‘The Americans’ recap: Arpanet, and other beautiful machines

This post discusses the events of the April 9 episode of “The Americans.” Nina (Annet Mahendru) faced down a polygraph, and won, in the April 9 episode of “The Americans.” (Credit: Patrick Harbron/FX) “You have no armor, nothing to protect you — except your wits, your courage, and your beauty. How is it possible you’re here?” Oleg tells Nina during their celebratory tryst after she beats the FBI’s polygraph and earns an even deeper level of Stan’s trust. “You are an amazing woman.” He might as well have said Nina is an amazing machine, just like the lie detector she beat and the devices Phillip Jennings learns about that make the Arpanet possible — not to mention the video game console Henry Jennings sneaks out to play with. Like all of the rest of the technology in this episode, Nina is remarkably advanced, even if her capabilities are not yet clear to everyone who thinks they know how to use it. When the episode “Arpanet” begins, the lie detector seems like the most intimidating technology the characters will have to deal with. In a chilling opening scene, Oleg, who has danced back and forth between seeming like Nina’s enemy and her protector with the same deftness as the gospel preachers he admires so much, promises Nina that he can help her beat the polygraph. Only when she is out of the room does Arkady ask whether he was bluffing her, and Oleg admits that beating the test is merely a “possibility,” rather than an actual scientific certainty. But as the episode progresses, and Oleg talks Nina through every trick she can think of, from clenching parts of her body to visualizing him in the room at key moments, the polygraph recedes in our imagination. It may have intimidating wires and Velcro straps, but the machine starts to feel like a cheap prop in comparison to the body itself. That does not drain the tension from a moment toward the end of the interrogation when it seems like Nina may have flubbed the question “Are you pretending to be an FBI informant when in fact you’re spying for the Soviet Union?” But when Nina passes, with the help of the cool, white corner of the room where Oleg told Nina to envision him, she seems stronger than at any point in the series, a woman who has mastered her body and


her protector with the same deftness as the gospel preachers he admires so much, promises Nina that he can help her beat the polygraph. Only when she is out of the room does Arkady ask whether he was bluffing her, and Oleg admits that beating the test is merely a “possibility,” rather than an actual scientific certainty. But as the episode progresses, and Oleg talks Nina through every trick she can think of, from clenching parts of her body to visualizing him in the room at key moments, the polygraph recedes in our imagination. It may have intimidating wires and Velcro straps, but the machine starts to feel like a cheap prop in comparison to the body itself. That does not drain the tension from a moment toward the end of the interrogation when it seems like Nina may have flubbed the question “Are you pretending to be an FBI informant when in fact you’re spying for the Soviet Union?” But when Nina passes, with the help of the cool, white corner of the room where Oleg told Nina to envision him, she seems stronger than at any point in the series, a woman who has mastered her body and the games that several very dangerous men are playing with her. The polygraph seems even more insignificant as “Arpanet” cuts back and forth between Nina’s preparation and interrogation and Phillip’s latest mission, to bug the technology of the title. As Nina is being trained to beat the lie detector, Phillip is talking to a professor to learn what, exactly, the Arpanet is and does — and then killing a scientist who gets in the way when he tries to extract data from it. At a moment when explanations are in vogue in policy journalism, “The Americans” offers up a terrific, clear metaphor for what was, in the timeline of its show, almost inexplicable technology. “You’re familiar with the Post Office?” the professor tells Phillip. “Let’s say you have a friend in Japan named Hirohito. Hirohito lives in a tiny, remote fishing village in Japan, and he wants to send you a postcard. But Hirohito only knows Japanese, and well, you don’t read Japanese. So he sends his postcard to the Japanese post office, which translates the postcard into a universal post office language.” “And is the post office in Japan?” Phillip wants to know. “Japan. Johannesburg. Bangkok. Rio. Anywhere and


Odds are Vance McAllister won’t survive smoochgate

for House members and 81 percent for senators (with retirements included), suffering a public personal scandal cuts an officeholder's reelection chances in half. In all, politicians hang onto their jobs for a median of two years following significant reports of a personal scandal. Still worse for McAllister, the survival rate has plummeted since Bill Clinton's presidency. In 15 scandals since 2000, just three officeholders (or 20 percent) facing personal scandals have won reelection. Several resigned in short order, including Reps. Anthony Weiner (lewd twitter messages), David Wu (untoward sexual advances In the 1990s, five of eight scandal-ridden politicians won reelection, including Bill Clinton and some of his chief Republican antagonists. Congressional officeholders faced similar odds in the 1970s, and fared a bit worse in the 1980s, none lost their jobs as consistently as in the past decade and a half. About equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans have been caught up in such scandals (17 Dem, 22 Rep including McAllister), but Democrats have been twice as likely to win their next reelection contest as Republicans, 53 to 29 percent. At least part of the disparity owes to recency, with 11 of 15 sexual or adulterous scandals since 2000 involving Republicans, not including McAllister. It's unclear why personal scandals that were once shrugged off -- or technologically impossible -- are more consequential today. Americans almost universally agree that extramarital sex is wrong, according to Gallup polls, but that has changed little in recent years. Most Americans say scandals are evidence of greater scrutiny for politicians rather than weaker moral standards. But voters' rejection isn't the only factor in the impact of scandals. Since 2000, only five of 15 politicians facing scandals competed for another term in office, often succumbing to intense public pressure to resign, even from fellow partisans. Mirroring that trend, Where does McAllister fit? His freshman status and But the path in recent years has been dominated by defeats, which means McAllister is unlikley to overcome the hostile environment for personal scandals. *A reader noted Rep. Scott DesJarlais was not initially included in the table below. He has been added to the analysis, with percentages updated accordingly. An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated LaTourette was still in office. Peyton M. Craighill contributed to this report. See the full list of officeholders' scandals analyzed below. For details on most of their allegations, see Post reporting here and here.


How grocery store coupons can encourage healthful eating

the government or a nonprofit. The marketing company Linkwell Health says that in a recent experiment it was able to "nudge" -- its word, not mine -- people out of the prepared food aisles and toward the fruits and vegetables. Linkwell sent coupons, recipes and information on healthful diets to 24,000 people enrolled in a health insurance plan (which its report doesn't name.) The recipients were people with chronic health problems such as Type 2 diabetes that are, in part, associated with poor diets. Linkwell knew from surveys that people have higher opinions of supermarkets than they do of health insurers (I could have told them that, too), mostly because of customer loyalty programs that the big chains employ. The company said it found that it was able to improve purchases of nutritious food such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats and seafood by 4.5 percent in 2012 over 2011. Not a huge gain, but certainly one that might be worth trying, since supermarkets sent out 305 billion coupons that year anyway. Without coupons, "if we ask them to go get a bushel of fresh produce, we might as well ask them to go to Shanghai than to move from the center of the store to the produce aisle," said Ben Gardner, founder and president of Linkwell Health, which is based in Boston. With the coupon and information experiment, "not only are we getting them to change the way they eat, but they feel better about themselves and they feel better about their health plan." I have to point out that Linkwell's results aren't published in a journal or peer-reviewed, so I'm relying on the company's report, which Linkwell sent me when I asked for it. But there is some precedent in the research. When public health researchers in San Diego County gave poor people enrolled in government food-assistance programs an extra $20 as long as they spent it on fruits and vegetables at one of five different farmers markets, they reported large gains in purchases of those foods. In one group that participated for three to six months, consumption of five daily servings of fruits and vegetables rose 5.9 percent. In another, surveyed after 12 months, the number of people who had adopted that habit rose 4.8 percent. And the farmers markets reaped large gains in customer spending. The study was published in Preventing Chronic Disease in November. Lopez, the


9 things to do in the D.C. area on the weekend of April 11-13

The weekend’s best in nightlife, music and art. For more, check out Nightlife Agenda. This year's incarnation of the annual Countdown to Yuri's Night moves from Arlington to Anacostia and features two Airstream trailers, burlesque, booze and reverence for the cosmos (naturally). (Photo by Stereo Vision) Friday-Saturday: Saturday: Through Sunday: Through May 25: Saturday-Sunday: Saturday: Saturday: Sunday: Sunday:


Clean coal might work in China, but here’s why we won’t see much of it here

Clean coal is, once again, having a bit of a moment. The suite of technologies that the industry hopes could one day remove carbon dioxide from exhaust at coal-fired power plants around the world is featured in this month's issue of National Geographic. It's on the cover of Wired, too. It's true that clean coal could become a very valuable technology. Coal is ordinarily a very dirty fossil fuel, which produces particulate pollution and other toxins in addition to large amounts of carbon dioxide when it is burned. Yet it would be impossible to get rid of coal entirely. It is the source of about 40 percent of the world's electricity, and it is also indispensable in industries such as cement and steel. Coal is also a reliable source of power, unlike the wind and the sun. Engineers can depend on coal to burn steadily, no matter the weather. A grid built largely around wind turbines and solar panels would be impossible to operate given current technology. Yet the recurring buzz around clean coal isn't much more justified this time around than it has been previously. Perhaps even more than other new energy technologies, clean coal is still mostly experimental, and it remains exorbitantly expensive. China has invested heavily in the technology, and if the research goes well, clean coal might prove enormously beneficial there -- but perhaps less so in other countries, and the United States might not ever have much use for it. Clean coal is important to Chinese leaders partly because of the country's large coal reserves. "They have so much coal, and their whole infrastructure is geared around coal," said Kelly Sims Gallagher of Tufts University. The country has built many new coal plants in the last decade, and these plants could theoretically be retrofitted with new equipment to capture carbon dioxide. Also, the Chinese government has also built several plants that vaporize coal before it is burned. The process clears up soot and smog in urban areas, but produces even more carbon dioxide. There would be no shortage of opportunities for Chinese engineers to use clean coal technology if it were available. Other sources of energy, like renewable and nuclear power and natural gas, will be necessary for China all the same if the country hopes to control its carbon dioxide emissions. Clean coal "needs inevitably to be part of the solution in China, but


