Six D.C. food trucks included among America’s 101 best

Rito Loco (No. 78), DC Slices (No. 72), Red Hook Lobster Pound D.C. (No. 66), Pepe (No. 45), Basil Thyme (No. 32) and Fojol Bros. (No. 3). As a whole, the District fared well as a food truck town, which makes the D.C. Council's recent actions on the proposed vending regulations look even wiser. Washington ranked fourth among U.S. cities with its half-dozen trucks on the list, lagging behind only New York City (10), San Francisco (12) and perennial street-eats powerhouse Los Angeles (15). You could argue the Daily Meal even missed a few quality trucks in the District, like chef Jerry Trice's excellent ChefDriven (which may be closing down operations, we hear) or the rolling Peruvian chuck wagon, El Fuego, or my current favorite, Kushi-Moto. Or even Goodies Frozen Custard. The truth is, I hadn't even tried Rito Loco before the Daily Meal's list appeared this week. So I tracked the truck down on Farragut Square this afternoon and asked the friendly man inside the tin can for his best burrito. "Probably the Rib Rito," he said. The Rib Rito ($8) it was. No filler here. The Rib Rito is stuffed tight with pulled baby-back rib meat. (Tim Carman/The Washington Post) If you've only experienced a burrito from a chain, you're in for a surprise with the Rib Rito. Within the hollow of this griddled flour-tortilla log, you will find no rice, black beans, sour cream, chopped lettuce or any other ingredients to provide contrasting flavors (or cheap, starchy filler), aside from random dices of red onion and tomato. No, the Rib Rito is packed tight with pulled baby-back rib meat, rich in juices and sly, insidious spices. It's sort of sweet on the palate, sort of piquant on the finish and a total anvil in the stomach. I found it simultaneously delicious and too much for one sitting. Would I place it among the best trucks in America? Probably not, based on this lone sampling. It's a little too monochromatic for me. But I would place it among the District's, say, top 15 trucks. And one final thought: How can the Red Hook Lobster Pound truck from New York City be the No. 1 street food in the country, but the D.C. edition of the very same concept be No. 66 on the list? Aren't they essentially the same business, using the same ingredients? Call it Gotham Creep.


Update: Tracking multiple rounds of dangerous storms tonight and Thursday

*Flash flood watch midnight tonight through 8 p.m. Thursday* By now you’ve probably heard about the potential for severe weather tonight and tomorrow. While we think the odds of a derecho as severe as the one we saw a year ago are low here in the D.C. area, there is a legitimate chance that at least parts of the area will see one or more rounds of strong to severe thunderstorms roll through from west to east (or northwest to southeast) between late tonight and Thursday evening. Radar lightning: Round 1: Round 2: Note: Isolated to scattered thunderstorms are possible between the two rounds (Thursday morning into early afternoon) and there’s enough spin in the air that some of these could spawn tornadoes. There also may be a 3rd round in the form of a solid line of quickly passing storms around mid-morning Thursday. The RAP model shows the wave in the upper levels of the atmosphere at 9 p.m. this evening (circled in red) that will track east overnight into tomorrow and could bring a round of severe storms to the D.C. area Thursday afternoon into early evening. We encourage you follow our Twitter feed (which is simulcast above) and Facebook feed for additional updates this evening as warranted. If you’re up late tonight, you can track any storms and severe warnings on the map below. Scroll below the map for tips on how to prepare for the storms. Preparedness In light of the severe storm threat both tonight and tomorrow, consider taking the following actions: * Prepare for possible power outages: Charge portable devices and phones, have flashlights ready to go, have fresh batteries, fill your car with gas, and have a plan in case outages are extended (lasting days). * Move loose outdoor items inside or secure * Clear storm drains and gutters for possible flash flooding * Stay up-to-date on the latest storm warnings.


Japanese girl group sings about Abenomics, sets hemlines by the Nikkei

A promotional image of Michikado Keiki Japan, whose only single includes references to quantitative easing, construction bonds and the Bank of Japan. (Alice Project) There are few things in the world less sexy than monetary policy, but one Japanese girl group is trying really, really hard to turn that around. The group is called Michikado Keiki Japan -- “Economic Conditions on the Streets of Japan,” per the Japan Times -- and its members promise to wear shorter skirts every time Japan’s Nikkei stock market makes significant gains. They also sing on such riveting pop-culture topics as quantitative easing and central banks: “Fix the yen’s appreciation. Quantitative easing. Don’t forget public investment,” translates the Japan Times. “Monetary easing. Construction bonds. Let’s just revise the Bank of Japan Law.” During interludes, the group’s fans reportedly shout phrases like “private investment!” and “Shinzo Abe!” back at them. Abe is the country's prime minister and the namesake of "Abenomics," his strategy to recover Japan's economy. Abe, the Japanese prime minister since December, could hardly ask for a more enthusiastic endorsement of his controversial economic reform package. Since coming into office, Abe has pushed for an aggressive mix of financial stimulus, structural reforms (like new labor laws and incentives for corporate investment) and quantitative easing -- the practice of buying up bonds to boost inflation and lower interest rates. By some metrics, consumers and markets reacted well at first. The Post’s Chico Harlan, writing from Tokyo in late May, described a sudden “boomtown” where shoppers splurge at high-end restaurants, designer stores and Ferrari dealerships. The Japanese stock market soared earlier this year. But in recent weeks, that same market has grown unusually volatile, leading some to question Abe’s still-unproven methods. On Thursday, for instance, the Japanese stock market saw a huge sell-off and the Nikkei index fell 6.35 percent. In Michikado Keiki terms, that translates to a costume change from “no skirt” to “mini-skirt," according to a J-pop fan blog. The Nikkei will have to fall another 3.6 percent for the girls to transition to medium-length skirts, which they haven’t had to dig out since early March. Interestingly, none of the band members -- who range in age from 16 to 23, according to the Japan Times -- are studying economics or invest in the stock market. That might explain how they ended up basing their schtick on a phenomenon called "the hemline index," an


NSA-proof encryption exists. Why doesn’t anyone use it?

