Global warming: Case closed

An iceberg near Disko Island, Greenland, in 2011. (Brennan Linsley/Associated Press) In his April 24 op-ed, “The scientific silencers take aim,” George F. Will claimed that debatable questions still include the extent to which humans are contributing to climate change. William Collins, director of climate and ecosystem sciences at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, has succinctly made the case that humans are responsible. He states that the current astronomical and geological factors, such as changes in the sun, changes in Earth’s orbit and volcanic activity, simply can’t explain the increase in temperature in the lower atmosphere while the upper atmosphere is cooling. Mr. Collins also explains that carbon isotopes come in different “flavors.” (Plants like the lighter isotopes of carbon.) Each mixture of carbon isotopes has a signature that can be measured and traced to its source. In the lower atmosphere, the carbon isotopes that are rapidly accumulating and trapping heat have been measured and can come from only one source: burning of fossil fuels. Case closed. Michael Dominick, Arlington “Climate change” is simply The U.S. government’s 1974 National Security Study Memorandum 200, adopted in 1975 by President Gerald Ford (R), discussed much of this and recommended universal access to contraception and abortion. The NSSM 200, however, was mysteriously classified and buried for nearly 20 years and then ignored. Edd Doerr, Silver Spring George F. Will relied on Ironically, the April 24 news article “As ice melts, polar bears forced to swim for days on end” reported that the polar bear population in the waters off northern Alaska has dropped between 25 and 50 percent from 2001 to 2010 as the loss of sea ice continues its accelerating decline. Melting sea ice in the northern and southern polar regions is the direct consequence of atmospheric warming. Distinguished oceanographer Don Walsh assessed this effect of climate change on the world’s oceans in a recent issue of the U.S. Naval Institute’s Proceedings magazine. “Change is a reality,” he wrote, “and it is observable.” The world’s population is projected to grow from today’s roughly 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050. It is irresponsible in the extreme to fail to address the continued fouling of our environment with unchecked carbon emissions. Just ask a polar bear. Gordon I. Peterson, Springfield I would like to make a deal Jim Parker, North Potomac I was both outraged and amused World governments have every right to petition


Man fatally stabbed in Northwest Washington

THE DISTRICT Man, 27, is fatally stabbed in Northwest A man was stabbed to death in Northwest Washington on Tuesday, police said. D.C. police responded to a report of a stabbing in the 1200 block of North Capitol Street about 1:15 a.m., the department said in a statement. There, officers found 27-year-old Kenneth E. Jackson of Northwest suffering from an apparent stab wound. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. — Justin Wm. Moyer Official: Fence jumper is robbery suspect A robbery suspect was injured Tuesday afternoon after he jumped a fence near the White House to flee the scene of a crime, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service said. The man was taken into custody shortly after he jumped the west fence of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building about 3:55 p.m., said Robert K. Hoback, an agency spokesman. The incident caused the White House to go into a brief lockdown. Hoback said in a news release that an initial investigation indicated that the man was running from a robbery near the White House, in the area of 17th and G streets NW. He is scheduled to appear in Superior Court on Wednesday, Hoback added. He declined to give further details. It was not immediately clear precisely where the jumper got over the fence. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to a hospital after he apparently injured his hand. — Peter Hermann and Victoria St. Martin Baby eagles named; 36,000 votes cast The two bald eagles who were born this spring at the U.S. National Arboretum just got new names: Freedom and Liberty. After a nearly week-long contest, eagle experts with several private groups and government agencies picked the names, which were announced Tuesday. The eaglets had been referred to as DC2 and DC3 after they were born in March to Mr. President and The First Lady. The top five name suggestions that people voted on (in no particular order) were, Freedom and Liberty; Stars and Stripes; Anacostia and Potomac; Honor and Glory; and Cherry and Blossom. Officials said more than 36,000 votes were cast. — Dana Hedgpeth MARYLAND 1 dead, 4 wounded in Forestville shooting A quintuple shooting Tuesday morning left four people wounded and one woman dead in Prince George’s County, police said. The incident happened about 1:30 a.m. in the 6500 block of Hil-Mar Drive in Forestville when


Inside Trump adviser Manafort’s world of politics and global financial dealmaking

client’s career. The relationship with Deripaska started on a positive note. The firm of Davis Manafort, which Manafort owned with Gates and longtime Republican strategist Richard Davis, wooed Deripaska in 2006, describing its experience in “international and domestic business, politics, government and public policy development,” according to the Cayman Islands petition filed on behalf of Deripaska. They told Deripaska their goal was to set up a $200 million fund to make a series of private-equity investments and acquisitions, primarily in Russia and Ukraine, according to the petition. The partnership making the investments was created in the Cayman Islands in 2007 and dubbed Pericles Emerging Market Investors, borrowing the name of the ancient Athenian statesman and general. Deripaska already knew Davis, who with Manafort had helped arrange meetings for him with Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in January and August 2006 as McCain prepared to run for president. Deripaska was interested in building his contacts in the United States, which in July 2006 revoked his visa. The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that his visa was pulled amid concerns that he might be linked to organized crime, something he has vigorously denied. He later received visas to travel to the United States. Deripaska made his investment through a firm called Surf Horizon, a company incorporated in Cyprus in July 2007. He disclosed his ownership of Surf in a Hong Kong stock exchange filing, and a Deripaska representative confirmed his ownership to The Post. The Cayman Islands petition said that Surf and another company controlled by Deripaska also paid $7.5 million in management fees to an entity controlled by Davis, Gates and Manafort. Deripaska expected the funds would be used to make acquisitions in Russia, Ukraine and other countries in eastern and southern Europe, according to his Cayman Islands petition. The court filing describes a complicated business plan in which Manafort and his partners would establish companies in Cyprus known as “special purpose vehicles” for tax and regulatory purposes. Instead, the petition argues, the partnership said it made only one purchase — buying a stake in Ukrainian cable television and Internet ventures. Deripaska, squeezed by the 2008 credit crunch, asked for the partnership to be liquidated and his money returned, according to Deripaska’s petition. But the filing said it was not clear who was controlling the Ukrainian cable TV and Internet assets and what happened to the money Deripaska initially provided.


Hank’s Pasta Bar review: Jamie Leeds ventures into pasta

ALEXANDRIA, VA - FEBRUARY 29: 2)Goat Cheese & Beet Plin - tarragon, and pecorino at Hank's Pasta Bar. (Photo by Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) Goat cheese and beet plin at Hank's Pasta Bar. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) Not yet rated This review appeared in The Washington Post’s 2016 Spring Dining Guide as No. 10 on a list of the year’s 10 best new restaurants. At long last, something fresh to whet our appetites in Old Town Alexandria: a neighborhood Italian spot from Jamie Leeds, a chef best known for her trio of seafood joints in the area. The signature draws come in a dozen or so shapes and some pleasing flavors. Among the successes are delicate plin filled with beets and goat cheese, and ripply malfalde served with fennel sausage and brandy cream sauce. The housemade pastas keep good company; their equals on the menu include plump lamb chops and whole grilled dorade. The Joy Room in the back rings true with rows of Christmas-colored lights brightening the ceiling and an old barn door separating it from the main dining room. Yes, it’s crowded, and yes, it’s worth a wait. Previous: Hank’s Pasta Bar: 600 Montgomery St., Alexandria, Va. 571-312-4117. hankspastabar.com. Open: Prices: More of Tom Sietsema’s top 10 new restaurants: 10. Hank’s Pasta Bar 9. Nazca Mochica 8. The Dabney 7. Tail Up Goat 6. Espita Mezcaleria 5. Masseria 4. Bad Saint 3. Convivial 2. Kinship 1. Pineapple and Pearls More Hank’s Pasta Bar: • Hank’s Pasta Bar makes 13 types of fresh pasta. Every. Single. Day. • Hank’s Pasta Bar uses its noodles to grin-inducing effect


Montgomery County Animal Watch

These cases were received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Troubling situation: Shih Tzu bites girl: Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Gaithersburg Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: Rockville Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Cultural and community events in the District

Thursday, April 28 Memorials of the Reflecting Pool National Park Service rangers lead walking tours of the Lincoln, Vietnam Veterans, Korean War Veterans and World War II memorials, 10 a.m., 2 and 6 p.m. daily through May 31. Meet at the Hawaii-Alaska Plaque, below the Lincoln Memorial steps, 23rd Street NW and West Potomac Park. 202-426-6841. Free. Therapeutic yoga Washington Cathedral behind the scenes Preschool series: spectacular statues Spring garden tours Garden tour with parents and kids in snugglers “We the People: Making a More Perfect Union, One Generation at a Time” Top to toe: Cooking with the whole plant Speaker battles, then and now Thursdays at Noon Top to Toe: Cooking With the Whole Plant Speaker Battles, Then and Now National Portrait Gallery: Thursdays at Noon Memorials of the Tidal Basin Afterschool lounge Baby lap time After-school workshops “Shear Madness” Thursdays at 5 and 8 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 6 and 9 p.m., Sundays at 3 and 7 p.m., Mondays at 8 p.m., Tuesdays-Wednesdays at 5 and 8 p.m. Kennedy Center, Theater Lab, 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600. $50. Game night at the library Learn to play chess Humble Fire at the American Art Museum Talk: Re-Ball Pop quiz: dreamers Visas for Al-Qaeda: an evening with author J. Michael Springmann “C.S. Lewis Onstage: The Most Reluctant Convert” Yoga at Northwest One “The Gospel According to Thomas Jefferson, Charles Dickens, and Count Leo Tolstoy: Discord” “110 in the Shade” “Journey to the West” “The Nether” Jennifer Haley’s futuristic psychological thriller about virtual reality and its role in human interaction and existence in 2050. 8 p.m. Woolly Mammoth Theatre, 641 D St. NW. 202-393-3939. woollymammoth.net. $35-$68, age 30 and younger $20. Chamber music concert Friday, April 29 Conversation Circles Baby and toddler story time Preschool story time Bilingual Spanish story time Spring garden tours Children’s safety seats and belts inspection DC Move, Learn, Create Preschool and toddler story time Afternoon tour of the garden Classical organ concert Garden fair and plant sale Opera and the French Revolution “Disgraced” Saturday, April 30 Bike tour: Landscapes of Oehme, van Sweden First Oval Office: George Washington’s Revolutionary Headquarters Comes to Tudor Place LEGO time Saturdays from 10 a.m. to Noon. Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW. 202-671-3121. mtpleasantlibrary@dc.gov. Free. Fitness event: practice with love yoga gatherings Family story time Quilting for adult beginners Practice With Love yoga gatherings Design showcase:


What happens in Puerto Rico won’t stay there

The Puerto Rican flag flies in front of Puerto Rico’s Capitol in San Juan. (Ricardo Arduengo/Associated Press) Immigrant goes to America, Many “hellos” in America; Nobody knows in America Puerto Rico’s in America! — “West Side Story” Puerto Rico, an awkward legacy of the United States’ 1898 testosterone spill, the Spanish-American War, is about to teach two things that few Americans know: If conditions get bad enough there, its residents, who are American citizens, can come here. And if Congress does not deal carefully with the mess made by the government in San Juan, Congress will find itself rescuing governments in Springfield, Ill., and other state capitals. Puerto Rico’s approximately 18 debt-issuing entities have debts — approximately $72 billion — they cannot repay. The Government Development Bank might miss a $422 million payment due in May, and the central government might miss a $2 billion payment in July. Congress will not enact a “bailout,” meaning an infusion of U.S. taxpayers’ money. But some Democrats — perhaps anticipating a day of reckoning for their one-party state of Illinois, and nurturing their indissoluble marriage to government employee unions, some of which have helped reduce Puerto Rico to prostration — want to reward the San Juan government’s self-indulgence. They favor pouring more Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits into the island. They also favor giving protection of unionized government employees’ pensions priority over payments even to holders of general obligation bonds guaranteed by the territory’s constitution. Although Puerto Rico’s per capita income ($11,331) is about half that of the poorest state (Mississippi, $20,956), Democrats oppose allowing Puerto Rico to lower the hourly minimum wage. A full-time job at the U.S. minimum, $7.25, which applies to the island, is two-thirds of the average islander’s wage, which increases unemployment and hence immigration to the mainland. Some Democrats even want the earned-income tax credit and child tax credits paid to Puerto Ricans even though they do not file personal federal income tax returns. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) may also have his eye on Illinois and other states subjugated by the axis of the Democratic Party and government employee unions. He wants legislation for Puerto Rico to require U.S. state and local governments, almost 60 percent of which last year failed to make full pension contributions, to honestly state their pension liabilities. Puerto Rico has a $44 billion unfunded pension liability. The most complex Puerto Rico issue is


Military files new criminal charges against ex-Naval Academy teacher in sexual misconduct case

Marine Major. Mark Thompson is photographed at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he taught history. He faces new criminal charges in a sexual misconduct case. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post) The military has filed new criminal charges against Marine Maj. Mark Thompson, a former U.S. Naval Academy instructor who insisted that he had been unfairly convicted of sexual misconduct with two female midshipmen. After revelations about his case in The Washington Post, the military has now charged Thompson with making a false official statement and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. If convicted of lying under oath, Thompson could face up to five years in prison, a dismissal from the service and a total loss of his retirement benefits. Retired U.S. Air Force judge advocate Rachel VanLandingham said the potential penalty for the conduct-unbecoming accusation depends on the underlying offense. The Marine Corps will hold an Article 32 preliminary hearing in May in Quantico, Va., to determine whether the case should proceed to a court-martial. Thompson, who served in Afghanistan, has long fought to prove he was falsely accused of having sex with two students in 2011, but a Post investigation revealed that he’d been dishonest when he testified under oath in 2014 to an administrative board deciding whether he should be expelled from the Corps. Asked in January of this year why he had lied to authorities, Thompson described the immense pressure he faced after one of the women asserted that he’d raped her. “I simply had to, when they were coming after me for 41 years,” Thompson said, “I can’t begin to say, you know, how terrifying that is.” Thompson, whose defense attorney declined to comment, was acquitted of the rape charge but found guilty of five lesser offenses. He served two months in a military brig and was fined $60,000. After the Post story was published last month, the Marine Corps launched a new investigation, rapidly building a case against the 19-year veteran. A prosecutor met earlier this month with one of the accusers, Sarah Stadler, to review the contents of her long-missing cellphone. A number of the more than 650 messages she and Thompson exchanged appear to contradict several assertions he made at the administrative hearing. Then, earlier this week, Marine Maj. Michael Pretus — a key witness for Thompson’s defense at his 2013 court-martial — told The Post that he would now serve as a


Shanghai Taste review: The virtuoso of soup dumplings

Wei Sun making dumplings at Shanghai Gardens, a small, strip-mall operation run by the Shanghai native in Rockville, Md. (Farrah Skeiky for The Washington Post) Tina, a tall, gracious waitress at Shanghai Taste, is scrolling through fish photos on her phone. It’s my fault. I had asked her what species the kitchen uses to prepare its “salty crispy fish,” a plate of small, sinuous, head-on sea creatures that look like they were battered and fried while still gliding through brackish waters. Internet photos are the common language between a diner and a server who don’t share the same mother tongue. Tina tells me the slender specimens are called “crystal fish,” but I later decide that’s a mistake based on a poor Internet translation. What I think she means is that they’re “silver fish” — not the pests that feast on our books, but tiny, translucent critters that can be eaten whole, head, cartilage, fins, everything. When encased in a cornstarch batter, the silver fish go down like crispy, immature mackerel, light and a little oily. I keep knocking back these golden squiggles as if they’re French fries of the sea. And yet, “salty crispy fish” is not the dish that defines Shanghai Taste, a standard-issue outpost in Rockville’s Woodley Gardens shopping center. The dish that attracts diners is a bamboo steamer loaded with xiao long bao, those bundles of molten liquid better known as soup dumplings, or just XLB. Wei Sun, co-owner and chef of Shanghai Taste, prepares three kinds of soup dumplings. Two are the familiar steamed varieties, the pleated, bottom-heavy dough balls that remind me of artist Juan Munoz’s bronzed human sandbags that perpetually argue outside the Hirshhorn. The steamed dumplings can be ordered with either a pork or crab-and-pork filling, each a minor engineering miracle. The thin wrapper on the pork dumpling somehow holds back a wall of hot, cloudy stock enriched with pig skin. The crab meat bullies the pork in the other dumpling, thanks to a cache of “mustard,” that yellowish gland with the intrusive temperament of Kanye West. Beef noodle soup at Shanghai Gardens. (Farrah Skeiky for The Washington Post) As flush and flavorful as the steamed dumplings are, the pan-fried version (sheng jian bao) is the one that generates all the traffic to Shanghai Taste, like a Rockville variation on the baseball faithful who flock to Iowa in “Field of Dreams.” The pan-fried


At the end of the tunnel, riders see only smoke

to back into the Tenleytown station and unload its passengers. As usual, riders on other trains that were caught up in the disruption were confused about what was going on and struggled to reach their destinations. Wren wanted to get home before dark because she has a problem with driving at night. She was hoping for a reliable trip, a major selling point for transit everywhere but one that’s fast fading from the memory of Washingtonians. The investigation into the incident continues, but Metro officials said it appeared that a metal part of a rail car dislodged and made contact with the third rail. In a report to the Metro board Thursday, General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld attributed the weekday disruptions in the same tunnel to arcing insulators, a term for sparking in the power system that has become all too familiar to riders. That deep tunnel along the west side of the Red Line is notorious for mixing water with electricity. It needs extensive repairs. For now, Wiedefeld said, he was ordering a “maintenance surge” through the weekend that will include checking the insulators, power cables and the third rail as well as plugging water leaks, cleaning drains and removing mud. “I’ll be coming up shortly with a track plan to basically avoid some of the problems we’ve been having and to create a time frame for getting the system back up to a state of good repair,” Wiedefeld said. This reassessment makes sense, in theory, but any rider who has endured the previous five years of Metro’s rebuilding strategy is bound to be skeptical. So far, we know from Wiedefeld that the new strategy “will require more sacrifice from our customers.” And we know he’s anticipating an unprecedented level of regional cooperation to ease that pain: “We will be seeking assistance from all the local jurisdictions . . . whether it’s traffic mitigation, additional buses, traffic signal prioritization, any of those types of things that we can do.” The certainty for riders is that the commute will get worse before it gets better. The reasonable doubt is over whether it will get better. Dr. Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living. Comments and questions are welcome and may be used in a column, along with the writer’s name and home community. Write Dr. Gridlock at The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, or e-mail drgridlock@washpost.com.