‘Scandal’ recap Season 3, Episode 17: ‘Flesh and Blood’

that person is Papa Pope, much to Jake’s chagrin. Rowan IDs the associate as Dominic Bell, who he eventually confesses, is the man who ruined his life. Dominic is Maya’s true love. Jake tells Olivia he’ll help the group only if Rowan is asked to leave. She refuses. Jake warns Olivia that Papa Pope’s dad act is just that — an act. “Once his mask comes off…run.” Leo Bergen, who never pretends to be anything other than the ruthless campaign consultant that he is, makes a deal with a high school girl we’ve never seen before. He’ll make sure she gets into Harvard if she does what he asks her to do. The task? Obtain a DNA sample from Jerry. She obliges…and then some. She’d like acceptance to Yale, too. K, thanks, bye. Did Sally get hypnotized or something? Four episodes ago she was giving speeches about the Devil and overcooked bacon and now she’s leading the polls and plotting with Leo on all the unethical ways in which she can beat Fitz? Turns out the White House doctor doesn’t care about doctor-patient confidentiality and revealed that Mellie asked for a paternity test for Jerry. Mellie seems all but certain that Big Jerry is the father of her eldest son. Between that and Fitz having shut down her romance with Andrew Nichols, Mellie has taken to day drinking. I mean, it could have been coffee in her mug. Except I don’t mean that, not even a little. Let's play "What's in Mellie's mug?" #Scandal This was a pretty dark episode, but Mellie made me LOL more than once. Fitz, under strict orders from Olivia not to leave the White House, complains that “someone out there wants me dead.” Fitz wonders why Mellie starts laughing and she informs him: “because you think it’s just out there.” Fitz grows increasingly antsy as he learns of the death of Sen. Hightower, a friend and political ally. Knowing that Sally will vie for the opportunity to deliver the eulogy, Fitz appeals to Olivia, who says no way. He brings up Defiance and tries to convince Olivia that he needs to go to Ohio to legitimately win this election. She promises he’ll win the election, but notes that he has to be alive to do it. As far as the obligatory eye-rolling session that is Fitz and Olivia’s weekly dialogue, this one was fairly tame.


Maryland open houses April 12-13

Pine Hill Ct MONTGOMERY COUNTY BETHESDA 6305 Massachusetts Ave 10523 Montrose Ave #102 8408 Westmont Ter 8011 Maple Ridge Rd 5806 Cleves Lane 7401 Westlake Ter #1501 6703 Oak Park Dr 5225 Pooks Hill Rd #327s 5225 Pooks Hill Rd #1302s 6820 Wisconsin Ave #4013 7420 Westlake Ter #1201 8605 Long Acre Ct 10406 Snow Point Dr 5117 Willet Bridge Rd #carlton 5126 Willet Bridge Rd #berkley 5115 Willet Bridge Rd #berkley 4952 Sentinel Dr #8-205 7500 Woodmont Ave #s1203 7500 Woodmont Ave ##510 8105 Fenway Rd 5504 Scioto Rd 8712 Eggert Dr BOYDS 12824 Ethel Rose Way 21112 Chrisman Hill Ct 18832 Broken Oak Rd 14424 Chrisman Hill Dr 12933 Ethel Rose Way CABIN JOHN 6421 83 Rd Pl CHEVY CHASE 205 Primrose St 5200 Lawn Way Dr 5200 Lawn Way Dr 5206 Saratoga Ave 8101 Connecticut Ave N #s-301 3927 Oliver St 4601 Park Ave N #1205 4872 Chevy Chase Blvd CLARKSBURG 23029 Turtle Rock Ter 12559 Horseshoe Bend Cir 23419 Clarksridge Rd 23117 Mistflower Dr DAMASCUS 10752 Middleboro Dr 10413 Peak View Ct 9205 Gue Rd GAITHERSBURG 808 Hope Ct 8405 Goshen View Dr 29 Goshen Ct 769 Tiffany Dr 6 Fountain Valley Ct 20831 Miracle Dr 9105 Tulip Grove Rd 684 Pullman Pl 336 Little Quarry Rd 109 Treehaven St 8328 Exodus Dr 321 Alfandre St 228 Perrywinkle Lane 17 Granite Pl #190 14705 Botany Way 114 Fountain Green Lane 23804 Echo Creek Ct 931 Beacon Square Ct #26 9758 Athletic Way 18817 Lake Placid Lane 19 Tindal Springs Ct GERMANTOWN 13430 Fountain Club Dr 18522 Owl Run Way 13323 Copper Ridge Rd 20655 Shadyside Way #119-8 18818 Mcfarlin Dr 20122 Seabreeze Ct 21410 Emerald Dr 17809 Millhaven Ter 20514 Summersong Lane 11509 Brundidge Ter 12612 Royal Crown Dr HYATTSVILLE 5721 39th Ave KENSINGTON 3913 Decatur Ave 4005 Lawrence Ave 10405 Ewell Ave 11018 West Ave 3217 Blueford Rd LAYTONSVILLE 19621 Hoover Farm Dr 9317 Heather Field Ct MONTGOMERY VILLAGE 20320 Butterwick Way NORTH BETHESDA 10820 Antigua Ter ##201 5619 Sugarbush Lane 10715 Kings Riding Way #301 NORTH POTOMAC 11200 Quelway Rd 14602 Devereaux Ter 12715 Split Creek Ct 15316 Falconbridge Ter 13512 Bonnie Dale Dr 26 Native Dancer Ct 11345 Brandy Hall Lane OLNEY 18609 Hedgegrove Ter 5010 Tothill Dr POOLESVILLE 18325 Mckernon Way 19613 Gott St POTOMAC 10401 Willowbrook Dr 9333 Orchard Brook Dr 7903 Ivymount Ter 12030 Wetherfield Lane 10605 Unity Lane 11217


What it’s like to be the middle child of the banking world

as much as complexity. But do you worry that if you get any larger, the simplicity of your business won't matter? They are correct in saying ultimately size does matter. Even the simplest institution, if it had 25 percent of the nation's deposits, becomes systemically important. I don't think you have to get that large, but there is some line, and I think [regulators] struggle to define it. By the way, I'm sympathetic to them. I don't know how I'd define it other than individually understanding the bank and making a determination. Now that various capital rules have come out, what do you consider to be the most onerous? One of the ones we've been fairly vocal about is the [liquidity coverage ratio] proposal (that rule requires big banks to set aside assets that they can quickly turn into cash to survive a crisis). We happen to, along with U.S. Bank and Capital One, fall above the $250 billion line, so therefore we'd be subject to 100 percent compliance on LCR. The next guy down is at 70 percent -- Fifth Third or Key Corp, that does exactly the same business that we do. The line was drawn in a way that doesn't make sense at least in terms of the differentiation between the firms. You're not allowed to rely at all on the discount window. Yet we have a balance sheet of discount-window eligible assets that would easily fund at least some portion of our LCR requirement, were we allowed to do it. For a bank that has the majority of its assets in the bank and not the holding company-- so our assets are discount-window eligible-- that is material in terms of liquidity. If I was an investment bank in New York, most of my assets would be in the holding company because it's a broker-dealer subsidiary. The discount window can't help that. We've been pretty vocal about why the Federal Reserve system and the discount window was set up to allow this inherent leverage in the banking system of your lending-long-and-borrowing-short effect. That's what keeps our economy going. Inside of the current LCR, they are basically saying that no longer counts. They are almost doing away with that window. The implications of that aren't terribly well understood. If you look at the deposits at the Fed from the banking system -- last I looked it was $2.5


A superior cherry blossom sunrise in Washington, D.C. (PHOTOS)

Sunrise at the Tidal Basin, April 11, 2014. (Ian Livingston) Cherry blossoms achieved peak bloom in Washington, D.C. Thursday and should remain in their prime for at least a few more days. Photographers who awakened early this morning to beat the crowds and catch a glimpse of the blossoms coupled with the rising sun were rewarded with outstanding views. Here’s a sample of sunrise photos from our readers and Capital Weather Gang contributors… (Kevin Ambrose) (Kevin Ambrose) Tidal Basin this morning (@capitalweather @FamousDC) http://t.co/xHak5rPJej Sunrise on this beautiful Friday in DC #CherryBlossomDC @capitalweather http://t.co/tcku9YsBoh Just before 7 AM with the Cherry Blossoms in DC! @capitalweather @spann @IrishEagle @JustinWeather @nova_wx http://t.co/DctxuUTbfP @spann morning blossoms #cherryfestival @WTOP @capitalweather http://t.co/R2nwzrjVXg @TrinityDC @capitalweather - Are these the clouds & possible rain before beautiful #cherryblossom weekend? Enjoy!!! http://t.co/Pl3IbykpT8 From Thursday morning: Related content: New! Strollaround.com – Guided tour of the blossoms DC blooms: Where to find cherry blossoms in your neighborhood. 2013 and 2014 cherry blossom coverage Ten days of cherry blossoms


Cherry blossom parade will draw traffic Saturday

The Cherry Blossom Festival Parade, a major tourist attraction for D.C., is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, and the Capital Weather Gang predicts a very pleasant day. So expect plenty of competition for space along the parade route on the north side of the National Mall and around the Tidal Basin, where the blossoms are. The blossoms reached peak Thursday and should still be putting on a good show this weekend. Because of the variability of weather, they aren’t always this near peak at parade time. Click for larger image of Tidal Basin. The parade proceeds west along Constitution Avenue from Seventh to 17th streets. Grandstand seats, on the west side of the route, start at $20. But you can stand on Constitution Avenue between Ninth and 15th streets for free. Just get there early, especially with the good forecast. The parade, with its floats and marching bands, will draw many thousands of spectators. I never recommend driving to the big festival events because the nearby streets will be crowded and street parking is scarce. D.C. police say Constitution Avenue and its intersections will be closed from Ninth Street to 23rd Street from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The nearest Metro stations for the parade route are Archives and Federal Triangle. Many visitors go to Smithsonian station and figure it out from there, which is a reason Smithsonian is so crowded at cherry blossom time. On weekends, parking is free at all the Metro lots and garages. Metrorail has no track work scheduled for this weekend. Also scheduled for central D.C. on Saturday is the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival, at 12th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The hours are 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $10. Children 12 and under get in free. The nearest Metro stations are Federal Triangle and Metro Center. D.C. police announced these street closings for the festival on Saturday: Pennsylvania Avenue between Ninth and 14th streets, 12th Street between Constitution Avenue and E Street, 10th Street between Constitution Avenue and E Street, 11th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street, 13th Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street.