Last week, leaks revealed that the Web sites most people use every day are sharing users' private information with the government. Companies participating in the National Security Agency's program, code-named PRISM, include Google, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft. It wasn't supposed to be this way. During the 1990s, a "cypherpunk" movement predicted that ubiquitous, user-friendly cryptographic software would make it impossible for governments to spy on ordinary users' private communications. The government seemed to believe this story, too. "The ability of just about everybody to encrypt their messages is rapidly outrunning our ability to decode them," a U.S. intelligence official told U.S. News & World Report in 1995. The government classified cryptographic software as a munition, banning its export outside the United States. And it proposed requiring that cryptographic systems have "back doors" for government interception. The cypherpunks won that battle. By the end of the Clinton administration, the government conceded that the Internet had made it impossible to control the spread of strong cryptographic software. But more than a decade later, the cypherpunks seem to have lost the war. Software capable of withstanding NSA snooping is widely available, but hardly anyone uses it. Instead, we use Gmail, Skype, Facebook, AOL Instant Messenger and other applications whose data is reportedly accessible through PRISM. And that's not a coincidence: Adding strong encryption to the most popular Internet products would make them less useful, less profitable and less fun. "Security is very rarely free," says J. Alex Halderman, a computer science professor at the University of Michigan. "There are trade-offs between convenience and usability and security." Most people's priority: Convenience Consumers have overwhelmingly chosen convenience and usability. Mainstream communications tools are more user-friendly than their cryptographically secure competitors and have features that would be difficult to implement in an NSA-proof fashion. And while most types of software get more user-friendly over time, user-friendly cryptography seems to be intrinsically difficult. Experts are not much closer to solving the problem today than they were two decades ago. Ordinarily, the way companies make sophisticated software accessible to regular users is by performing complex, technical tasks on their behalf. The complexity of Google, Microsoft and Apple's vast infrastructure is hidden behind the simple, polished interfaces of their Web and mobile apps. But delegating basic security decisions to a third party means giving it the ability to access your private content and share it with others, including the


ChefDriven truck drives off into the sunset today

swell by the week as the city gives yet another cheesesteak or kabob truck access to the streets. The older food trucks, paradoxically, now find themselves in a circumstance similar to their bricks-and-mortar counterparts: They're competing with more and more food trucks for finite lunch dollars. But unlike their bricks-and-mortar counterparts, food trucks must also compete for the finite prime vending spots for mobile vendors, a double whammy that appears to be affecting the District's still embryonic street-eats scene. Not that Trice complained to me about competition. True to his experience as a chef at such restaurants as Yin Yankee in Annapolis (and, briefly, in Bethesda), Trice was more concerned about the quality of the new competition. The low barrier to entry in the food truck world has generated a lot of operators who apparently think heating up frozen beef and stuffing it into a store-bought pita bread constitutes genuine cooking. "The quality has always been potluck,” says Trice, whose truck has served such plates as steak frites, cornmeal-crusted oyster tacos with green goddess sauce and a caponata-and-goat-cheese panino. "The quality top-notch food, it kind of remains fairly static. You can kind of get lost in the shuffle." Trice won't have to worry about it getting lost in the shuffle anymore. As first reported by Food Truck Fiesta earlier this week and later confirmed by Young & Hungry, ChefDriven is driving off into the sunset after 15 months on the streets. He'll be serving his last meals today at Farragut Square. After that, Trice will hand his truck over to the Everlasting Life Cafe, the Georgia Avenue vegan/vegetarian operation that recently bought the vehicle. Everlasting Life owner Vernon Woodland says he's still determining the menu for his truck, but hopes to sell fresh juices, smoothies, gluten-free dishes and some best-sellers from the cafe's hot bar, like the veggie country-fried chicken. Woodland is looking to roll out the Everlasting Life truck in a few weeks. As for Trice, he has no regrets about his time on the streets, even with all the parking tickets and other hassles. "I’m super glad I did it," the chef says. "We definitely made money. It was part of my get-rich-slowly scheme." As for what's next, Trice isn't sure. He might go back into a bricks-and-mortar restaurant. He might not. "It's still wide open," he says, "I need to sit still and listen to the universe.”


Meeting offers information about new Dulles access road

Virginia Department of Transportation was designed to offer information and to solicit comments and take people’s questions. More than a dozen VDOT representatives were on hand to field queries from residents. Some were curious, some anxious, and some saw no need for the roadway. Information about the proposed highway was explained via a series of 22 easels, which laid out possible routes and alternatives for the roadway. VDOT officials are trying to make the case that a limited-access highway between Route 50 and Route 606 would improve western access to Dulles airport, but many residents at the hearing weren’t convinced. VDOT officials think the roadway would offer easier access for passengers and cargo traffic headed to Dulles, including those who will ride Metro’s Silver Line, which will be built at the airport. Todd and Denise Chavers, who have lived in Chantilly for seven years, said they were curious about this project and proposals to build other roads in Loudoun and in neighboring Prince William County. They said they love living in the county and believe Loudoun officials have done a great job of developing neighborhoods but that the county’s road network could be improved. “We’re missing so many pieces,” Todd Chavers said. “Off peak, the roads are okay, but during peak hours, they’re jammed.” But after viewing the white boards explaining the connector road, they weren’t certain whether the state and counties should spend money on this particular project. Instead, Denise Chavers said, officials need to focus on existing roads and spots with traffic bottlenecks, such as on Route 28. Bonnie Mattingly, who lives in western Loudoun, agreed. She said access to the airport is not the main road issue for the county. The issue is traffic jams that make it difficult to move from west to east. “It doesn’t make sense to put a new road on the western side” of Dulles, she said. “We should improve 66 and 28.” Roadways in Loudoun and Prince William counties have been the subject of great debate — most of it focused on plans to build the Bi-County Parkway, a north-south roadway that would run between the two counties. The roadway appeared to be a done deal last fall, but since then, new opposition to the project has surfaced. Comments about the project can be emailed to meeting_comments@vdot.virginia.gov or sent to Tom Fahrney, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, Va., 22030 by June 28.


