Urban gardening: Floating row covers protect winter plants

be using a heavier fabric, but the trade-off is that it lets in less light, so the plants won’t grow as quickly. It’s not time for that, not yet. I put my covers down last month, one of them on a bed where I had seeded carrots, radishes, beets, kale and spinach a few weeks earlier, and another on a bed where I had just sown some spinach and arugula seeds. The kale probably won’t get big enough to feed me much of anything this fall, but I’m expecting some baby spinach and arugula — and maybe some carrots and radishes — to make it to my Thanksgiving table. Come spring, if we don’t have another harsh, killing winter, the fabric should be able do even more magic. “With spinach, arugula, certain lettuce varieties and even kale, if the plants go into the fall, and they’re immature but healthy, and there’s a row cover over them, in March, when the regrowth starts, they start growing like crazy,” says Jon Traunfeld, extension specialist and master gardener program coordinator at the University of Maryland. “The growth can be incredible. They’ll be way ahead.” Some caveats: Even though the row covers increase the temperature of the air surrounding the plants and help them maintain more moisture (even as the winter air gets drier and drier), they won’t make a difference in one of the most important factors of vegetable gardening: soil temperature. So gardeners who think they can get a late start on sowing seeds in the fall, only to make up for it with a row cover, will be disappointed. And if you use them over plants that require pollination, such as squash, you’ll need to uncover them and let the pollinators in at some point if you hope to have any fruit. The fabric — usually spun-bonded polyester, UV-treated to withstand the sun — also can help protect against pests, which is the main reason some gardeners use them. I haven’t had much of a pest problem yet, but that could change as quickly as, well, the weather. Some gardeners bury the edges of the fabric in soil to keep them in place, but I used some extra bricks I found underneath my porch. It’s best to avoid staking the fabric, as I learned by mistake, because one tear could be exacerbated as soon as the wind starts whipping things around.


D.C. news in brief

DCPS to hold school information fair Saturday D.C. public schools and public charter schools are having Ed FEST, a showcase of academic programs, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the D.C. Armory, 2001 E. Capitol St. SE. Representatives from more than 150 schools will take questions from parents and students about school services and programs, including special education and services for English language learners. There will also be family recreation activities. Admission is free. The event is held in conjunction with the Dec. 15 launch of the My School DC application to help parents and students make informed school selections for the 2015-2016 school year common lottery. For information, go to osse.dc.gov. City Market at O to light tree Friday evening The City Market at O is having a holiday tree lighting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday. The event will celebrate the first anniversary of the mixed-use development, which includes apartments, a Cambria Suites hotel and a Giant grocery store. Activities include a neighborhood open house, Santa sighting, face painting, holiday arts and crafts, and live music. The lighting will also serve as the kickoff for a toy drive benefiting Children’s National Medical Center. Attendees who bring an unwrapped toy or a $5 cash donation will receive a City Market at O coffee tumbler. Invited officials include Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D). For information, go to www.facebook.com/c itymarketato. Trot for Hunger 5K is on Thanksgiving So Others Might Eat will have its Trot for Hunger 5K beginning at 8:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving at Freedom Plaza, 1455 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Registration is $30 for untimed participants and $35 for timed participants. Proceeds will benefit the 34-year-old nonprofit group, which offers shelter and health care for homeless and low-income people in the District. A kids’ one-mile walk will begin at 8:30 a.m., and the 5K run and walk will begin at 9 a.m. For information, go to www.some.org, e-mail trotforhunger@some.org or call 202-797-8806, Ext. 1131. — Compiled by Terence McArdle


Prince George’s and Southern Maryland Going Out Guide, Nov. 13-19, 2014

The folk/jazz band, Bumper Jacksons — Jess Eliot Myhre (clarinet, vocals and washboard), Chris Ousley (guitar, vocals), Alex Lacquement (bass, harmony vocals), Dan Cohan (suitcase percussion, snare), Dave Hadley (pedal steel) and Brian Priebe (trombone, harmony vocals) perform Friday at Calvert Marine Museum. (Calvert Marine Museum) THU 20 “Werner Drewes: Artist and Humanitarian” An exhibition and sale of woodcuts, oils and watercolors by the 20th-century Bauhaus artist. Images include works from his “It Can’t Happen Here” series, as well as his American Indian portfolio. Doctors Without Borders will receive 10 percent of opening-night sales. Opens Thursday with a reception featuring the artist’s granddaughter, Karen Seibert, 5-6:30 p.m. Exhibit runs through Jan. 30. U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 6500 Cherrywood Lane, Greenbelt. 301-830-1142 or 301-344-3220. www.mdd.uscourts.gov/news/news/webartprogram.pdf. Free. Noel Gourdin FRI 21 “We the People” “Back to the Moon for Good” Bumper Jacksons Maryland Opera Studio: “Così Fan Tutte” SAT 22 Thanksgiving Prediction 5K Run/Walk 2nd annual Thanksgiving Glitter Fest “Elf” Calder Quartet “Tone of Silence” Winter Festival of Lights Trot for a Turkey “The Thriller of the Year” The U.S. Army Strings Tribute to Women of Country Panaibra Gabriel Canda SUN 23 Holiday tea Alexandria Harmonizers La Vita Duo “Death by Design” “NunCrackers: The Nunsense Christmas Musical” “Death Takes a Holiday” MON 24 “Double Back: Photographic Reflexivity” TUE 25 Meet the author event Turkey Treat WED 26 “Comforts of Home” — Compiled by Jillian S. Jarrett from staff reports ‘We the People’ 3A hip-hop/rock musical that explains the three branches of government, the First Amendment and other parts of our democracy. Presented by TheatreWorks USA. Friday at 10:15 a.m. and noon. Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. 301-277-1710. arts.pgparks.com. $8.


President Peña Nieto must confront lawlessness in Mexico

CHILPANCINGO, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 14: Family members of 43 kidnapped students from the Ayotzinapa normal school line up for a march on November 14, 2014 in Chilpancingo, Mexico. FOR DECADES, Mexico has been characterized as mired in corruption, and the stain of lawlessness has indeed run deep. But recent events have underscored anew how Mexico — despite genuine signs of economic and political progress — remains a state lacking the rule of law. A new low point is the disappearance of dozens of students from a teachers college, and much will depend on whether the government responds effectively. Conflict among drug cartels dominated the six-year term of President Felipe Calderón, who threw the military into the battle at great cost but did not uproot the cartels. His successor, Enrique Peña Nieto, came to office in December 2012 with a different emphasis, seeking to kick-start a series of bold economic reforms. Mr. Peña Nieto rightly won admiration for his determination to open Mexico’s energy sector to competition, to tackle the troubled education system and to limit monopolization in telecommunications and other sectors. His first two years in power have been promising. But the scourge of violence has risen again in a way that cannot be ignored and that imperils the reform agenda. Late one September night, in the town of Iguala in the poor, rural state of Guerrero, buses carrying the students were attacked by police. One student and six other people were killed. Forty-three students were captured and turned over to an organized-crime gang, Guerreros Unidos. They are feared dead. According to the Mexican authorities, the mayor of the town ordered the violent onslaught. The mayor, now detained, reportedly ordered the attack out of fear the students were going to interrupt a speech by his wife. Protests Mr. Peña Nieto cannot dodge this crisis. He must respond to public revulsion over the missing 43 students by making sure that a complete and transparent investigation is carried out, not only into the perpetrators but also into structural and institutional ills that have brought Mexico to this point. He can speed up implementation of important changes in criminal justice procedures, which has been slow. He must find a way to harness the public fury and use it to begin what will surely be a difficult struggle to firmly establish rule of law. The future of Mr. Peña Nieto’s economic reforms — and


How I discovered a love for running

and my stomach is clenched almost to the point where I want to throw up." At this point I was ready to cry because I really thought I couldn't do it. She replied, "Micailah, do not underestimate yourself, for God did not give you a challenge that you could not overcome." She took me in her arms and held me tight. I kept that with phrase with me the whole entire week until the big day came. I was nervous. Hands clammy, heart pounding like the same way your sneaker hit the pavement when your running. We got on the finish with the rest of the Varsity girls and I looked straight forward, then turned my head and smiled at my coach knowing that my determination was strong and I was ready to conquer this fear. Running through the forest of beautiful fall changing leaves, I charged up hills trying to control my breathing, slowly making my way to through the crowd of runners since I started off in the back. I was so concentrated in running that I didn't realize what place I was in until a boy shouted, "Hey you're almost there -- you're in 1st!" I couldn't believe it. Being zoned out from the rest of the world and concentrating on only one thing made me feel like I was on top of the world. I felt free and confident. Once I heard those words I kicked it. All of a sudden my legs clenched and my arms starting pumping, faster and faster I went along the trail. At last I saw the finish line and I a huge smile crept along my face through all the sweat dripping down my face. I starting sprinting as if I was running a 100m in a track meet. I crossed the finish and my thoughts were drowned out with cheers and shouts from the crowd. My coach scooped me up into a massive a hug and my mother ran over with tears and words of joy. This was the moment where I won my first race. This whole week of bundled nerves and self-doubt, I really overcame my fear and realized my love for this sport. After a cool down run and stretches and hugs and the words of "Congrats!" from teammates and strangers, I did what any runner would do after a race-- ate and ate a lot.