D.C. area forecast: Warm spell continues but midweek rain and chill lurking

- Today’s Daily Digit - A somewhat subjective rating of the day’s weather, on a scale of 0 to 10. - 10 A gusty afternoon breeze just can’t knock the nice out of this day’s wonderful warmth. - Express Forecast - Today: Mainly sunny and warm, gusty p.m. breeze. Highs: 79-84. - Tonight: Increasing clouds late, mild. Lows: 57-62. - Tomorrow: Partly to mostly cloudy, gusty breeze. Highs: 75-79. FORECAST IN DETAIL - Temperature Map - Temperatures: Latest D.C. area temperature map. See interactive map on our Weather Wall. While today’s record high at National of 90F is safe, most of the area should at least crack the 80-degree mark today, making it feel more like June. After highs well into the 70s tomorrow, our warmth is but a fond memory by Wednesday morning when colder spots may be treated to a late-season frost. Before then, a cold front likely obscures our chance to see a total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning, but should bring some welcome rains to daffodil bedecked gardens. The cherry blossoms could be whisked away in short order as winds are gusty for the first half of this week. Today (Sunday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Monday): Tomorrow night: A LOOK AHEAD Tuesday Wednesday Thursday


U.N. Ambassador Power warns of possible increased sanctions on Russia

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said Sunday that reported attacks by pro-Russia militia on areas in eastern Ukraine appear to be connected to the Russian government and that the United States is prepared to intensify sanctions against Russia if its actions continue. "Well, it has all the telltale signs of what we saw in Crimea," Power said on ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." "It's professional, it's coordinated, there's nothing grass-roots-seeming about it. The forces are doing in each of the six or seven cities that they've been active in exactly the same thing. So certainly it bears the telltale signs of Moscow's involvement." Ukrainian authorities launched an “anti-terrorist” campaign Sunday against pro-Russian gunmen and Ukrainian officials are suspicious that Russia is involved. "I think we've seen that the sanctions can bite. And if actions like the kind that we've seen over the last few days continue, you're going to see a ramping up of those sanctions," Power said. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said the United States should shore up Ukraine's armaments in the ongoing crisis. "We ought to at least, for God's sake, give them some light weapons with which to defend themselves," McCain said on CBS's "Face The Nation." He added that some in the Ukrainian government "feel abandoned" by the United States. Vice President Biden plans to travel to Kiev later this month, the White House announced Saturday. Questioned on reports about a recent poison gas attack in Syria, Power said the U.S. is trying to confirm what happened. "We are trying to run this down. So far, it's unsubstantiated. But we've shown, I think in the past, that we will do everything in our power to establish what has happened and then consider possible steps in response," she said.


The wars’ toll on female Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

In this photo made available by the U.S. Department of Defense, Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, vehicle commander, 617th Military Police Company, Richmond, Ky., stands at attention before receiving the Silver Star at an awards ceremony at Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, June 16, 2005. (AP Photo/Spc. Jeremy D. Crisp) Female veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan have returned from war facing heightened family and emotional strains compared with their male counterparts. A report by The Washington Post’s Stephanie McCrummen about of a military sexual assault case highlights one of the unique challenges facing some female military service members, including family problems and worsened emotional health due to war. Nearly a quarter of women who served in Iraq or Afghanistan reported a sexual assault, according to a Women are suffering more than men when it comes to family problems and emotional health. Fifty-six percent of female service members say they have often or sometimes experienced relationship problems with their spouse as a result of their military service, compared with 44 percent of men. And women are more than twice as likely as men to say they are having problems with their children (39 percent for women to 16 percent for men) because of their service. These gender gaps are not explained by differing marital or parental status. War wounds extend beyond the physical for women as well. More than four in 10 women returned from Iraq and Afghanistan reporting worse mental and emotional health, compared with three in 10 men. That gap is surprising given that direct involvement in combat was generally associated with worse mental and emotional health in the poll. More than eight in 10 women served in combat support roles, well above the 53 percent of men in that capacity. And that gap is larger for men and women in combat support roles; 46 percent of women claim worse mental health compared with 25 percent for men in combat support. The Post-Kaiser poll interviewed a random national sample of 819 adults who served in Iraq or Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001, including 661 men and 158 women. The results from the survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points overall, five points for men and 11 points for women. Scott Clement contributed to this report.


Why you should take note of graphene

Think this phone is thin? Graphene could make it even thinner. (Christoph Schmidt/EPA) Here are five ideas that affect the way we live, work and play. 1. Graphene: The wonder material. Graphene is the strongest, thinnest material known to exist. A form of carbon, it can conduct electricity and heat better than anything else. And get ready for this: It is not only the hardest material in the world, but also one of the most pliable. Only a single atom thick, it has been called the wonder material. Graphene could change the electronics industry, ushering in flexible devices, supercharged quantum computers, electronic clothing and computers that can interface with the cells in your body. 2. A 300,000-person company that tries to act like a start-up. All across the company, employees and managers are being trained refocus and retool their workflow. “We’re saying to people it’s ok to try things earlier, it’s ok to bring customers in earlier,” says Comstock. “You’re giving people a lot more freedom to move faster to make more small mistakes.” GE hopes this effort, along with its focus on open innovation, will lead to a culture where new, unexpected ideas can blossom instead of getting stuck in corporate bureaucracy. 3. The health benefits of adding beer to your barbecue. The PAHs created by grilling form from molecules called free radicals which, in turn, form from fat and protein in the intense heat of this type of cooking. One way of stopping PAH-formation, then, might be to apply chemicals called antioxidants that mop up free radicals. And beer is rich in these. 4. An app focused just on lightning. “We have this core weather app that has this spark lightning feature in there and we want to put it in the hands of folks who have the same core value. Little League Baseball has youngsters out there, and they’re dealing with the decision of should they take them off the field or not when it comes to lightning.” 5. Leave your desk to be productive. Research shows that walking isn’t just a way to exercise or relax; it boosts creativity, lifts your mood, and helps spark new ideas. If you’re constantly getting distracted at your desk, by e-mail or coworkers, a walk can help you focus. When walking alone, rehearse a presentation, mentally prep for a difficult conversation, or mull over a tough problem.


Doing well by doing good: foreign aid improves opinions of the U.S.

in recipient countries. A fundamental question, therefore, is whether helping the poor in recipient countries and bringing benefits to donor countries are ever compatible. In our recently published article in the Quarterly Journal of Political Science, we argue that they are indeed compatible when the benefit sought is enhanced international standing of the donor country, at least for certain types of aid programs. Using a multinational survey and an econometric tool (specifically, multiple regression using instrumental variables), we show that a United States aid program specifically targeted to address the problems of HIV and AIDS – the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) – has improved perceptions of the United States among the public in recipient countries. HIV and AIDS are still major problems in much of the developing world. Among a variety of initiatives aimed to combat them, PEPFAR stands out in its scale (15 percent of all U.S. development aid in some years) and in its significantly positive health impacts. It was established under the Bush administration in 2003, and has been provided aid to more than 80 developing countries, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. It has continued to receive support under the Obama administration, although in a modified form integrated into a broader plan for improving global health outcomes. Importantly, PEPFAR is well publicized and thus visible among the public in recipient countries. The U.S. government carefully and deliberately branded PEPFAR funded work to “ensure appropriate recognition for U.S. programs and contributions to this effort”. Considering these important aspects of PEPFAR, our theory is that in addition to its potential humanitarian benefits, a foreign aid program that is targeted, sustained, (perceived to be) effective, and visible can serve an important strategic goal for those countries that give it: fostering positive perceptions among foreign publics. The estimated impacts are substantial. The figure below is based on the estimates of our model (Table 1 in our article). To interpret the main findings in an intuitive and direct manner, we focus on selected African countries that received comparatively large amounts of PEPFAR, and simulate the percentage of each country’s population who approve of the performance of U.S. leadership under a counterfactual scenario (code to make this figure and replication data are available from the authors). Specifically, the arrows in the figure show how much less popular the United States would have been in these countries if it had not


Boston Marathon bombing anniversary: ‘A chance to move on from last year’

A runner is escorted from the scene after explosions went off at the 117th Boston Marathon in Boston in this April 15, 2013 file photo.(Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters, Files) BOSTON -- Laura York choked up as she toured Boston Public Library exhibit of mementos left for the people injured and killed in last year's Boston Marathon bombing. There were T-shirts, signs of support and hundreds of running shoes left in tribute. Some placards were emblazoned with the slogan that 8-year-old Martin Richard, who was killed in the attack, had penned in 2012 while studying nonviolence in second grade. "No more hurting people. Peace," they read. "I think this week is going to be tough for everyone," said York, who lives in Back Bay not far from the finish line. Last year she watched the race from the site where the second of two bombs exploded, but left about 10 minutes before it went off. "It just really brings back all the memories," her eyes welling with tears. "I can't believe it was a year ago." "I think this year, people are just wanting to prove 'you can't stop me,'" she added. "I do feel it's kind of 'you can't defeat it. Don't try to mess with us' type of mentality." As work crews scurried to complete preparations for Tuesday's tributes to victims and first responders, that attitude was everywhere around the marathon finish line on Boylston Street. The day would be an opportunity to look back, to mourn, but also to turn a page, to show that Boston and its wounded had gotten through the worst of this. "It'll be sad, but it's something that has brought us closer together," said Alison Beliveau, 25, of South Boston. "It's strong. It's unifying." At Marathon Sports, where the first bomb went off, destroying a plate glass storefront window and sending employees to the aid of the wounded with makeshift tourniquets, Dan Darcy said the day will give everyone a moment to pause and reconsider all that has happened to this city. "Tomorrow is really going to be a chance for everyone to get together and connect on the events of last year," he said. That will happen on Tuesday at the ceremonies, but also all week leading up to the April 21 race. "People are really excited for this race to happen" he said. "It's a chance to move on from last year."