Students at a Maryland school come together after deaths

Students from Winston Churchill High School gather at a park in Potomac, Md., on April 24. (Courtesy Bill Wu) As Winston Churchill High School mourned the loss of a second student in less than two months, more than 150 students converged on a Potomac, Md., park hoping to forge a stronger sense of community while they honored those who died. Balloons festooned a goal post, and music played as students mingled. The recent gathering had the feel of a spring picnic — three-legged races, blankets spread out on the grass — but with a deeper sense of purpose. Churchill has lost two of its own since February: Alyson “Alex” Baumann, 15, a sophomore who died Feb. 25, and Anna “Maya” Castillo, 17, a junior who died April 17. Both families have confirmed that the teenagers took their own lives. Anna loved art and wanted to be a therapist, her father, Victor, said. “She really cared about helping people,” he said. “She was phenomenal. She had a big heart.” Churchill student Areya Campbell-Rosen reads a poem to the crowd. (Bill Wu) Alyson, an artistic and musical teenager with sparkling blue eyes, wanted to work in the equestrian world. “She knew her passion in life was with horses,” said Lissa Baumann, the teen’s mother. “We used to call her the horse whisperer.” The coming-together among their classmates at the high-performing Montgomery County high school April 24 was intended to unify the student body as teenagers reeled from the losses. There was pizza and laughter. As darkness fell, there was song and candlelight. “We wanted to make one giant support system for everyone to fall back on and to prevent anything like this from happening again,” said Sara Heimlich, 16, a sophomore active in student government who helped organize the event. Montgomery school officials said they stepped up offers of student support and counseling immediately after the deaths, as is the system’s practice. They said a school-based program that works to prevent suicide is planning a wellness day this month at Churchill. School district leaders say that as they respond to such tragedies, they look to advice posted by federal health officials, including consulting with the family involved about memorials and seeking ideas to remember students in positive ways. But the 10th-graders who organized the gathering, called U-Nite 2016, said they felt an urgency to act and did so on their own —


Robotics squad, made up of Syrian refugees, competes on the world stage

Members of the robotics team “Hope of Syria” show off their robot named “Robogee,” a mash-up of “robot” and “refugee.” The team, made up entirely of refugees, just returned from the international robotic competition VEX Worlds in Louisville, Ky. Abdul Rhman Mawas, 17, said he was in math class when a bomb struck the building next to his school in Yabroud, Syria, two years ago. He escaped the school just before it, too, was struck, crumbling to the ground before his eyes. “After that, there was no chance for anyone to return to school again,” Mawas said. “It was a very tragic and sad day for everyone — for the students and the teachers.” Like for many Syrian youths, the war that has torn apart Mawas’s homeland has also thrown his education into limbo. His family resettled in Bekaa Valley in Lebanon, and he now attends classes at a school run by the Multi Aid Programs, a non-governmental humanitarian organization. It is there that he and other refugees formed a robotics squad called Hope for Syria and helped build a robot they named Robogee, a mash-up of “robot” and “refugee.” Against long odds, Hope for Syria scored well enough at a national competition in Beirut to earn a spot at the international robotics competition VEX Worlds in Louisville, becoming the first Syrian team to make it to the international phase. Only Mawas and one other team member, 18-year-old Mohammad Mamdouh Kheshfeh, could get visas to attend the competition, and they faced teams with far more experience and resources. But judges, impressed by their perseverance, gave them a coveted Judge’s Award at the culmination of the competition last week. Abdul Rhman Mawas, left, and Mohammad Mamdouh Kheshfeh of the Hope for Syria team carry their robot in the Cannon House Office Building. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) This week, Mawas, Kheshfeh and staff members from Multi Aid Programs took Robogee to Capitol Hill and the White House, where they met with members of Congress and staff from the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Robogee, which picks up balls and throws them into nets, shot colorful foam balls around congressional offices and the White House, to the great amusement of staff. They came to tell Hope for Syria’s story and raise awareness of the barriers to education that Syrian refugees face. They hope to raise funds for Multi Aid Programs and to


Police seek possible suspect in fatal stabbing of a man in Northwest Washington

D.C. police are looking for this man in connection with a fatal stabbing. (Courtesy of D.C. Police) Police in the District showed a surveillance video and photos of a man whom they want to find in connection with the fatal stabbing of a 38-year-old man. The victim, Dimas Fuentes-Lazo of Northwest Washington, was found suffering from multiple stab wounds around 10:23 p.m. on April 23 when police arrived to the 800 block of Kennedy Street NW. Fuentes-Lazo was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The video shows the man walking down a street and then entering a building. He then comes back out and walks down the street. Another surveillance video shows the suspect running down a street and in front of a building. Police are asking anyone who recognizes the man seen in the photos or surveillance video to call authorities at 202-727-9099. A reward of up to $25,000 may be awarded for any information that leads to an arrest or conviction.


New discovery means more U.S. states will face a risk from Zika

dense urban environments. It’s especially fond of suburban back yards and sprawling city parks. Marcos Espinal, director of communicable diseases at the Pan American Health Organization, said researchers are still trying to determine how effectively the Asian tiger can spread disease in comparison to aegypti. “Scientists will not be surprised if it’s a competent vector, but we need to find out more,” Espinal said in an interview. CDC entomologist McAllister said there are several reasons to doubt that the Asian tiger mosquito will be able to drive the kind of Zika outbreak ravaging Brazil, where more than 1,000 infants have been born with undersize heads and severe brain damage probably caused by a Zika-related infection during the early stages of fetal development. Everything you ever wanted to know about the Zika virus and its spread across North and South America. For one, the albopictus mosquito is “a more aggressive biter,” McAllister said, as it feeds on humans, raccoons, squirrels or any other warm-blooded mammal it finds. “Once it starts taking a blood meal, it will stay on that person until it’s completely full,” she said, instead of jumping from person to person — precisely the promiscuous behavior that makes the aegypti species so effective at spreading infections. The aegypti variety is much more adapted to humans, she said, as it flies low around human ankles to avoid detection, then eats quick, short meals that reduce its chances of getting swatted. “It won’t take a complete blood meal if people are actively moving around, so that’s what makes aegypti a super-spreader,” McAllister said. “Whereas the albopictus tends to stay put.” Specimens of the Asian tiger species found in the United States have been traced back to northern Japan, reflecting the mosquito’s ability to survive colder weather. With a distinctive black-and-white coloring, the species was first detected in North America at the Port of Houston in 1985, and later showed up in the Port of Los Angeles. In both instances, scientists suspect the larvae arrived in shipments of used tires. Albopictus eggs have also arrived from Asia in the ornamental plants sold as “lucky bamboo” in U.S. department stores. In Europe albopictus populations have increased so fast that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, a European Union agency, has labeled it the world’s most invasive mosquito species. Eliminating albopictus larvae can be more difficult than controlling aegypti populations because the


and later showed up in the Port of Los Angeles. In both instances, scientists suspect the larvae arrived in shipments of used tires. Albopictus eggs have also arrived from Asia in the ornamental plants sold as “lucky bamboo” in U.S. department stores. In Europe albopictus populations have increased so fast that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, a European Union agency, has labeled it the world’s most invasive mosquito species. Eliminating albopictus larvae can be more difficult than controlling aegypti populations because the species can reproduce in a variety of outdoor environments, said Thomas Inglesby, the director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Center for Health Security. The discovery of Zika in the Asian tiger mosquito means states and counties in the insect’s range need to rethink their control plans, he said. “We have a big country where the responsibility for this rests with a lot of little jurisdictions, so we don’t have a lot of good data about how well states and localities are prepared,” Inglesby said. “Mosquito-control programs around the country are a patchwork.” “I think some states and local governments have been focusing on aegypti and less on albopictus, but this finding makes clear that both will require control measures,” he added. The White House has asked Congress for nearly $1.9 billion to help state and local health officials prepare for a Zika outbreak in the United States this summer, including funds for spraying, larvacide and other mosquito control methods. The request has been stalled for two months, and Senate Republicans have countered with a $1.1 billion proposal. In the meantime, the Obama administration has been paying for Zika preparations using funds previously approved for fighting Ebola. According to the most recent CDC figures, 426 Zika cases have been reported in the 50 U.S. states by travelers who acquired the virus abroad or had sex with an infected partner. Another 596 cases have been tallied in U.S. territories, mostly in Puerto Rico, where mosquitoes are spreading the disease. There have been no reports of Zika transmission by mosquitoes in the 50 U.S. states, but the CDC has warned that is likely to change as insect populations increase with warmer weather. Read more: Zika’s terrifying path As mosquito season arrives, is the U.S. ready for Zika? Zika exposes class differences in Brazil, where most victims are poor Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world


A 153-mile run through the Sahara — on prosthetic legs

Duncan Slater, a double amputee, and other competitors cover 156 miles in six days in scorching Morocco. Duncan Slater, a double amputee, and other competitors cover 156 miles in six days in scorching Morocco. OUARZAZATE, Morocco — Victoria Nicholson, a perky British expedition manager in bright pink, is the boss. Hassan, a 25-year-old Moroccan Berber from the outskirts of the desert, is her co-pilot and driver. He hangs out the side of a 4Runner with a tie-dyed scarf wrapped around his head. The pair squint against the sun at the line of runners trudging through a yellow-brown backdrop of plateaus. Heat simmers off the sand. Hassan spots them first. “Duncan!” he yells at Nicholson, pointing ahead at two men, one with a slower, methodical gait, making their way to the checkpoint. Hassan quickly lays out his prayer rug on the sand below the backseat, where Duncan Slater, the taller of the two men, will sit as he gingerly pulls off his tan camouflage prosthetic legs. His best friend and running partner, Christopher Moore, sips water nearby. Hassan quietly teases out a mattress from the net on top of the car to make a small spot of shade. “Cheers, mate,” Slater tells Hassan, and hoists himself back up. Eight miles down, 44 to go. This is the toughest day of “the toughest footrace on Earth,” and Slater is four days into his quest to become the first double amputee to complete the 153-mile, six-day ultramarathon, which requires competitors to carry all of their food and supplies throughout. Duncan Slater, a double amputee, and other competitors cover 156 miles in six days in scorching Morocco. No one would fault Slater, 37, for giving up after Stage 1 — or, certainly, for not having tried at all. Each year, more than 1,000 runners agree to a week that will guarantee profound physical and emotional pain. On the 21.1-mile first day, almost 30 runners drop out after strong winds whip up the sands of the famous pink-orange Erg Chebbi dunes and obscure the course. Temperatures rise past 100 degrees, and the course tracks over cracked, dry lake beds, steep “jebel” climbs and sloping sand dunes. In the months before the race, people openly doubted whether a double amputee could finish an ultramarathon in which well-trained professional athletes often fail. For Slater, the harder the challenge, the more he is reminded of what he can


