Obama and the United States’ European allies are welcome, they clearly will not be enough in the face of a determined Russian effort to forcibly redraw Europe’s borders. Putin’s annexation of Crimea must be met with immediate and meaningful consequences for his regime and those who benefit from it. First, U.S. financial leverage toward Russia should be used to greater effect. U.S. visa and financial sanctions on Russian officials should be broadened to include Putin and his network of political and business allies. We should work with our partners in Europe to launch an asset-recovery program to identify the spoils of the Russian regime’s corruption, which often are hidden abroad. A collection of cartoons from around the country. Second, we need to diplomatically isolate Russia. Instead of just canceling one summit meeting or technical talks, Russia should be removed immediately from every international forum not essential to resolving this crisis, including the Group of Eight. The NATO-Russia Council should be dissolved. Russian cooperation on global strategic challenges should not be sought until the people of Crimea are given a free and fair opportunity to decide their fate without outside pressure. Put simply, Russia should no longer be considered a responsible partner on any major international issue. The Russian people should see that Putin’s actions will bring about a decline of Russia’s status as a global power, not a return to supposed Soviet glory. To this end, Obama should


Russian parliament moves to ratify Crimea takeover as Europe, U.S. weigh more sanctions

and business communities. Among them is Yuri Kovalchuk, an old Putin friend from St. Petersburg who is known as “Putin’s banker.” Kovalchuk and another person on the list, Putin aide Andrei Fursenko, are owners of Bank Rossiya, the sanctioned bank. Bank Rossiya was described as having $10 billion in assets and as handling financial transactions for many senior Russian officials. Long-time Putin associates Arkady and Boris Rotenberg also were named. A senior U.S. official pointed out that the St. Petersburg-based brothers were close to the center of power, receiving $7 billion in contracts connected to the Sochi Olympics. The senior Obama administration official described the targets as “senior government officials, cronies and a crony bank.” Briefing reporters Thursday after Obama’s speech, the official took a stern tone. “We saw some bluster earlier in the week that sanctions would have no impact. I would suggest if they have any interest in doing business outside the U.S., they will have difficulty doing so.” The bank will be frozen out of the dollar, and correspondent accounts with U.S. banks will be terminated, the official said, adding that sanctioned individuals “will be prevented from operating around the world to the greatest extent possible.” The other Americans banned from entering Russia are Caroline Atkinson, deputy national security adviser for international economic affairs; presidential aides Daniel Pfeiffer and Benjamin Rhodes; Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Sen. Daniel Coats (R-Ind.). “We have warned repeatedly that using sanctions is a double-edged sword and will hit the United States back,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site. “Washington has been repeatedly assured that it is unacceptable and counterproductive to talk with our country in such a way,” it said. “However, the U.S. seems to continue believing blindly in the efficiency of such methods, taken from the arsenal of the past, and does not want to admit the obvious — in complete accordance with international laws and the U.N. charter, Crimean residents voted democratically for rejoining Russia. This decision can be liked or not, but it concerns reality, which has to be taken into account.” The statement added: “There should be no doubts — we will respond adequately to every hostile attack.” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke again by phone Thursday about Ukraine, and Lavrov said


The Caucasus Mountains, in the spirit of writer Lermontov

been sacrificing myself at his altar.” Later in the day I settled Father Superior Johann at the Lomisa Monastery (Oleg Gritskevich) “Hero’s” wanton antics can be hard to take, but there are passages that sing with enchantment. “All these snows burned with a ruddy glow,” Lermontov writes, “so merrily, so brightly, that it made one wonder why one should not stay here forever.” The Russian dramatist Nikolai Gogol said of one chapter, “No one among us has yet written a prose so perfect, so beautiful, so full of flavor.” But I, myself, was taken most by a letter Lermontov wrote in 1837: “As I careered up and down the mountains in Georgia, I abandoned the cart and took to horseback; I’ve climbed the snowy mountain of the Cross to the very top, which isn’t altogether easy; from it, one can see half of Georgia as though it were on a saucer. … For me the mountain air is balm; the blues go to the devil, the heart thumps, the breast breathes high.” A woman offers socks for sale in the Khevsureti countryside (Oleg Gritskevich) By “the Cross,” I began climbing. Beside me were young families carrying children, and old women barefoot and bent over walking sticks. Finally, using hand signals to query my fellow travelers, I ascertained that we were all on a pilgrimage. It was Lomisoba, an ancient pagan feast updated 15 centuries ago after Christianity came to Georgia. We were climbing to the Lomisa Monastery to slaughter farm animals and pray at the stone shrine of Georgia’s patron, Saint George. Lermontov had skipped this one, I’m pretty sure — it was beneath him to mingle with the hoi polloi — but I loved the sight of the crowds before me, moving now through a steep, shadowed meadow spotted with wildflowers. I loved that, even on this holy mission, they had weighted their backpacks with chacha, a grape-based moonshine. It was dusk. The monastery sits on a knoll at 7,500 feet, and it took most people three hours to hike there. I didn’t have any food, never mind a tent for the inevitable night out in the chill. But I’d built up a certain trust in Georgians by now. Somehow I knew I’d find spirit and warmth up at the top. There must have been 1,000 people there — a constellation of small groups scattered amid a jumble of


Pentagon considers retaking control of security clearance checks

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is reviewing a plan for the Pentagon to resume responsibility for vetting security clearance applicants. (Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images) The Pentagon is moving toward taking back responsibility for vetting security-clearance applicants, a process that has come under increased scrutiny since investigators found widespread problems that they said contributed to national security threats. Officials said the idea, which is under review by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, would allow the department better control of background checks, now done largely by the Office of Personnel Management. The OPM’s background investigations have been criticized as rushed and incomplete, and the main contractor in charge of the work for the agency is facing a whistleblower lawsuit. The suit, which the Justice Department has joined, alleges that the company “dumped,” or submitted incomplete background checks, in 665,000 cases in 4 1 / 2 years to meet performance incentives and reduce backlogs. Pentagon reviews released Tuesday concluded that the September mass shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, committed by a former Navy service member who was working as a defense contractor, could have been prevented. The reviews said Navy personnel and supervisors at Experts Inc., which employed shooter Aaron Alexis at the time, missed several opportunities that could have prevented him from obtaining a security clearance. One of those reviews, an independent report ordered by Hagel, criticized the OPM, saying that its process “lacks transparency” and that its “contract investigators reduce investigations to checklists.” The report urged the Pentagon, which pays the OPM $800 million annually for background checks, to perform the checks in-house, as the State Department does. In the meantime, the report said, the Pentagon should immediately deploy case managers to work with OPM investigators “to improve the quality of investigations and adjudications.” OPM Director Katherine Archuleta said in a statement that since she took over the agency in November, the issue has been “a priority.” “It is essential that we continue to identify areas to strengthen the background investigations program and take the steps necessary to improve the process,” she said. She has been vocal about holding accountable USIS, the contractor that does most of the OPM background investigations, and has said that her agency is working closely with the Justice Department on its investigation. In recent years, the OPM has scaled back its reliance on USIS, which was paid $417 million in fiscal 2010 and $320 million last year, according