Seeing red: Heavens to unveil a total lunar eclipse early Tuesday morning

As Tidal Basin cherry blossoms beam in jubilance, the early morning sky finds a color infusion: Washington will need a clear morning to see the bright full moon bloom into a radiant red orb for the total lunar eclipse early Tuesday. It will be the first of four total lunar eclipses between now and autumn 2015 – an astronomical event called a tetrad. To catch the moon with the red tint, check out the totality phase between 3:07 a.m. and 4:25 a.m., says noted eclipse expert Fred Espenak, retired from NASA, who runs the MrEclipse.com website. Look to the southern sky in the wee hours, as total lunar eclipses are safe – and fun – to watch. The Earth sits between the sun and moon, shading sunlight from the usually brilliant full moon. For a full event rundown: The first partial eclipse phase starts at 1:58 a.m., says Espenak, when the moon enters Earth’s umbral shadow. Within several minutes, sky gazers will notice a shadow crossing the moon. Illustration courtesy of Fred Espenak (MrEclipse.com) Totality starts at 3:07 a.m., when skygazers can revel in 78 glorious minutes of red-orange hues. The middle of totality (when the moon is in the southwestern sky) is at 3:36 a.m. and totality ends at 4:25 a.m. (At totality, the moon is fully immersed in Earth’s umbral shadow.) There is more to watch, as the eclipse enters its second partial phase, where you’ll see shadow lines. The second partial eclipse phase ends at 5:33 a.m. Barring clouds, which unfortunately may obscure the view in the D.C. area, Espenak expects this eclipse to be bright, perhaps a 3 or 4 on the Danjon scale of brightness. “We’ll see a bright red, bright orange moon,” he says. Dark total lunar eclipses usually occur when recent volcanic ash enters Earth’s atmosphere. “Recently, however, there hasn’t been much heavy volcanic activity, so Earth’s atmosphere is relatively transparent now,” he says. (For reference, the total lunar eclipse in December 1992 was very dark as a result of atmospheric volcanic ash remaining from the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in the Philippines.) Much like a cosmic barbershop quartet, enjoy the planets Mars and Saturn, and the bright star Spica (Virgo constellation) accompanying the eclipsing reddish moon. From our earthly perspective, Spica will be the closest to the moon, and the reddish Mars (negative first magnitude, bright) will be to the right,


Opioids are among the most-prescribed drugs. Here are some common versions.

The Food and Drug Administration’s approval in the fall of a controversial new painkiller, Zohydro, added more fuel to a long-running fight over how to treat people with chronic pain while not exacerbating the nation’s prescription drug epidemic. The latest front in that fight is Massachusetts, where Gov. Deval Patrick is seeking to ban sales of Zohydro, saying it would worsen a public health emergency. Overdose deaths related to the powerful, addictive class of medications known as opioids have more than tripled in the past two decades, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, accounting for nearly 16,000 deaths in 2009. In addition, abuse and misuse of prescription painkillers accounts for hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits each year and billions of dollars in health-care costs. Despite that human toll, opioids remain among the most-prescribed drugs in the country, in part because they are particularly effective at blocking the brain’s sensation of pain. Here are some of the most common versions: Hydrocodone: Oxycodone: Morphine: Not nearly as powerful as opioids, over-the-counter painkillers are among the most widely used in America. They also can cause health problems if overused, such as stomach pain, nausea and even ulcers, but typically are considered far less addictive and potentially dangerous than opioids. Among the most common are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Aspirin: Ibuprofen: Naproxen:


Why COSMIC-2 is a lot more than ‘nice to have’

by observing the bending of signals from GPS satellites as they travel through the atmosphere. (UCAR) But it gets better than that! The GPS-RO technology is simple. The sensors are compact and inexpensive to manufacture, and they effectively make use of the existing GPS (and in the future Galileo, Glonass and Beidou) signals to provide global measurements of temperature and water vapor throughout the lower 8 kilometers of the atmosphere where most “weather” occurs. Their small weight, low power requirement, and simple operation make them the ideal ride-share instrument. Consequently the full cost and operation of the 12-satellite COSMIC-2 follow on to the aging COSMIC-1 fleet is a small fraction of the price tag of the JPSS program. But it still gets better! The major funding is already on the table. Through an international partnership, Taiwan has pledged approximately $100 million to support the costs of construction and deployment of the second six of the twelve COSMIC-2 satellites—provided that the United States, through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Department of Defense, provide roughly an equivalent amount of support to secure the launch of the satellites and develop the ground segment and real-time processing and assimilation of the data in the National Weather Service forecast models. The $6.8 million request for COSMIC-2 in the President’s FY2015 budget request to Congress is the down payment on the U.S. commitment that will ensure the Taiwanese pledge stays on the table. In her op-ed piece, Miglarese extolled the virtues of a future GPS-RO commercial data-buy by the federal government. We enthusiastically concur—but certainly not at the expense of the second set of COSMIC-2 satellites. If the United States walks away from the Taiwanese pledge of $100 million and opts for a commercial data buy instead, someone else will ultimately be paying that $100 million in securing those essential GPS-RO observations for weather and space weather forecasts. And that someone, in the long run, will be the American taxpayer. Richard Anthes is the President Emeritus of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), past President of the American Meteorological Society, and Co-Chair of the 2007 National Research Council Decadal Survey on Earth Observations from Space. Thomas Bogdan is the current President of UCAR and the former Director of NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center. The views expressed here are the authors’ alone and do not represent any position of the Capital Weather Gang.


Pulitzer Prize 2014 winners announced

The recipients of the 98th Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday, honoring exceptional journalism, literature and musical composition. The winners are: Journalism Public service The Washington Post Finalist: Newsday for its expose of misconduct by Long Island police officers Breaking news The Boston Globe Finalists: The Arizona Republic Staff for wildfire reporting and The Washington Post for coverage of the Navy Yard shootings Investigative reporting Chris Hamby of the Center for Public Integrity Finalists: Megan Twohey of Reuters for her exposure of an underground Internet marketplace where people buy and sell adopted children and Cynthia Hubert and Phillip Reese of The Sacramento Bee for stories about a Las Vegas psychiatric hospital that sends patients to other states Explanatory reporting Eli Saslow of The Washington Post Finalists: Dennis Overbye of The New York Times for his coverage of the search for the “God particle” and Les Zaitz of The Oregonian for stories about lethal Mexican drug cartels moving to Oregon and other regions of the country Local reporting Will Hobson and Michael LaForgia of the Tampa Bay Times Finalists: Joan Garrett McClane, Todd South, Doug Strickland and Mary Helen Miller of the Chattanooga Times Free Press for exploring the “no-snitch” culture and Rebecca D. O’Brien and Thomas Mashberg of The Record (Woodland Park, N.J.) for coverage of heroin use in the suburbs of northern New Jersey National reporting David Philipps of the Gazette Finalists: John Emshwiller and Jeremy Singer-Vine of The Wall Street Journal for reports on forgotten factories that produced nuclear weapons and now pose contamination risks and Jon Hilsenrath of The Wall Street Journal for his exploration of the Federal Reserve International reporting Jason Szep and Andrew R.C. Marshall of Reuters Finalists: Rukmini Callimachi of the Associated Press for an exploration of al-Qaida and Raja Abdulrahim and Patrick McDonnell of the Los Angeles Times for coverage of the Syrian civil war Feature writing No award Finalists: Scott Farwell of The Dallas Morning News for his story about a young woman trying to overcome child abuse; Christopher Goffard of the Los Angeles Times for his account of an ex-police officer’s nine-day killing spree; and Mark Johnson of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for his story about a group of first-year medical students Commentary Stephen Henderson of the Detroit Free Press Finalists: Kevin Cullen of The Boston Globe for columns that capture the spirit of a city, especially after the marathon bombings and


Epilogue

Big Boi, left, and Andre 3000 of Outkast perform behind a screen during their headlining set on the first day of the 2014 Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 11, 2014, in Indio, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) This post could not possibly start with anything other than congratulations to my colleagues Eli Saslow and Barton Gellman, and all the reporters, editors, designers and copy editors who worked with them, who won the Pulitzer Prizes for explanatory journalism and public service for their work covering food stamps and the National Security Agency. I may work behind the wall in opinions, rather than in the newsroom, but it is truly awesome to get to see work like this get recognized, and to feel spurred to push harder on art and artists artists who want to talk about the same kind of big truths that make headlines. -Alex Graves talks to Alan Sepinwall about filming that scene on last night’s “Game of Thrones.” -A guide to viewing the coming lunar eclipse. -Outkast’s full show at Coachella, which I have been too anxious to actually watch. –A case against superhero movies. -I saw the pilot for “The Leftovers” at the Television Critics Association press tour in January, and it is as creepy and compelling as this trailer would suggest, plus more Ann Dowd in a better role than the one “True Detective” gave her:


A good year for the Pulitzers — and for journalists’ egos

past winners and a few Columbia University pooh-bahs comprise the board that awards them. Like all such collections of human beings, Pulitzer Boards are capable of brilliant good sense, and egregious errors. They pass judgment on matters they know little about, like poetry, music and drama. They generally pick from a few finalists chosen by juries of peers which–I know from personal experience as a member of several–can be utterly frivolous and arbitrary. So, to cite just one example (there are scores), the best war correspondent ever to write about Vietnam for an American newspaper never won the Pulitzer: Ward Just of The Post, who gave up newspapering for novel-writing four decades ago. His war correspondence will be read a century from now by people trying to understand what happened to the United States in that war. No one will know or care about the Pulitzer Prize he did not win. Still, this year’s board seems to me to have done a fine job. They will take guff for rewarding The Post and The Guardian for sharing Edward Snowden’s secrets, but I would call this a courageous choice. The board appropriately cited the “authoritative and insightful [Post] reports that helped the public understand how the disclosures fit into the larger framework of national security.” This was a reference to the many stories that distinguished the Post’s use of Snowden’s leaks by Barton Gelman and numerous colleagues. Eli Saslow is one of the most talented young writers to join The Post in years, and I was delighted to see him rewarded today as well. The 2014 prize for investigative reporting went not to a newspaper at all, but to the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington non-profit. It is one of the important new institutions that will, I hope, fill the void left by once-great but now-decimated newspapers like the Chicago Tribune, the Phladelphia Inquirer, the Miami Herald and too many more. If new organizations like the Center and Pro Publica, another non-profit doing investigative reporting (and winning Pulitzer Prizes already), can thrive, this will help us compensate for the painful losses we are suffering as a profession. The Boston Globe won for its impressive coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing, the best kind of shoe-leather reporting. So for this old practitioner, it was a good year for the Pulitzers, even if I’ve already forgotten the name of the winning poet.