St. Louis area teens worry about the unrest that might be

mural meant to capture what has happened since August. It includes Brown, familiar scenes from the city, and symbols of peace and social change. After a couple of months, students and staff members said, things seemed to begin to settle down. School activities resumed. The homecoming dance was a success. For the dance, Cassandra, 15, wore a knee-length mint and black dress. A quiet girl, she had been frustrated by the anger and protests that engulfed her community. She said something needed to be done about the relationship between the community and police, but after all the talk, it didn’t seem like anything was getting better. She remembered when she and some cousins were followed by a police officer who was working security at a clothing store. “It made me really upset,” she said. “Was it because we are black?” Still, homecoming was like it was supposed to be, the way the rest of the year was supposed to be. The friends went as a group instead of finding dates. They became upset that the DJ wouldn’t play “Hot Boy,” a summer hit. They teased Ngone, who shied away from the dance floor, and scooped up second (and third) pieces of cake from the refreshment table. But lately, the atmosphere has slipped back to the way it was at the start of the school year. The chatter in the yellow and blue hallways between classes is dominated by speculation and worry. Ngone and her friends have thrown themselves into band practice. They’ve been furiously preparing, showing up on weekends for extra rehearsals and selling $10 tickets to relatives, friends, whoever will bite. It’s their first headline show at Sheldon Concert Hall, a major venue. The program is scheduled for Sunday. They know that any day now the point of all their efforts could be blown away. But that’s beyond their control, so they rehearse and hope. Keyon, who plays the trombone, refused to entertain the looming possibility. He sank deeper into his chair, prattling on about how nervous he was about the performance, about how much he wanted things to go off well. If they could, they would turn back the clock to Aug. 8, for the chance that things could take a different, better turn. “We’ve been practicing every day,” he said about the concert. “There are going to be so many people.” Jahi Chikwendiu contributed to this report.


29 million Americans have diabetes — but a quarter of them don’t realize it

a nurse practitioner for ABQ Health Partners in New Mexico and president of health care and education for the ADA. “We have to convince people this is a serious disease,” she said. “It really needs to be a big push on every level.” Type 2 The overwhelming majority of diabetes cases — as many as 95 percent — involve the Type 2 form of the disease. It occurs when the pancreas can no longer make enough of a hormone called insulin, and the body cannot effectively use the insulin being produced — a condition known as insulin resistance. The result is a build-up of glucose levels in the blood, which over time can harm the kidneys, eyes, nerves and heart. Early symptoms can include frequent urination, excessive thirst, persistent fatigue and a tingling or numbness in the hands or feet. Or there may be no symptoms until long after someone has developed diabetes, which is one reason doctors have placed a growing emphasis on early screening. Although genetics play a role in a person’s risk for the disease, the increase in diabetes diagnoses is largely attributable to lifestyle changes, Gregg said. The disease is closely associated with high blood pressure and cholesterol, poor diets, obesity and a lack of exercise. The good news is that improvements in diet and lifestyle can go a long way toward delaying or preventing the disease. The trick is to help people find effective ways to change their habits. “Lifestyle interventions have been shown to be very effective when targeted at people with very high risk for diabetes,” Herman said. “The major opportunity going forward is to get those interventions into routine clinical practice.” Type 1 Type 1 diabetes is another challenge entirely, and a perplexing one. Once referred to as juvenile diabetes, it is an autoimmune disease that can develop at any age, but typically is diagnosed in children and young adults. It accounts for about 5 percent of all diabetes cases. With Type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce the insulin needed to convert sugars and other food into useful energy, and in fact the body’s immune system attacks insulin-producing cells, mistaking them for foreign invaders. It remains unclear what triggers the disease. Evidence suggests that a person’s genetic makeup or environmental factors, such as viral infections, can play a role. “It still is somewhat of a mystery,” Cypress said. “I don’t


How the tech-unsavvy Jack Ma took Alibaba public and became China’s richest man

— a visionary in China,” says Gimbel, whose firm manages $8 billion. “But he is entering the world of the international big boys, where competition becomes larger and margins become smaller.” Ma has battled — and beaten — one big boy, albeit on Chinese turf. In 2002, eBay, led by then-CEO Meg Whitman, burst into China by acquiring a local e-commerce business. Ma and his partners waived fees on their Taobao site — letting customers do for free what eBay charged for. Ma positioned himself as the homegrown hero. “EBay is a shark in the ocean; we are a crocodile in the Yangtze River,” he told his troops. “If we fight in the ocean, we will lose, but if we fight in the river, we will win.” Ma won in 2006, when eBay announced it would close its site, which by then was unprofitable. As Alibaba grows, Ma is pushing the company outside its comfort zone. Since 2012, Alibaba has announced deals totaling more than $16 billion, taking stakes in U.S. ride-share service Lyft and the Singapore postal service. In China, it agreed to buy half of the Guangzhou Evergrande professional soccer team. It also bought 60 percent of movie producer China Vision Media, which it renamed Alibaba Pictures Group. On Oct. 27, Ma told a conference in Laguna Beach, Calif., that he’s looking for partners in Hollywood to help acquire more content for smartphones and tablet computers. He and Apple CEO Tim Cook said at the same conference that they’re open to collaborating on projects involving mobile payments. Alibaba’s finance affiliate is expanding as well. In April, it created Zhao Cai Bao, a platform for small businesses and individuals to borrow directly from investors. In September, it acquired a bank license in Ma’s home city, Hangzhou. “You can’t exaggerate how much influence Jack has,” says Guo Guangchang, a fellow billionaire who heads Shanghai-based conglomerate Fosun Group, which is a partner in the banking venture. Some shareholders are leery of Ma’s omnipresence — not least because “customers first” has become an Alibaba mantra. “Putting the shareholders first is capitalism’s biggest mistake,” Ma told Chen Xiao-Ping, a professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, last year. “Shareholders do not have a long-term vision for the company.” Ma explained his philosophy in his pre-IPO letter. The only way to ensure long-term rewards for shareholders is to sustain value for


Commentary: Why Pentagon’s new innovation strategy matters to Washington

available to national security agencies that are consistent with current acquisition and contracting rules and will allow for immediate nontraditional performer engagement. The opportunity before us is now a challenge of effective execution. For the Washington, D.C. region this shift in focus on where the Pentagon acquires innovation is very significant. Behind the focus on sources of nontraditional innovation, the secretary of defense is implicitly acknowledging something that has been known by our national security personnel for a while: the nature of national security has changed. The threats are more diverse, more and more technology based, and in many instances very cost effective. They are not threats that are likely to be met through current national security acquisition practices. This will result in a greater and greater reliance on our own rapid innovation, which in our economy happens in the nongovernment world of start-up formation and individual innovation. It should be lost on no one in the Washington, D.C. region that when Secretary of Defense Hagel determined to announce the Pentagon’s new focus on nontraditional innovators he went to California. The perception that Silicon Valley is the home and place of nontraditional innovation is deeply held by many. The reality, of course, is that there are many places where innovation occurs, and that the Washington, D.C. region has tremendous innovation resources available to it. However, it must marshal these resources promptly. A failure to create pathways for nontraditional innovations – product oriented development by small teams motived by entrepreneurship and desire to help the national interest – will result in a near term and accelerating degradation of our national security. A failure of the Washington, D.C. region to work with the national security agencies to lead this change, will result in the region becoming less relevant to national security. For both these reasons, we must act now to adopt new models and build bridges towards nontraditional innovation. Connecting these resources has never been more important. Jonathan Aberman is managing director and founder of Amplifier Ventures, a investment firm that focuses on emerging technologies. He is also the managing director and founder of Arlington-based Tandem NSI, a program to promote greater connection between entrepreneurs and national security agencies. Related: What does the Pentagon’s latest call for innovation mean for contractors? More from Capital Business: For a daily rundown of Washington area business news, sign up for the “CapBiz A.M.” e-mail newsletter.


CoStar: Top office buildings selling at a premium

in the District, it’s clear that institutional lenders remain focused on adding so-called trophy office buildings in the District to their portfolios. But what does the real estate investment market look like for top office buildings outside of the city? Although sale prices for suburban office buildings are trading at a lower price per square foot, they are following the same upward trend that buildings in the District are seeing. Both the surrounding neighborhoods of Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland have seen average sale prices for four- and five-star office properties rise from under $300 a square foot a decade ago to $354 a foot in Northern Virginia and nearly $500 a square foot in suburban Maryland this year. Also, just as the highest price per square foot for a major D.C. office property was surpassed, both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the market saw trophy office properties sell for record per-square-foot prices this year as well. Before 2011 when One Bethesda Center sold for $525 per square foot, no four- or five-star properties in the Maryland neighborhoods surrounding D.C. had ever sold for more than $500 per square foot. In February, Three White Flint North, a fully occupied, four-star office building in Montgomery County, sold for $544 per square foot. The sale of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s headquarters helped propel average sale prices for other office buildings like it in this area to just under $500 per square foot in 2014. In Northern Virginia, things heated up in July when 1776 Wilson Blvd. sold for $651 per square foot, surpassing the previous high of $638. The previous highest sale price per square foot for Northern Virginia, Arlington’s Waterview Tower in 2007, still remains the highest overall sale price of trophy office buildings in Virginia at nearly $413 million. The average price per square foot for four- and five-star office buildings sold in the Washington area from 2004 through 2014. (No four- or five-star buildings were sold in suburban Maryland in 2012.) (CoStar Group) For now, the District has the spotlight, but the good news for all owners in the market is that investors continue to consider the Washington region a good place to own office property. Kirstie Boatright is a research manager with CoStar in the District. More from Capital Business: For a daily rundown of Washington area business news, sign up for the “CapBiz A.M.” e-mail newsletter.


A measure without degree

The Nov. 18 Health & Science article “Starcatcher” was informative, and I am certainly looking forward to seeing what the James Webb Space Telescope will tell us about the universe. However, the article included a common mistake. It said, “The four-camera package faced temperatures of 11 degrees Kelvin, which is minus-440 degrees Fahrenheit.” While Fahrenheit and Celsius temperatures are measured in degrees, temperatures on the Kelvin scale are not. The correct expression would have been “11 kelvins.” John Galt, Stanardsville, Va.