Laptop-friendly Bar di Bari opening June 21

Fans of the dearly departed Mid City Caffe may finally be able to fill that neighborhood coffee bar-shaped hole in their hearts. Bar di Bari, at 1401 R St. NW., aims to be a spot for freelancers to camp out with laptops, espresso and a bite to eat -- and a place they can stick around for dinner and happy hour, too. The 71-seat casual restaurant plans to open by Friday, June 21. Bar di Bari's bar. Say that five times fast. (All photos by Maura Judkis/The Washington Post) "We want to be a community place; we want people to make themselves at home inside or outside," said owner Aaron Gordon, who also nearby Drafting Table two blocks south on 14th Street. "We want people lingering all day." It's a good niche to fill on the busy restaurant corridor, since lingering has been made difficult at other local coffee spots like Peregrine (where the tables are too small for laptops) and the Coffee Bar (where it can be hard to snag a seat). Bar di Bari will open at 7 a.m. daily with house-made baked goods, including zucchini bread, streusel and three types of scones, in addition to standards like muffins and baguettes. And yes, there's free WiFi. There will be counter service during the day for espresso (the coffee program is by Swing's) and pastries, with antipasti, salads and sandwiches offered during lunch. The restaurant will switch to table service and dinner entrees at 4 p.m. Though the restaurant's name comes from Gordon's family heritage -- they emigrated from Bari, Italy -- the menu is pan-European, reflecting French, German and Greek influences, as well. Golden beet salad with escarole. Head chef Stephanie MacGlaughlin hopes people will mix and match the salads she developed for the menu, which include golden beets with escarole, penne with tuna, German potato salad and a Florentine panzanella salad. There's also a focus on gluten-free and paleo-friendly foods to appeal to the patrons of the several CrossFit gyms and yoga studios in the area. Diners will have a drink menu of 20 wines, three draft beers and 10 bottles to choose from. "At 5 p.m., we hope people will put away their laptops for happy hour and have a glass of wine," Gordon said. One of the draws of Bar di Bari will be its broad 44-seat patio, with colorful tables and chairs. Gordon had


Army exempts some training from hiring freeze

The Army is taking steps to keep career development programs for its civilian employees operating even in the wake cutbacks caused by sequestration. The Army, along with other Defense Department components and some other federal agencies, has imposed a general hiring freeze, but there are exceptions. For example, the Army allows the filling of vacancies deemed critical to the agency’s mission and the hiring of people with job placement rights on returning from an injury or from an overseas assignment supporting military operations. That exception also covers employees in long-term training who have placement rights after completing that training, new guidance says. It notes that the Army is accepting applicants of mid-level managers for its Senior Enterprise Talent Management Program, and that similar programs in operation include the Senior Service Colleges and Defense Senior Leader Development programs. “In order to encourage our high performing employees to apply for academic, developmental or leadership programs and to support leaders who will endorse their employees’ applications, the Army wants to ensure that commanders and managers are aware they already have the authority to backfill the vacancy created by an employee selected for one of these opportunities,” the memo says. However, it adds that certain issues must be considered, including whether the employee being trained is to return to the same position afterward. In such cases the better course might be to temporarily promote or reassign another current employee rather than hire a new employee, it says.


Right Proper Brew Pub is one step closer to opening

Right Proper, the forthcoming Shaw brewpub run by brewer Nathan Zeender, Rocklands founder John Snedden and former Brasserie Beck general manager/beer director Thor Cheston, officially applied for its liquor license on Friday. Thor Cheston (left) was knighted by the Belgian Brewers Guild in 2009, along with Belga Cafe chef Bart Vandaele. (Photo by James M. Thresher for The Washington Post) "Things are moving ahead smoothly, surprisingly," Cheston says. "We expect our building permits to come in in a few weeks. We're on schedule to open in October." The brewpub, which will be located at 624 T St. NW, S St. NW, has an official capacity of 115. The owners told the Food section's Daniel Fromson Right Proper will specialize in Belgian-inspired farmhouse ales and aged sour beers. This is a busy year for D.C. brewpubs. Gordon Biersch opened at the Navy Yard on April 1, and Bluejacket, from the team behind ChurchKey, plans to open in the same neighborhood in late summer. The onetime Arlington staple Bardo is plotting a comeback on Bladensburg Rd. NE, a few blocks north of H Street. All this activity flies in the face of recent history. Between 2001 and 2012, Washington lost three of its five brewpubs: John Harvard's and the Capitol City Brewing Company at Union Station closed, and the Cap City location at 11th and H Street NW got rid of all its brewing equipment. (Its beer is now produced at the Capitol City Brewing Company in Shirlington.)


Capital Fringe Festival shows announced, tickets on sale now

Maura already gave you 10 things to look forward to during this summer's Capital Fringe Festival, which runs July 11-28. But now there are 129 other items to get excited about. The whole overwhelming list of shows was announced this morning, and tickets are on sale now. It's button time. (Stephanie Merry/The Washington Post) There's a good mix of familiar groups (the puppeteering Pointless Theater, improv masters dog & pony dc and the clowning Faction of Fools, among many others) and new performers taking over multiple venues around town, with wacky show titles like "Disco Jesus and the Apostles of Funk" and "In Search of the Perfect G-String." Tickets are $17 per show plus the $5 button, and there are a handful of multi-pass options for those planning on hitting up a bunch of different shows. Head over to the new Capital Fringe site for the full rundown.