Under a blood red sky

A lunar eclipse over Southern California turns into a red moon on April 15. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images) A total lunar eclipse took over the night sky early Tuesday. Stargazers were treated to the “blood moon” as it moved into the Earth’s shadow. Today’s eclipse is the first of four lunar eclipses coming between 2014 and 2015. Here are some of this morning’s best pictures: An airliner crosses the moon’s path above Whittier, Calif., approximately one hour before the total lunar eclipse. (Nick Ut/AP) The eclipse as seen in Los Angeles. (Gene Blevins /Reuters) Anthony Barreiro of the San Francisco Amateur Astronomers peers into his telescope in anticipation of the total lunar eclipse at Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, Calif. (Stephen Lam/Reuters) The view from Tyler, Tex. (Scott M. Lieberman/AP) The moon is shown in eclipse in Brasilia, Brazil. ( Ueslei Marcelino /Reuters) The view from Buenos Aires. (Marcos Brindicci/Reuters) The moon over the Angel of Independence Monument in Mexico City. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images) The “blood moon” rises over Melbourne, Australia. (Scott Barbour/Getty Images) The moon is halfway through a lunar eclipse over Southern California. (Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images) Discoveries in our solar system and beyond. View Photo Gallery —Incredible photos of space taken this year.


Vivid views of the blood red lunar eclipse (PHOTOS)

Clouds tried to play spoiler for pre-dawn sky watchers seeking a glimpse of this morning’s total Kevin Wolf captured this view locally: (Kevin Wolf via Flickr) And John Jack Photography shared this shot, from Meridian Hill Park, in the District: (John Jack Photography) His description: The moon peeked through the red-tinted clouds just long enough to grab this shot. It wasn’t blood red anymore, but it does have some color. In case you missed last night's "blood moon" lunar eclipse, here's @NASA footage: http://t.co/iUA810TaO7 Here are pretty views from outside the region being passed around Twitter… Eclipse total: Una luna de sangre en Martes Santo via @abc_es http://t.co/WPWqhmqyhh http://t.co/PXjbgKcll6 #bloodmoon #lunareclipse #moon #astrophotography http://t.co/WRTJpGxxV2 Lunar eclipse from my telescope in Norman just now #LunarEclipse #Bloodmoon @wx_chip @wxbrad http://t.co/p2jsUnsSo5 Looks like @KAGAYA_11949 wins the "lunar eclipse in Japan" photo award. http://t.co/RS9NasKEpD


A cheesy FBI video hopes to stop U.S. students from becoming Chinese spies

A shot of Glenn Duffie Shriver from the FBI's video. (FBI) The Federal Bureau of Investigation's decision to make a strikingly cheesy, obviously low-budget, half-hour-long video offering U.S. students in China advice on how to avoid inadvertently becoming a spy might strike some as odd. Do people really need advice on how not to spy? Apparently they do. The FBI video (embedded below) may seem silly, but it is closely based on a real-life story: That of Glenn Duffie Shriver, a Michigan native arrested for attempting to provide national defense information to PRC intelligence officers in 2010. The Federal Bureau of Investigation's movie offering U.S. students advice on how to inadvertently avoid becoming a spy is based on the story of Glenn Duffie Shriver. Shriver's case didn't draw national attention at the time, though Jeff Stein, then of The Washington Post, did write about it in his SpyTalk column. Stein pointed to reports in the Grand Rapids Press that spoke of an "alleged cover-up of involvement with a foreign government." "Shriver’s arrest on June 22 is just the latest in a virtual tsunami of prosecutions against suspected Chinese agents in the past two years," Stein wrote. "Many cases are hidden and ongoing," he added, later arguing that, unlike the cases of Russian moles during the Cold War, the cases of Chinese spies "reveal a long-term, even plodding drive by Beijing to acquire U.S. technical and economic — more than political — secrets by any means necessary." A couple of years later, Washingtonian Magazine offered a long account of Shriver's case. It told the story of a good-looking, athletic man from Michigan who went to Shanghai looking for work after he graduated college. Fluent in Mandarin, he "answered an ad in English offering to pay someone with a background in Asian studies to write a paper on U.S./China relations concerning Taiwan and North Korea." He was paid $120 for the essay, and later introduced to two men who he realized were "intelligence officers." His new sources in the Chinese intelligence community suggested that Shriver try to join the CIA, which he attempted, repeatedly. "To have a spy inside America’s intelligence agency from the get-go offered unique opportunities to Beijing," David Wise wrote for the Washingtonian. "He would likely rise undetected within the ranks of the CIA. In fact, such a mole was every intelligence agency’s dream." In total, he was paid


Gap, Walgreens to open big stores downtown

President Obama shopping at a Gap in New York. A new store will open in downtown D.C. this fall. (AP) Downtown D.C. continues to re-make its retail offerings. Fashion stores and restaurants have begun to open their doors at CityCenter DC, the six-building complex on the footprint of the old convention center, and nearby D.C. developer Douglas Development continues to add new offerings downtown and in the Penn Quarter neighborhood a few blocks east. Douglas announced Monday that it had signed leases for two new large downtown stores, both of which are likely to play off the luxury shops and high-end restaurants coming to CityCenter with more serviceable offerings. The Gap plans to open a 14,000-square-foot store on two levels at 1155 F Street NW, near Metro Center, Douglas principal Norman Jemal said. It will be Gap’s second downtown store and Jemal said he expected it would contribute to a resurgence of clothes shopping options nearby including Forever 21, H&M, Zara and J. Crew. Walgreens plans also to open a two-level store nearby, replacing a recently closed Guess store. The new Walgreens will resemble the one that opened recently in Chinatown, also in a Douglas property, that offers not just the typical drugstore fare but manicures and sushi as well. Jemal said he expected the new Walgreens to open in the fall or winter. “They will be opening a store similar to the one they opened at 7th and H,” Jemal said. Jemal added that Potomac River Running will replace Cowgirl Creamery, the cheese shop that recently closed at 919 F Street. Follow Jonathan O’Connell on Twitter:


A year after the Boston Marathon bombings, remembrances of strength, pain and courage

humbling outpouring of support, the kinship felt by people who endured the same pain and the difficulties still faced by survivors. Adrianne Haslet-Davis: "Our survivor community is not something any of us have chosen to be a part of. Yet we are just that, a community." Patrick Downes said he knows the history of the incident will focus on the devastation and loss. “But I also hope they will tell of the unfailing compassion and the unity that followed,” he said. “We no longer have to think philosophically about the capacity of the human spirit. It is right here in the city of Boston.” Amputee Patrick Downes: "We would never wish the devastation and pain we have felt on any of you." But wish u could feel the love as we have Following the ceremony, a crowd assembled on Boylston Street for a moment of silence at 2:49 p.m., the time the bombs exploded. A year earlier, people had lined the marathon route to cheer and to watch; now, they came under very different circumstances, huddling under umbrellas on a damp and somber day. The ceremony at the John B. Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center was one of many tributes on Tuesday, a day which began with a ceremony at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. As Lenny Bernstein reports from Boston, the larger series of tributes and other commemorations will include fundraisers, panel discussions and other events leading up to this year’s marathon on Monday, April 21. “I’m glad to have this tragedy behind us and the next marathon ahead of us,” said Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. With the next marathon, “this city crosses a threshold in time,” said Tom Grilk, executive director of the Boston Athletic Association. “Next week, we will run again,” he said. The field of runners has been expanded to 36,000, while the association expects about 1 million to line the marathon route. “Today, we recognize the incredible courage and leadership of so many Bostonians in the wake of unspeakable tragedy,” President Obama said in a statement Tuesday. “And we offer our deepest gratitude to the courageous firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, runners and spectators who, in an instant, displayed the spirit Boston was built on – perseverance, freedom and love.” We will bring you live updates from the ceremony as it occurs, so this post will be updated. First published: 11:56 a.m. Last update: 3:02 p.m.


Biden: Boston is ‘face of America’s resolve’ a year after marathon bombings

and outpouring that runners, spectators and Bostonians showed during those harrowing moments. Police on bikes cycle across the Boston Marathon finish line on Boylston Street prior to a remembrance ceremony. (Elise Amendola/ AP) "A man in a cowboy hat helping a wounded stranger out of harm’s way; runners embracing loved ones, and each other; an EMT carrying a spectator to safety," Obama said. "Today, we recognize the incredible courage and leadership of so many Bostonians in the wake of unspeakable tragedy. And we offer our deepest gratitude to the courageous firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, runners and spectators who, in an instant, displayed the spirit Boston was built on – perseverance, freedom and love." Authorities said brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokar Tsarnaev carried out the two bombings, which occurred near the marathon's finish line. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police days after the blasts. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev faces 30 federal charges and is being held in a federal facility. The Justice Department announced earlier this year the government will seek the death penalty in the case. The 2014 Boston Marathon will take place Monday. "And when the sun rises over Boylston Street next Monday – Patriot’s Day – hundreds of thousands will come together to show the world the meaning of 'Boston Strong' as a city chooses to run again," Obama said. The Boston Marathon coincides each year with a Boston Red Sox game. Biden couldn't help but rib the city on its obsession with its baseball team. "Even though I’m not a Boston fan, I love you guys, man," said Biden, who is from Delaware. "I know politicians aren’t supposed to say that you’re not a Red Sox fan. But where I’m from if you said you rooted for the Red Sox, you got the living hell kicked out of you." On April 15, public officials, firefighters and police officers, victims’ relatives, and survivors took part in a remembrance ceremony marking the first anniversary of the deadly Boston Marathon bombing. Twin blasts at the famous race killed three people and injured an estimated 264 others in 2013. View Photo Gallery —On Tuesday, April 15, 2014, public officials, firefighters and police officers, victims’ relatives and survivors took part in a remembrance ceremony marking the first anniversary of the deadly Boston Marathon bombing. Twin blasts at the famous race killed three people and injured an estimated 264 others last year.