Zoo keepers become mama bear to sloth bear cub that was at risk of being eaten by mother

fellow bears, the giant pandas, are. Adults are shaggy, long-nosed, gap-toothed consumers of bugs. A full-grown sloth bear can vacuum 50,000 termites a day with its flexible lips. And the zoo’s sloth bears like nothing better than a yummy handful of big, brown meal worms. Not the thing to draw oohs and aahs from the panda crowd. But sloth bears are highly intelligent animals, who keepers say have complex emotions — including fear and outrage — and vibrant personalities, and who enjoy watching videos. They are far more energetic than the indolent giant pandas, their advocates say. And the keepers are proud to have saved the animal, which comes from one of the world’s vulnerable species. The three cubs were born Dec. 29. The first cub was eaten by the mother 20 minutes after it was born. The second was consumed Jan. 6, and the third was “pulled” from the mother a short time later. Take a look at some of the animals born at the National Zoo. “It’s a serious decision if you’re going to pull a cub,” said Mindy Babitz, a sloth bear expert at the zoo. “We want cubs to be raised by their mom. That’s an ideal situation. We’re doing everything we can to be a surrogate mom to her. But we’re not bears.” Keepers extracted the frail, one-pound newborn from the den while the mother was in another area. They took it to the zoo’s animal hospital and placed it in an incubator. “She was actually very sick when we pulled her,” Babitz said. The cub was suffering from cold and some kind of infection. She was given fluids and antibiotics and placed on a heating pad. Babitz said Khali, who previously reared healthy cubs before she came to the zoo, may have consumed the other two because she sensed that all three were sick. Khali is in good health now. The plan is to eventually return the cub to its mother, or another adult sloth bear. “It’s normal for mom to consume her cub if it’s compromised in some way, or if the mom is compromised in some way,” said Babitz, who has a doctorate in animal psychology. “Life is tough in the wild,” she said. “If a cub were to pass away and you were to just leave that carcass laying around, that would attract a predator. And that’s not safe for mom.


Ukrainian military families prepare to leave Crimea

mainly because they are Crimea natives who have no ties to the Ukrainian mainland. Mamchur is among those who will, as he put it, “relocate,” a word he stressed he considers more apt than “surrender.” “I’m going to go where the motherland is,” said Mamchur, who already has sent his daughter and granddaughter to mainland Ukraine. “I’m a military man. Every military man is ready to make these changes.” Larisa Mamchur’s dark eyes grew sad as she described watching her neighbors vacate the yellow stucco apartment building. A serviceman was working on the rooftop Thursday morning, detaching electrical wires from satellite dishes and window air-conditioning units that are rapidly being boxed up and carted away. “A woman left this morning crying,” she said, speaking Russian as fluently as her husband. “A month ago, we had different plans for life. We wanted to go on vacation, and enroll our granddaughter in dance classes. We didn’t decide to leave. ‘Uncle Putin’ decided this.” A man carries boxes into a building at the air base in Sevastopol on Thursday. (Carol Morello/The Washington Post) It has been surprisingly disheartening to prepare to leave a city where many Ukrainians say they have been treated shabbily as local fervor to join Russia swelled. Larisa Mamchur said some salespeople have refused to serve Ukrainians. They have been kicked off public buses. Residents have come to the base gate calling the Ukranians inside fascists, Nazis and various Russian curse words. “Before all the propaganda from Russia, we had very good relations with people here,” she said. “Sooner or later, people will understand what has happened. But by then, we will have lost everything.” On a normal sunny spring Thursday, young children would be using the swings and seesaw in the small playground next to the apartment building. But these are not normal days, and the sound of children’s laughter is gone as wives and children have been sent away to wait for the men to join them. A young airman named Oleg, 24, said his wife and daughter went to live with his in-laws in Ukraine earlier this month, when tensions started boiling over. “I miss them very much,” he said. “Today my daughter turns one and a half, and I’d like to be with her. I had hoped we would live here for a long time. If I have to leave, I just pray God doesn’t allow


Garry Kasparov: It’s time to stop Putin

kicked out, until credible threats to his power create a split among his elites and advisers. Right now they have no incentive to bet against him. Putin protects them and their assets while the free world they enjoy living in has made no moves that would force them to choose between their riches and Putin. Changing that calculus is the only way to protect Ukraine and wherever Putin next creates enemies to feed into his propaganda machine. Obama and Europe’s leaders keep trying to play by the rules even though Putin has ripped up the rule book and thrown the shreds in their faces. Kremlin elites were right to laugh at Western sanctions Monday on a few of Putin’s political hacks — the step was a joke. The laughter in Moscow surely died down on Thursday, when Obama personally made a stronger statement and announced new sanctions against oligarchs and assets that matter to Putin. Even better was Obama’s threat to sign new orders allowing stiffer penalties to a legal framework that Putin’s allies know how to exploit. This tells Putin that the West can change the rules, too. Now it is a question of resolve, of following this good first step with a second and third until Putin backs down. Western leaders would be wise to follow the money: Sanction the elites who support Putin, go after the family members they use to hide their assets abroad and scrutinize their companies. If existing laws are inadequate to deal with billionaire thugs who enable a dangerous regime, write new ones. And do all this quickly, because the price to remove Putin goes up with every delay. Eventually, that price will be paid not just in the cash Western countries are afraid to lose but also in human lives. Read more: Charles Krauthammer: Obama’s pathetic response to Putin Anne Applebaum: The West made a big mistake about Russia Americans are feeling the wrath of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has targeted the following high-profile Americans for reciprocal punishment after Washington sanctioned a group of leading Russian business members and politicians. Who’s been hit by Putin? David Ignatius: America’s next challenge in Ukraine Jack Matlock: Who is the real bully? America has treated Russia like a loser. Condoleezza Rice: Will America heed the wake-up call of Ukraine? Henry Kissinger: How the Ukraine crisis ends The Post: Complete coverage of the Ukraine crisis


The U.S. should keep tightening the sanctions on Russia

THE SANCTIONS against Russia that President Obama announced Thursday were far tougher than those previously taken in response to the invasion and annexation of Crimea. But they remained carefully calibrated: Mr. Obama aimed to inflict economic pain on Vladimir Putin and his inner circle of financiers and cronies, not on the Russian economy as a whole. Mr. Putin was not named, but his personal banker and bank were locked out of the U.S. financial system, as were key aides and several longtime friends who have become billionaires under his regime and who may handle some of his investments. The U.S. strategy could have the advantage of punishing Mr. Putin while minimizing the collateral damage to the U.S., European and global economies that could come from a broader economic war. At the same time, Mr. Obama sought to deter further Russian aggression by granting authority for sanctions against Russian economic sectors, including the energy industry, and making clear that they would be imposed if other parts of Ukraine were attacked. Mr. Obama should get credit for leading the Western response to Mr. Putin: Burdened by the need to establish consensus among 28 governments and with larger domestic equities at stake, the European Union has not been as aggressive in targeting the Putin circle. But the U.S. sanctions still fall far short of what is needed to inflict the “massive” damage to the Russian economy threatened by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, much less force a retreat from Crimea. The test now will be whether Mr. Putin ceases what has been a steady escalation since Russian troops fanned out in Crimea nearly three weeks ago. On Thursday the outlook was not good: Moscow not only sanctioned several U.S. politicians and White House officials but it also imposed what U.S. officials said appeared to be a trade embargo with Ukraine. Mr. Obama expressed “grave concern” about Russian troop movements that could presage a move into southern and eastern Ukraine. Mr. Putin is still refusing to recognize the Ukrainian government in Kiev and appears bent on bringing about its downfall. The administration has declined to provide military aid to the Ukrainian army, irking some critics. But even with such assistance, Ukrainian forces would be unable to stop a Russian invasion; the economic tools at the West’s disposal have more potential punch. Mr. Putin and his political elite appear drunk with euphoria over their successful seizure