Your own piece of Mount Vernon, for $25 million. Some fix-up may be required.

A mansion on George Washington’s former Mount Vernon estate, located on 16.5 acres along the Potomac River, is now for sale for $25 million. And they say there’s a mansion shortage. (TTR Sotheby’s International Realty) Just when you thought the real estate market couldn’t get any weirder, CNBC reported last week that there is a “mansion shortage” in this country. The inventory of $1 million-plus homes is plummeting, Robert Frank wrote. But before you collapse in tears, be reassured by this: There is a $25 million property in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County that is yours for the taking. But you better act fast — there have already been inquiries of “intense interest” since it was listed on Friday, one of the agents said Monday. This is not just any old mansion. It’s “River View Estate,” the home of Tysons Corner tycoon Jerry Halpin, and it’s also 16.5 acres of Potomac River-front property that formerly belonged to George Washington as part of his Mount Vernon-area property in southeastern Fairfax. It’s where his personal secretary once lived (and died), and it stayed in the Washington family portfolio until 1859, according to Heather Corey of TTR Sotheby’s International Realty, which is handling the sale. (They also have a $15 million shack in The Plains if you’re a little short on the $25 mill for Mount Vernon.) Halpin is only the third owner, and he bought the place in 1962. The founder of West Group Management, once the largest landowner in Tysons, Halpin is moving to Jackson Hole, Wyo., one of his former associates told the Wall Street Journal, which broke the story last week. The main house is 6,000 square feet, six bedrooms, four full and two half-baths, with a 2,000-square foot guest house, a four-car garage and carriage house, “staff quarters” and 383 feet of river frontage. It was built in 1914 out of concrete, Corey said, because the owner feared a fire. The property is “poised for modern renovations,” the Sotheby’s brochure states, which we all know is code for “some of this stuff has been here awhile.” But it is also “not constrained by a conservation easement,” so the potential is there for further development or subdivision on the 16.5 acres. Maybe not what George Washington had in mind when he looked out over River View Estate and said, “I had rather be on my farm than emperor


Flash flood watch through this evening for D.C. area

3:24 p.m. update: 2:12 p.m. update: Radar lightning: Original post: Localized areas could see one to three inches of rain, enough to cause flash flooding of low lying areas and creeks and streams. Rain timing: Rain, some heavy, has already enveloped the metro region. The heaviest rainfall is expected between 2 and 5 p.m., with rain tapering off between 6 and 8 p.m. from southwest to northeast in all likelihood. Rainfall amounts Although amounts of 1-3 inches are possible in the watch area, the distribution of rainfall will be highly variable. Model and radar trends tend to favor locations to the south and southeast for the heaviest rains. North of the District, amounts will probably be around half an inch or less. (Left) Rainfall projection from high resolution NAM model. (Right) Simulated radar at 4 p.m. from high resolution NAM model (WeatherBell.com) Flood safety: * Remember: Never drive across a flooded road. Turn around, don’t drown. * Keep kids away from creeks and streams.


Measles alert for Dulles travelers

A person receives the MMR vaccination. (File photo) (Mike Hutmacher/Associated Press) The Loudoun County Health Department is warning people who were at Dulles International Airport on June 7 that they may have been exposed to measles. People may be at risk of exposure if they were in Concourse A or B, in the International Arrivals building or in the baggage claim level of the main terminal between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. that day. Loudoun County health officials said the affected individual was traveling abroad when infected, but could offer no additional information. Measles is a highly contagious illness that is spread through coughing, sneezing and contact with secretions from the nose, mouth and throat of a person who is already infected. The measles virus can remain in the air for up to two hours after a person with measles has occupied an area. Symptoms generally occur in two stages. In the initial stage, most people have a fever of greater than 101 degrees, runny nose, watery red eyes and a cough. Around the third to seventh day of the infection, a rash appears on the face and spreads over the entire body. Loudoun County health officials said based on the date of exposure, symptoms may develop as late as June 28. Individuals who suspect they may be infected should contact their physician, but are urged to call ahead and say they may have been infected with measles prior to going to a doctor’s office or an emergency room for treatment. A MMR vaccine is available that will prevent measles. Two doses are recommended for most individuals with the first dose given at age 12-15 months and the second prior to kindergarten entry, around ages 4 and 6. While there are few measles cases reported in the United States, the disease is still common in many parts of the world. Health officials urge individuals to be vaccinated, particularly if they are traveling internationally. More information on measles is available here. Such warnings are issued from time to time. In 2011, Maryland health officials issued a similar warning to residents after an individual who was infected attended a Baltimore Orioles baseball game. For additional questions, please call the Loudoun County Health Department at 571-233-7317.