Meet the first man to come out as gay on Nigerian television

others say. WV: What do you think of the arguments for the West getting involved here, by pulling aid or the like? Is there not a danger that this could make things worse? BA: Well, I'll put on record that I am seriously, seriously against aid-conditionality. I've been demonized for it, I don't care. I'm against the idea of giving money and putting a condition on it. It doesn't make sense to me at all. But I am in support of strategically repositioning aid and I will tell you why. Countries like Uganda still get budget support, but the whole idea of budget support is to give money to the Ugandan government to pay the Ugandan civil service. That's why they will have more and more "ghost" workers. Money that will go into a direct development agenda is really not being funded. Someone like me, what I'd say is that we shouldn't put conditions on aid. Instead, we should put the money where it will affect the life of the woman in the rural area of Uganda or Nigeria or Sudan, where she will be able to empower her family and send her children to school. It can help the man resume his role as a breadwinner, and do so respectfully. Give people access to health care, good education, good water, good roads, that is what I call development. When you give money to your cronies, as we see in the case of Uganda and Nigeria, and you are telling me you are doing development work, I question you. And that's why I find it hard to support aid-conditionality. Because when you do that you turn the tables against me. Then they can say, the reason why this project failed is because of these people: Are they better than us? And then we have to argue why we are not better than that woman in the rural area. So that compounds the already compounded problems I have. And how many battles can I fight? I need that woman in the rural area to stand up for me, as much as I want to stand up for her. The moment you use aid as a weapon, it divides us. We will never get to where we are going, and that's why I will never support it. I'm happy, by the way, that the U.N. of the 21st century under Ban Ki


Man arrested for leaving a ‘hoax device’ at Boston Marathon finish line

Kevin Edson, the aan who was arrested near the Boston Marathon finish line with a suspicious backpack, was charged and sent for psychiatric evaluation. Two blasts near the Boston Marathon finish line on Tuesday were an eerie reminder of last year’s terror attacks. A barefoot man wearing a black hat and a black veil toted a backpack down Boylston Street, chanting “Boston strong, Boston strong,” eyewitnesses told The Boston Herald. He left two packs near the site where three people died last year after two bombs exploded. About 9 p.m. the Massachusetts State Police bomb squad detonated one bag, which turned out to be carrying a rice cooker filled with confetti, sources told CBS News. The second bag, destroyed about 40 minutes later, may have contained photo equipment, sources said. Boston police said the bags were “disrupted for precautionary reasons.” The suspect was taken into custody and is charged with possession of a hoax device, The Associated Press reported. Police said the man also faces charges of disturbing the peace and disorderly conduct. A law enforcement official said the suspect, who has been identified by several news outlets as Kevin Edson, 25, will be arraigned Wednesday morning in Boston Municipal Court, the Herald reported.


E.L. Doctorow wins Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction

(Copyright Gasper Tringale) E.L. Doctorow has won this year’s Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. The author of such celebrated historical novels as “Ragtime,” “The Book of Daniel” and “The March” will receive the award during the National Book Festival in Washington on Aug. 30. In a statement announcing the prize, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, wrote, “E.L. Doctorow is our very own Charles Dickens, summoning a distinctly American place and time, channeling our myriad voices. Each book is a vivid canvas, filled with color and drama. In each, he chronicles an entirely different world.” The 83-year-old editor, professor and novelist has won almost every literary honor an American writer can receive, including a National Humanities Medal, a National Book Award, three National Book Critics Circle Awards and two PEN/Faulkner Awards. Last fall, the National Book Foundation presented him with a lifetime achievement award. The Prize for American Fiction used to be called the Creative Achievement Award, which was won by Toni Morrison and Philip Roth, among others. Last year, the Library of Congress redefined the prize with its current name and presented it to Don DeLillo. Each year’s recipient is chosen by the Librarian of Congress in consultation with previous winners and other writers and critics. “I was a child who read everything I could get my hands on,” Doctorow wrote in a statement acknowledging today’s award. “Eventually I asked of a story not only what was to happen next but how is this done? How am I made to live from words on a page? And so I became a writer myself. But is there a novelist who doesn’t live with self-doubt? The high honor of the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction confers a blessed moment of peace and resolution.” In addition to Doctorow, the 14th annual National Book Festival will include appearances and readings by Ishmael Beah, Kai Bird, Billy Collins, Kate DiCamillo, Francisco Goldman, Alice McDermott, George Packer, Lisa See, Gene Luen Yang, U.S. Reps. John Lewis and James Clyburn and scores more writers soon to be announced. For the first time, the festival will be held indoors at the Washington Convention Center. In keeping with the extended evening hours made possible by the move, this year’s theme is “Stay Up With a Good Book.” New special features will include a poetry slam, a session on movie treatments of great books, and


Hot hoods: Logan Circle/Shaw

Logan Circle, with its mix of Victorian rowhouses and luxury apartments, has become one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Northwest D.C. (Lucian Perkins/For The Washington Post) With the possible exception of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, no D.C. address has generated more buzz lately than 1601 14th St. NW. That’s home to Le Diplomate, the Parisian-themed bistro that’s become a symbol of Logan Circle’s redevelopment. Once riddled with strip clubs, massage parlors and auto malls, the neighborhood — bordered by S Street to the north, 10th Street to the east, 16th Street to the west, and M Street to the south — now boasts cultural institutions, a thriving retail scene and always-jammed restaurants. A similar revival has unfolded in Shaw, its eastern neighbor that’s bounded by M Street to the south; New Jersey Avenue to the east; Florida Avenue to the north; and 11th Street NW to the west. It all makes the area a 24/7 playground for those looking for a taste of big-city living. Getting Around Logan Circle is a pot of gold at the end of a Metro rainbow: While there aren’t Metro Stations in the neighborhood, it’s less than a mile from the Red Line (at Dupont Circle Station), Orange/Blue (at McPherson Square), or Green/Yellow (at Mt. Vernon Square, Shaw and U Street). Or take the S1, S2, S4, S9, G2, 52, 53, 54 and 63 buses. Shaw has its very own Metro station on the Yellow and Green lines, and is also traversed by the G8 bus. Housing Options It seems that for every Victorian rowhouse restored in Logan Circle, a luxury apartment complex sprouts up. Such polished options are a relatively new phenomenon in areas that, following the riots of 1968, fell into disrepair and ill repute. Increased police presence and dedicated neighborhood watch groups in the ’90s aided Logan Circle’s transition into a safe, livable place. Shaw has a similar blend of new high-rises and renovated rowhouses. Its redevelopment can be credited in part to its proximity to the trendy U Street corridor and efforts to preserve its rich African-American history. The Culture The Studio Theatre Home Improvement Interior designers and house flippers (and retail-starved residents of Shaw) flock to Logan Circle for its low- and high-end furnishings for sale. Vintage darling Miss Pixie’s (1626 14th St. NW; 202-232-8171) hawks eclectic curiosities. Timothy Paul Bedding and Home (1529A 14th St. NW; 202-234-2020) houses a


READ IN: Wednesday, April 16, 2014: Dem outside groups lead Republicans, Bloomberg takes on NRA, Eric Cantor running TV ads, test yourself on the new SAT

beginning today. (Washington Post) The Buried Lede: -- "While [Rep. Joaquin and Mayor Julian] Castro have projected a fresh Latino face for their party, some Democrats are concerned that the brothers suffer from both an overabundance of political caution and a lack of Spanish skills. [Mayor] Castro, for example, passed on a potential cabinet position in the Obama administration that might have made him a more appealing running mate. Neither brother, both of whom graduated from Stanford and then Harvard Law, speaks fluent Spanish. And neither is learning it." -- Mayor Castro, in his third term leading San Antonio, said no to the White House's offer to be Transportation Secretary. Rep. Castro told an interviewer his brother or Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) would be the most obvious choices if a Democratic presidential nominee were searching for a Hispanic vice president. (New York Times) B1: -- How many people benefit from the Affordable Care Act? It'll be hard to tell: The Census Bureau is changing an annual survey that includes the most comprehensive health insurance data in the country, a change so dramatic that the results won't be comparable to previous surveys. The changes are meant to improve accuracy, but the questions are new enough that the results won't be a good measure of change over time, and the number of people who received health insurance during the open enrollment period. (New York Times) -- Fed chair Janet Yellen on Tuesday told a banking conference that current rules on capital assets aren't sufficient to protect against risk-taking that caused the 2008 financial crisis, and that banks might need to hold higher percentages of capital to survive during periods of financial stress. The Fed will study the impacts of stricter rules on banks, Yellen said. (Associated Press) -- Stock futures are strong this morning a day after all three major indices gained. The Nikkei added 3 percent today, while most other world markets are up. (CNN) C1: -- The New York Times' Jo Becker, on President Obama's "evolution" on gay marriage: "Despite the president's stated opposition, even his top advisors didn't believe that he truly opposed allowing gay couples to marry." By November 2011, the White House was already thinking about ways to alter his public position. -- David Plouffe turned to Ken Mehlman, the former RNC chairman and one-time classmate of Obama's at Harvard, for advice; Mehlman surveyed 5,000 Republicans and


Wonkbook: Making Tax Day easier (and more fair)

health care reads: Explainer: Are health care costs about to rise quickly? Sarah Kliff in Vox. Prices are soaring for specialty drugs. Katie Thomas in The New York Times. Remember that Obamacare 'bailout'? The administration has a plan for it. Jason Millman in The Washington Post. Astronomical baking interlude: 4. Good news and bad news on greenhouse-gas emissions U.S. greenhouse-gas emissions on the decline. The problem: Global emissions efforts simply aren't going far. Related: The EPA could be underestimating emissions of a potent greenhouse gas, methane. Speaking of which, EPA is moving closer to methane-emission rules. EPA scores victory on power-plant emissions of another kind: air toxics. Other energy/environmental reads: Coal's last best hope? A costly power plant in Mississippi. Mark Drajem in Bloomberg. Lunar eclipse interlude: 5. All that tax news may have drowned out bad news about two federal programs Student loans are about to get more expensive. And the government is running out of money to pay for road and bridge repairs. Explainer: Dinosaur interlude: Wonkblog roundup Pollution is substantially worse in minority neighborhoods across the U.S. Emily Badger. Did you just overpay or underpay your taxes? Donald Rumsfeld has no idea. Jia Lynn Yang. The elusive dream of never having to file your tax returns. Abby Phillip. You just finished your tax return. What’s the chance you’ll get audited? Christopher Ingraham. Manufacturing is doing great -- but not for workers. Here’s what that means. Lydia DePillis. The traumatic, sensual, addicted language of restaurant reviews (and what it says about you). Emily Badger. 3 big things to look for in Yellen’s first monetary policy speech. Ylan Q. Mui. Remember the Obamacare ‘bailout?’ The administration has a plan to avoid that. Jason Millman. The depressing durability of hate crime. Christopher Ingraham. Et Cetera Obama aid council faces questions. Josh Gerstein in Politico. To Russia, with love: When Russia and the U.S. worked together. Brandy Zadrozny in The Daily Beast. Immigration activists start last-ditch effort to press GOP for House vote. Lisa Mascaro in the Los Angeles Times. Yellen signals more aggressive stance toward banks. Martin Crutsinger in the Associated Press. (Read her remarks.) Pentagon plans major review of military justice system. Timothy M. Phelps in the Los Angeles Times. Promises of earthquake preparedness. And yet. Clyde Haberman in The New York Times and Retro Report. Got tips, additions, or comments? Wonkbook is produced with help from Michelle Williams


Mistresses really are OK in France

It’s not just a stereotype — the French really are less likely to morally object to extramarital affairs than are citizens of other countries: Source: Pew Research Center, Global Attitudes Project spring 2013 survey. Those data come from this nifty new interactive from Pew Research Center. It shows attitudes toward “moral” issues in 40 countries and finds that France is the only country in which fewer than half of the respondents believed that extramarital affairs were morally unacceptable. The interactive also reveals that Americans tends to be slightly more judgmental than citizens of the other countries surveyed about marital infidelity but more tolerant of gambling, homosexuality and alcohol use, among other things. But did you know that one in six Americans says drinking alcohol is “morally unacceptable”? That’s way higher than I would have expected. Source: Pew Research Center, Global Attitudes Project spring 2013 survey.