Here’s what Maryland is doing to prevent Zika virus

This file photo taken on January 25, 2016 shows an Aedes Aegypti mosquito. (Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images) Maryland officials announced Friday that the state plans to spend about $700,000 to make residents aware of Zika and to prevent the mosquito-borne virus from spreading. Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said during a news conference with officials from various state departments, including health, agriculture and transportation, that his administration’s “first and main priority is keeping Marylanders safe,” and that “all levels of government are working together to respond to threats to public health. . . . We’re taking his very seriously.” Hogan’s news conference followed reports on Friday of the first recorded Zika-related death in the United States. State officials were unaware of the death, which was announced moments before the governor’s news conference. Officials in Puerto Rico said a 70-year-old man died after initially recovering from Zika symptoms. He later developed an immune reaction to the virus and died from internal bleeding. The death comes after researchers announced this week that they have detected the virus in the Aedes albopictus, a mosquito species that is found as far north as the New England states. The discovery did not come as a surprise to U.S. health officials, who have been telling states that originally did not think the virus would spread to other regions to prepare for Zika. Earlier this month Hogan declared this week Zika Awareness Week, hoping to provide tips to residents on how to prevent the spread of mosquitoes that might carry the virus. Twelve people in Maryland have been infected with the virus, according to the most recent figures from the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. All of the cases involve someone who has traveled to areas outside the country where the virus is actively transmitted. Some of those cases involve pregnant women and some were sexually transmitted, according to state health officials. Symptoms of the Zika virus are fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis. The symptoms are mild, so most people who have the virus are not aware that they are infected. It poses the most significant threat to pregnant women because it can cause a birth defect known as microcephaly, a condition where a baby’s head is much smaller than expected. The babies often have smaller brains that have not properly developed. State officials are urging residents to empty outside containers with standing water, to wear


Egyptian history repeats itself

The Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahari, Egypt. (iStock) Billy Wilder is quoted as emphasizing the importance of making subtleties obvious. Perhaps The Post should adopt this philosophy and ensure that related articles appear on the same page so that readers can more readily keep them in context. For example, the April 24 WorldViews blog excerpt “Discovery begins to re-engender ancient Egypt’s most successful female pharaoh” was on Page A15, and “Rewriting history in Egypt” was on Page A16. The first article was about Hatshepsut, whose successor tried to eliminate evidence of her existence. The second article described the removal of the name of Nobel laureate, former director of the International Atomic Energy Agency and former vice president Mohamed ElBaradei from a textbook because of his opposition to the existing regime. David Cosson, Potomac


What needs to happen before we legalize marijuana

A sample of Blue Dream Boutique marijuana at Takoma Wellness Center in Washington in 2015. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) JUNE 30 could be a red-letter day for federal policy on marijuana: The Drug Enforcement Administration has promised to decide “in the first half of 2016” whether to change the drug’s status under the Controlled Substances Act. At present, it is on Schedule 1, meaning it has “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse” and is among “the most dangerous drugs . . . with potentially severe psychological or physical dependence,” according to the DEA. Other Schedule 1 drugs include heroin and ecstasy; and for many people, including those who have petitioned the DEA to “reschedule” pot, marijuana simply doesn’t belong in that category — because it isn’t that dangerous, and because, they argue, it has medicinal uses. Then again, June 30 could bring a ratification of the status quo; the DEA has rejected three previous pot rescheduling petitions, citing factors such as U.S. obligations under international anti-drug agreements and, most important, insufficient evidence of medical usefulness. Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration has never found marijuana safe and effective as a medicine — claims by patients and state “medical marijuana” laws notwithstanding. The FDA has signed off on a synthetic version of pot’s active ingredient, THC, to treat appetite loss and chemotherapy-induced nausea. It’s not clear, however, how the FDA is supposed to assess a plant-based substance that comes in myriad forms and has more than one active ingredient, deliverable as smoke, a solid or a liquid of different strengths. Those who discount such concerns may have the interests of suffering patients at heart. They may underestimate, however, the pitfalls of promoting a substance that is less destructive than, say, heroin but may be no more useful, medically, than snake oil. To be sure, this presents a Catch-22: The DEA can’t reschedule marijuana without more research on its potential medical aspects; yet such research is effectively discouraged by keeping it on Schedule I. To date, the federal government has imposed severe limits on the kinds of clinical trials that might lead to FDA approval of certain uses of pot, based on the assumption that it has no medical use. A better approach would be for Congress to create a new schedule for drugs such as pot that are risky to use but less dangerous than


Beers of the Week: American Mexican-style lagers

21st First Amendment’s El Sully. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) If you’ve missed seeing the Corona posters and Dos Equis displays in your local beer shop, you might have forgotten that Cinco de Mayo is upon us. Many Americans will observe this holiday — the anniversary of the 1862 Battle of Puebla — by cracking open a frosty Mexican cerveza. Craft beer drinkers, for the most part, look down on Mexican lagers, especially the flavorless golden beers that require a slice of lime in the bottle. But in the past few years, craft breweries have begun releasing their own “Mexican-style” beers. It’s a smart move all around: The brewers expand their audience to the population that doesn’t drink craft beers because “they’re too hoppy,” and the craft-beer-or-die crowd doesn’t have to sacrifice principle when buying a beach-friendly beer. Here are three that can be enjoyed all summer long. 21st Amendment’s El Sully, released last fall, is the most traditional: a light straw-colored beer that’s going to head-to-head with Pacifico and Modelo Especial. El Sully has more bready and sweet grain flavors than its competitors, plus grassy hops and a hint of lemon, finishing semi-dry. There’s no need for a lime. The only thing that might cause a pause is the price: A six-pack of El Sully usually costs $2 to $3 more than similar Mexican imports. Flying Dog’s Numero Uno Summer Cerveza definitely doesn’t need a lime in the bottle: The zest of lime peels is added after fermentation to impart a citrusy punch. The beer itself is a standard corn-based adjunct lager, brewed with agave to add a sweet, honeylike note and a bit of funk. There’s an unusual stickiness to the finish. Finally, there’s Oskar Blues’ Beerito, which hits Washington-area stores Monday. It’s a Vienna lager, which has been a popular beer style in Mexico since Emperor Maximilian I brought Austrian brewers to the country in the 1860s. An amber beer with a thin white head, Beerito has sweet caramel and toffee notes from the barley malt and floral hops. The flavor is a little on the thin side, though that would be welcome on a hot day. 21st Amendment El Sully: 21st-amendment.com. $10 to $12 per six-pack. Flying Dog Numero Uno Summer Cerveza: flyingdogbrewery.com. $10 to $12 per six-pack. Oskar Blues Beerito: oskarblues.com. $10 to $12 per six-pack. More from Food: Beer Column


Japan calls for international help as North Korea stonewalls on abductions

angrily declared in February that it was stopping its investigation. Katsunobu Kato, Japan’s minister in charge of the abduction issue, will deliver an address in Washington on Monday and at the United Nations on Wednesday to ask the international community to help “extract and induce” cooperation from North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un. “Our position is to strongly demand that the judgment is made [to resume discussions],” Kato said in an interview in his office, adorned with posters of the most famous abductee, Megumi Yokota, a 13-year-old who was taken on her way home from school in 1977. During the 1970s and early 1980s, North Korea operated a state-sponsored abduction program in which it snatched young Japanese and put them on a boat to North Korea, where they were used to train spies to speak their language and pass for Japanese. In a surprise development, North Korea admitted in 2002 that it had been abducting Japanese and agreed to return five of the people on Japan’s list of 17. But it said that eight of the others on the list, including Megumi, had died in North Korea and that the other four never entered the country. The issue was dormant until an agreement in 2014 in which Tokyo agreed to ease sanctions on North Korea and Pyongyang agreed to investigate what had happened to the abductees. But Pyongyang never submitted the reports it promised or made further progress, and the negotiations stalled. Then, after this year’s nuclear and missile tests, Japan reinstated old sanctions and imposed new ones on North Korea, and it supported multilateral measures. In response, North Korea’s investigation committee said its work “will be totally stopped.” Kato said that in his speeches in the United States he will ask the global community to work together and will “strongly demand” that North Korea cooperate. But as international efforts to curtail North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs have shown, to “strongly demand” that Pyongyang do something does not work, and North Korea holds the advantage on this issue. Analysts say that Japan’s pleas are making no difference. As with denuclearization discussions, North Korea expects to be rewarded for negotiating and will probably insist that sanctions be dropped — and billions of dollars in humanitarian aid be promised — for cooperation on the abduction issue. That is impossible, analysts say, given the crackdown on North Korea for its recent provocations.


Skywatch for May, by Blaine P. Friedlander Jr.

The fleet planet Mercury casually strolls across the sun May 9, like a tiny, travelling black dot against the fiery disk. It’s a rare transit of Mercury. Take caution: Do not look directly into the sun through a bare telescope or bare binoculars, or with your naked eye — and that includes sunglasses. If you do, you will go blind. (Mercury is so small against the sun that you cannot see it with the naked eye, anyway.) View the transit only through proper, solar-safe filters on optical instruments. Barring clouds, the eastern United States gets to view the full 7.5-hour transit, starting at 7:12 a.m. Mercury reaches its transit midpoint at 10:57 a.m., and the cosmic event lasts until 2:42 p.m., says former NASA astronomer Fred Espenak. For the Midwest and the Western states, the transit will already be underway at sunrise. There are only 13 Mercury transits each century; so far, we’ve had one in 2003 and 2006. Beyond this year, the next will be Nov. 11, 2019 — Veteran’s Day. Safe places to see the transit of Mercury ● Montgomery College : Safe telescopes will be set up in the parking lot adjacent to the Montgomery College planetarium from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. If cloudy, participants are invited into the planetarium at 7611 Fenton St., Takoma Park. Web: www.ow.ly/JEJ6V . ● Air and Space Museum: Transit viewing with properly filtered telescopes at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory on the museum’s eastern side, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lectures: Geologist Jim Zimbelman on “The Transit of Mercury: What’s the Big Deal About a Planet in Front of a Star?” at 11 a.m. Space historian David DeVorkin on “Explaining the Mystery of Mercury’s Motion,” at 1 p.m. For both talks, meet at the museum’s Great Seal, at the building’s Mall entrance. www.airandspace.si.edu. ● David M. Brown Planetarium, Arlington: Friends of the Planetarium volunteers will guide you with Sunspotter telescopes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parking is at a premium during school hours; paid parking is nearby. The planetarium is near the Ballston, Virginia Square and Clarendon Metro stations. 1426 N. Quincy St., adjacent to Washington-Lee High School. www.friendsoftheplanetarium.org. ● Online: With telescopes placed around the world, watch the transit from the comfort of your computer. The live coverage on Slooh.com begins at 7 a.m., with astronomers Paul Cox and Bob Berman. The VirtualTelescope.eu will feature the transit,