Local digest: A roundup of D.C.-area news briefs

THE DISTRICT Man arrested in September killing A suspect was arrested Friday in connection with a September homicide in Northeast Washington, D.C. police said. Vernon Hedrick, 25, of Northeast was charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Titus Jackson, 26, also of Northeast, on Sept 11. The shooting occurred in the 5200 block of Clay Street, police said. — Julie Zauzmer Convict charged in fatal 2009 shooting A man who was charged Thursday with killing a teenager in 2009 in Southeast Washington is serving a 19-year sentence for beating a man to death six days earlier in the same neighborhood, according to court records. Davon Ellis, 25, of Southeast was convicted of second-degree murder in the April 18, 2009, beating of Gerard Monk. On Thursday, authorities said Ellis was served with a warrant charging him with second degree murder in the April 24, 2009, shooting of 17-year-old Kwanzaa Diggs. — Peter Hermann and Clarence Williams NW woman reports robbery, beating A woman in her 50s said she was beaten Friday night in what may have been the first robbery in her upper Northwest Washington neighborhood in a year. The woman said she had just pulled into her garage in the Crestwood area — between Rock Creek Park and 16h Street — when two men came in and demanded her purse. She said that she held on to the purse and that the men knocked her down and punched and kicked her before making off with it. Police statistics show no other robberies in 12 months for blocks around her address. — Martin Weil VIRGINIA High court denies Huguely’s appeal The Virginia Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely, who was seeking to have his conviction thrown out in the killing of his girlfriend, Yeardley Love, according to court records. Huguely, 26, of Chevy Chase is serving a 23-year sentence after a jury found him guilty in 2012 of second-degree murder in Love’s death two years earlier. Love, 22, was also a student and lacrosse player at U-Va. — Justin Jouvenal THE region D.C. man arrested getting off plane A D.C. man who flew into Reagan National Airport on Friday got what apparently was a surprise reception. As he got off a plane, James Woodley, 24, of Northeast Washington was arrested on a D.C. warrant charging assault with a


Wild turkeys have made a comeback and are ruffling some suburban feathers

prepare to look for turkeys this month in Clear Brook. Thanks to repopulation efforts, the wild turkey population in the Washington region has increased. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) Jim Clay, a well-known Virginia turkey caller and hunter, saw a gobbler and two hens while riding in a cab on the George Washington Parkway near Reagan National Airport. “I almost lost my mind,” Clay said. “The taxi driver thought I did lose my mind. That’s not where you’d expect to see turkeys, but there they were.” In the 1950s, the country’s wild turkeys numbered less than 500,000, wildlife experts say. But now more than 7 million roam the American landscape. Their impressive comeback is the result of an inventive effort to trap and move the elusive birds with rocket-controlled nets. In Maryland, which had just a thousand wild turkeys in the 1970s, there are now at least 35,000. Virginia has upwards of 200,000. “I would say this ranks near the top of any conservation success story,” said Bob Long, Maryland’s state turkey biologist. “When you’re going from a turkey population in the thousands to a turkey population in the millions, that’s pretty amazing.” The soaring population has been a godsend for hunters, who are killing record numbers of wild turkeys, even in mostly suburban counties like Montgomery. But their resurgence is not without drama. Sometimes small delegations of wild turkeys wander into residential neighborhoods on failed exploratory missions for good grub or companionship. For people unaccustomed to seeing turkeys, their appearances are entertaining and occasionally unnerving. Videos and photos of turkeys pecking at sliding glass doors, chasing reporters, strolling through New York City and attacking mail trucks — they seem to really despise the U.S. Postal Service — have been posted to YouTube and Instagram with hashtags such as #avianthugs. Video from the Frederick church encounter last year made local television news, attracting producers of Destination America, a Discovery Communications channel, for a special called “When Turkeys Attack,” scheduled to premiere the day before Thanksgiving. Landowner Bill Henkel climbs into his stand to watch for wild turkeys this month in Clear Brook. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) The Humane Society has even issued a document titled “What to Do About Wild Turkeys,” which includes tips to scare them away. “It’s important,” the Humane Society says, “that all members of your family (including children and the elderly) exhibit their dominance over your neighborhood


David Greer, whose anti-nuclear group won Nobel Peace Prize, dies at 89

David S. Greer, a doctor who co-founded a group that won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize for working to prevent nuclear war and who helped transform the medical school at Brown University, died Nov. 18 at his home in Fall River, Mass. He was 89. The cause was heart disease, said his daughter, Linda Greer. Dr. Greer, Brown’s dean of medicine from 1981 to 1992, was a founding director of the Nobel-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. In awarding Dr. Greer’s Boston-based organization the peace prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it had “performed a considerable service to mankind by spreading authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare.” “His mantra was that medical students had to be science-savvy but socially responsible physicians, and his own career in Fall River and Rhode Island were exemplary of that,” said David Lewis, who worked with Dr. Greer to establish a center for alcohol and addiction studies at Brown. Dr. Greer, who helped found the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, has died at 89. (John Forasté/Brown University via Associated Press) Dr. Greer moved to Fall River nearly 60 years ago to practice medicine in a community that did not have enough physicians, then went to Brown to train the next generation of primary care physicians, Linda Greer said. At Brown, Dr. Greer founded and led departments for family medicine and community health and a gerontology center. David Steven Greer was born in Brooklyn on Oct. 12, 1925, and served as an aviation cadet during World War II. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1948, received a medical degree in 1953 from the University of Chicago and did his residency at Yale University. After retiring from Brown, Dr. Greer served as the medical director for a health-care center in Fall River until 1998. His wife of 64 years, the former Marion Clarich, died in September, and their son, Jeffrey Greer, died earlier. Besides his daughter, of Bethesda, Md., survivors include two grandchildren. A look at those who have died this year. — Associated Press


BSO pairs Bernstein and a passionate Beethoven’s Seventh at Strathmore

There have been tidier Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony finales in memory, but it would be hard to match the passion and momentum that propelled the Baltimore Symphony through to its emphatically sharp final chord at its concert at Strathmore on Saturday. With conductor Marin Alsop leaping around the podium, punching out slashing accents and big surging phrases, the orchestra went at it tooth and nail. This BSO season is highlighting music of spirituality and transformation, Alsop told us in a short introduction to Leonard Bernstein’s “Jeremiah” Symphony, also on the program. But if the Beethoven was intended to fit into this design, it was in the gentle, caressing touch bestowed on the opening of the first movement, which she took at a leisurely, almost contemplative pace. The first half of the program was all Bernstein: the symphony, a product of his earliest years, and the “Chichester Psalms,” a mature, after-“West Side Story” composition. Both are spiritual, maybe, but viewing spirituality in its most muscular form. The Cathedral Choral Society (J. Reilly Lewis, music director) was the chorus for the Psalms, and I must say it was nice to hear it in an acoustical setting other than the echo-y spaces of the Washington National Cathedral. The men managed the challenges of the tongue-twisting “Lamah rag’shu goyim” crisply, the chorus fielded two excellent soloists for two small appearances, and the performance was alert and nicely balanced. Nolan Musslewhite, a member of the Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, floated out the boy soprano lines with splendid accuracy and clarity and remarkable breath control. The symphony got a smart, dramatic and technically assured reading. The last movement’s soloist, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, armed with a big rich voice, gathered dramatic steam as she went, capping a performance that had more than its share of hugely powered crescendos, gorgeous horn playing and heart-on-sleeve emotion. style@washpost.com Reinthaler is a freelance writer.


The Fix’s week in politics

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I didn’t dissolve parliament. That’s not how our system works.” — President Obama, BY THE NUMBERS 46 The Kaiser poll showed that 46 percent of the public said they had a negative opinion of the health-care law, compared with 37 percent who said they held a positive opinion. Republicans continue to oppose the health-care law while Democrats embrace it. In short, even as news around the law develops and changes, opinions about it aren’t budging much. 1 If Hillary Rodham Clinton runs for president, she may have at least one credible challenger for the Democratic nomination. Former senator James Webb (D-Va.) announced last week that he was forming a presidential exploratory committee. Clinton is still expected to be the overwhelming Democratic frontrunner if she runs. But Webb’s decision is a reminder that there are elements of the party not fully behind a Clinton candidacy. 14Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) can thank her own party for her Keystone XL pipeline embarrassment. Just 14 Senate Democrats voted for the measure. Meanwhile, all 45 Senate Republicans backed it. BEST THING THATHAPPENED TO REPUBLICANS Sen. Mary Landrieu’s (D-La.) Keystone gambit backfired. Landrieu, faced with an almost unwinnable runoff Dec. 6, sought to prove her clout by getting the oil pipeline passed through the Senate. She came up one vote shy, looking even weaker in her matchup with Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) than she did beforehand. Oh, and never mind the fact that Keystone will pass in the GOP-controlled Senate come January — and that President Obama simply would have vetoed it anyway. So, basically, it was a meaningless tactic that failed miserably. BEST THING THATHAPPENED TO DEMOCRATS Their Jonathan Gruber offensive got traction. Gruber’s comments that Obamacare passed with an assist from “the stupidity of the American voter” continued to complicate life for Democrats, who basically disowned Gruber at the start of the week — just as the next Obamacare enrollment period was starting. The good news for Democrats is it doesn’t appear to have affected the overall approval of the law. A Kaiser Family Foundation poll at the end of the week showed that support and opposition were both steady despite the furor over Gruber’s comments. — Aaron Blake and Sean Sullivan