Boston police arrest man for bringing “hoax explosive device” to Boston Marathon finish line

A member of the Boston Police Department’s bomb squad inspects an object after a controlled detonation at the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Tuesday, April 15. (Michael Dwyer/AP) Boston police officers blew up two backpacks near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Tuesday night after a man showed up to in the area barefoot, yelling and holding a backpack that contained a rice cooker, according to police. Authorities shut down Boylston Street and suspended some train service in the area: #BPDPublicSafetyAlert: Boylston St has been closed & MBTA Green Line service temporarily suspended. Community members asked to avoid area. Police initially went to talk to the barefoot man (who was wearing a veil and hat) because he was loudly chanting “Boston strong.” Once they stopped and talked to him, they discovered that a rice cooker was in his backpack. The area was evacuated and the bomb squad was called in for a controlled detonation of the backpack (which didn’t contain explosive materials, as it turned out). Another unattended backpack was found, blown up and later deemed not explosive. This one belonged to an unidentified local media outlet, police said. On Wednesday morning, Boston police identified the man as Kevin Edson, 25, of Boston. He was arrested and charged with threatening battery, “possession of a hoax explosive device” and disturbing the peace, among other things. (He appears to be a performance artist. His mother told the Associated Press that he has mental health issues.) The entire incident unfolded on the first anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing, a day marked with tributes to the victims of that attack and its aftermath. This year’s marathon is set for Monday, with organizers preparing for a much larger crowd of spectators, an expanded field of runners and heightened security. Kevin Edson, the aan who was arrested near the Boston Marathon finish line with a suspicious backpack, was charged and sent for psychiatric evaluation.


Yahoo earnings offer peek into Alibaba’s cave of treasure

http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/business/alibaba-ipo-could-be-largest-ever-market-debut/2014/04/23/ffa6ff72-9c63-4a59-b3fb-9787b042ef62_video.html A slow buzz has been building around Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant that is expected to debut on the American stock market in the next few weeks and whose valuation could be above $150 billion. Many Americans have likely never heard of the online retailer, but it dominates China’s e-commerce market and is expected to be one of the largest initial public offerings by a tech company. Though comparisons are often drawn with Amazon, the company doesn’t sell products directly to consumers. Instead, it sells them at wholesale prices to small business owners and mom-and-pop retailers in China. Yahoo’s latest earnings report offered a rare peek into Alibaba’s cave of treasure. The tech giant owns a 24 percent stake in Alibaba. Here’s what we know about the retailer, based on Tuesday’s report and Alibaba’s own actions: Alibaba had a roaring fourth quarter The company’s revenue was up 66 percent from the previous year to $3.06 billion , and its net income jumped a whopping 110 percent to $1.4 billion, according to the report. That’s higher than Amazon and eBay’s combined net income in the last quarter. The large jump comes in part from a Chinese holiday known as ‘Singles’ Day,’ celebrated on Nov. 11, which is one of the country’ s biggest online shopping days. Last year, Chinese shoppers bought $5.7 billion worth of goods on Singles’ Day using Alibaba’s payment service Alipay.com, the company said. To put that in perspective, Americans spent about $2.3 billion on Cyber Monday last year, according to Adobe Digital Index. Alibaba is acquiring, and fast Its pending IPO aside, the retailer has been in the news for a purchasing spree. Alibaba invested in a host of businesses over the last few months, including AutoNavi, an online navigation company, Intime Retail, a Chinese department store operator, and Tango, a messaging app. The company has also partnered with newspapers across China to draw customers onto Taobao, its online shopping mall business. Alibaba’s affiliates are having IPOs of their own Weibo, the Chinese microblogging service similar to Twitter, debuts on Nasdaq Thursday. Alibaba owns a 19 percent stake in the company. Unlike its owner’s astronomical valuation, however, Weibo has struggled to generate the same kind of excitement. The company is seeking to raise $4 billion, which is about 20 times its sales. In contrast, Twitter’s debut raised about 40 times its sales. Alibaba’s numbers benefit Yahoo


Mexico’s gun control laws: A model for the United States?

The most recent issue of the Texas Review of Law and Politics includes my article with the aforesaid title. This is the first law review article to examine in depth Mexican gun laws, and related empirical data. The article begins with an examination of the right to arms in the Mexican Constitution, and of predecessor versions of that right. Former versions recognized a right to carry, but the current version recognizes only a right in the home. In practice, the Mexican government ignores the right. The next part of the article details the operation of Mexico’s federal gun control statute, which dates from 1972. The statute itself is very strict, and enforcement tends to be oppressive and corrupt. Accordingly, many Mexicans obtain firearms outside of the very narrow channels (only one legal gun store in the entire country) which the government permits. Fourteen percent The final part of the article describes some of the past and present cross-border trade in arms between the United States and Mexico, and potential legal ramifications–such as the various fora where the Mexican government might bring a civil lawsuit against American gun manufacturers or sellers. Politicians such as President Obama, former Secretary of State Clinton, and various Mexican officials have asserted that 85-90 percent of Mexican crime guns come from the United States. But the actual figure is much lower. Jorge G. Castañeda, who served as Foreign Minister of Mexico from 2000 to 2003, and Rubén Aguilar, who served as the Press Secretary for the President of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, estimate that 18% of Mexican crime guns can be conclusively determined to have come from the United States. They argue that the higher figures are invented and used for domestic political purposes by Mexican government officials. Whatever the exact percentage, it is incorrect to assert that purchases from American gun stores for the purposes of smuggling into Mexico are the prime source of American guns in Mexico. To the contrary, of the Mexican guns that are successfully traced to the U.S., the average firearms age is fifteen years, according to data compiled by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. The age of these guns is strong evidence that they were legal American guns that were stolen and then sold into the black market–and not guns which were bought at a gun store as part of a plan for them to be


Apocalypse now? ‘Blood moon’ prophet explains what’s behind the doomsday predictions

It seems that every 15 months or so there’s a new prediction: the world as we know it will come to an end as foretold by the sun, the moon and the stars—or some combination of the three. The latest emerged this week when the first of four “blood moons” captivated much of North America. An amazing spectacle: the full moon obscured by the Earth’s darkest shadow appears as red as blood. What’s more, these events are occurring with surprising frequency that hasn’t been seen in quite some time—four in the next two years. And all of them will fall on Jewish holidays: April 15, Oct. 8, April 4, 2015, and Sept. 28, 2015. Coincidence? Not so, say some Christian pastors who are raising the alarm that God promised that he would send signals using the sun and the moon, and we’re seeing them right now. One of those pastors is Mark Biltz, founder of the Washington State-based El Shaddai Ministries. Biltz’s book “Blood Moons: Decoding the Imminent heavenly Signs” details the clues embedded in biblical text which he says point to an unavoidable truth: something significant will happen soon. “I’m just saying there’s a good chance there could be a war with Israel,” Biltz told me in an interview. “I’m also saying there’s a good chance there could be economic calamity. And I’m basing that on the Bible and patterns.” The view has become popularized by evangelical pastor John Hagee, who also wrote a book that is now a New York Times best seller on the subject. (According to Biltz, Hagee first learned about the blood moons from him.) “There’s a sense in the world that things are changing and God is trying to communicate with us in a supernatural way,” Hagee told CBN News. So what is this all about? Your burning questions about the blood moon, answered: Are lunar eclipses actually rare? In the view of scientists, no, not really. “During the 21st century, there are nine sets of tetrads, so I would describe tetrads as a frequent occurrence in the current pattern of lunar eclipses,” NASA astrophysicist and eclipse specialist Fred Espenak told Space.com. “But this has not always been the case. During the 300-year interval from 1600 to 1900, for instance, there were no tetrads at all.” Does this mean that Jesus is coming? Not necessarily. Neither Hagee nor Biltz are claiming explicitly that the


READ IN: Thursday, April 17, 2014: New Russia sanctions likely, Palin to Iowa (for Joni Ernst), Rand for Prez bill dies, Mike Simpson buys big in Idaho

Sign up to receive Read In in your inbox, every morning at 8 a.m. It's fast, easy and free! A1: -- Ukrainian forces killed three pro-Russian militants and wounded 13 during a siege of a military base near the city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov. The clash, the most serious yet between Ukraine forces and pro-Russian demonstrators, came after Ukrainian officials said a mob of 300 attacked a military outpost overnight. (Washington Post) -- White House officials are preparing a new round of sanctions against Russia as the tension in Ukraine rises. Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today in Geneva. U.S. officials say the fact the Kremlin has initiated the last several calls between President Obama and Vladimir Putin is an indication that Putin feels isolated and undercut. (Politico) In an interview, President Obama said it was "absolutely clear" that Russia had violated Ukraine's sovereignty. (CBS News) -- President Obama heads to Asia next week, three years after announcing a renewed diplomatic focus on the region. The so-called "pivot" hasn't gone well: Relations between Japan and South Korea have soured, China is provoking other countries over naval territory, and Obama had to cancel his involvement in two summits between Asian countries during the government shutdown. Obama will visit Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines next week, and China, Burma and Australia in the fall. (Washington Post) -- Republican leaders are telling members that criticizing the Affordable Care Act is the path to victory in November, regardless of how the implementation process goes. Tapping into conservative opposition to the law, party leaders say, is designed to boost turnout in the midterm year. House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy: "The intensity level of those who have been most affected by this law is greater on the negative side than on the positive side." (Wall Street Journal) -- Meanwhile, some Democrats say the party should embrace the Affordable Care Act, now that more than 7 million people have signed up for coverage. New ads running in Alaska thank Sen. Mark Begich (D) for helping get coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, without mentioning ObamaCare. (Associated Press) -- Front Pages: WaPo highlights Ukraine's increasing budget problems, and the two-year long repair scheduled for the Capitol dome. NYT leads with Russia's slowing economy. WSJ leads with Ukraine, while USA Today leads with the South Korean ferry