Hot Hoods: Adams Morgan

Owner-Occupied Homes Renter-Occupied Homes Median Years in Residence Annual Residential Turnover Median Age of Homes Households With children Median Age Married Single D.C. Council member Social Scene There’s no shortage of restaurants and bars along the neighborhood’s twin commercial arteries, 18th Street NW and Columbia Road NW. The intersection of those two is the heart of Adams Morgan’s bar scene. The liberal dispersal of liquor licenses, especially along 18th Street, means the area can get clogged with youthful partygoers at night, along with a surfeit of taxis and traffic. But it also means the inclusion of classic D.C. dives such as Madame’s Organ (2461 18th St. NW, 202-667-5370) and gloriously grungy Dan’s Cafe (2315 18th St. NW, 202-265-0299). Restaurants run the gamut. Late-night revelers opt for the delicious cheesiness of a jumbo slice, but the more adventurous check out the flavorful but still affordable choices at Amsterdam Falafelshop (2425 18th Street NW, 202-234-1969). Fine dining is here, too, including longtime neighborhood favorite Cashion’s Eat Place (1819 Columbia Road NW, 202-797-1819) and newcomer Mintwood Place (1813 Columbia Road NW, 202-234-6732). Home Cooking For grocery stores, residents frequently take advantage of the nearby Harris Teeter (1631 Kalorama Road NW) or Safeway (1747 Columbia Road NW). For those who prefer a little dirt on their veggies, a farmers market pops up at 18th and Columbia every Saturday morning from June through December (8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays, June 1-Dec. 21, Columbia Road and 18th Street NW). Parks and Rec Outdoorsy types should check out the northwestern part of the neighborhood, which borders Rock Creek Park and has easy access to its running and biking trails. Plus, the Marie Reed Recreation Center (2200 Champlain St. NW, 202-673-7771) has an adjoining aquatic center. Parking We won’t lie: Parking in AdMo is a challenge. In most of the area, parking is limited to two hours at a time between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m., but residents can pick up a Ward 1 parking permit from the DMV to park for as long as they want. Visitors can take their chances on the street or check out one of the many parking decks throughout the neighborhood. Transportation Depending where in the neighborhood you live, you could be close to the Red Line at Woodley Park or Dupont Circle stations, or the Green and Yellow lines at Columbia Heights or U Street. With reporting by Amanda Tindall for Express


11 things to do in the D.C. area on the weekend of June 21-23

The weekend’s best in nightlife, music and art. For even more, check out Nightlife Agenda. Meat lovers rejoice: The annual National Capital Barbecue Battle returns to Pennsylvania Avenue for two days of smoky glory. (National Capital Barbecue Battle photo) Friday: Friday: Saturday-Sunday: Saturday-Sunday: (David Y. Lee/Lumen8 Anacostia) Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: Saturday: Sunday: Sunday:


China’s economy is freezing up. How freaked out should we be?

China, in its pursuit of constant breakneck growth, could be headed for one. China's central bank, which is likely to tamp down all that unsafe lending and over-borrowing before it leads to a crash, appears to have forced an artificial credit crisis. (It tested a more modest version just two weeks ago.) It looks like the People's Bank of China has already tightened credit considerably, making it suddenly very difficult for banks to borrow money. Something called the seven-day bond repurchase rate, which indicates "liquidity" or the ease of borrowing money, shot way up to triple what it was two weeks ago. This pair of charts, from the economics site Zero Hedge, shows the eerie parallels between today's freeze-up in the Chinese interbank lending market and what happened in the United States when Lehman Brothers collapsed, setting off a global crisis that we're still recovering from: (Source: Zero Hedge) That second chart shows something called the TED spread, a key indicator of credit risk and how easy it is for U.S. banks to lend to one another. Money markets in China have also skyrocketed to what the Financial Times' David Keohane called "silly levels." This chart, via Keohane and Reuters' Jamie McGeever, shows the money market rates way, way, way beyond any high of the last five years: China's money market lending rates since 2008. (Source: Reuters' Jamie McGeever) Here's where things get a little confusing. Bloomberg News reported Thursday evening Beijing time that, as panic moved through the Chinese financial system, the country's central bank stepped in and offered $8.2 billion in "relief" to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which just happens to be both state-owned and the largest bank in the world. What does this mean? Maybe that Chinese leaders got cold feet and are trying to walk back the self-imposed crunch, maybe that China's largest bank managed to negotiate some preferential treatment, maybe that leaders are worried their most important bank might actually be less healthy than they thought and want to protect it from default. Or maybe this is just part of the process of easing down the markets. But then the Chinese Web portal Sina announced that the reports were false (thanks to Bill Bishop for this link), adding some unnecessary confusion and uncertainty to an already volatile situation. So what happens next? There are four categories of outcome. The first is that


PM Update: A fantastic first summer day Friday

- Temperature Map - Temperatures:Latest D.C. area temperature map. See interactive map on our Weather Wall. We officially ring in astronomical summer at 1:04 a.m. Friday but the character of the air will bear no resemblance to the gross, sultry soup Washingtonians are accustomed to. Instead, it will feel dry, fresh and delightful. If only every day of the incoming summer season could be like its incipient day. Through Tonight: Tomorrow (Friday): See David Streit’s forecast through early next week. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter CWG guest-emceeing charity event, tonight at Black Cat in the District:


Lunatics, arise! ‘Super moon’ rules this weekend

Panoramas of the March 19, 2011 super moon. (Kevin Ambrose) It’s a weekend full of lunacy. The impending full moon, coinciding with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its orbit, has become known as the “super moon.” In proper astronomical terms, this coupling is referred to as the perigee full moon. Our lunar companion travels in an elliptical orbit, which means that for every lunar cycle, it snuggles in to a position nearest Earth- its perigee, and strays to a position farthest away – its apogee. When the moon’s full phase coincides with perigee, the ‘super moon’ moniker is invoked. Reader gallery: The full perigee or ‘super moon’ appears about 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than the more distant apogee full moon. Matter of minutes: Since the coincidence of perigee and full moon falls on Sunday morning, the plump moon on Saturday and Sunday night will be each a sight to behold. Saturday night, June 22: Sunday night, June 23: The wide-angle camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter unveils the surface features on the far side of the moon. More than 15,000 wide-angle camera images taken between November 2009 and February 2011 went into this image. (NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University) On either Saturday or Sunday, if you catch the moon rising as it ascends the horizon, it may look gigantic. Sure, the moon appears slightly larger than your average full moon, but you’ll still be experiencing the moon illusion. Astronomer Sten Odenwald offers an explanation on his Astronomy Café website. Earthly objects, such as trees or houses or mountains give the moon context. As the moon reaches toward the heavens, the moon appears smaller, but in reality it is the same size as minutes or hours before. He says our brains and eyes fall victim to illusion: “It has to do with how our brain uses information in the eye’s visual field for finding clues about the sizes of things it is seeing.” As mentioned earlier, the moon can be close … and far away. Our little orb reaches apogee – the most distance between the new moon and earth on July 6 at 8:36 p.m. eastern (July 7 at 12:36 a.m. UT). At 406,493 kilometers (252,583 miles) it is also the most-distant moon of the year. To provide ample time for party planning, the full perigee or ‘super moon’ next returns Aug. 10, 2014 – just in