Obama expands sanctions against top aides, associates of Putin over annexation of Crimea

or otherwise in Gunvor. . . . Any understanding otherwise is fundamentally misinformed and outrageous.” In a later statement from its Geneva headquarters, Gunvor said that as of Wednesday, “anticipating potential economic sanctions,” Timchenko had sold all his shares in the company to his partner, Torbjorn Tornqvist, a Swedish citizen. The sanctions list also includes key officials such as Sergei Naryshkin, speaker of the lower house of parliament, and Sergei Ivanov, head of the presidential administration, as well as influential Russians in the banking and business communities, including several from Putin’s home town, St. Petersburg. Among them is Yuri Kovalchuk, a longtime Putin friend who is known as “Putin’s banker.” Kovalchuk and another person on the list, Putin aide Andrei Fursenko, are owners of Rossiya Bank, the sanctioned bank. Senior U.S. officials said that Rossiya Bank has $10 billion in assets and that it handled financial transactions for many senior Russian officials. “We expect that this will have a significant impact on its ability to operate,” one official said. “It will be frozen out of the dollar. All the correspondent accounts that it has with U.S. financial institutions will be terminated.” The United States would work with governments and the private sector around the world to “prevent it from operating to the greatest extent possible,” the official said. Longtime Putin associates Arkady and Boris Rotenberg also were named. An administration official noted that the St. Petersburg-based brothers were close to the center of power, receiving $7 billion in contracts connected to the Sochi Olympics. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Secretary of State John F. Kerry spoke again by phone Thursday about Ukraine. Lavrov, a separate ministry statement said, accused the United States of “condoning” the activities of “ultranationalist and extremist forces” that he said were targeting businessmen, journalists, dissenters, Russian speakers and “our compatriots.” The Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also spoke with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoigu, who told him that Russian troops along the Ukrainian border were there only to conduct exercises. Defying U.S. and European warnings, Russia moved troops several weeks ago into Crimea, a part of Ukraine with an ethnic-Russian majority population. In short order, it organized a referendum in which Crimea voted to become part of Russia and Putin announced this week that Russia would annex the region. On Thursday, the lower house of the Russian parliament voted 443 to 1 to


Eugene Robinson: Without facts on the missing airliner, the media make stuff up

has attempted to sketch psychological profiles of the pilot and co-pilot in an attempt to ascertain, or guess, whether the plane could have been deliberately crashed. It was deemed significant, for a day or so, that it was the co-pilot who last spoke to air traffic controllers, not the pilot. Then Malaysian authorities announced that the pilot had erased some data from the flight simulator he kept at home. No one yet knows what kind of data that was, or whether it had any bearing on what happened to Flight 370, but it did seem to make everyone forget about the co-pilot. Speaking of the Malaysian authorities, they have poured buckets of gasoline onto this bonfire of speculation. They have given so many different versions of basic facts — when was the plane last heard from, which way it was heading — that “according to Malaysian officials” has become shorthand for “don’t take this too seriously.” In the absence of solid information, airtime has been filled with guesswork. The best is educated guessing — for example, the clever satellite triangulation that indicates searchers should concentrate on a wide arc stretching north into central Asia and south into tracts of the Indian Ocean far from shipping lanes. The possible debris spotted by the Australians is near that arc. Another educated guess is that a fire could have broken out in the cockpit and the pilots, before being overcome by smoke, could have switched off some electric circuits to find out what was burning while also turning the plane to head for the nearest airport. This scenario has been challenged, however, by those who say it doesn’t account for all the zigzags the plane seems to have made before disappearing from radar. See? I’m doing it too — writing confidently about what might have happened without the burdensome constraint of relevant factual information. I think there must be something in all of us that is drawn to mysteries and disappearances. When stories are incomplete, we have an instinct to write endings. “What happened?” is the basic question that all journalism tries to answer. But when we don’t know the answer, we should just say so — and then shut up. Endless content-free coverage deserves to be eaten by a black hole. Read more from Eugene Robinson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join


Inside the Beltway, being sanctioned by Putin has its benefits; Hillary Clinton’s good taste

but not his equally worthy House counterpart Ed Royce (R-Calif.). Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) is on the list, which is probably worth a five-point uptick in the polls in her reelection battle. Can’t help but wonder whether the exclusions are creating a bit of “sanctions envy” on the Potomac. At first glance, the Obama and Putin lists of aides and lawmakers might seem parallel. Russian business oligarchs such as billionaires Mikhail Fridman and German Khan are not listed on ours, U.S. executives such as Google chief executive Larry Page or hedge fund billionaire Tom Steyer are not on theirs. Still, although the lists may appear roughly proportional in focusing on government officials, let’s not forget that neo-Soviet Russia is a kleptocracy. Washington has nothing even close to comparable. Name that memoir It’s confirmed. Hillary Rodham Clinton is an official Loop fan. The former secretary of state opened a speech Wednesday to the Association of American Publishers by sharing her favorite submissions from a Loop contest that asked readers to help her name her forthcoming memoir, reports our on-the-ground colleague Philip Rucker. Clinton told the publishers group meeting in New York that she was still mulling over a title, and has turned to the Loop for guidance. “Helpfully, about a year ago, The Washington Post asked readers to send in suggestions. For example, one possibility was, ‘It Takes a World,’ a fitting sequel to, ‘It Takes a Village.’ Another plays off my love of all things Tina Fey: “Bossy Pantsuit,” although we can no longer say one of those words. ‘The Scrunchie Chronicles: 112 Countries and It’s Still All About My Hair.’ That actually is a keeper; that’s on the shortlist,” she said. We suspect Clinton will be making many more speeches and will need more laugh lines, so we’re re-opening the contest! Send your suggestions to: intheloop@washpost.com. Subject line: Hillarycontest. The top five winners will receive an official — and highly coveted — “In the Loop” T-shirt. Be sure to provide your name, profession, mailing address and T-shirt size (M, L or XL), in case you’re a winner. You must also include a phone number — home, work or, preferably, cell — to be eligible. Deadline is April 4. Act now on Obamacare Reminder: Don’t forget to enter the Loop Obamacare Enrollment Contest! Simply guess how many people who will enroll by the March 31 deadline. The 10 entries closest


it said there were more than 5 million. And officials are making a last push. Send your entry — one prediction per person — by noon March 28 to intheloop@washpost.com. Subject line: Obamacare. Include your name, profession, mailing address and T-shirt size (M, L or XL) as well as a phone number — home, work or, preferably, cell — to be eligible. (Obama administration and congressional employees may enter “on background.”) Marathon, not a sprint Among the thousands who will run the Boston Marathon for the first time next month in honor of last year’s bombing victims will be Lukman Faily, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States. His challenge, he said in a recent speech, is to keep the United States interested in Iraq’s welfare. “What you have here in the United States, which some people have been calling the Iraq fatigue-ness, does not apply in Iraq,” Faily said during a talk at American University in February. “We don’t have U.S. fatigue-ness in Iraq.” Iraqis want “a strong and long-term healthy relationship with the United States.” “The ambassador was keen to run a marathon this year and given Iraq’s experience with terrorism, the Boston Marathon was seen as a timely opportunity to show solidarity with victims from both our countries,” embassy spokesman Ali Al-Mawlawi told us. Faily ran two marathons in Tokyo when he was ambassador there. Boston on April 21 will be his first in this country since he arrived about nine months ago. Spring break Springtime is apparently strike time for Israel’s foreign service. As they did around this time last year, Israeli embassies worldwide went on strike over an ongoing (and apparently going nowhere) labor dispute in Israel. Diplomats contend, among other things, that they are not paid enough. So, since March 3, diplomats have ceased most consular operations. If you’re an Israeli visiting the United States and have lost your passport, you’re not going home anytime soon. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to pay the White House another visit, he won’t have his embassy to help facilitate. Embassy strikes are fairly unusual, although the Israelis struck for several months last year. And the Canadians also shut down their foreign operations over wages a year ago. A Jerusalem Post editorial this week, citing security risks facing Israelis abroad, urged the government to treat its foreign service folks more fairly. With Colby Itkowitz The blog: washingtonpost.com/intheloop. Twitter:@InTheLoopWP