Pro-marijuana groups eye Northeastern states, including Maine

statewide legalization ballot initiative in 2016. “It’s quite possible that Maine could be the first state in the Northeast to legalize marijuana and other states would follow,” said Bill Piper, director of national affairs for the Washington, D.C.-based Drug Policy Alliance. Marijuana reformers across the country scored a series of wins on election night, when Oregon, Alaska and the District D.C. all went legal. Maine supporters are crafting the ballot initiative for the 2016 election cycle, according to David Boyer, a Falmouth resident and political director for the D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project. The petitioners will need to collect about 61,000 signatures to get the item on the ballot, according to the state constitution. Boyer said the petition drive will probably begin in the next six months. Maine has some competition to be the first state to legalize in the Northeast, as national advocates are also targeting Massachusetts for a potential referendum in 2016. State legislatures in Rhode Island and Vermont also could take up the issue next year. Outside the Northeast, national advocates are pushing for popular ballot initiatives in California, Arizona and Nevada. Maine’s ballot initiative will face significant opposition from some public and law enforcement officials, some of whom campaigned against legalization in its cities. Some medical marijuana advocates also have reservations, including Hillary Lister, director of the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, who said she fears large-scale investors could crowd smaller growers out of the market. Roy McKinney, director of the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency, said the legalization vote in South Portland — where voters approved a measure to allow people age 21 and older to possess an ounce of marijuana — doesn’t supersede state law. He said the agency’s stance on the statewide ballot initiative would depend on how it was written, but he added that it opposed efforts to legalize marijuana via the state legislature. Approval on a statewide level won’t sail through, as anti-marijuana forces are emboldened by a recent victory — a November legalization referendum’s failure in Lewiston, the state’s second-largest city. Lewiston Mayor Bob Macdonald, who worked in the drug unit of Lewiston’s police department before becoming mayor, called legalization a sign of “degeneration of society.” He said he is glad the referendum to legalize marijuana in his city failed. “I’m set in my ways and that’s one thing I’m totally against — making any drugs legal,” he said. — Associated Press


From the archives: Marion Barry may be out of office, but the ex-mayor’s still a player

were overturned, and when prosecutors sought a retrial, Ben Israel pleaded to a lesser charge. “I don’t see how that’s relevant, that was so long ago,” Barry says. Indeed, there is no evidence of criminal activity associated with the sect since. BSI declined to comment. Last spring, Ben Israel called Barry and “asked me to be of some assistance here in Washington” during the Cameroonian prime minister’s visit in April, he says. Race can play a prominent role in liaisons between the United States and Africa. Africa often flies below U.S. political radar. Toward reversing that, Barry sees a blueprint in the way American Jews have effectively lobbied Capitol Hill for Israel. “Black folks can organize the black constituency here,” Barry says. “White firms,” with some exceptions, “don’t know how to do it.” Barry scheduled meetings between the Cameroonians and the U.S. Agency for International Development and accompanied them to meet the Congressional Black Caucus. Barry also sat in on a 20-minute meeting at the Madison Hotel between the prime minister, another representative of BSI and Rosa Whitaker, the assistant U.S. trade representative for Africa. Whitaker, phoning from a business development meeting in Botswana, says she briefed the Cameroonians on U.S. policy toward Africa. As for Barry, whom Whitaker has known since she was 14: “I would assume [the Cameroonians] respect his ability to build constituencies and coalitions. He’s built his career on that.” The Cameroonians also got a briefing from U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Robert Mallett, the city administrator under Mayor Kelly. About halfway through the meeting, Barry walked in. “Bob was not very positive,” Barry recalls, citing the U.S. concern with Cameroon’s reputation for corruption and inefficiency. Barry says that after the meeting, he followed the Cameroonians out into the hall and tried to reassure them. For all this work, Barry says he was not paid by BSI. But he elaborates no further. “I’m a private citizen now,” Barry says, with a glint of pleasure in his eye. “I’m under no obligation to tell anyone but the IRS what I make.” The Next Chapter Barry has been many things--a hero and a boogeyman, an inspiration and an addict, a dealmaker and a dealkiller. At his core, though, he is an archetypal American politician--the populist. The details of the populist’s story vary, but they tend to follow a similar arc: lives of great success and great failure, much of


Virginia is for beer lovers: Study highlights rapid growth of craft breweries

Loudoun last year, whereas the county took more than a decade to establish that many wineries, tourism officials said. The survey results offered a more detailed look at the visitors driving the trend. About 66 percent of the respondents were men, according to the study, and the average age was 39, younger than the usual Loudoun wine visitor and leisure traveler. The typical craft beer drinker is a highly educated professional, the survey found, and many respondents said they worked in the technology, education and health-care fields. Many of the surveyed beer drinkers indicated that they regularly participate in tastings and sometimes make an overnight trip of their visit, driving several hours to get to specific breweries, Jenkins said. Nearly 75 percent of the survey respondents said they visit two to three breweries per trip, Jenkins said, which supports the creation of a brewery trail, comparable to several popular winery trails in Loudoun. About 80 percent of those surveyed indicated that they also visited local restaurants, historical sites and wineries, a crossover that is especially encouraging to Loudoun officials, Jenkins said, because it highlights a broader tourism benefit. “This gets the attention of our Board of Supervisors because it’s not just that people are coming out for the breweries, but they’re getting out to all the destinations here,” he said. Visitors who tour multiple breweries and stay overnight tend to spend about $365 per trip, the study found. “They don’t spend quite as much as the wine visitors, but just in terms of sheer numbers, this market is much larger,” Jenkins said. Beer drinkers make up 49 percent of the nation’s beverage alcohol market; wine drinkers account for 17 percent, officials said. The growth of Virginia’s craft beer industry mirrors a national trend. The number of craft breweries across the country has soared in recent years, rising from about 1,800 breweries in 2010 to more than 2,500 this year, according to the Brewers Association. In Virginia, craft brewers have benefited from recent changes to state laws. In 2012, new regulations allowed for the sale of pints at tasting rooms, making brewery businesses more profitable. This year, state lawmakers passed legislation to relax regulations for farm-based breweries — provided that the operation grows and uses its own agricultural product, such as hops or barley, in its brews. After the passage of the new state law in July, county officials are now


Scientists link a virus to a wasting disease that has killed millions of Pacific starfish

last week that they had identified the pathogen as the sea-star-associated densovirus, or SSaDV, after ruling out other possible culprits including certain bacteria, protozoans and fungi. More than 20 species of starfish, also called sea stars, from southern Alaska to Baja California are dying from a wasting disease that causes white lesions to appear before the animal’s body sags, ruptures and spills out its internal organs. “They basically fall apart into a pile of goo on the bottom of the seafloor,” said Cornell University biological oceanographer and microbial ecologist Ian Hewson, who led the study; their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. SSaDV is a parvovirus, a tiny form of virus that can cause illness in animals and people. Formerly known as starfish, the creatures are being wiped out on a wide scale by a wasting disease. The researchers detected it in older starfish samples, museum specimens from as early as 1942. They said it may have been present at low levels for years and only recently became a large-scale threat because of some kind of viral mutation, environmental trigger, starfish overpopulation or other factor. “It’s probably the largest epidemic in marine wildlife that we know of,” Cornell ecologist Drew Harvell said. “That’s the million-dollar question in all this: Why now? What is it that changed that created the conditions for this outbreak? And we don’t have the answer to that. But certainly a viral mutation would be one explanation,” Harvell added. The disease was first spotted in June of 2013 and has shown no signs of slowing. “There are 10 million viruses in a drop of seawater, so discovering the virus associated with a marine disease can be like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Hewson said. “Not only is this an important discovery of a virus involved in a mass mortality of marine invertebrates, but this is also the first virus described in a sea star.” Scientists prefer calling them sea stars rather than starfish because they are not fish but rather echinoderms, cousins of sand dollars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins. Most have five arms, although some have more. The disappearance of so many starfish threatens to disrupt coastal ecosystems because they are important predators in the waters between the shoreline and the open sea, the researchers said. Related: Sea stars are wasting away in larger numbers in two oceans


Man pleads guilty in January hit-and-run death of U-Md. student in College Park

University of Maryland student Cory Hubbard, left, was fatally struck by a car Jan. 17, 2014, in a hit-and-run collision. Hubbard spent his fall semester studying abroad in Australia with friend Mickey Colombo, right. (Courtesy of Mickey Colombo) A Cheverly man arrested in the hit-and-run death of a University of Maryland student this year pleaded guilty to failing to remain at the scene of the collision, authorities said Monday. Liam Adepo, 30, who was set to go to trial in December, faces up to two years in prison in the death of Cory Hubbard, 22. Hubbard was crossing Baltimore Avenue near Knox Road in College Park when a dark sedan struck him about 1:30 p.m. Jan. 17. Police said Hubbard was not in a crosswalk and the car that stuck him didn’t stop after the collision. Adepo later that day acknowledged that he was driving the sedan police were looking for in Hubbard’s death. Hubbard was a senior at the university and his death was one of at least three pedestrian fatalities that took place this year as students attempted to cross the busy stretch of U.S. Route 1 in College Park. The pedestrian collisions in the area spurred Maryland transportation officials to reduce the speed limit along the road to 25 mph from 30 mph. Court records online show that Adepo entered a guilty plea during a hearing Nov. 20. He is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 30.