Punch bowl panic

Most of the attention inside the Beltway on Thursday was on immigration reform. But the real Perils of Pauline drama was playing out on the markets. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press) The Post reported The stock market plummeted on Thursday, posting its biggest one-day drop since 2011, rocked by investor concern that the Federal Reserve is getting closer to pulling back on its stimulus program and by poor economic news from China. The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index tumbled 1,588 points, closing down 2.5 percent, its worst drop since November 2011. The benchmark index’s two-day loss was the biggest since November 2012, at 3.9 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average erased nearly 354 points, closing down 2.3 percent. This quake revealed the fault line in Ben Bernanke’s Fed policy that has troubled conservatives for years. The problem with pumping liquidity into the markets as the Fed has done with its unprecedented bond-buying is that at some point it has to stop. The phenomenon, commonly referred to as taking the “punch bowl” away, has been particularly worrisome to conservatives since growth and job creation remain so anemic. In other words, what meager growth and recovery we’ve had could evaporate once the Fed stops pumping cash into the economy. Well, all it took was an observation from Bernanke to send the markets reeling. As the Wall Street Journal editorial board put it: “Chairman Ben Bernanke declared on Wednesday that eventually the Federal Reserve will stop its extraordinary bond purchases, and investors acted Thursday as if it that were a shocker. . . . Central banks can’t keep floating the world economy forever, and our view is the sooner the withdrawal begins the better. But as with all addictions, the withdrawal is going to be volatile.” It is also about the last thing now that the Obama administration, already in a tailspin from scandals and facing a tough 2014 election season, wants. The president has struggled to convince Americans that we’re in recovery mode, but when the punch bowl is taken away for real, investors and employers may yank back on the reins, sending the economy reeling. Then there will be no disguising the abysmal economic record of this administration. The obvious counterweight to potential punch bowl withdrawal would be a set of tax, regulatory and trade reforms that would help boost investment and hiring. Prime among these would


Fort Dupont, Carter Barron outdoor summer concerts return in scaled-back form

Let's begin with the good news: The popular summertime concerts and performances at Fort Dupont Park in Southeast Washington and Carter Barron Amphitheatre in upper Northwest are returning this summer, despite sequestration-related budget cuts that threw their fate, and the fate of programming at many national park sites, into question. This year, Carter Barron will even host free outdoor movies, sponsored by Comcast. The bad news? The once-robust schedules at the outdoor venues have been slashed considerably. "It’s what the parks can support," said Carter Barron ranger Rita Gunther. "It’s not simply the sequester, but a host of factors." A concert at Fort Dupont Park. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post) Fort Dupont, which hosted six of its popular free concerts last year, announced that there will be just three this summer. Carter Barron hosted 12 concerts and dance performances last year. Three were concerts for which concertgoers had to buy tickets, and the remaining nine performances were free. This year, there are just two free concerts (including the Going Out Guide's Reggae Night show on Aug. 9) and the two movie screenings, of "The Avengers" and "Oz the Great and Powerful." Below, find the full schedule. 2013 schedule (all shows are free and first come, first served): Fort Dupont: Aug. 3 Jazz Night at Fort Dupont with Boys and Girls Club / Jazz Ambassadors of the U.S. Army Field Band. 6 p.m. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Aug. 10 Secret Society/ Sylver Logan Sharp 6 p.m. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Carter Barron Aug. 23 "The Avengers" Dusk (approx. 8:15 p.m.). Gates open at 7 p.m. Aug. 24 "Oz the Great and Powerful" Dusk (approx. 8:15 p.m.). Gates open at 7 p.m. Aug. 31 25th Annual DC Blues Festival 12:15 p.m. Gates open at noon.


Feinstein: China ‘clearly had a role’ in Snowden’s departure from Hong Kong

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Sunday that she believes China played a role in allowing Edward Snowden to leave Hong Kong, wasting what she called an opportunity to "improve relations" with the United States. "China clearly had a role in this, in my view. I don't think this was just Hong Kong without Chinese acquiescence," Feinstein said on CBS's "Face The Nation." Snowden, the man who revealed information about the U.S.'s sweeping surveillance efforts, reportedly traveled from Hong Kong to Moscow on Sunday. His final destination is unknown. Russian news reports said he is booked for travel to Venezuela by way of Cuba. Meanwhile, Ecuador's foreign minister tweeted Sunday afternoon that his government had received a request for asylum from Snowden. Cuba and/or Venezuela could be stopping points on the way to Ecuador. "I had actually thought that China would see this as an opportunity to improve relations and -- extradite him to the United States," Feinstein said. She added that Moscow now faces scrutiny over what they decide to do with Snowden. "I think it'll be very interesting to see what Moscow does with him," Feinstein said. Feinstein said Snowden should have stayed in the United States and faced consequences for his actions. "I don't think this man is a whistleblower," Feinstein. "Whatever his motives are, and I take him at face value, he could've stayed and faced the music. I don't think running is a noble thought." Updated at 2:49 p.m.