Russia celebrates Crimea annexation while Ukraine looks to West for support

future sanctions for sectors of the Russian economy. The president predicted these measures could have an effect on the global economy. In Moscow, politicians joked about the sanctions. But the measures were beginning to show some bite, and several hundred thousand Russians could be feeling their effect. MasterCard and Visa stopped handling transactions for Bank Rossiya, which was placed on the U.S. sanctions list Thursday by President Obama, and for the much smaller SMP Bank, which is owned by two brothers, Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, who are also on the U.S. list. The Rotenbergs are old friends of Putin’s and have grown rich since he came to power. Also blocked was the credit card business of several small banks that rely on the two bigger ones to handle transactions. “It will not have a huge effect,” said Anton Soroko, a bank analyst in Moscow. Bank Rossiya, the country’s 15th-largest bank, has about 470,000 individual clients. Most of them have direct deposit for their salaries and use their cards only to withdraw cash from ATMs — a procedure that is still possible, according to Natalia Romanova, editor of the Web site banki.ru. It remains unusual, she said, for Russians to use credit cards for point-of-sale purchases or to make purchases online. Yet the news of the suspended transactions caught people’s attention. Putin said he would open an account in Bank Rossiya on Monday and have his salary deposited there. At a meeting of Russia’s national security council, he joked about not associating too closely with some of his aides who are on the U.S. and E.U. lists. He said Russia, for now, should not retaliate any further than the entry bans for nine U.S. officials it announced Thursday. But later in the afternoon, the talk grew more menacing. Russia will not let further sanctions go unanswered, said Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. “We will react every time, and we react based on mutuality. We have responded to the first sanctions, and now we will respond” to further sanctions, he said. “They will not go unnoticed.” The Foreign Ministry promised a stiff response to the United States. “The U.S. administration decision announced on March 20 to expand the list of sanctions against Russian officials, parliamentarians and businessmen as a punishment for Crimea’s reunification with Russia causes disappointment and regret,” said a statement attributed to Alexander Lukashevich, the ministry’s press secretary. “We are certain


Route 11 Potato Chips finds success as a cult favorite in a fiercely competitive market

making the same exact potato chip that we started with 20 years ago. When we started, we were a 60-pound-per-hour producer. When we came here, we made it to 600 pounds an hour. We know we’re small. Frito-Lay is like 600,000 pounds an hour.” Indeed, she’s up against some salty competition — and a long history. As legend has it, the potato chip emerged in 1853 from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., where a chef named George Crum at Moon’s Lake House — having endured a patron’s criticism that his french fries were cut too thick — first fried up a batch of thinly sliced potatoes. Today, Crum’s retort is the nation’s No. 1 snack food. Americans spend $9 billion a year on potato chips, according to the Snack Food Association. Frito-Lay, based in Texas, dominates the market, but smaller companies — Route 11, Utz, Martin’s Potato Chips and Zapp’s — hold their own by catering to regional tastes. Potato chip companies are expected to offer barbeque, salt and vinegar, and sour cream and chive flavors, Cohen says. Route 11 makes all of those and more: dill pickle, Mama Zuma’s Revenge and, in a nod to local palates, Chesapeake crab. Cohen and staff collaborate with a seasoning company to develop the flavors. Not every variety is a hit. Slow sellers garlic and herb and green chile enchilada were abandoned. A line of veggie chips also was dropped. “It’s like having to put a dog down,” Cohen says. “And I have to hear about it every day from people who loved those chips.” The successful varieties can really take off — and land in some interesting places. Chef José Andrés created “Tortilla al Estilo Route 11,” an adaptation of his mentor’s omelet at the famed El Bulli in Spain. In it, Andrés uses Route 11’s lightly salted chips. Ben & Jerry’s partnered with the company last summer for a promotional ice cream flavor called Capitol Chill, which featured the sweet potato chips as a garnish. “Route 11 Potato Chips was chosen because they make a hell of a product and do so in a very thoughtful way,” said Sean Greenwood, a Ben & Jerry’s spokesman, noting that their sustainable practices were considered a big plus. “And when we paired their sweet potato chip with our chocolate base, our flavor gurus said, ‘Sweeeeet!’ ” Hipster chipsters are also impressed — the magician Penn Jillette,


Tech executives visit White House to discuss online surveillance issues with Obama

met with more than 200 corporate and government officials, as well as academic experts and civil liberties advocates, on these issues in the past few weeks alone. “We strongly back a free and open Internet, and we don’t want to see the Internet balkanized,” Podesta said. “But we also have to listen to and provide reassurance to the public that their privacy will be protected and rights won’t be abused. That is what this scoping exercise is all about.” In addition to Podesta, the meeting included Jeff Zients, director of the National Economic Council; Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to Obama; and Rick Ledgett, deputy director of the National Security Agency. The financial costs of the NSA revelations, though impossible to quantify fully, have been in the many billions of dollars, according to the technology industry, which has been one of the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy during years of overall sluggishness. The cloud computing industry, which provides remote computer services to customers worldwide, has been hit particularly hard by the backlash to the NSA revelations. Because so much of what transpires online is deeply personal, issues of privacy and trust are particularly sensitive. U.S. laws — especially when compared with those in Europe and other parts of the world — provide little protection for consumers against collection of data for commercial purposes, compounding concerns overseas about American companies. “U.S. companies are paying an enormous price for the failure of the White House to do anything on the privacy problem,” said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, an advocacy group based in Washington. Obama has been playing defense on the issue of surveillance since June, when The Washington Post and the Guardian began detailing how the NSA collects information across the world about those who e-mail, video chat, browse the Web, talk on cellphones or use the Internet in almost any other way. Those reports, as well as the one last week in the Intercept, relied on documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. Anger over these revelations, analysts said, was a key factor in the Obama administration’s announcement last week that it would relinquish the last vestiges of U.S. control over the governance of the Internet, which grew from a Defense Department program that dated to the 1960s. U.S. officials denied there was any connection in the timing of their decision. Obama has


Marijuana research hampered by access from government and politics, scientists say

ill effects of smoking marijuana rather than on potential medicines. That’s poised to radically change. As an increasing number of states have legalized the use of medical marijuana, a bustling industry of start-up drug companies and medical groups focused on finding marijuana-based treatments has emerged. GW Pharmaceuticals, a British company, is studying two different extracts of marijuana that have shown promise for patients with Type 2 diabetes and epilepsy. ISA Scientific, based in Utah, is researching medications for pain and diabetes made from the cannabinoids found in marijuana that could be swallowed in capsule form. Some of these new-generation researchers are exploring ways to try to speed up their work by bypassing the federal process for obtaining the drug. In Colorado, for instance, academic researchers have asked state officials whether they would allow them to study extracts grown within the state. In Georgia, scientists are seeking legislative action to allow the state’s five medical research universities to cultivate marijuana. A bill allowing them to do so recently won the backing of a House committee. Much of the debate surrounding marijuana research is focused on its classification by the DEA as a Schedule I drug, the most restrictive of five categories. Schedule I drugs are considered to have a high potential for abuse and no accepted medical use. Other drugs in that group include LSD, heroin and ecstasy. The American Medical Association said in November that it does not support state medical marijuana efforts and still considers the drug dangerous. But it also called on the government to encourage more clinical research — by reconsidering its classification as a Schedule I drug. A lower-level classification would allow researchers to obtain marijuana more easily. The fact that the Obama administration in recent months has moved to loosen restrictions on marijuana in other regards has raised hopes that it will take similar action that will help scientists. The Justice Department said last year that it would not challenge state laws legalizing marijuana, and in February, the Treasury announced new guidelines meant to make it easier for cannabis businesses to open bank accounts in states where the drug is legal. Kevin Sabet, a former White House senior adviser for drug policy who has been dubbed the No. 1 legalization enemy by Rolling Stone magazine, said he supports efforts to break down barriers for researchers. But he proposed that this could be done more efficiently