underway at sunrise. There are only 13 Mercury transits each century; so far, we’ve had one in 2003 and 2006. Beyond this year, the next will be Nov. 11, 2019 — Veteran’s Day. Safe places to see the transit of Mercury ● Montgomery College : Safe telescopes will be set up in the parking lot adjacent to the Montgomery College planetarium from 7:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. If cloudy, participants are invited into the planetarium at 7611 Fenton St., Takoma Park. Web: www.ow.ly/JEJ6V . ● Air and Space Museum: Transit viewing with properly filtered telescopes at the Phoebe Waterman Haas Public Observatory on the museum’s eastern side, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lectures: Geologist Jim Zimbelman on “The Transit of Mercury: What’s the Big Deal About a Planet in Front of a Star?” at 11 a.m. Space historian David DeVorkin on “Explaining the Mystery of Mercury’s Motion,” at 1 p.m. For both talks, meet at the museum’s Great Seal, at the building’s Mall entrance. www.airandspace.si.edu. ● David M. Brown Planetarium, Arlington: Friends of the Planetarium volunteers will guide you with Sunspotter telescopes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parking is at a premium during school hours; paid parking is nearby. The planetarium is near the Ballston, Virginia Square and Clarendon Metro stations. 1426 N. Quincy St., adjacent to Washington-Lee High School. www.friendsoftheplanetarium.org. ● Online: With telescopes placed around the world, watch the transit from the comfort of your computer. The live coverage on Slooh.com begins at 7 a.m., with astronomers Paul Cox and Bob Berman. The VirtualTelescope.eu will feature the transit, as well. Other planets: Early May evenings begin with bright Jupiter (-2.3 magnitude, bright) in the south hanging out in Leo. Rusty, reddish Mars rises in the southeast around 10 p.m. early in the month, and it brightens from -1.5 magnitude to an exceptionally bright -2, in the constellation Scorpius. Mars reaches opposition (think full Mars instead of full moon) on May 22. The large, gaseous, ringed Saturn (zero magnitude, bright) rises around 10:30 p.m. after Mars in the southeast, but find both planets in the south at about 3 a.m., in the constellations Scorpius and Ophiuchus, forming a triangle with the red star Antares. Down-to-Earth Events: ●May 1 — ●May 5 — ●May 6 — ●May 7 — ●May 7 — ●May 7 — ●May 14 — ●May 20 — Blaine Friedlander can be reached at PostSkyWatch@yahoo.com .


Man dead, suspect in custody in Northeast D.C. shooting

D.C. police have one person in custody following the fatal shooting of a man in Northeast Washington on Saturday morning. Officers were called to the 800 block of 21st Street about 10:42 a.m. where they found the victim on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck. The suspected shooter was arrested at the scene. The men are “known to each other,” Sternbeck said but did not provide any more details about their relationship. Police have not released the identities of the victim or his suspected killer.


D.C. police make arrest in fatal shooting

D.C. police have one person in custody following the fatal shooting of a man in Northeast Washington on Saturday morning. Shortly after 10:40 a.m., officers were called to the 800 block of 21st Street NE, where they found the victim on the sidewalk with a gunshot wound to the chest, according to police. He was pronounced dead at the hospital, police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said. The suspected shooter was arrested at the scene. The men are “known to each other,” Sternbeck said, but he did not provide details about their relationship. Police have not released the identities of the victim or the suspect. — Arelis R. Hernández THE DISTRICT Man injured in Gallery Place stabbing A man is recovering from injuries he suffered during a stabbing at Metro’s Gallery Place station early Saturday morning, authorities said. Metro said the victim was standing on the platform about 12:30 a.m. when he was attacked. Transit police detained four teenagers in connection with the incident. One was arrested because of an outstanding warrant unrelated to the stabbing, Metro spokeswoman Morgan Dye said. The victim was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries and is expected to survive, Dye said. The victim refused to talk to detectives and was not cooperating with the investigation. — Arelis R. Hernández MARYLAND Woman gets probation for school lunch fraud A former Prince George’s County Board of Education member was sentenced to three years of probation Friday for fraudulently obtaining free school lunches. A jury convicted Lynette Mundey of felony theft, welfare fraud and other related charges in February after a federal investigation found she stole more than $1,700 worth of subsidized lunches over about four years. Mundey is among several employees at the U.S. Government Accountability Office who were charged after an agency audit uncovered the fraud. Mundey had an income of $70,000 to nearly $95,000 but falsely filled out applications to obtain free or reduced-price school meals, prosecutors said. — Lynh Bui Maryland Man dies in crash in Pr. George’s County A man died early Saturday in a single-car crash in Prince George’s County, police said. Authorities say the driver was southbound on Indian Head Highway shortly before 1 a.m. when he lost control and struck a guardrail near Palmer Road. Police have not identified the victim. The road was closed at the scene for about four hours. — Donna St. George


Britain flirts with economic insanity

A poster urging people to vote to leave the European Union in the upcoming referendum. (James Pheby/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images) Countries usually don’t knowingly commit economic suicide, but in Britain, millions seem ready to give it a try. On June 23, the United Kingdom will vote to decide whether to quit the European Union, the 28-nation economic bloc with a population of 508 million and a gross domestic product of almost $17 trillion. Let’s not be coy: Leaving the E.U. would be an act of national insanity. It would weaken the U.K. economy, one of Europe’s strongest. The E.U. absorbs 44 percent of Britain’s exports; these might suffer because trade barriers, now virtually nonexistent between the U.K. and other E.U. members, would probably rise. Meanwhile, Britain would become less attractive as a production platform for the rest of Europe, so that new foreign direct investment in the U.K. — now $1.5 trillion — would fall. Also threatened would be London’s status as Europe’s major financial center, home (for example) to 78 percent of E.U. foreign exchange trading. With the U.K. out of the E.U., some banking activities might move to Frankfurt or other cities. This would be a big blow. Losses could be considerable. A study from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), after making assumptions about U.K. trade and investment, concluded that “Brexit” — shorthand for Britain’s “exit” from the E.U. — could “shave off” $3,200 from average British household income by 2020. No one really knows, but other studies reach similar conclusions. Indeed, the adverse effects may be undercounted, argues OECD SecretaryGeneral Angel Gurría. Noting that U.K. economic growth in the first quarter of 2016 was the slowest since 2012, he says that uncertainty over Britain’s future is already causing businesses to delay hiring and investment decisions. British finance minister George Osborne said a vote to leave the E.U. would do permanent damage to the country's economy. What would Britain get from all this? Good question. There are three main complaints against the E.U., says Nile Gardiner, who was an aide to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and now works at the conservative Heritage Foundation. First, the outpouring of regulations from Brussels — the seat of the E.U. — has compromised Britain’s sovereignty. On some issues, the European Court of Justice can overrule British courts. Second, the E.U.’s liberal migration rules may expose Britain to


On a D.C. rooftop, a scientist and his students look to solve bee mystery

to distract them during the transition from travel box to hive. Then it’s up to Discafani and the dozen or so other students to transfer the bees into the rest of the hives. They spray the next set of bees and then gently shake them into a hive. They transfer the queen bee — who was kept in a small box — and then reassemble the hive and move on to the next one. Each hive can hold 60,000 bees. A close-up view of worker bees in one of the hives at George Washington University. Bees pollinate about 30 percent of our nation’s food. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) Last year, one experiment Doebel and his students performed examined how neonicotinoids can hurt a bee’s memory. “If they have above a certain level, the majority of the bees won’t ever find their way home,” says student research assistant Michelle Ahn, 19, who’s from Fairfax. If a bee is confused or lost, it becomes vulnerable to disease and loses efficiency. Many bees suffering memory loss is a disaster for the species. This year, Doebel and his students will examine how chemical substances affect the “waggle dance” — that’s when a bee vibrates its abdomen to communicate to the other bees the direction and distance to a food source. Doebel hopes the team’s work will help save bees. He also hopes more people will learn about the plight of honeybees and admire and appreciate them instead of fear them. “They are harmless,” he says. “If they sting, it’s because we made a mistake and they are letting us know. And if they get too close, they are only there asking if they can share your food.” Bee fun facts ●A single hive can produce up to a 100 pounds of honey. ●One pound of honey represents about 55,000 bee miles flown and visits to about 2 million flowers. ●A single worker bee can pollinate 2,000 flowers a day. ●Almost all bees in hives are female. ●Undertaker bees remove dead bodies from the hive. ●Southeastern blueberry bees live for only about two weeks but pollinate 60,000 blueberry flowers, which grow blueberries. How can kids help honeybees? Learn as much as you can about the species and colony-collapse disorder so that you can help educate others. Plant a wildflower garden in a corner of your yard. Encourage your parents to avoid products that contain neonicotinoids.