No mercy for Nats scalpers

price tag (WaTimes) Henry Docter just wants to plant some flowers (Post column, WRC-TV, HuffPo) “It’s time to get moving” on McMillan redevelopment (Post editorial) Killer of H Street deli owner Grace Kim will do 27 years (Post, WTTG-TV, Homicide Watch) Arlington carves out niche as “D.C. Light” for young professionals: “D.C. isn’t really my thing. It has no parking, and too many people everywhere” (Post) Paul Mannina’s defense lawyer said he saw no suicide risk (Post) 20-year-old man arrested in women’s stabbings in Petworth (Post, WUSA-TV) Michael Brown is refusing to file 2012 financial disclosure form (WaTimes) On education reform, stay the course, indeed (Post editorial) Scratch-off lottery ticket contract demonstrates CBE flaws (Post column) Can wider sidewalks and an overhead tram save Georgetown? (Capital Business) D.C. taxes: Low for residents, high for businesses (WBJ) Snowden leaks put D.C.-based FISA court in the spotlight (Post) Four years after Red Line crash, emotions remain raw (Post, WTOP, WNEW-FM) Meet Economic Growth DC, another pro-business voice in local politics (WBJ) Federal City Council transportation policy preferences benefit members of Federal City Council (GGW) Howard U.’s financial woes are due in part to changes to federal student lending rules (Post) If you can’t get statehood, try to get symbols (WAMU-FM) Doctors debate whether they’ll prescribe marijuana (WJLA-TV) Ellipse tree-planting is blamed on security, like everything else (DCist) Reading between the lines of Alta’s statement on Capital Bikeshare wage investigation (BikePortland) Kwame Brown can’t travel to Brazil and South Africa because the judge sees “no good reason to do so” (@MikeScarcella) D.C. lawyers who commit crimes abroad won’t necessarily face bar discipline (Legal Times) Demoted police commander’s discrimination case can go to trial, appeals court says (AP) Principal of Meridian Public Charter School, subject of cheating allegations, quits (Post) Two Friday night/Saturday morning killings close a violent week (Post, Homicide Watch) Transgender woman stabbed; police say not a hate crime (Blade) Arrest made in November incident where autistic child was left on D.C. school bus (AP) Big Sunday night bang in NoMa was not a bomb (Post) D.C. unemployment held steady in May (Post) Expect the D.C. apartment leasing market to loosen up big time (Capital Business) GWU seeks to develop another prime Foggy Bottom lot (Capital Business) $19M West Heating Plant sale closes (Housing Complex) Free pets at the New York Avenue animal shelter! (DCist) Peter Bug keeps on keepin’ on (Post)


Shooting the “Supermoon” in Washington, D.C. (PHOTOS)

The supermoon rises above the Tidal Basin at 8:57 pm on June 23, 2013. There was a gap in the cloud cover that allowed for a clear but fleeting view of the moonrise. (Kevin Ambrose) As the time for moonrise approached, a long line of photographers at the Tidal Basin watched in worry as a bank of clouds pushed northward across the eastern horizon. The clouds appeared to arrive just in time to spoil the rise of the much hyped supermoon. The first photographers who arrived at the Tidal Basin pulled out their smart phones and used LightTrac and Photographer’s Ephemeris to line up the location of moonrise with the Jefferson Memorial. The sky was mostly clear with cirrus clouds to the south. Within 30 minutes of moonrise, dozens of photographers had arrived at the Tidal Basin and tripods lined the walkway near the Martin Luther King Memorial. The clouds that were to the south had moved northward and filled the eastern sky. The eastern horizon looked particularly dark and overcast. It appeared to me that the moonrise in Washington would be a bust. At 8:55 pm, the moon became visible over the trees at the Tidal Basin. There was a gap in the clouds near the horizon which allowed for a clear, but fleeting view of the moonrise. Within several minutes, the rising moon was obscured by clouds. The narrow gap in the clouds on the eastern horizon provided for a nice view of the supermoon rise and also salvaged the evening for many Washington-area photographers. It certainly was much better than last year’s cloudy supermoon rise. Photographers line the Tidal Basin waiting for moonrise. (Kevin Ambrose) The supermoon clears the horizon at 8:58 pm. The sky was a nice shade of twilight blue. (Kevin Ambrose) The rise of the supermoon on Sunday evening in Washington was 8:48 pm, exactly 11 minutes after sunset. The timing of the moonrise coincided with twilight, also called by some photographers, the “Blue Hour.” It was an optimal time to shoot the moon. The moon is obscured by clouds at 9:04 pm. (Kevin Ambrose) The moon shines brightly through the clouds at 9:08 pm. (Kevin Ambrose)


The week ahead: Higher speeds in HOT lanes, Silver Line construction, Metrorail work

Crossing and the entrance ramp to the Beltway. Work on the Tysons Corner station canopy will close lanes overnights this week near Tysons Boulevard. Grading will close the right turn lane to International Drive. Other closings will occur on Tysons Boulevard and Galleria Drive. - Leesburg Pike (Route 7). Work on the Greensboro and Spring Hill stations, and on sidewalks and traffic signals, will result in day and night lane closings along Leesburg Pike in the Tysons area throughout the week. The closings also will affect roads that intersect with Route 7. 11th Street Bridge project The District Department of Transportation plans to close M Street SE between 11th and 12th streets SE overnights Monday through Friday, then again June 30-31 and July 1-2 starting at 7 each evening till 5:30 the following morning. The closures will allow crews to complete bridge girder installations over M Street for a new freeway bridge. I-295 South The westbound I-695 freeway bridge exit ramp to M Street SE, the new southbound D.C. 295 exit ramp to 11th Street SE and the northbound lanes of the 11th Street Bridge local span between Good Hope Road SE and O Street SE also will be closed during these hours. Bay Bridge The westbound span may be closed Monday through Thursday nights from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. and Saturday night from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. for maintenance work. Two-way traffic will operate on the eastbound span during the full westbound span closings. One lane of the westbound span may be closed Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Next Monday: The cash toll rate for two-axle vehicles will rise to $6. Capital Crescent Trail The National Park Service says its been making safety improvements to the Capital Crescent Trail’s Water Street entrance, because more cars have been parking along the area upstream of the Alexandria Aqueduct. Some of them have been driving on the trail while looking for the Beltway. Improvements include installation of a bicycle-friendly gate on the Georgetown side of the aqueduct to prevent vehicles from driving upstream. Signs and striping will warn visitors as they approach the gate. The grassy area that used to exist in this area will be restored when the project is done, the park service says. Pedaling professionally Malaika Abernathy of the D.C. Office of Planning will moderate a panel that will include Harriet Tregoning, director