Dana Milbank: Seeing the reality and limits of U.S. power

military option in Ukraine. The best the United States and European Union can do is prop up Ukraine’s economy, while NATO assures Poland and the Baltic states it will live up to its defense commitments. The range of choices really comes down to how to “calibrate” sanctions, as the administration puts it. A collection of Tom Toles cartoons about international news. Severe economic sanctions — targeting Russia’s energy industry, for example — could provoke a bigger crisis in the region while scuttling Russian cooperation on nuclear proliferation and Iran talks. But the limited sanctions unveiled so far by the United States and Europe risk being ineffective — such as Thursday’s targeting of the 17th-largest bank in Russia. Putin mocked this choice of a “middle-sized bank” (he said he would open an account there) and then promptly signed a law finalizing Russia’s takeover of Crimea. On Thursday’s administration conference call, The Post’s Karen DeYoung noted that “the Russians don’t seem to have been deterred by what you’ve done.” “People may think that [the sanctions] are a mere wrist-slap,” an official protested. “I can assure them that they are not.” Maybe he’s right. Or maybe we’re just trying to convince ourselves that we’re something more than spectators. Twitter: @Milbank Read more from Dana Milbank’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Read more on this issue: The Post: Complete coverage of the Ukraine crisis The Post’s View: Tightening the screws The Post’s View: The West must assuage the fears of former Soviet republics David J. Kramer: The flaws in U.S. sanctions against Russia Juan Zarate: How U.S. sanctions against Russia could bite back Masha Gessen: Putin wins in Russia only by escalating his rhetoric and his war Vladislav Inozemtsev: Russia’s expansion into Ukraine could cost Putin dearly Vladimir V. Kara-Murza: Ukraine is Putin’s, not Russia’s, war Robert Menendez: Russia’s aggressive behavior can’t go unchecked by the U.S. Condoleezza Rice: Will America heed the wake-up call of Ukraine? Henry Kissinger: How the Ukraine crisis ends Stephen J. Hadley and Damon Wilson: Putin’s larger strategy behind takeover of Crimea The Post’s View: Putin’s knives in the night threaten an independent Russian broadcaster George F. Will: Misreading Putin, and history Eliot A. Cohen: Putin’s power play in Ukraine Molly K. McKew and Gregory A. Maniatis: How Putin has upended warfare Fred Hiatt: Will the West let Putin off the hook?


Albert Z. Kapikian, prominent National Institutes of Health virologist, dies at 83

Albert Kapikian, center, works with colleagues Stephen Feinstone, left, and Robert Purcell. Dr. Kapikian was perhaps best known for his study of the rotavirus, which the World Health Organization describes as a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease and dehydration in infants and young children worldwide. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ) Albert Z. Kapikian, a virologist who helped lead important advances in the understanding of gastrointestinal illnesses that strike populations around the world — particularly children — died Feb. 24 at a rehabilitation center in Potomac, Md. He was 83. The cause was congestive heart failure, said his wife, Catherine Kapikian. Dr. Kapikian was a prominent researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., and for more than four decades served as chief of the epidemiology section in the laboratory of infectious diseases. He had joined NIH in 1957 as an officer of the U.S. Public Health Service and dedicated nearly his entire career to the study of viruses that can lead to an upset stomach in mild cases — and to death in severe ones. In 1972, Dr. Kapikian used cutting-edge electron microscope technology to identify the Norwalk virus, an agent named for the town in Ohio where in 1968 it sickened more than 100 elementary school students and their teachers. The Norwalk virus is considered the first identified norovirus. Common and highly contagious, the norovirus is particularly dangerous in crowded environments such as day-care centers, college dormitories, military bases and cruise ships, said Stephen J. Chanock, an NIH infectious disease expert. Symptoms can include stomach discomfort, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. The year after his norovirus breakthrough, Dr. Kapikian and several colleagues were credited with identifying the virus that causes hepatitis A, a form of liver disease. He was perhaps best known for his study of the rotavirus, which the World Health Organization describes as a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease and dehydration in infants and young children worldwide. “It’s a very egalitarian virus,” Dr. Kapikian once told The Washington Post. “It infects children equally in developed countries as well as developing countries. Sanitary conditions don’t seem to matter.” Limited medical care in poor countries, however, makes the rotavirus particularly threatening in those areas. It is estimated to cause 400,000 deaths or more per year. Dr. Kapikian led the team of researchers


for his study of the rotavirus, which the World Health Organization describes as a leading cause of severe diarrheal disease and dehydration in infants and young children worldwide. “It’s a very egalitarian virus,” Dr. Kapikian once told The Washington Post. “It infects children equally in developed countries as well as developing countries. Sanitary conditions don’t seem to matter.” Limited medical care in poor countries, however, makes the rotavirus particularly threatening in those areas. It is estimated to cause 400,000 deaths or more per year. Dr. Kapikian led the team of researchers that created and patented the first rotavirus vaccine to be licensed in the United States, according to NIH. To create the vaccine, Dr. Kapikian combined a monkey rotavirus with elements from several strains of human rotavirus. The vaccine was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998 but later was withdrawn because of an apparent association with rare cases of bowel obstruction. Dr. Kapikian continued pursuing research on rotavirus vaccines, and today two such vaccines are available. “Al Kapikian was a giant in the field of virology,” Anthony S. Fauci, the NIAID director, said in a statement released on Dr. Kapikian’s death. “His seminal basic and clinical research contributions to the study of viruses and to vaccine development have had an enormous global impact.” Albert Zaven Kapikian was born May 9, 1930, in the Bronx to Armenian immigrants. He considered joining a seminary before choosing to pursue a career in the medical sciences. In 1952, he received a bachelor’s degree in history from New York’s Queens College, where he was a pitcher on the baseball team. Four years later, he received a medical degree from Cornell University. Dr. Kapikian was in the Public Health Service until retiring at the rank of captain. He traveled worldwide for his medical work, his wife said, and remained associated with NIH as a consultant after his retirement in 2012. In addition to his work on the norovirus and the rotavirus, he did extensive research on the common cold. His honors included the Sabin Vaccine Institute’s Albert B. Sabin Gold Medal, an honor named for the renowned polio researcher. Dr. Kapikian was a Rockville, Md., resident. Survivors include his wife of 54 years, Catherine Andrews Kapikian of Rockville; three sons, Albert K. Kapikian and Thomas F. Kapikian, both of Silver Spring, Md., and Gregory B. Kapikian of Annapolis; a brother; and two grandsons.