The Global Magnitsky Act will help protect human rights activists worldwide

Khadija Ismayilova in February 2015. (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty) ALL TOO frequently, senior U.S. officials play down gross violations of human rights by regimes perceived to be important to other American interests. The case of Khadija Ismayilova, an Azerbaijani journalist, is a particularly disturbing example. Ms. Ismayilova trained in Washington at Voice of America before returning to her homeland to work for another U.S.-funded radio station, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. She produced groundbreaking investigative reports about the corruption of Azerbaijan’s ruler, Ilham Aliyev, and his family; the recently released Panama Papers confirmed the truth of her account of offshore companies used by the Aliyevs to hold their interest in a gold mine. For the past 16 months, Ms. Ismayilova has been jailed in Baku on trumped-up charges of tax evasion and illegal business activities linked to the Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty bureau she headed. Last September she was sentenced to 7½ years in prison. She is not only a persecuted journalist, but also one who was working for a U.S.-funded radio station that is dedicated to free expression. Yet the Obama administration has responded weakly. A State Department statement at the time of her conviction said “the United States is deeply troubled” by the case, and called for her release. But when Mr. Aliyev met with Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Vice President Biden during a recent visit to Washington, neither said anything in public about Ms. Ismayilova. Other Azeri political prisoners were released before Mr. Aliyev’s visit, so it is hard to dispute the assessment we heard from one Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty official: “If the White House had made [Ms. Ismayilova] a priority, she would be out.” The case illustrates why Congress should approve pending legislation on international human rights abuses. A bill known as the Global Magnitsky Act would create a process for the imposition of U.S. sanctions on “any foreign person” who commits abuses against human rights activists or “individuals . . . who seek to expose illegal activity carried out by government officials.” It’s an expansion of a 2012 law that provided for sanctions against Russian officials, including those involved in the imprisonment and death of Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who exposed a massive embezzlement scheme. The Obama administration resisted the original Magnitsky Act but has since publicly imposed sanctions on 39 Russians under its provisions. A global law would pressure (but not


Jeb Bush’s clock, Tim McGraw’s guitar: Gifts received by Gov. Larry Hogan

Francis during the pontiff’s 2015 visit to Washington. (Photo by Mary Natelli McCann) Hogan reported taking few particularly pricey or lavish gifts of the type that can pose trouble for elected officials. Former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell (R) and his wife, Maureen, were convicted in 2014 of using the prestige of his office to receive $177,000 in loans, vacations and luxury goods from a businessman, a case now under review by the U.S. Supreme Court. McDonnell did not report receiving a $6,500 Rolex watch on his financial disclosures. Maryland ethics law generally prohibits officials from asking for gifts, or taking them from lobbyists or people doing business with their agency. But there are myriad exceptions. Doug Mayer, a spokesman for Hogan, says gifts to the governor are accepted on behalf of the state of Maryland, and those that present a possible conflict of interest are declined or returned. For example, a pair of shoes and a sweatshirt valued at $300 from Under Armour chief executive Kevin Plank were returned in December. No other statewide elected official in Maryland reported receiving gifts, nor did Democratic legislative leaders. But the law requires reporting only gifts worth more than $20 from people who could present conflicts of interest. Hogan chose to disclose more than the law requires. ● Some of the most valuable items: Two tickets to the National Symphony Orchestra, from the Chinese ambassador to the United States; an autographed guitar from Tim McGraw, donated by the University of Maryland after a benefit concert; and a mounted and framed copy of the front page of the Baltimore Sun after Hogan’s upset victory in 2014, from developer Leonard Attman. ● Gifts from other political figures: Hogan keeps a digital clock counting down to the end of his first term on his desk, a present from former Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush, who kept a similar clock as governor of Florida. He also received books from Karl Rove, a political strategist for President George W. Bush, and from economist Arthur Laffer, who was a tax adviser to President Ronald Reagan. ● Presents from overseas: During Hogan’s 12-day trade trip to Asia last year, officials with governments, universities and businesses including Hyundai, Samsung and LG Electronics bestowed items such as tea cups and a Chinese gong. ● Team spirit: Hogan received gear from the leaders of the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Orioles and Baltimore Ravens.


Man killed in Northwest Washington shooting

A man died Tuesday afternoon after he was shot in Northwest Washington, a D.C. police spokesman said. The man was found in the 4500 block of Illinois Avenue NW around 3:55 p.m., Officer Sean Hickman, a department spokesman, said. He was unconscious and unresponsive when officers arrived. He was taken to an area hospital, where he later died, Hickman said. Further details about the shooting were not released.


Man, 21, shot and killed in Northwest Washington

A 21-year-old man was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon in Northwest Washington. The incident happened just before 4 p.m. in the 4500 block of Illinois Avenue NW. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from several gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. The man was later identified by police as Josiah Jones of Northwest. A reward of up to $25,000 is being offered for any information that leads to an arrest and conviction. Anyone with information is asked to call 202-727-9099.


Montgomery County Animal Watch

This case was received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Aggressive dogs euthanized: Adopt dogs and cats at MCHS no-kill rescue: The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org. Rockville Reduced fees for cat adoption: Germantown Adoptable cats at no-kill shelter: Gaithersburg — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


Prince George’s County Animal Watch

PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY These were among cases received recently by the Prince George’s County Animal Management Division. Call 301-780-7200 for directions to the county animal shelter, hours of operation, and adoption and licensing procedures. The department Web site is princegeorgespets4us.com. Stray in the woods: Found and fenced: Lost dog: Large dogs on the loose: — Compiled by Jillian S. Jarrett


U.S. regulators pinpoint cause of Takata air-bag explosions, expand recall

on Wednesday added 35 million to 40 million more to the list. Each air bag has its own inflater, and most vehicles have two or more air bags. The Japanese firm is the world’s largest manufacturer of air bags, and replacements are in such short supply that many U.S. drivers who have received recall notices are being told it will take weeks or months before their vehicles can be repaired. “People who receive notification that there is a remedy available for their vehicle should act immediately to have their inflater fixed,” Rosekind said. “All vehicle owners should regularly check SaferCar.gov for information about any open safety recall on their vehicle and what they can do to have it fixed free of charge.” Takata agreed to an amended consent order this week that would add up to 40 million of its air bags to the recall, NHTSA said in a statement. These recalls will continue through December 2019. Unlike most air-bag makers, Takata uses ammonium nitrate to trigger a small explosion that inflates the air bag when the vehicle strikes something. But in some vehicles — particularly those that were several years old and kept in regions with high humidity — the ammonium nitrate burns too fast, causing the chemical’s container to explode and spray drivers and passengers with metal shrapnel. Takata says it will phase out the use of ammonium nitrate in its air-bag systems by 2018. That means that some drivers may have to have their air bags replaced twice, once with a newer ammonium nitrate bag and a second time when air bars that don’t use the problematic chemical become available. “This recall schedule ensures the inflaters will be recalled and replaced before they become dangerous, giving vehicle owners sufficient time to have them replaced before they pose a danger to vehicle occupants,” Rosekind said. “NHTSA will continue to evaluate all available research and will act quickly to protect safety.” He said the recall would be carried out in phases, based on the age of the inflaters and the degree to which they have been exposed to the high humidity and fluctuating high temperatures that accelerate the degradation of the chemical propellant. “NHTSA’s aggressive actions in 2015 means this recall is already a year ahead of where it would have been if the agency had waited for this research,” Rosekind said. “As a result, all of the most


Police identify man shot and killed in Northwest Washington

THE DISTRICT Police identify man fatally shot in NW A 21-year-old man who was shot and killed Tuesday afternoon in Northwest Washington was identified by police as Josiah Jones of Northwest. The incident happened just before 4 p.m. in the 4500 block of Illinois Avenue NW. When officers arrived, they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, police said. — Dana Hegdpeth MARYLAND Man, 39, dies after being struck by train A 39-year-old man died Wednesday afternoon after he was struck by an Amtrak train near Rockville, police and transit officials said. Authorities did not immediately identify the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene of the 4:25 p.m. collision. A northbound Amtrak train traveling to Chicago hit the man near the 5700 block of Bou Avenue in Rockville, said Montgomery County police and Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham. Graham said the train involved in the fatal crash left Washington at 4:05 p.m. It was held for more than three hours while police investigated the crash. Police said the man was in the area of the tracks when, for reasons that are being investigated, he was struck by the train. MARC and Amtrak resumed normal train service shortly after 7:30 p.m. Morgan State named a ‘national treasure’ Morgan State University, one of the nation’s oldest institutions founded to provide a college education to black students, was named a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group will work with the university to protect its cultural legacy and its architecture, the National Trust announced Tuesday. Morgan State, the largest historically black university in Maryland, was founded in 1867, and its Baltimore-area campus includes 20 buildings eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Many were designed by black architects, and styles range from classical to brutalist. — Susan Svrluga VIRGINIA Preschool staffers are charged with assault A teacher and an assistant at a Fairfax County preschool are facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly assaulting a 4-year-old student in April. The mother of the girl reported finding bruises on her daughter April 21 that she thought were sustained at James L. & Juliette McNeil Preschool Academy in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County, police said. After an investigation, the girl’s teacher, Lisa Campbell, 38, of Woodbridge and an assistant, Cherie Evette Diggs, 40, of Alexandria were


Washington-area obituaries of note

a NASA lunar astronomer for 25 years before retiring in 1984, died March 29 at an hospice center in Lehigh Acres, Fla. The cause was kidney failure, said a daughter, Selene Green. Mrs. Cameron was born Winifred Sawtell in Chicago, and she came to the Washington area in 1952 as a solar astronomer at the U.S. Naval Observatory after having taught astronomy at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. She joined NASA in 1959 and was an astronomer on duty for the Mercury astronauts orbital flights. A former resident of Silver Spring, Md., she moved to Arizona in 1985 and to Florida in 2010. Bonnie B. Nicholson, treatment center operator Bonnie B. Nicholson, 89, who with her husband operated the Shenandoah Lodge Alcohol Treatment Center in Harrisonburg, Va., from 1973 to 1982, died April 3 at home in Bethesda, Md. The cause was circulatory, heart and lung ailments, said a daughter, Katie Woods. Mrs. Nicholson was born Bonnie Barker in Mountain Grove, Mo., and moved to the Washington area after World War II. She sang at the Shoreham Hotel’s Blue Room and was a fashion model at Garfinckel’s Department Store. Later she was a model in New York. She was a member of the Chevy Chase Club. Stephen May, HUD official Stephen May, 84, an assistant secretary for congressional relations of the Department of Housing and Urban Development in the 1980s who later was a writer and lecturer about art and historic preservation, died March 31 at a hospital in Washington. The cause was complications following colon surgery, said his wife, Katie Wilson. Mr. May was born in Rochester, N.Y. In the late 1950s and 1960s, he was a Capitol Hill aide to Kenneth Keating, a New York Republican who served in the House of Representatives and then the Senate. Mr. May was the mayor of Rochester from 1970 to 1973. He had homes in Washington and Union, Maine. Charles F. Causey Jr., customer service manager Charles F. Causey Jr., 78, a customer service manager in the residential construction industry and a former police officer, died March 7 at his home in Dumfries, Va. The cause was a heart attack, said a daughter, Sheryl Davis. Mr. Causey was born in Washington. He was a Fairfax County police officer from 1960 to 1967, followed by seven years as an officer with the Prince William County Sheriff’s Department. Later he was customer service