Towson University brings in goats to tackle ivy problem

Towson University has recruited a herd of new groundskeepers to put the bite on a pesky weed problem on the suburban campus. Hauled in from a Harford County farm, 18 goats began munching Sunday on a patch of English ivy covering the forest floor in the school’s Glen Arboretum. They didn’t stop there, though, grazing on almost everything in reach, including fallen leaves, dead vines and even tree bark. “It’s environmentally safe, and it’s effective — I hope,” said James Hull, a plant ecologist and emeritus biology professor who is overseeing the ivy removal project. People have been using goats for years to get rid of weeds. It’s a first for Towson, but Hull said “biological” control of the stubborn ivy seemed the right choice for “the Glen,” a mostly wooded 12-acre tract bordering a stream in the heart of the campus that has been designated an arboretum. It harbors 94 of the 120 tree species native to Maryland. “My dream is to have all native [plants],” said Hull, “and to get all the invasives out.” Though still planted by some, English ivy is widely considered a pest because it can entomb trees in vines and smother all other ground vegetation. Hull said the ivy has to go if the arboretum’s native trees and shrubs are to survive. With grants from Baltimore Gas and Electric and PepsiCo, Hull hired five students last year who recruited hundreds of volunteers to begin clearing ivy from part of the arboretum. It’s mostly been removed from the trees, but the ground-hugging vines proved more difficult. Students trying to yank them up stirred up yellow jackets angry over having their subterranean nests disturbed. After a couple got stung, Hull said he decided to look for alternatives. He ruled out herbicides: He wanted to avoid any risk of contaminating the nearby stream, and he doubted the chemicals could effectively penetrate the waxy coating on ivy leaves. He decided to try goats after reading a study from Portland, Ore., that found one “application” of the animals removed four-fifths of the ivy in a test plot. After two tries, 98 percent of the ivy was gone. “It’s what I call an iterative process,” Hull said. “You have to keep coming back again and again.” For $1,500, Hull hired Jack, Ginger, Leroy and the rest of the goats from Harmony Church Farm in Darlington to spend five days chowing


Calorie counts: Coming to a restaurant, movie theater, vending machine near you

to post calorie information for each item inside the machines on nearby placards, posters or digital displays. The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Xtreme Eating Awards went to nine "winning" chain restaurant meals especially high in calories, fat, sugar and salt. The Cheesecake Factory got three of them. Activists who for years have pushed for more transparent and consistent menu labeling, saying it would provide an important tool in combating the nation’s obesity epidemic, praised the FDA’s action. “I consider this an enormous advance for public health education and well worth the long wait,” said Marion Nestle, a prominent nutrition expert and public health professor at New York University. “This is great news for public health and, hopefully, an incentive to restaurants to reformulate their offerings to be lower in calories.” The enthusiasm wasn’t universal. Some industry groups, such as those that represent grocery stores and pizza outlets, have argued that it is impractical and onerous to require calorie labels on food that is made to order and can vary by customer. They have insisted that the effort would shrink bottom lines far more than waistlines. “We’re extremely disappointed,” said Rob Rosado, director of government relations for the Food Marketing Institute, which represents thousands of supermarkets and grocery wholesalers. Rosado said 95 percent of food in grocery stores comes with nutrition information, thanks to a 1990 law that required labels on packaged foods, and that prepared foods represent only a fraction of each store’s business. Requiring labels for fresh food made in grocery stores, delis and bakeries could cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars in signage, worker training and laboratory tests to determine the calories in each dish, he said. He thinks it also might prompt stores to carry fewer freshly made items to avoid the regulatory headaches. “You’re penalizing any kind of freshness. . . . It’s going to be replaced with prepackaged food,” Rosado said. “It’s going to have a negative impact for grocery store consumers.” Dietitian Ellie Krieger, Nourish Schools co-founder Casey Seidenberg and certified health education specialist Elaine Gordon offer picks for meals from breakfast to dessert. The rules date to a little-publicized provision in the Obama administration’s broad 2010 health-care law. It required food establishments to post calorie information on menus and drive-through signs, but exactly which retailers would be subject to the law has been the focus of intense debate,


Food Marketing Institute, which represents thousands of supermarkets and grocery wholesalers. Rosado said 95 percent of food in grocery stores comes with nutrition information, thanks to a 1990 law that required labels on packaged foods, and that prepared foods represent only a fraction of each store’s business. Requiring labels for fresh food made in grocery stores, delis and bakeries could cost the industry hundreds of millions of dollars in signage, worker training and laboratory tests to determine the calories in each dish, he said. He thinks it also might prompt stores to carry fewer freshly made items to avoid the regulatory headaches. “You’re penalizing any kind of freshness. . . . It’s going to be replaced with prepackaged food,” Rosado said. “It’s going to have a negative impact for grocery store consumers.” Dietitian Ellie Krieger, Nourish Schools co-founder Casey Seidenberg and certified health education specialist Elaine Gordon offer picks for meals from breakfast to dessert. The rules date to a little-publicized provision in the Obama administration’s broad 2010 health-care law. It required food establishments to post calorie information on menus and drive-through signs, but exactly which retailers would be subject to the law has been the focus of intense debate, relentless lobbying and years of delay. The FDA first issued its menu-labeling proposals in 2011. Since then, the agency has received hundreds of comments about what food should be subject to the rules — with consumer advocates, pizza places and theater chains among those trying to sway the administration. “It was much more complicated than we originally thought it would be,” Hamburg told reporters Monday. Ultimately, the regulations issued Tuesday include a swath of places where Americans buy food, although the FDA also carved out exemptions: The calorie-posting requirements apply to restaurant chains with 20 or more locations, but not to smaller independent establishments such as Ben’s Chili Bowl, which has only a handful of restaurants. Regular menu items must have calorie counts, but daily specials and seasonal items don’t have to. Some types of alcohol on the menu are covered, but mixed drinks at the bar get a pass. Prepared foods at grocery stores and delis are included, but items intended for more than one person — a pan of potato salad or a tray of sliced meat, for example — are exempt. Pizza parlors must list calories like everybody else (including online when a customer is ordering), but


White House seeks a stronger hand at Pentagon to manage crises

a successor, who must also be confirmed by the Senate. Inside the Pentagon, there’s little consensus on the best way forward. Some military officials have complained that the strategy is too timid and that the president’s restrictions on using U.S. ground forces have hamstrung their efforts. A retired four-star general who served earlier in the Obama presidency derided the missions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan as “resourced to the absolute minimum levels for any chance of success. It’s very frustrating.” But other top U.S. generals have in recent weeks balked at suggestions from the White House that the air campaign against Islamic State rebels be widened to cities such as Aleppo, Syria, arguing that such an effort would require the destruction of Syrian air defenses and unnecessarily broaden the conflict. “The military resisted attacks on Aleppo,” a senior administration official said. ‘They argued it was mission creep and that they lacked the resources.” There’s also broad dissatisfaction among the Pentagon’s service chiefs over deep cuts imposed on the military by the White House and Congress through a process known as sequestration. The next defense secretary will face a major challenge in controlling the chiefs as they testify before an increasingly hostile Congress. ‘Micromanagement’ Hagel’s replacement, meanwhile, will also have to grapple with a hands-on White House that has, at times, infuriated his predecessors and the Pentagon brass with its management style. “There is teeth-gnashing over micromanagement,” a senior defense official said. “Relations have not been great.” Under Obama, the National Security Council has delved into the nitty-gritty of shaping war policy in the Middle East and Afghanistan, sometimes subjecting senior officials to hours of meetings to reach incremental decisions. Earlier this year, the decision on how many U.S. troops would remain in Afghanistan in 2015 was the subject of 14 meetings of NSC deputies, four gatherings involving Cabinet secretaries and other NSC “principals,” and two NSC sessions with the president, according to a former senior administration official. The consequence of those meetings was to pare back the military’s request by just 700 troops — from 10,500 to 9,800. “The decision-making takes too long,” the retired four-star general said. White House officials regularly call commanders in Afghanistan to gauge their thinking on the progress of the war and their future troop needs. Those calls were a particular source of irritation to Gates, who said he tried to squelch them during the


Rethinking the cost of Western intervention in Ukraine

including pensions and freezing all bank accounts in the eastern districts that are in revolt. The Ukrainian economy is near collapse with nowhere near the billions needed to rebuild it at hand. How Kiev or the cut-off eastern regions will provide heating and electricity to their beleaguered people as winter approaches remains to be seen. The European Union and the United States have imposed sanctions on Russia, with threats of more to come. Many observers have rightly suggested that we are witnessing the beginnings of a new Cold War. U.S. and NATO forces are being dispatched to buck up the purportedly nervous Baltic nations, now part of NATO’s security guarantee. Meanwhile, the sanctions have added to Europe’s economic woes. Vladimir Putin’s popularity has soared within Russia, even as the nation’s economy has suffered. European unity has begun to fray, with several countries worried about the effect of sanctions on their own economies, and officials questioning the sanctions’ effectiveness. The U.S. government and the mainstream media present this calamity as a morality tale. Ukrainians demonstrated against Yanukovych because they wanted to align with the West and democracy. Putin, as portrayed by Hillary Rodham Clinton among others, is an expansionist Hitler who has trampled international law and must be made to “pay a big price” for his aggression. Isolation and escalating economic sanctions have been imposed. Next, if Senate hawks such as John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) have their way, Ukraine will be provided with arms to “deter” Putin’s “aggression.” But this perspective distorts reality. Although there is no question that Russia has contributed to the tensions in the region, what has unfolded was predictable and preventable. As experts such as Princeton University and New York University professor emeritus Stephen F. Cohen have argued, the West should have understood that an attempt to bring Ukraine into an exclusive arrangement with the E.U. would spark deep, historical divisions within the country and itself and provoke a Russian reaction. (Disclosure: Cohen and I are married.) In fact, as University of Chicago professor John J. Mearsheimer concludes in Foreign Affairs, “the United States and its European allies share most of the responsibility for the crisis.” In the face of Russian warnings and despite agreements to the contrary, over the past two decades the United States has expanded NATO to Russia’s border. The E.U. has similarly grown, seeking to incorporate Eastern Europe and former