New at the top: A bit of serendipity helped Tor Opshal rise in business

the supercomputing area. I eventually moved into business development and began working with smaller companies to help them grow. But when I was younger, I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was interested in science and technology, which helped me focus on engineering in college. I studied nuclear engineering at a time when the world was looking for new energy sources. It was a field on the cutting edge of computers, and you could work with the latest technology. My thesis was on the application of certain types of computing technology to the nuclear engineering field. Then something very serendipitous happened. A contractor was looking for the exact computing program experience I had. I sent a résumé and got hired as a programmer in massively parallel computing. It’s a concept where instead of using one processing unit in a computer you use thousands of them working in parallel to speed up the calculations. There were only a few places in the world doing that, and NASA was one of them. I enjoyed the three years I was at NASA. You could think and dream big and be entrepreneurial. It was a great environment. I realized I was good at creating proposals, articulating ideas and coming up with solutions. After sitting behind a desk writing software for three years, I needed a change. I worked for a few other companies doing more technical work. But I enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with the customers and understand their specific problems and how we as a company could help them. That grew my interest in helping small businesses prosper. I joined a small company as vice president of business development. It was the first time I was totally dedicated to the business side. That success led to working for two other companies that I helped grow. I’m most proud that they’ve all prospered and ultimately they were sold. All of them more than doubled in size. The last company, QSS Group, started out with nine people and grew close to $300 million in revenue. That’s what drew me here to Creative Computing Solutions — the challenge to help it grow. It was a company that had a business base but wanted to do more work with more government agencies. I am excited to help them do that. — Interview with Vanessa Small Tor Opsahl Position: Career highlights: Age: Education: Personal:


Data center closures could boost IT firms with alternatives

the race has been on to find more efficient alternatives. For instance, the General Services Administration announced in October that it alone had closed 37 data centers in 2013 to reduce real estate costs and energy consumption. The pressure created an opening for information technology companies such as Nutanix to tailor their IT offerings, built initially for private-sector clients, to federal ones — upgrading security to meet government requirements, for example. Nutanix, which started selling its products in 2011, now generates about 35 percent of its revenue from the public sector — mostly from agencies seeking to replace data centers with comparatively compact hardware, often stored on-site. In the past couple of years, the 500-person company has expanded its federal team, based in Washington, to 16 from two people. Competition to update federal technology is growing. For instance, Menlo Park, Calif.-based software company Delphix found that its virtual data storage system — initially designed for large firms that were developing apps or building Web sites — could be repackaged for the federal government, said Rick Caccia, vice president of marketing at Delphix. “More and more, of our existing customers were telling us, ‘We’re using this stuff to shut down data centers, or modernize data centers,’ ” Caccia said. “In the last two years, we’ve got customers in every segment — intelligence agencies, military, federal, civilian and state government.” Delphix, founded in 2008, opened a Washington office four years later to pitch the software to federal agencies as an alternative to traditional data centers. The 175-person firm recently doubled its federal team to s But if agencies continue to buy technology individually, instead of collaborating with one another, new hardware and software solutions will take too long to spread through the U.S. government, Rice said. “There are really two kinds of problems in Washington in this regard,” she said. “One is duplication — everybody does the same thing. The second is, you really need interagency cooperation to carry out policy.” When setting up new data storage systems, for instance, agencies should consider how other agencies might benefit from access to the information, Rice said. “When you’re trying to respond to what happened in Ukraine, it’s not just a State Department problem; it’s a Treasury Department problem. . . . It might involve smaller agencies like the [Overseas Private Investment Corporation],” Rice said. “Any problem is going to have multiple agencies’ inpu


Md. bill would make all dog owners liable for an attack regardless of breed

pet owner to neutralize that legal presumption, and avoid liability, if they can prove their dogs had been docile except for the biting incident. Similar versions of the legislation have passed in the House and Senate, but both chambers must approve a single bill before it can go to Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) to be signed into law. Sponsors say the bills are intended to rebalance the rights of dog-bite victims, pet owners and landlords. Critics see the measures as a step backward for victims and accuse lawmakers of bowing in an election year to well-financed groups of animal lovers. Organizations such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Best Friends Animal Society and the Humane Society of the United States have been vocal in their opposition to the Solesky decision, holding rallies, issuing news releases and lining up to testify at hearings. “Everyone wants to talk about the dog first — more than they do about the victims who are mauled or dead,” said Kevin A. Dunne, a lawyer who handled the lawsuit involving Dominic. Although the overwhelming number of dog attacks on people are not fatal, several recent deaths have renewed debate about the ferocity of some breeds. Those killed include a 13-year-old boy mauled by a bull mastiff in Paterson, N.J.; a woman in Dayton, Ohio; and a 3-year-old girl attacked by her family’s pit bull in High Point, N.C. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 279 people were killed by dogs between 1979 and 1994; 79 of the deaths were caused by pit bulls or pit bull mixes. Though other dogs may bite as frequently — Chihuahuas figure high on the list of biters, according to veterinary studies cited by the appeals court — they and other lap dogs are unlikely to inflict much harm. In 2010, 4,880 people were treated for dog bites in Maryland emergency rooms and then released, a decline from 5,447 in 2005, a study by Maryland’s Department of Legislative Services found. The number of bite-related hospital admissions increased in about that same period, from 181 in 2005 to 233 in 2011. State Farm Insurance, the state’s largest underwriter of homeowners insurance, paid out nearly $1.6 million for 51 dog-bite claims in Maryland in 2012 — about $31,000 per victim. Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) pushed for a dog-bite bill


Obama’s aim to shift U.S. foreign policy runs up against an old Cold War rival

with Iran on its nuclear program, and shifting support for autocratic U.S. allies during the Arab Spring. Jeremy Shapiro “Privately, Obama, I think, will push the Europeans to consider further sanctions, and particularly to think in advance about reactions to further Russian escalations in Ukraine,” said Shapiro, who worked in the State Department on European issues earlier in the Obama administration. “It’s very clear that U.S. sanctions aren’t effective without the Europeans.” Any new European sanctions would have to balance the interests of the major European economies, something Obama will probably be asked to mediate during his meetings in Brussels. Shapiro said Britain will demand “burden-sharing,” meaning not paying more for sanctions than the French and Germans. “This will be a slow process,” Shapiro said. “It will not be as satisfying as the military moves that the Russians might do.” Obama’s economy-focused approach has shown success in places such as Iran, a smaller country hit by far broader sanctions than Russia is facing so far. The measures, started by the Bush administration and expanded by Obama, effectively severed its oil-rich economy from world markets. Iran’s leadership is moving to rejoin global markets through negotiations over its nuclear program, although it’s unclear whether those talks will be successful. Putin’s brand of nationalism, though, is different from the religiously inspired and more regional ambitions of Iran. His interest — or so Europeans fear — is in restoring Russia’s national power and global authority. Since his move on Crimea, his domestic popularity has never been higher amid international condemnation. Putin has long argued that Russia’s wealthy, including some of those named in recent U.S. sanctions, should keep their money inside Russia and away from a global economy controlled by Western interests. Obama’s sanctions may actually give weight to his case by sharpening Russian sentiment against the United States. After the Obama administration announced sanctions against Bank Rossiya, Putin said pointedly that he would begin to have his salary deposited there. That confidence could change, though, if economic sanctions tighten in the months ahead. McFaul said Putin “is a highly motivated interlocutor right now given that he has just pivoted against his own strategy” of seeking greater economic integration with Europe and the world. “Putin is the main player there, but he is not the only player,” he said. “And over time, and sanctions always take time, that’s when they will have their effect.”