Patapsco Valley is proving ground for Maryland’s effort to restore hemlock forests

Decades ago, several hundred hemlock trees stood in a section of Patapsco Valley State Park around Cascade Falls along the Patapsco River near Elkridge. Today they barely number 100. Similar losses have hit forests from Georgia to Maine in recent decades as an invasive insect has feasted on hemlock sap. The thinning numbers are a significant loss for the ecosystem because the towering evergreens provide habitat for nearly 1,000 types of creatures — hundreds more than other trees do — from birds to microscopic invertebrates. But an effort to restore hemlock groves in Maryland is under way. More than 200 hemlock seedlings will be planted in the Patapsco Valley this month, along with an additional 280 in Western Maryland. Hundreds more will come over the next several years through a serendipitous partnership with Pennsylvania. Conservationists are working to move past the invasion of the hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny insect from Japan blamed for the hemlock decline, now that they know how to protect the trees by treating them with pesticides and unleashing beetles that prey upon the adelgids. The adelgids first appeared in the eastern United States in Virginia in the 1950s, spreading to states up and down the Appalachian Mountains in the following decades. In many areas, they devastated populations of eastern and Carolina hemlocks, with losses of as much as 80 percent to 90 percent in Western Maryland, said Biff Thompson, a forest health technician for the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The adelgids have no native predator here, but since the early 2000s conservationists have been battling them with beetles the width of a toothpick, imported from China, Japan and the Pacific Coast of the United States. Maryland officials have spread 50,000 beetles from five species. In many sites, their populations have taken hold and are counteracting the adelgids with no apparent effect on other creatures. The beetles, combined with pesticides that target the adelgids, appear to keep the adelgids at bay. “I think we’re proving this is a viable means,” Thompson said. “It’s not a silver bullet.” Progress has prompted Maryland officials to begin the slow process of rebuilding the hemlock forests that have been lost. “It’s bottom-of-the-food-chain stuff we’re trying to protect here,” Thompson said. “We need to hang onto what’s going on here, and what we’ve lost, we need to restore.” Several hundred hemlock seedlings were planted around Cunningham Falls in Frederick County in


with scaly bark, and spindle-like branches bearing short, soft needles. They tend to grow slowly in the shade but can sprout rapidly in sunlight. Within half a century, their trunks can reach a thickness of 10 to 14 inches and they can grow to heights of 60 to 80 feet. Members of the Maryland Conservation Corps, a natural resource management initiative that is part of the public service AmeriCorps program, planted a dozen hemlocks Tuesday along a stream flowing into the Patapsco. The seedlings, resembling bunches of rosemary, are placed in wide, shallow holes — along with tablets of pesticides that will protect them for at least the next five years. Metal cages are placed around them to keep hungry deer away. Corps members said they have learned what the species likes — the rocky soil of slopes lining stream and river valleys. “It’s incredible how resilient they are,” said Cinthia Myers, who recalled seeing a hemlock thriving on a rocky cliff at Swallow Falls in Garrett County. Volunteers are scheduled to plant the rest of the trees on May 14. Groups such as Patapsco Heritage Greenway are eager to protect endangered trees after seeing the effect of an invasion of an insect known as the emerald ash borer on local ash tree populations in recent years. They hope to prevent devastation like that experienced by American chestnut trees in the early 1900s. “Any time you have native trees, we’re always concerned about it whenever some kind of blight or insects are attacking them,” said Betsy McMillion, the group’s director of environmental programs. “Once they’re gone, it’s just really hard to restore them again.” Historically, hemlock trees have been valued for the tannic acid their bark contains, used in treating leather, and for their lumber, said Todd Berman, president of the Maryland Forests Association. “It’s important to preserve that for future generations,” he said. While state officials estimate Maryland has about 42,000 acres of hemlock forest habitat, in some forests they represent less than 1 percent of trees. However, the species is not valued as much for its footprint as for its impact. Hemlocks can be home to some 970 species of organisms, compared to about 460 species in the white pine, the tree with the second-most diversity, Thompson said. “They help feed the rest of the area with the diversity they have in them,” he said. — Baltimore Sun


Few Americans know about this mysterious, remote valley in southern Japan

a whole clan, could just vanish into the landscape. Jenkins writes about film, music and visual art for The Washington Post and NPR. More from Travel: Japan’s bullet train has made this well-preserved city more accessible than ever Japan’s Fukuoka and South Korea’s Busan: Sister cities a hydrofoil ride apart Are postcards obsolete? If you go Getting there Oboke is less than two hours by JR train from Okayama, the closest major city on the main island of Honshu, and about 80 minutes from Takamatsu, the largest city on Shikoku. The trips are covered by JR rail passes. Shikoku Kotsu runs buses directly from the station to Kazurabashi and the central valley villages, ending at Kubo. Transfer there to the municipal bus to Nagoro, the Oku-Iya vine bridges and the base of Mount Tsurugi. The fares vary by distance. My round trip, which included some walking, cost about $20. Bus schedules in English are available at the information office in Oboke station. Online schedules are available only in Japanese. Where to stay Kunelasob 442 Enoki, Nishi-Iya-Yama-Mura 011-81-90-9778-7133 k-n-a.com/eng.htm A traditional guesthouse that, un-traditionally, has a non-Japanese name and serves vegetarian and vegan communal meals. About two miles from Oboke; free pickup from the train station is available. About $92 per night, including dinner. Iya Kazurabashi Camp Village 620 Sugeoi, Higashi-Iya 011-81-90-1571-5258 Campsite and cabins on the far side of the vine bridges. Campsites are about $4.50; cabins about $45. Toilets and showers, but no food available on site. Where to eat Kazurabashi food stalls Zentoku 162-2, Nishi-Iya-Yama-Mura Several open-air food stands in the Kazurabashi gorge sell the usual Japanese fare and local specialties, such as small roasted fish on a stick, encrusted with salt and served whole. Soba Dojo 651 Higashi-Iya, Ochiai 011-81-8-8388-2577 Serves soba made from local buckwheat and offers lessons in Japanese in how to make it. Entrees $5 and up. What to do Nagoro Along Route 32, Oku-Iya “Scarecrow Village” is both an amusing and eerie place. Two buses a day stop here during peak season. No tourist facilities. Free. Kazurabashi Zentoku 162-2, Nishi-Iya-Yama-Mura A suspension vine bridge, scenic river and waterfall. Open sunrise to sunset. Admission free, but crossing the bridge costs about $5 for adults and about $3 for children. Oku-Iya Kazurabashi Sugeoi 620, Higashi-Iya Three vine bridges, including one with a rider-propelled cart. Open sunrise to sunset. Admission about $5. Information miyoshinavi.jp/english — M.J.


When bureaucracy gets in the way of pollinators

View of worker bees in one of the hives at George Washington University in Washington on April 16. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) The May 3 KidsPost article, “Bee stings don’t scare these young researchers,” described honeybee populations crashing globally and mentioned neonicotinoid pesticides as a possible cause. However, the collapse may be because of more than one factor. For example, about seven years ago, the global population of people living in urban areas surpassed populations living in rural areas. That means there is less land available for native vegetation and for bees to forage for pollen. I live in Montgomery County, where landowners are in the position of being able to help pollinators by planting native plants. A bonus is that deer prefer nonnative ornamentals. However, Montgomery County code prohibits grass and weeds higher than 12 inches , even as development destroys habitat suitable for pollinators. KidsPost also published a list of “fun facts” about bees and what we can do to help them, including planting a wildflower garden. That would help pollinators, but first it would require the approval of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, whose director has the nearly dictatorial power to declare any plant a weed, and, in many cases, the approval of the Office of Common Ownership Communities, which oversees and arbitrates appeals from some 30 percent of Montgomery County residents. The county is becoming a pollinator-hostile wasteland. John Dix, Potomac


Arcing fire prompted shutdown of Metro’s Federal Center SW station

Footage from a security camera at the Federal Center SW Metro station captured a fire that happened on the tracks. The fire was caused by an arcing insulator. A portion of the Metro was shut down for emergency repairs Thursday night after two fires broke out in the same station in a matter of hours, a day before the agency’s general manager was set to announce a long-term maintenance plan for the system. Dramatic video showed a fireball erupting at Federal Center SW, where an arcing insulator appeared to be the culprit of a morning fire. “When I saw the video this afternoon, I decided to talk to [the U.S. Department of Transportation] and [the Federal Transit Administration] and shut down and replace these insulators,” Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld said Thursday night. “With my luck, it was at the same time we had another smoke incident.” In the Thursday afternoon incident, smoke caused by debris cluttered around the third rail prompted the evacuation of Federal Center. Blue, Orange and Silver line service was suspended from Eastern Market to L’Enfant Plaza, creating commuter havoc during the evening rush hour. The track fire occurred about 4:30 p.m. Officials said full service was expected to resume for the Friday morning commute. The emergency track work centered on insulators, stubby rail components that separate the track bed from the electrified third rail, which are prone to fire when damaged or worn. Metro said older, porcelain insulators prone to fire would be replaced by a newer fiberglass model. Track personnel, who could be seen hauling shopping carts full of the rail components, were to replace about 120 of the insulators overnight.