Prove to Mr. Putin that he is not ‘invincible’

eastern Ukraine while shrugging off protests from NATO. Ukrainian government officials say they believe the Russian forces and their puppet allies may be preparing a major offensive to capture more territory — Mr. Putin is thought to covet a land bridge between Russia and the occupied province of Crimea. As it is, Moscow’s forces are launching small-scale attacks nearly every day. According to the United Nations, more than 1,000 people have been killed since a cease-fire deal on terms dictated by Russia was signed Sept. 5. Yet last week Vice President Biden once again turned aside pleas from Ukrainian leaders for defensive weapons, such as antitank missiles, that might help deter more Russian aggression. Instead, he lectured the democratically elected government on the need to adopt economic austerity and legal reforms. On Monday, Mr. Putin signed a treaty with the puppet state of Abkhazia, a province of Georgia that Russian troops invaded and occupied in 2008. Moscow’s attempt to win international recognition for Abkhazia and another Georgian province, South Ossetia, as independent states failed. So it is taking steps to incorporate them into Russia. The treaty with Abkhazia gives Moscow control over the province’s military, foreign policy and economy and allows residents to easily obtain Russian citizenship. The State Department issued a statement saying it wouldn’t recognize the treaty, but there was no mention of further sanctions. In fact, the West appears to be tiring of confronting Russia even as Mr. Putin escalates his imperialism. At a news conference in Australia this month, President Obama pronounced himself satisfied with the current level of sanctions immediately after confirming that Russia was flagrantly violating the Ukraine cease-fire agreement. The European Union adopted only token measures in response to the violations, adding several more Russian individuals to a blacklist. “At this point, the sanctions that we have in place are biting plenty good,” Mr. Obama insisted. Not enough, apparently, to deter Mr. Putin from sending more troops to Ukraine, tightening his hold on Abkhazia or declaring himself “invincible.” Read more about this topic: Fred Hiatt: As Putin keeps advancing, the U.S. keeps rationalizing The Post’s View: Mr. Putin resumes his chipping away at Ukraine The Post’s View: Vladimir Putin lays out a menacing choice for the West The Post’s View: Making Mr. Putin feel the heat of sanctions The Post’s View: Provide Ukraine with the military aid it needs to deter Russia’s aggression


Japan vows to resume Antarctic whale hunt for ‘science’ next year

Joji Morishita, Japan’s commissioner to the International Whaling Commission, said at a news conference that critics of Japan’s whaling need to “agree to disagree.” (Issei Kato/Reuters) TOKYO Japan is now embarking on a campaign to demonstrate the scientific merits of its controversial Antarctic whaling missions, after the International Court of Justice this year declared its purported research program was just a cover for commercial hunting. A new proposal would see Japan’s catch target slashed to 333 minke whales a year, about one-third of its previous goal, and would set a 12-year time frame for the previously open-ended program. Critics of whaling needed to drop their “zero tolerance” stance and recognize that different countries have “different codes,” said Joji Morishita, Japan’s commissioner to the International Whaling Commission. Take people in India who don’t eat beef, Morishita told reporters in Tokyo. A man serves a curry dish with whale meat to one of lawmakers and government officials who promote whale meat at a dining room of Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Tokyo Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2014. (Eugene Hoshiko/AP) “What if they start promoting their habit on the rest of the world, and are promoting an anti-McDonald’s, anti-beef steak movement throughout the world with economic sanctions,” he said. “People can see the stupidity of this if you talk about beef, but what’s the difference between a cow and whales?” In its ruling in March on a complaint made by Australia and supported by New Zealand, the International Court of Justice said that Japan’s failure to publish results from its supposed research program showed that it was really just commercial whaling in disguise. It ordered Japan to stop its hunt. Japan’s fisheries agency last week submitted a new proposal to the whaling commission to prove that its heavily subsidized whaling program really was for scientific purposes and to justify killing the mammals in the name of research. The plan sets a target of 333 minke whales annually from the end of 2015 and no longer includes humpback and fin whales. It also says Japan would seek to conduct tests through nonlethal methods such as taking biopsy samples from whales. The program is aimed at acquiring more biological and ecological information about minke whales in the Antarctic Ocean to determine whether an almost 30-year-old moratorium on commercial hunting was still needed, the plan said, and to conduct research into the marine ecosystem around


Loudoun will be home to mid-Atlantic’s first commercial hops facility

years. “This is a significant win for the commonwealth as it fills a critical need for current and future craft brewers and builds on my administration’s efforts to increase Virginia’s position in the fast growing craft beer industry,” McAuliffe said in the statement. By increasing the amount and quality of locally produced hops — and giving more brewers access to them — officials hope that the facility will offer a substantial boost to Virginia’s already fast-growing craft brewing industry. “The construction of this hops drying and pelletizing facility will support Loudoun’s emerging farm brewery sector and strengthen the link between the county’s rural and urban economies,” Buddy Rizer, Loudoun’s economic development director, said in the statement. Loudoun’s craft brewing industry has experienced exponential growth in the past year, bolstered in part by a recent state law that limits local regulations governing farm-based breweries. More than a dozen brewery permits were filed in Loudoun last year. Across Virginia, industry sales jumped by more than 17 percent last year, to a little less than $625 million, said Todd Haymore, Virginia secretary of agriculture and forestry. As the popularity of craft brews surges, the Loudoun Board of Supervisors is considering whether to impose additional county-level zoning regulations on local craft breweries, an issue that has drawn strong opinions on both sides. Despite the recent amendment to the state code, supervisors can authorize regulations to protect public health and welfare, and can make decisions on issues such as outdoor amplified music, parking and road concerns. Local brewery industry supporters and tourism officials have urged officials to expedite their review process, citing the potential economic benefit of local breweries. But some county residents and public safety officials have voiced concerns about the potential effects on traffic and noise, and the ability of emergency vehicles to travel safely on roads that were not intended for high-volume use. Brian Jenkins, director of business strategy and research at Visit Loudoun, the county’s tourism organization, said that he appreciates the need for a thorough review process but that he hopes the matter will be decided quickly. “We definitely understand that there are safety issues that have to be considered, so I’m glad they’re vetting it to the degree that they are, but of course, we’d love to see this resolved sooner rather than later,” Jenkins said. “There’s a happy medium somewhere in there, and they’re going to find it.”


Coyote, hit by car in Arlington, is first in area since 2012

Two coyote pups are seen in the tall grass at the Queens Zoo in New York in October. (Julie Larsen Maher/Wildlife Conservation Society via AP ) (Julie Larsen Maher/AP) A coyote was hit by a car in Arlington, the first time a coyote was identified in the county since 2012. Alice Burton, chief of animal control at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, said that the coyote, a roughly 27-pound female, was spotted on Jefferson Davis Highway near Arlington Cemetery by a resident, who called police. The animal had to be euthanized because of its injuries. Burton said that coyotes are not native to Arlington, and the last one identified in the county was observed on a camera in Potomac Overlook Regional Park in 2012. Most Arlingtonians who think they have seen a coyote have actually spotted a fox, Burton said. She said that coyotes are not any more dangerous than other wild animals that more regularly roam Arlington. Residents should never attempt to corner wild animals and should keep an eye on their pets, because coyotes and other predators eat rodents.


Explore the National Zoo at night at ZooLights

Combine one zoo with half a million lights, and what do you get? The ZooLights show at the National Zoo, which is free to see and runs through January 1. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) A few times a year, the National Zoo keeps its gates open for nighttime fun. But only one of these events is free and lasts for several weeks. You might have guessed that we’re talking about ZooLights, the annual light show that opens Friday. The highlights of the event are displays featuring elephants, bears and other zoo residents made up of more than 500,000 LED lights. You might see a pretend prairie dog pop out of a hole or a frog leap into a pond. Parts of the show are set to music. You can visit animals that live in indoor enclosures, including the Great Ape House, the Small Mammal House, the Kids’ Farm and the Reptile Discovery Center. Those are welcome stops if the evening is especially chilly. Also, check out the model trains in the visitors center. They travel through a Lego display and an animal-themed landscape in Zoo-magination Station. Musical groups will play every night on the Meadow near the Great Ape House. The show features elephants, bears and other zoo animals made up of more than 500,000 LED lights. (James D. Jenkins/Smithsonian National Zoo) There is a charge for a few of the events, including snowless tubing along 150-foot tracks on Lion/Tiger Hill. The Conservation Carousel and a trackless train decked with lights also will be running. Thankfully, the zoo hasn’t forgotten the food to go along with the wintry sights and sounds. So skip the usual ice cream. Opt instead for hot chocolate, holiday cookies, s’mores or gingerbread, which are likely to quiet your stomach when it starts growling like a lion. Zoo Lights Where: National Zoo, 3001 Connecticut Avenue NW. When: How much: For more information:


Best state in America: Oregon, for craft beer

of Read In, The Post’s morning tipsheet on politics. If you have a candidate for best state, e-mail reid.wilson@washpost.com. Americans are becoming beer snobs. For the first time, craft breweries produced more barrels of beer than Budweiser did, according to figures for 2013 published by Beer Marketer’s Insights and reported by the Wall Street Journal. So forget the mega-breweries in Missouri and Wisconsin and Colorado. Although tastes and preferences differ, no state has better access to small local craft beers than Oregon, where tipplers can knock back a Rogue Dead Guy Ale or a Widmer Hefeweizen. Oregon is home to more than 180 craft breweries, defined as companies that produce less than 6 million barrels of beer annually. That’s fewer breweries than its West Coast neighbors, California and Washington, but Oregon has more breweries per capita than any other state. Washington produces almost three-quarters of the hops grown in the United States, while Oregon and Idaho together account for 24 percent, according to the Hop Growers of America. Good local hops lead to good local beers. The state’s craft breweries generate almost $1.3 billion in economic activity — $449 for every Oregonian age 21 and older — which is more per capita than every other state. And Oregonians are loyal to their state. Oregon Craft Beer, the industry’s association, reports that 53 percent of all draft beers poured within the state’s borders come from in-state breweries. By more subjective measures, Oregon still comes out on top. Thrillist, an online magazine dedicated to food, travel and drink, ranked Oregon beers the best in the country, beating out California and Colorado. Craft brewing is even catching on in states without a long tradition of beer making. Mississippi and North Dakota, the two states with the fewest breweries, have seen their industries double and triple, respectively, in size over the past two years. Mississippi now has four, and North Dakota has six. And having surpassed Budweiser, the industry still has room to grow. Craft brewers accounted for about 8 percent of the U.S. beer market in 2013, according to the Brewers Association, an industry trade group. Larger domestic producers accounted for 10 times that amount. As other states seek to tap that lucrative market, new brewers should look to Oregon’s booming industry for recipes, ingredients — and samples. Cheers to Oregon! Read more from Outlook and follow our updates on Facebook and Twitter.