‘The Americans’ recap: New cars and wrecked submarines

has failed to be as devious as his enemies. After the Soviets used the propeller plans that he and Elizabeth stole, a submarine kitted out with the technology sunk, killing everyone on board. When he gets the news, Philip walks back to the new car he took so much pleasure in at the beginning of the episode, looking at it in horror and disgust. American engineering can be gorgeous and sleek. Philip has just seen its murderous side. And Elizabeth makes the connection between Larrick and the submarine in Ronald Reagan. Echoing the walk-in from earlier in the season, she watches the president on television and tells her husband, “Look at him. He’ll do anything. He doesn’t care. Kids. Nuns. Journalists. He doesn’t care.” While the members of the Jennings family all deal with their sense of guilt, back at the Rezidentura, Oleg (Costa Ronin) stands in stark contrast to them and to Arkady (Lev Gorn), who is frightened for his nephew in the Navy. Oleg has always seemed unburdened by the sorts of conflicts over enjoying Western culture that Philip and Elizabeth, with “all those beautiful shoes,” suffer. And rather than reflecting on the success or failure of his spycraft, Oleg looks to Soviet bureaucracy, and to technical explanations, for what happened with that submarine. “I don’t want to avoid blame,” Oleg tells Arkady. “But the Navy retrofitted a propeller on an Akula class, which is two classes bigger than what the Americans use this design for, and they tested it for only three weeks. The admiral pushed it past the red line, and it shattered the shaft. They rushed a testing period that should have taken five months into three weeks. And now they’re trying to blame us.” If Elizabeth and Philip are going to break, I doubt it will be as early as this season. But even if they hold on, Oleg seems like a more sustainable model for the future, and not just because he knows what Arpanet is and why it matters before his colleagues and superiors catch on. He is getting ready for conflicts that happen between machines, rather than men, and where casualties result from technical details rather than human error or moral failing. Oleg seems to care less than Philip and Elizabeth whether he is a good person or not. But just in case, he is doing his best to remove the


8 things to do in the D.C. area on the weekend of April 18-20

The weekend’s best in nightlife, music and art. For even more, check out Nightlife Agenda. Cans ready to be filled at DC Brau. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) Through May 11: Friday-Sunday: Friday: Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: Sunday:


Here’s why Yahoo’s COO got that $58 million severance package

Angel Navarette/Bloomberg Henrique de Castro may have worked at Yahoo for just 15 months. But they were some very lucrative ones. In an SEC filing made public Wednesday, Yahoo revealed that the severance package it awarded de Castro, the company's former chief operating officer who exited the company in January, ended up being worth $58 million. That's more than three times the $17 million at which it was initially signed. All this for a guy who wasn't even CEO. The eye-popping size of that golden parachute tells us three things. First, de Castro is the lucky beneficiary of good timing, as Bloomberg BusinessWeek points out. The stock was hovering around its highest prices in years when de Castro was ousted, boosted by the company's stake in Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce giant that is expecting an IPO. As the company's filing states, "the stock price appreciated nearly 160 percent between the date of his offer letter and the date of his termination." Second, de Castro made out so well in part because Yahoo had to pay up to recruit him from Google. A little more than $31 million of the $58 million package was in the form of what the company called "make-whole" restricted stock units. The proxy explains that these were needed to "buy out compensation value that the executives forfeited upon leaving their prior employers." Finally, de Castro's package is a reminder that such first-class escape hatches are likely to keep surprising investors as long as big equity awards are part of the picture. The overall value of golden parachutes — which have come to mean both pay in the event of a forced departure and in the case of a merger or acquisition — may have remained basically flat. And companies may be bowing to shareholder pressures and public scrutiny on certain features, such as paying out less cash or covering executives' excise taxes less frequently. But in de Castro's case, $56.8 million of the $58 million package was in the form of equity. So as long as piles of stock options and restricted shares remain part of the package, some very soft landings for senior executives are going to stick around. Read also: Dismantling CEOs' golden parachutes Like On Leadership? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.


Another round! 21 fresh bars for every occasion

(Dram and Grain photo by Stacy Zarin Goldberg for The Washington Post.) We have become a world obsessed with rankings. The 23 best cupcakes in Washington. The 38 best ways to enjoy the summer. The 12 best restaurants you'll never get into. I've done my part over the years as The Post's nightlife reporter, compiling lists of the best dance clubs, taco happy hours, beer bars and places to watch soccer. But when people ask me to name the best bar in the District, I never have a good answer, because I don't believe there is a "best" bar in the Washington area. • VIDEO: Four cocktails, three bars, 1 night I'm not trying to be political. It's just that I'm a strong believer in nuance: The dive where I seek refuge after a long day at the office isn't the best place to meet a microbrew-loving visitor from New York; the cozy lounge where I'd treat a friend to a birthday cocktail isn't the best option for someone who wants to dance and mingle on a Saturday night. That's why, instead of assembling a definitive list of the "best bars in D.C." -- the "best" Irish bar, the "best" dance club, the "best" happy hour -- I've put together a guide to 21 interesting places where you should drink and party right now. In an effort to keep things fresh, and to save you from reading about the glories of ChurchKey or the Columbia Room yet again, I've tried to limit this to bars that have opened, changed key staff or made significant upgrades in the past two years or so. They're spread throughout the area, from Leesburg to Annapolis, and although some have probably landed on your radar, others surely remain off. Either way, there's something for just about everyone. Adam Bernbach mixing drinks at 2 Birds 1 Stone. (Evy Mages/For The Washington Post) 2 Birds 1 Stone A hidden den for cocktail fans All Souls A neighborhood bar for everyone Friends celebrate a birthday at Avery's on H Street NE. The three-level bar is usually packed with people having a good time. (Photo by Craig Hudson/For The Washington Post) Avery's Bar and Lounge H Street NE's best house party Avery's has a good vibe during the week, particularly at happy hour and Tuesday's karaoke sessions, but it really comes alive Friday and Saturday nights. The evening usually


chance to sample the "watered-down" 42 percent ABV Maker's Mark, which was released briefly in 2013, alongside the usual 45 percent and the Makers 46. Cocktail drinkers can order a decent Old Fashioned made with Hochstadter's Slow and Low rye (a steal at $7) or a sparkling negroni. Although whiskey is the focus, don't sleep on the craft beers, which draw from Baltimore to the Eastern Shore. Bolter says he intends to offer Dry 85 exclusives, such as a beer from Burley Oak aged in a Breckenridge whiskey barrel. 193B Main St., Annapolis. 443-214-5171. www.dry85.com. Flash The best medium-size dance club you've never heard of A recent visit to Flight found a flight of unusual and delicious wines from Serbia and Macedonia. (Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Washington Post) Flight An attractive place to try unusual wines Jackpot A Penn Quarter basement brimming with craft beer and popcorn DJ Jahsonic spins the music inside the Lodge at RedRocks.(Photo by Craig Hudson/For The Washington Post) The Lodge at RedRocks Two levels of DJs, dancing and al fresco drinks A thick layer of sand lends a tropical vibe to the patio at MacDowell Brew Kitchen, even on a cool Fall day. (Photo by Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post) MacDowell Brew Kitchen Leesburg's slice of Margaritaville The Partisan Happy hour for foodies and friends Quill Friendly bartenders breathe life into a high-end hotel lounge Even if Right Proper Brewing Company didn't create fascinating beers on-site, we think the Shaw bar would still be a popular hangout.(Photo by Craig Hudson/For The Washington Post) Right Proper Brewing Company Hanging out at the neighborhood brewpub The large building has multiple bars, including a long one overlooking the brewing facility, and plenty of standing room. Chalk murals and paintings by local artists add to the hip, buzzy setting. Southern snacks dominate the menu: Try pork rinds with a side of pimento cheese for dipping, or a Chick-fil-A-style chicken sandwich with pickles and boursin cheese. It can be hard to get a table at the end of the week, but things calm down on Sunday nights, when jazz musicians perform. A brewery you can enjoy all week? Lucky Shaw. 624 T St. NW. 202-607-2337. www.rightproperbrewery.com. Roof Bethesda New spot for outstanding cocktails or rooftop drinks Start with the restaurant, which is on the second floor of a nondescript building and accessed by private elevator. The modern-looking bar area


The British want to stop Starbucks from dodging taxes. It won’t work.

Starbucks said on April 16 it was relocating its European headquarters from the Netherlands to Britain a year after the U.S. coffee giant was heavily criticized by British lawmakers for tax avoidance. (Carl Court/AFP/Getty Images) Mention Starbucks in the U.K., and many people think of lattes, Macchiatos — and tax dodging. The coffee giant has faced boycotts, protests and general animosity from the British public since reports emerged in 2012 that Starbucks was paying little to no taxes in the U.K., despite having hundreds of stores in the country. There was nothing illegal being done, just the usual aggressive tax planning that's become standard for multinationals around the world. The company was under so much pressure that last year it promised to pay the government $16.8 million in 2013 and another $16.8 million this year, all voluntarily. Now, Starbucks has made another move in its effort to shore up relations. On Wednesday, Starbucks announced that it was moving its European headquarters from Amsterdam to London, adding a "modest number of senior executives" to the operation in London. The company also promises that the move will mean it pays higher taxes in the U.K. (although it's not clear what baseline the company is using for that assertion). So did the boycotts cause Starbucks to really change its behavior? And why do the British get so much angrier about corporations dodging taxes than Americans, who seem relatively docile about the whole issue? On the first question, there are real business reasons — aside from public relations — for Starbucks to move its headquarters to London. The company counts the U.K. as its fastest-growing market in Europe. It also has more stores there than anywhere else in the region. But tax experts also suspect that Starbucks could ultimately end up paying less in taxes, not more, by going to London. To understand, it helps to walk through briefly how Starbucks was saving so much money in taxes in the first place — a good example of how companies everywhere have learned to work the system. A quick guide to multinational tax arbitrage In short, Starbucks' U.K. subsidiary was able to substantially reduce its taxable income by regularly paying a royalty fee to the company's Amsterdam headquarters. The royalties covered use of the company's intellectual property — in this case, Starbucks' brand and business techniques. Since the money was shifted to the company's Amsterdam