Shortages of emergency-care drugs are increasing

drugs into acute and non-acute categories. Acute-care drugs were those used in the emergency department for many of the urgent and severe conditions handled there and include remedies such as pain medications, heart drugs, and saline and electrolyte products. Overall, the study found that 52 percent of the 1,929 shortages during the time period studied were for acute-care drugs. Following passage of the federal law in 2012, the number of active shortages of non-acute care drugs began to decline for the first time since 2004, but there was no corresponding drop-off in shortages of drugs that emergency departments and intensive care units rely on, the researchers reported. Shortages of the emergency-care drugs also lasted longer, the study found. Half of acute-care drug shortages lasted longer than 242 days, compared with 173 days for non-acute-care drugs. Seventy percent of the drugs that were difficult to get were injectable drugs, which emergency departments rely on to a much greater degree than other providers. The most common acute-care drugs affected were those to fight infections, such as antibiotics; those that affect the central nervous system, including painkillers and sedatives; and drugs that suppress or stimulate the autonomic nervous system, which controls heart and breathing rates. When patients who have been seriously injured and are having trouble breathing come to the emergency department, for example, it’s often necessary to administer drugs that sedate them and cause their muscles to relax so that emergency personnel can insert a breathing tube in the windpipe. “All of a sudden, you have a life-critical procedure and you’re using your second-best drug or a drug you’re less familiar with,” said Arjun Venkatesh, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and a study co-author. Venkatesh said the impetus for the study was his own experience with recurring shortages of such basic but critical medicines as saline intravenous solution while working in the emergency department at Yale-New Haven Hospital. Patients are often unaware of such drug shortages, and there’s no data to show that substituting a preferred drug with one that a doctor is less comfortable with results in patient harm, experts say. The Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012 contains provisions aimed at stemming these problems, including requiring reporting of shortages by drug manufacturers to the FDA and expediting inspections and reviews by the FDA of alternative products and manufacturing facilities.


The only six ways to collect records

(Kelsey Zigmund/For The Washington Post) (Kelsey Zigmund/For The Washington Post) So you want to get into records but you don’t know where to start. And your motives are pure, not merely a nostalgic pining for a weathered copy of “Mothership Connection” or that Linda Ronstadt record with her on the beach at twilight. Well, it is about that – and so much more. For me, being a record guy is about not having to worry about failed downloads and scratched CDs, uncharged iPhones or liner notes you couldn’t read without the Hubble Telescope. I still do digital. How else can you quickly hear “Erotic City” as you’re about to hop on the train and terrible news rolls in? But vinyl remains an important part of my musical life. So if you’re already on board, forgive me. But if you’re looking to put the needle down for the first time, these simple guidelines should help you take that leap forward into LPs. (Kelsey Zigmund/For The Washington Post) 1. Never throw out your semi-embarrassing teenaged records (even when they include Ozzy Osbourne’s “Speak of the Devil.” Yes, that is probably raspberry jam and not the inside of a bat’s head. But give the man credit for trying. Some records aren’t high art. They’re postcards. I always get a shiver when I hear Laura Branigan’s “Gloria” or Chicago’s “Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” Suddenly, I’m 13 again and Jenny Geracht is just barely tolerating a stiff-armed slow dance. If you scour my collection, you’ll certainly find all the stuff I’m proud of — Joni Mitchell, the Clash, Thelonious Monk, Fritz Wunderlich, D’Angelo (white vinyl!), the Kinks, Public Enemy — but you’ll also find the core of my Columbia House Record Club acquisitions. Some Def Leppard, Tears for Fears and, yes, Oingo Boingo. 2. Buying a turntable: Beware of cute record players that look old. You’ve seen them at Urban Outfitters. Those cute, little, brightly colored Crosley turntables. And they’re only $79! Only one problem: They’re terrible. They don’t just sound bad. They are built so poorly that you’ll find your records playing slightly slower or faster before long. And what’s more, record geeks tell me the tonearms on the players are so heavy they’ll wear down your vinyl. You wouldn’t cook your Thanksgiving pies in a Holly Hobbie Electric Bake oven. Don’t let your records get ground down on a toy turntable. If


In search of old-fashioned virtue and compassionate living

in harmony with one another and with their surroundings. “So much of what we discover, when we aspire to be wise,” Tippett concedes, “are things human beings have known forever but then forgot.” While these virtues may be traditional, “Becoming Wise” presents them in terms that reflect our times. For example, in the desolation of Detroit, a couple named Myrtle Thompson and Wayne Curtis, who garden in one of the city’s tens of thousands of vacant lots, tell her, “We’re not just growing food, we’re becoming part of . . . the whole ecological system that exists not just in the garden, but has existed since the beginning.” A physicist named Arthur Zajonc appeals to chaos theory and quantum mechanics to carve out, within an otherwise deterministic universe, a “space for freedom” in which we might discover a “moral compass.” A woman named Maria Popova, who blogs about great books, says of the Internet: “Its beauty is that it’s a self-perfecting organism, right? But as long as it’s an ad-supported medium, the motive will be to perfect commercial interest, to perfect the art of the listicle, the endless slideshow, the infinitely paginated oracle, and not to perfect the human spirit of the reader or the writer.” The belief that human beings can be perfected, or at least improved, lies at the heart of Tippett’s enterprise, both as radio host and as author. Such a belief runs counter to the religious view that we are irreparably fallen creatures. In one of the autobiographical passages woven sparingly throughout the book, Tippett tells us that she was raised a Southern Baptist in a small town in Oklahoma. Before she “circled back to religion” in her late 20s, she had to outgrow her childhood impression that religion meant dogma, suspicion of the flesh and disrespect for the intellect. “Becoming Wise” challenges all forms of dogma, in science, politics and philosophy as well as religion, and it affirms the holiness of the body and the glory of the inquiring mind. While our dominant media suggest that humans are incorrigibly selfish and greedy and cruel, Tippett and her conversation partners demonstrate that the longing to lead a good life, a moral life, remains powerful and pervasive in our day: “I experience the soul of this moment — in people young and old — to be aspirational. This is something distinct from ambitious, though the two may


Exclusive: U.S.-funded Somali intelligence agency has been using kids as spies

but we couldn’t speak to them,” said a military official from an African nation, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident. It would be three more years before the children were transferred to the Elman Center, a two-story building in downtown Mogadishu where the boys learn reading and writing, basic computer skills and a bit of English. On a recent day at the center, boys crowded around a blackboard that listed several functions of a computer. “Open a file,” the instructor had written. “Save a file.” “We still have a long way to go, but the leadership displayed by the minister of internal security to remove the children from the facility and hand them over to us for care and rehabilitation is a step in the right direction,” said Ilwad Elman, the center’s director of programs and the daughter of its namesake, Elman Ali Ahmed, a Somali human rights activist who was assassinated in 1996. Abuses ignored In 2008, the U.S. Congress passed the Child Soldiers Prevention Act, which was intended to block military assistance to countries that “recruit and use child soldiers.” Every year after it took effect, the State Department has found that the Somali military has been recruiting children, although there has been no mention of child informants. But under a “national interest” waiver, the United States allocated $330 million to Somalia this year, much of which has gone to the security sector. Three other countries — Nigeria, South Sudan and Congo — also received a waiver in 2015 despite using underage soldiers. A State Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, said the waiver was granted so that the U.S. government could help Somalia develop its army and police and improve stability. “While more progress is needed, the government of Somalia has taken initial steps to implement its U.N.-backed child soldier action plan,” the official said. She added that the State Department had “not heard reports” of the child informants. In a letter last year to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), CIA Director John Brennan addressed the question of how the agency reacts when one of its foreign partners is found conducting human rights abuses. “If we determine that such abuses have occurred, we carefully assess whether national security imperatives warrant continuing contact” with the ally, Brennan wrote. If the


Courthouse in Baltimore, Md., to remain closed after fire

THE District Downspouts stolen at NW house in wet week On one of the quieter of the quiet residential streets in Northwest, crime struck this week, at just the wrong time. In one of Washington’s wetter weeks, when they might have seen heavy use, downspouts were stolen from a house on woodsy Edmunds Street, between Foxhall Road and Glover-Archbold Park. The theft occurred, according to police, between 4:40 and 5 a.m. Thursday. A definite motive could not be learned. However, downspouts are among the items that have attracted thieves in recent years because of the perceived resale or scrap value of their copper content. — Martin Weil MARYLAND Courthouse closed by fire may open soon The Mitchell Courthouse in Baltimore, closed since April 26 after a basement fire, will remain shut for a time. Baltimore’s Department of General Services said it hopes the courthouse will be reopened sometime next week. — Associated Press Police seek man in attempted sex assault Police in Montgomery County said they are looking for a man in connection with the attempted sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl. The incident occurred about 3 p.m. Wednesday in the 14000 block of Castle Boulevard in the Briggs Chaney area, police said. They said that as the victim entered her apartment building, the man followed her in and up the stairs. He tried to pull her pants down, but she screamed. He fled when someone came out. Authorities released a composite sketch and described the man as African American and in his early 30s, about 5-foot-9 to 5-foot-10 and about 200 pounds. He has short hair and a beard and wore a teal or dark-blue sweatshirt, blue jeans and black boots. — Dana Hedgpeth VIRGINIA Man fatally stabbed in Alexandria A man was fatally stabbed Thursday night in Alexandria. Police said Shakeel Baldon, 43, of Alexandria, was found about 9:30 p.m. in the 6100 block of Lincolnia Road. — Dana Hedgpeth Man sets himself afire after driving into diner A man driving a Hummer set himself on fire after intentionally driving his SUV into a McLean diner this week, striking a 74-year-old man who was entering the business, Fairfax County police said Friday. Police said they have obtained arrest warrants for Samuel Ovie Abutoh, 59, of Springfield, charging malicious wounding and felony destruction of property. They said that Abutoh remained under hospital care and that the warrants would be