Connecticut will issue special driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants

CONNECTICUT Licenses to be issued for illegal immigrants Connecticut said Wednesday that it will provide special driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants starting next week to help stop them from driving the state’s roads unregistered and uninsured. The move comes days after President Obama issued an executive order protecting millions of undocumented immigrants across the country from deportation, which state officials said could boost participation in their driver’s license program. “There are many undocumented immigrants driving without a driver’s license who aren’t insured or registered, and we believe making that possible is very important,” said Mike Lawlor, Connecticut’s undersecretary for criminal justice policy and planning. He estimated the number of illegal immigrants in Connecticut was in the tens of thousands. Undocumented immigrants ages 16 and older, unable to establish their legal presence in the United States or lacking a Social Security number, will be permitted to start making online appointments on the Department of Motor Vehicles’ Web site next week to schedule a written test for a “Drive Only License,” officials said. The test will be offered in several languages, including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Polish. Connecticut’s General Assembly approved the license program in 2013. Other states such as Colorado, Illinois, Maryland and Oregon have also passed similar laws, and several other states are considering it. — Reuters IDAHO Bureau rescinds permit for hunt Environmental groups have won the latest battle in their effort to halt a wolf- and coyote-shooting derby in Idaho, but a pro-hunting group says the contest with cash prizes for whomever kills the most predators will go on as planned early next year. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, facing two federal lawsuits from conservation groups, canceled a permit late Tuesday issued to derby organizer Idaho for Wildlife on Nov. 13. The agency didn’t mention the lawsuits in a statement but said modifications to derby rules made by the pro-hunting group after receiving the permit left it unclear if the permit could still apply without another round of analysis. “We were expecting a fight, so it’s nice to see the BLM had a change of heart,” said Laura King, an attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center. “This is some of the wildest land in America. It is a safe haven for an iconic species that is just getting its foothold in the West.” Steve Alder of Idaho for Wildlife said the derby still would be


Forget the Mayflower issues. Britain embraces Thanksgiving.

Danny Lidgate displays a turkey at his butchers shop in Holland Park in London on Tuesday. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP) LONDON — Everyone’s at work, of course, because Thanksgiving is only an American holiday, so that’s weird for a start. But the Brits, perhaps more than any other nationality, have done their best to embrace Thanksgiving, at least as a marketing opportunity. Dozens of restaurants are offering Thanksgiving feasts. Turkey and pumpkin farmers report big spikes in sales. Big-breasted turkeys seem to be everywhere. Part of that is because more and more Americans are living in Britain. The latest census report shows that some 200,000 UK residents were born in the United States, up 26 percent from 2001. In Kensington and Chelsea, two swank London neighborhoods that many bankers and celebs call home, U.S.-born residents account for five percent of the population. Another reason could be the “special relationship” between the United States and the UK -- not just politically, but in shared values, food and language. Danny Lidgate, whose 160-year-old shop C. Lidgate, butcher and charcuterie, has been in the same family for five generations, says Americans just keep gobbling up the big broad-breasted heritage Bronze turkey. Put simply, business is very good indeed. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP) Americana has become more trendy in London over the past few years. American accents can be heard on the streets of the capital’s richest neighborhoods like never before. New American-style hamburger places have sprung up everywhere. Some high-profile British-American marriages have fueled the fire. In upscale Notting Hill, where American singer Madonna used to live with her then-husband, British filmmaker Guy Ritchie, there’s a food store now catering just to Yanks. The American Food Store, boasting the obligatory Stars and Stripes, sells such American favorites as Hostess Twinkies and Campbell’s Soup. Texas-based Whole Foods, which operates several stores in London, put a sidewalk chalkboard outside their store on posh Kensington High Street recently telling shoppers “We are here to make your Thanksgiving epic.” Upmarket British grocery chain Waitrose even got in on the act this year. Waitrose’s many London stores are all sporting small “Happy Thanksgiving” displays, featuring a picture of a pumpkin wearing a pilgrim’s hat. Offerings include Ocean Spray cranberry sauce and Carnation evaporated milk. Fresh cranberries to make your own sauce are prominent in Waitrose’s produce section this week. It’s not hard to see why Thanksgiving translates well here. The Thanksgiving spread,


Lebanese Sunnis who fought in Syria’s war are returning home radicalized

A Lebanese army soldier holds his weapon. (Mohamed Azakir/Reuters) TRIPOLI, Lebanon The Lebanese military now controls Tripoli. But the militants who fought street-by-street battles with soldiers represent a growing challenge to the stability of this already deeply divided country. The militants are Lebanese citizens who went to fight in Syria’s civil war, assisted by money and weapons from Sunni politicians here, according to religious leaders, politicians and military officials. The Sunnis sympathize with the rebellion led by Syria’s majority Sunnis against a government dominated by Alawites, whose faith is an offshoot of Shiite Islam. In Syria, the young militants became radicalized by such groups as the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, al-Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, religious leaders and politicians say. Now, back in Lebanon, they are increasingly clashing with the military. “Their goal is to turn the people against the army,” said Sheik Nabil Rahim, a religious leader in Tripoli who has contact with local militants. Attacks against the military have risen sharply over the past year in predominantly Sunni areas of northern Lebanon. In Tripoli, the militants have used mosques in the Bab al-Tabbaneh neighborhood, a Sunni-dominated area, to recruit followers and store weapons. A series of attacks led to the confrontation with the army last month. About a dozen soldiers and nearly 30 militants were killed in the fighting, in which the military used helicopters and tanks. Scores of fighters were arrested, while others fled after some of the worst violence in this city in years. Spillover from next door Lebanon is a religiously diverse country with a Shiite plurality. The Sunni militants have attracted followers because of long-standing issues of poverty and government neglect in Sunni areas, analysts say. In addition, many Lebanese Sunnis fume over the fact that this country’s main Shiite militia, Hezbollah, is fighting in Syria to support its longtime ally, President Bashar al-Assad. In response, local Lebanese Sunnis have offered financial assistance and arms to encourage young men here to fight in Syria against the Assad regime. Support from Persian Gulf states also has flowed through this city, with furtive arms shipments arriving by sea and then being taken overland to rebels in Syria, according to military officials, analysts and local religious leaders. Politicians in Tripoli make little secret of the fact that Lebanese Sunnis are playing a role in the war next door. “You can also make the same allegations against Hezbollah,” said


U.S. seeks to build lean Iraqi force to fight the Islamic State

could bring an array of armed groups operating across Iraq under provincial government control. “Before the Mosul crisis, we were living in a fantasy,” said Hakim al-Zamili, head of the Iraqi parliament’s security and defense committee. “We thought the army could defend the country. We trusted them. But what happened revealed the truth to us.” The Obama administration’s plan for repairing some of Iraq’s most serious military failings appears unlikely to change with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s impending departure. Inside the Pentagon, Hagel was known as being closer to reform programs and budgetary initiatives than to the military campaign against the Islamic State. U.S. officials blame former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki for the decline in the quality of Iraqi forces after the U.S. military withdrawal in 2011. They say the Shiite leader assigned commanders on the basis of sectarian loyalty, diminishing military capabilities and undermining morale. Under corrupt leadership, payrolls were padded with “ghost soldiers” and payments issued for troops long dead — a system that not only resulted in undermanned military units but contributed to the difficulty of assessing the size and strength of the security forces. According to Michael Knights, a fellow with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has been assembling a detailed analysis of remaining Iraqi military units, army brigades that were supposed to comprise as many as 4,000 men have regularly included fewer than half that number. “There was a huge disconnect” between the military Iraq had on paper and what it looked like in reality, a senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The problems laid bare this summer were a surprise even to those involved in the 2003-2011 initiative to rebuild Iraq’s military, an undertaking that cost more than $25 billion. While an even lengthier effort in Afghanistan has paid dividends in the fight against the Taliban, Afghan forces still lack advanced military capabilities and are suffering high battle casualties. The Obama administration has been encouraged by the initial reforms that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who took over from Maliki in August, has made. This month, Abadi replaced more than 20 senior military commanders. He has also eliminated the commander-in-chief office that Maliki had established to tighten his grip on the military. How far Abadi — seeking to keep a fragile national unity government intact — can push those reforms is unknown. Even when the


The case for national service

programs show a striking imbalance between the desire to serve and the opportunities to do so. McChrystal cites AmeriCorps, a program to encourage service in schools, nonprofits and other civic organizations. In 2011, it had 580,000 applications for about 80,000 slots, he writes. Similarly, Teach for America, a program to recruit teachers for schools in disadvantaged areas, had 48,000 applications for 5,200 openings in 2011. To match demand and supply, the Franklin Project is creating a “service year exchange.” This online platform would match young people seeking service positions with qualified organizations. Opportunities would include nonprofits, schools and colleges, and state, local and national governments. The driving force for young people, McChrystal says, would be the expectation that spending a year helping others is part of American citizenship. A laboratory to test this idea is being developed by Arizona State University, one of the nation’s largest and most innovative universities. Michael Crow, the school’s president, has proposed a Public Service Academy that will open in fall 2015. “We must train the next generation to work together as leaders,” says the Web site for the academy. Crow said in an e-mail that he wants his new venture to “prime the pipeline” for the Franklin Project’s work. What’s attractive about this approach is that it isn’t an old-fashioned draft that compels service but a modern, technology-driven network that matches people with jobs. The paradox of social networks is that they sometimes seem to fragment people into niche groups and political affinities. Here’s a social network that would connect diverse communities rather than reinforce dividing lines. Brokaw writes that he got the idea for “The Greatest Generation” during a 1984 reporting trip to the Normandy beaches where the D-Day landings had taken place 40 years before. He sensed that the American victory was a story of “ordinary people whose lives are laced with the markings of greatness.” The ethic of service may have been easier for a nation rooted in farms and small towns, but it’s an idea that could bond and energize a diverse and fragmented 21st-century America. “They answered the call to help save the world,” Brokaw writes of his heroes. Still an attractive challenge. Read more from David Ignatius’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. Read more on this issue: E.J. Dionne Jr.: AmeriCorps is a program conservatives should love Stan McChrystal: How a