Commentary: Region’s national security agencies are where our entrepreneurial focus should be

If I told you that your familiar old sofa had enough money between its cushions for you to buy a beach house, would you still throw it away? Or, would you take the time to hunt between the cushions to find the money — even if it wasn’t necessarily easy. When I look at how our community has traditionally treated opportunities to bring entrepreneurs and national security technology together, I suspect that many of you would just give away the sofa. I think we need to change that. The Washington region has the highest concentration of national security agencies in the United States. This is very important. For more than 100 years, our national economic progress has been led by industries funded and fostered by our national security establishment. Countless innovations that you know about (Siri, GPS, semiconductors and biotechnology) and some you don’t (thought-controlled artificial limbs, 4D data presentation, bendable metals, and proteomics) are developed every year under the guidance of our national security agencies. When these new technologies come to market they are unique and command high value-added pricing. They are not commodities. They often become the backbones of new industries, and very, very rewarding for the entrepreneurs and regions that foster them. Many of the conversations our region has around entrepreneurship and start-up formation tend to separate entrepreneurship from national security. We act as if they are unrelated. We point to Silicon Valley as a template for the companies we should grow and the industries that we should build our companies in. And, in so doing we make three big mistakes: Firstly, we buy into a flawed mythology that Silicon Valley’s success shows that there is no role for national security innovation, when in truth Silicon Valley’s very existence is tied to national security research and development and requirements. Secondly, we do not appreciate that the true measure of a region is not the start-ups it forms, but the businesses that it grows and sustains. A review of merger and acquisition data for a six-year period that I published in 2012 demonstrated that regions grow a vibrant and sustainable start-up ecosystem when businesses are grown that are most connected to a region’s largest companies. Lastly, by looking elsewhere for regions to copy, we do not see the advantages that we have with our own. We act as if government and entrepreneurship, government services and products, and tech


U.S. lawmakers, during visit to Ukraine, call for continued aid against Russian threat

KIEV Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) said the United States intends to warn Putin off by providing more help for Ukraine and promising Russia deeper financial pain if it refuses to back off its threatening stance. “We can provide military assistance, small arms, communication equipment, fuel,” Ayotte said at a news conference, adding that the Ukrainian military was in disrepair after years of neglect by now-deposed President Viktor Yanukovych. “We’ll help rebuild it.” No boots on the ground — either American or NATO — were being discussed, she said: “We’re not looking for a military conflict with Russia.” Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), who is part of the delegation, said the United States needs to “think long and hard about what has happened here,” referring to U.S. obligations under the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons in return for a guarantee of security from the United States, Britain — and Russia. If Russia’s annexation of Crimea goes unpunished, Lynch said, the world will send a message to other countries that it is a bad idea to part with nuclear weapons. “That’s the wrong message to send,” he said. Ayotte said that she supported the sanctions President Obama imposed on Putin’s inner circle last week and that they should now be ratcheted up, aimed at broad swaths of the Russian economy, warning Putin that he will pay a price for further incursions. “I believe sanctions can hurt their economy,” she said. Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) said: “This is not about President Obama or Democrats or Republicans. This is the united people of the United States standing with the Ukrainian people.” The delegation spent part of the day at the Maidan, the square where protesters gathered in November and stayed until Yanukovych fled Feb. 22. Many of them remain, even now, to remind the new government that the people are watching them. They called the memorials to the nearly 100 dead — their pictures affixed to the spots where they were shot — heartbreaking. And they seemed close to being at a loss for words when a 35-year-old man stood up at the end of the news conference and described how he had put his wife and two children into their car and fled Crimea on March 10 after two friends were kidnapped. They, like him, were known to have supported the Maidan movement, not a popular idea


Fibromyalgia sufferer takes on her chronic pain, training to swim the English Channel

be in pain anymore.’ ” About 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, according to a 2011 report by the Institute of Medicine, the independent health arm of the National Academies. On average, people with fibromyalgia go nearly seven years from the onset of symptoms to diagnosis, because many doctors know little about the disease and some do not believe it exists, said Christopher L. Edwards, a medical director at Duke Pain Medicine in Durham, N.C. When no cure is immediately available, physicians and therapists often try to help patients recognize that their only choice is to manage their pain, possibly for a lifetime, Edwards said. Accomplishing that transition without professional help is less common, he said, but it does happen, sometimes with the kind of epiphany Pumphrey described. “This is someone who has taken quality of life into her control,” he said of Pumphrey’s outlook. “They’re not waiting on a doctor. They’re not waiting on a clinician. They’re simply taking it upon themselves to give themselves quality of life.” Many miles to go After graduating, Pumphrey began to swim again, this time in open water. In 2011 she raced 7.5 miles in the Potomac River Swim, and in 2012 she won the women’s division. In May, she plans to compete again, but with an extra challenge. First she will take off from the finish line about 3 a.m., swim to the start and then participate in the race across the river, one of a series of monthly 15-mile efforts she has planned for this spring and summer. In the fall, she must swim for six hours in water that is 60 degrees or less, to prove to the Channel Swimming Association that she can handle the cold. On a recent Thursday, Pumphrey swam 7,500 meters in the saltwater pool at the Merritt Athletic Club in Baltimore’s Canton area. She is putting in 25,000 to 30,000 meters a week now, plus running, core exercises and yoga, a training program she expects will peak at about 60,000 meters of swimming each week as the channel crossing nears. Though the workouts are taxing, the exertion actually helps reduce her pain, Pumphrey said. Staying in shape and producing endorphins and other natural painkillers by working out are two common strategies for addressing fibromyalgia, according to Edwards. Pumphrey trains with Joe Mahach, a powerfully built triathlete who plans to be part of her crew


Eschenbach extends Kennedy Center, NSO contract for two more seasons

are sounding markedly better. “The awakening of creativity in every single musician is, for me, extraordinary,” Eschenbach said. “I hear it from the musicians when they play; I hear it also in conversations; I sense it when we make chamber music, quite a lot, at the Millennium Stage and Terrace Theater events.” (Eschenbach has performed five times at Millennium Stage and has appeared twice in chamber music performances with the orchestra’s musicians.) Yet for all of the new energy, Eschenbach’s concerts with the orchestra have not consistently represented the kind of vital music-making one might have hoped. Eschenbach is at his best with the big moments, drawing on his cadre of close musical associates such as Renee Fleming, who turned in a fine performance of “Der Rosenkavalier” earlier this month, or Matthias Goerne, with whom he has offered two memorable recitals. But regular subscription concerts of core repertoire tend to be fuzzy: sometimes superficially exciting but often imprecise, technically and emotionally. Eschenbach’s engagement with new music has been mixed, with some definite highlights. He has championed some German composers such as Jörg Widmann, Matthias Pintscher and Wolfgang Rihm, whose new piano concerto is a point of interest on next year’s calendar. Thanks to the orchestra’s Hechinger Commissioning Fund, he also has led some American works — “the Hechinger fund is for that,” he said — including pieces by Augusta Read Thomas, Sean Shepherd and the late Peter Lieberson. The 2014-15 season will see the premiere of a new piece for steel drum and orchestra by Andy Akiho. What’s missing, though, is an overall sense of a real vision for the future of the orchestra. Eschenbach is one of the highest-paid conductors in the country. In 2011, according to tax reports collected by the Los Angeles Times, he made almost $2 million. Only Riccardo Muti (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) and Michael Tilson Thomas (San Francisco Symphony) earned more. Yet the orchestra is far from being a leader in its field, in any sense, apart from the base pay earned by its musicians. At a time when many institutions seem to be struggling, Washington is fortunate to have a secure, well-paid orchestra. It’s just a shame that that orchestra does not make any particular mark on our nation’s musical landscape — and that its music director does not seem to be leading it in a way that will enable it to do so.