Two former NFL players describe prescription drug practices

Federal drug agents conducted surprise inspections of NFL team medical staffs on Sunday as part of an ongoing investigation into prescription drug abuse in the league. The Post's Sally Jenkins explains what happened and why. Former NFL linebacker Scott Fujita said he still has the pill bottle, nearly the size of a soda can. “It was the craziest big pill bottle you’ve ever seen,” he said. It was given to him by an NFL team physician to treat a single knee injury, yet it contained, he estimates, somewhere between 125 and 150 pills of Percocet, the addictive oxycodone-based painkiller. On another NFL team Fujita played for, he says, an assistant trainer passed out narcotic painkillers in unlabeled small manila envelopes before games to whoever raised a hand. Ex-offensive lineman Rex Hadnot described the moment he joined a class action accusing NFL teams of misusing narcotics and other pain medications to keep players on the field despite injuries. It was the day a lawyer explained to him that the powerful anti-inflammatory Toradol should not be used for more than five days under Food and Drug Administration guidelines, at risk of kidney damage. By Hadnot’s estimate, medical staffs from four NFL teams gave him Toradol injections or Toradol pills virtually once a week — for nine years, from 2004 until he retired after the 2012 season, without explaining potential side effects. “Sometimes I got the shot and the pill,” he said. Accounts such as these have spurred a federal investigation into NFL painkilling practices, which has grown to include interviews with NFL physicians, former players and even pharmacies that supply teams, according to law enforcement sources. The investigation was triggered by the class action lawsuit filed in federal court in May, in which more than 1,300 former players said NFL medical staffs routinely violated federal and state laws in plying them with powerful narcotics to mask injuries on game days. One law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because it is ongoing, called material contained in the suit “compelling.” Asked to respond to accounts of irregularities in handling prescription painkillers, the multiple NFL teams named in this story declined to comment because of “pending litigation.” League spokesman Greg Aiello said the NFL couldn’t comment for the same reason, “but we are confident that our physicians understand their obligations under the law.” Coping with injuries and pain in pro-football has


Yomiuri, Japan’s biggest newspaper, apologizes for using term ‘sex slaves’

TOKYO — The conservative paper instead used the more euphemistic term “comfort women” in its apology. The move — which one analyst described as “astonishing” — comes amid a broader movement in Japan, led by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to reassess Japan’s wartime history and cast it in a better light. It is certain to inflame already-rocky relations with South Korea and China, where most of the women came from. In an editorial There were also 12 articles that did not use “sex slave” or its equivalents, the editorial continued, but “defined comfort women in such terms as ‘forced into prostitution by the military,’ as if coercion by the Japanese government or the army was an objective fact.” “The Japan News apologizes for having used these misleading expressions and will add a note stating that they were inappropriate to all the articles in question in our database,” it said. The issue of “comfort women” is extremely sensitive among Japan’s neighbors, especially South Korea, which contends that its former imperial master has not properly atoned for its wartime actions. Figures are disputed and difficult to verify, but the consensus among historians is that as many as 200,000 women from Korea, China, the Philippines and other Asian nations were forcibly recruited by Japanese occupation troops during the war. After a Japanese government investigation concluded that the women were coerced to sexually serve the soldiers and “lived in misery at comfort stations,” Tokyo in 1993 issued a formal apology to women who were “recruited against their will.” Some of the most conservative factions in the ruling party want that apology revised or overturned, but Abe has said he will let it stand. The Yomiuri did not give a reason in its editorial for conducting the review, but a spokesman said it was triggered by a huge retraction by the Asahi Shimbun, the left-leaning newspaper, which in August retracted decades-old stories quoting a Japanese man who said he had kidnapped 200 Korean women and forced them to work in military brothels. “The Yomiuri Shimbun thinks the point of the issue is whether or not there were ‘comfort women who were carted off by the military during the war,’ ” the newspaper spokesman said. “We have been criticizing Asahi’s reports that spread this inaccurate view in and out of Japan that ‘the military coerced women’ and setting those inaccurate reports right.” Part of that involved


The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Step Afrika! team up for ‘The Nutcracker’

and pride for the brotherhood and sisterhood inside of all of these groups. So it’s a uniquely African American tradition, but its connections to Africa, both in terms of call and response, and form and function, are tremendous.” In Step Afrika! performances, the percussion they use provides the music. “We are the music throughout the entire show,” Williams said. “There is no track played behind us.” That’s one part of what makes their role in Ellington’s “Nutcracker” unusual for them. “We’ve performed with symphonies before,” he said. “But this one was a little different because music was already written. In other collaborations, the music was written around us and built around our percussive abilities, whereas this is: Here is the music. Find yourself in it.” Along with the new choreography by company member Artis Olds, a former drum major at Ohio’s Central State University, the group is looking for places to contribute its percussive touches. “We don’t want to add too much; we don’t want to change what he’s written and add all these percussive sounds he didn’t intend to be there,” Williams said. The aim is to “complement the score and add to the score, and not compete with it musically.” Another challenge was the nature of orchestral and dance rehearsals. “You don’t have long, extended rehearsals with the symphony before the performances,” Williams said. “It’s very, very tight.” Practically speaking, there is less room to move when sharing the stage with a full orchestra. Dancers will have only about eight feet from the orchestra to the lip of the stage in which to move, Bogash said. “What they can’t give you in depth, they give you in width,” said Williams. And while other companies overload the stage with snowflakes and magically growing Christmas trees, there will be no chance to create a set for the performance. Playing in two halls in two cities on the same day also will be new for the dance company. “We’ve done two shows in one day, but never in two different venues,” Williams said. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs “Duke Ellington’s Nutcracker” with Step Afrika! on Dec. 6 at 11 a.m. at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, Baltimore, and at 4 p.m. at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.bsomusic.org. Catlin is a freelance writer. READ MORE: Some nuttier ‘Nutcrackers’ Battle of the cable Nutcrackers


U.S. will use psych evaluations, stress tests to screen Syrian rebels for training

official and an expert on the Middle East, said the U.S. military, and CENTCOM in particular, had developed expertise in vetting irregular foreign fighters over the past decade. Before its 2011 withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. military supported tribal fighters who rose up to fight against al-Qaeda. In Afghanistan, the United States has partnered with elite or paramilitary Afghan forces to go after militants. At the same time, a number of American service members have been killed by Afghans in military uniforms in recent years, a reminder of the risks associated with working with foreign forces. “There can never be 100 percent assurances, but they’re taking great pains” to vet trainees, Rand said. A defense official said that formal vetting will not begin until Congress votes to provide longer-term support for the training program. Officials said that rebels will also be evaluated during the military training to see how they respond under stress, fear and fatigue. “Those that clearly show or exhibit behavior that is not going to be compatible with where we want to go, then they’re removed from the program,” the CENTCOM official said. It is unclear how closely the screening plans resemble vetting procedures that have been used under an existing CIA program for training moderate rebels. The senior defense official described the training program as one component of a larger strategy against the Islamic State, the militant group that now controls a third of Syria and Iraq and has threatened to strike the West. The U.S. campaign also includes airstrikes on militant targets and a plan to retrain parts of Iraq’s weakened military. Even when training gets going, officials caution it will take time before U.S.-trained fighters can make a measurable impact on the ground in Syria. Although the U.S. program may graduate as many as 5,000 rebel fighters a year, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has said many more could be needed to oust the Islamic State from areas it controls in eastern Syria. The U.S. military is now conducting “site surveys” of four locations where training is expected to take place. Officials said Nagata would probably oversee the program from a command center in the region, but a final location for that had not been selected. U.S. officials have said that training will occur in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and two other countries. Some training is already believed to


Investigation finds 50,000 ‘ghost’ soldiers in Iraqi army, prime minister says

in the armed forces under his predecessor, Nouri al-Maliki. Widespread corruption has been blamed for contributing to the collapse of four of the army’s 14 divisions in June in the face of an offensive by Islamic State extremists. The United States is encouraging Abadi to create a leaner, more efficient military as the Pentagon requests $1.2 billion to train and equip the Iraqi army next year. The United States spent more than $20 billion on the force from the 2003 invasion until U.S. troops withdrew at the end of 2011. With entry-level soldiers in Iraq drawing salaries of about $600 a month, the practice of “ghost soldiers” is likely to be costing Iraq at least $380 million a year — though officials say that’s probably only a fraction of the true expense. “It could be more than triple this number,” said Hamid al-Mutlaq, a member of the parliamentary defense and security committee, pointing out that more thorough on-the-ground investigations are planned. “The people who are responsible for this should be punished. Iraq’s safe has been emptied.” The corrupt practice is often perpetrated by officers who pretend to have more soldiers on their books in order to pocket their salaries, experts say. Abadi’s announcement was met with applause in parliament. He said that the perpetrators would be tracked down eventually but that his priority is to end the practice as soon as possible. “We are losing money all the time,” he said. Since taking power, Abadi has retired dozens of officers who served under Maliki, who has been widely accused of promoting officers based on loyalty rather than merit. “The problems are wide, and it’s an extremely difficult task which is going to involve some strong will,” said Iraqi security analyst Saeed al-Jayashi. “Training is weak and unprofessional.” The United States is focusing its efforts on three divisions in order to begin effective counteroffensive operations against the Islamic State, which controls around a third of the country’s territory. The Pentagon also has requested $24 million to train and equip tribal fighters and $354 million for Kurdish forces as part of its strategy to turn the tide against the Islamic State. Abadi conceded that the process of arming the Sunni tribes had been slow, but he promised support for all those fighting the Islamic State. “We do not want to just give weapons randomly,” he said. Mustafa Salim contributed to this report.