Benjamin Victor sculpts an agricultural hero, Norman Borlaug, for the National Statuary Hall

bronze sculpture of a man named Norman Borlaug. Borlaug is not a household name, but he deserves to be. He was an Iowan, a Norwegian Lutheran of the Lake Wobegon mold: quiet, stubborn, intense. He bred strains of wheat that would endure in the Third World. He spent much of his life in Mexico, away from his family, so that he could develop varieties of wheat that would offer success to farmers working with challenging soil and climate. His model of agriculture — it is called the Green Revolution and looked upon warily by the local food gurus who hate industrialized anything — was adopted in India, Pakistan and other places. He believed that freedom from hunger equated to freedom from violence, and in 1970, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. He is credited with feeding and thus enabling the lives of one billion people. A clay rendering of the future bronze Norman Borlaug sculpture by artist Benjamin Victor. (Courtesy Benjamin Victor Studios/Courtesy Benjamin Victor Studios) * * * For Benjamin Victor, the competition started as yet another commission but soon became something far greater. He began to read about Borlaug and came to understand that Borlaug was as important to agriculture as, say, Charles Darwin was to our understanding of natural evolution or J. Robert Oppenheimer was to the atomic bomb. Victor was one of 65 artists who submitted applications. Ken Quinn, who is director of the World Food Prize, based in Des Moines and which commissioned the statue, said Victor stood out for two reasons: One, he was a gifted figurative sculptor who brought Winnemucca to life in the Capitol, and, more important, he brought a passion to the persona of Norman Borlaug that could not be denied. Victor admits that Borlaug, who lived from 1914 to 2009, got under his skin. Why would a young man who moved to Mexico and quickly became sick keep on breeding strains of wheat? Victor keeps asking this question. Away from mountains, away from trees, the Plain States live with the wind. The wind is a player in life, a constant companion. It is a world unknown to Washington. Borlaug was a sculptor’s dream. He was trim and handsome, and when he moved out to the field, he was shaped by the wind. Victor decided that Borlaug — part farmer, part genius hybridizer — would be sculpted by the wind. Victor


The cause was astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer, said her daughter, Elena Stover. Dr. Stover, a Bethesda resident, was born Ellen Simon in Brooklyn. She was the director of NIMH’s AIDS research division for 24 years and director of the Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research and AIDS division from 2007 to 2010. Most recently, she was a collaborator in NIMH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. She focused her research on the behavioral and psychological factors contributing to HIV and AIDS transmission and developed research programs on schizophrenia. She received the Senior Executive Service’s Presidential Meritorious Executive award. Caroline V. Meirs, USIA, FEMA officer Caroline V. Meirs, 69, a former U.S. Information Agency public affairs officer who later worked as a Federal Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman, died Feb. 28 at a hospital in Rochester, N.Y. The cause was salivary gland cancer, said a niece, Mary Anne Morgan. Ms. Meirs, an Alexandria resident, was born in Brooklyn. She joined USIA in 1968, and her early postings took her to Central America, South America, Africa and Europe. She became deputy director of USIA’s Office of International Visitors and then worked at FEMA from 1997 to 2009. She was fluent in six languages and twice served as the editorial board chairman of the Foreign Service Journal, an American Foreign Service Association publication. Barbara J. Williams volunteer Barbara J. Williams, 92, an Alexandria homemaker who was active in volunteer groups and did service work abroad, died March 9 at a rehabilitation center in Alexandria. The cause was pulmonary failure, said a daughter-in-law, Susan Williams. Mrs. Williams, who was born Barbara Jean Davis in Detroit, was a high school administrative assistant in New Canaan, Conn., before moving to Alexandria in 1977. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in the Philippines and volunteered with the International Executive Service Corps in Bogota, Colombia, in the early 1980s. She earned a pilot’s license as a young woman. Lee E. Shipman, site and architectural planner Lee E. Shipman, 91, a freelance site and architectural planner for organizations including Marriott International, Metro and the Institute of Modern Procedures, died March 8 at a hospital in Washington. She had pulmonary hypertension, said a daughter, Dena Kirkland. Mrs. Shipman, a Bethesda resident, was born Lee Ella Warren Spanogle in Washington and raised in Chevy Chase. Her mother was the novelist Lella Warren. Mrs. Shipman, who did freelance architectural work for more


Obama says military force will not be used to dislodge Russia from Crimea

to prove that it can go it alone, buck Western economic sanctions and build up Crimea. Moscow appears intent on addressing a fleet that languished during the years when it shared a base with the Ukrainian navy. Navy officials said they will move to significantly upgrade the force, the Vedemosti newspaper reported Tuesday. New submarines, aircraft and a motorized infantry brigade will be introduced, the paper said, with the size of the contingent rising from 25,000 to as many as 40,000 personnel. The investment over several years could total about $3 billion. The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that 40 new warships and support vessels will be joining the navy’s five fleets this year. Russia has also announced plans to boost pensions and consider tax incentives for Crimea. Last week, MasterCard and Visa suspended transactions at several Russian banks after U.S. financial sanctions were announced. The suspension has not caused significant disruption, but it has revived plans for a strictly Russian system for making payments. It could involve a domestic system for handling transactions on the leading credit cards, or a new card system altogether. Through the first days of sanctions, the Russian economy has not buckled. Neither the ruble nor the stock market has declined since a sharp drop in February during the critical weeks of protests in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, that resulted in the ouster of pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Yet there are signs of trouble. Although the Russian economy grew by 0.1 percent in January and 0.3 percent in February, those meager gains are expected to be wiped out by the end of March, the deputy economic development minister, Andrei Klepach, said Monday. Capital flight may reach $70 billion this quarter, he said, more than all of last year. At a meeting in The Hague on Monday night, Russia rallied support among the BRICS countries — a group of developing nations that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — with a denunciation of sanctions. Russia said it expects to participate in the Group of 20 meeting in Australia in November, despite warnings that it may not be welcome. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop raised the possibility that Putin might be barred from the summit. Australia has joined other Western nations in placing economic sanctions on dozens of Russian leaders. Englund reported from Moscow. William Branigin and Ed O’Keefe in Washington contributed to this report.


Barbara Schroeder: Saving sea turtles by coordinating conservation and recovery efforts

enforced.” Schroeder faces enormous pressures, said Earl Possardt, an international marine turtle program coordinator with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “She’s in a really hot seat,” he said. “She has to be a strong advocate for sea turtle conservation in the face of countervailing pressures.” Protecting endangered species is often controversial since their conservation may affect the financial position of landowners or industries and halt activities in certain areas. Some people might ask, “What good are they?” but it is a question people could ask about any species, according to Schroeder. “The answer is the same for all species,” she said. “We are all interconnected and reliant on the whole.” Implementing solutions can be a slow process, according to Schroeder, who reaches out to experts and others who can help prevent harm to the sea turtles. After large-scale deaths of sea turtles in a particular fishery, she seeks to take steps to alter harmful practices. Schroeder also develops and implements long-term surveys for monitoring sea turtle population trends and studying the creatures in their foraging habitats. She relies on satellite telemetry to investigate how sea turtles migrate to reproduce, a method that involves attaching tracking equipment to the turtles’ shells. Another significant threat to sea turtles’ survival is coastal development on their nesting beaches. The large, slow creatures come ashore on sandy beaches to construct their nests and lay their eggs, and development impinges on this habitat. And, while on the beach, they are vulnerable to being hit by motorized vehicles. But the jurisdiction of NOAA ends at the beach, at which point the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service takes over authority. That split jurisdiction requires additional coordination, Schroeder concedes, but she views it as more of an opportunity where the two agencies can bring the resources and expertise to bear. Schroeder believes there is overwhelming public support for protecting sea turtles, and she values doing her part. “What motivates me every day is hoping that the work I do, and have been doing, will help to conserve turtles for generations to come.” This article was jointly prepared by the Partnership for Public Service, a group seeking to enhance the performance of the federal government, and washingtonpost.com. Go to the Fed Page of The Washington Post to read about other federal workers who are making a difference. To recommend a Federal Player of the Week, contact us at fedplayers@ourpublicservice.org.