One of the worst patents ever just got upheld in court

a Web site that follows the general business strategy claimed by the patent, Ultramercial thinks you owe them money. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that abstract ideas cannot be patented. So one of Ultramercial's targets, a company called WildTangent, challenged the validity of the patent. But in a 2011 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which hears appeals in all patent cases, sided with Ultramercial, holding that its patent is not too abstract to be patented. In 2012, after striking down another abstract patent, the Supreme Court ordered the Federal Circuit to reconsider its 2011 decision. On Friday, the Federal Circuit's three-judge panel stuck to its guns. Chief Judge Randall Rader, insisted that there was nothing abstract about Ultramercial's patent. After listing the steps claimed by the patent ("receiving media products from a copyright holder, selecting an advertisement to be associated with each media product, providing said media products for sale on an Internet website," and so forth), Rader wrote that "Even at this general level, it wrenches meaning from the word to label the claimed invention 'abstract.'" He notes that by upholding the patent, "there is no risk of preempting all forms of advertising, let alone advertising on the Internet." "No risk of preempting all forms of advertising" is a rather permissive standard. This week's decision is unlikely to be the last word on abstract patents. Another recent decision split the Federal Circuit down the middle, with some judges voting to uphold the patent and others voting to invalidate it. The 5-5 decision was over patents concerning computerized financial trading. As patent scholar Mark Lemley put it on Twitter, "we've got two Federal Circuits on this issue, and it seems to depend on the luck of the draw." That kind of legal uncertainty can't last forever. The fact that the Supreme Court asked the Federal Circuit to reconsider its earlier decision suggests that at least some of the justices are skeptical of Federal Circuit's position. The high court may be preparing to weigh in on the issue itself. And it takes a narrower view of what can be patented than the Federal Circuit does — the last three Supreme Court decisions on the subject all invalidated patents the Federal Circuit had approved. If the appeals court responsible for patent law won't rein in frivolous patenting, perhaps the Supreme Court will do the job itself.


Washington, D.C. supermoon extravaganza (PHOTOS)

Washington, D.C. and the surrounding region got a double dose of the supermoon, with the nearly full perigee moon gracing the evening sky both Saturday and Sunday. Amateur and professional photographers throughout the area seized on the opportunity, capturing stunning shots of the biggest and brightest moon of the year. Gallery: Here’s a selection of the top photos submitted to us via our Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr feeds. Thanks to everyone who shared photos. The Washington Monument The supermoon rising adjacent to the Washington Monument (Pablo Benavente via Flickr) Supermoon rising behind the Washington Monument, Sunday, July 23. ( NASA via Flickr) The Lincoln Memorial The supermoon rises adjacent to the Lincoln Memorial Sunday evening (Jim Knapp photography via Flickr) The Jefferson Memorial The supermoon rises over the Jefferson Memorial Saturday evening ( Christopher Skillman via Flickr) Supermoon over the Jefferson Sunday evening. (Brian Allen via Flickr) RT @css01: #supermoon over #JeffersonMemorial http://t.co/5DwBNly960 The supermoon rises above the Tidal Basin at 8:57 pm on June 23, 2013. There was a gap in the cloud cover that allowed for a clear but fleeting view of the moonrise. (Kevin Ambrose) Related: The Capitol Supermoon over the Capitol Dome Saturday Night (Architect of the Capitol via Flickr) The supermoon rises over the US Capitol – a composite of two images to get a bit of detail in the moon. (John J Young via Flickr) Other sites in the District The supermoon from a roof in Dupon Circle Sunday evening ( Angela N. via Flickr) The supermoon view from the roof at the Kennedy Center Sunday evening (Phil Yabut via Flickr) The supermoon emerges above the Peace Institute Sunday evening (Phil Yabut via Flickr) Iwo Jima The supermoon at sunset Saturday evening at the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington, VA. (Navin Sarma Photography via Flickr) Supermoon over Iwo Jima Saturday evening. (Adriana Byers via Facebook) @capitalweather Arlington style http://t.co/dcPk3HHuVY National Harbor Supermoon rises over National Harbor Sunday evening taken from Alexandria, Va. (Zane Phipps via Facebook) Supermoon over the Gaylord and Old Town (Alexandria, Va.) taken from the steps of the Masonic Temple. (Melanie Kaufman via Facebook) Supermoon and reflection of setting sun from National Harbor Saturday evening as viewed from Jones Point Park, Alexandria — at Jones Point Park. (Don Endicott via Facebook) Centreville, Va. Supermoon Saturday night


Rusty’s on the loose

(Smithsonian National Zoo) There is absolutely nothing that sparks D.C. media navel-gazing like panda news. And nothing divides more people in this city than panda news. But when it comes to MISSING pandas, that takes the cake. This particular panda is a small red panda, according to National Zoo officials. His name is Rusty. And he’s already got his own Twitter account to boot. It took all of an hour. (UPDATE: The number of accounts has passed a dozen, making this bit officially lame.) Needless to say, the next few days in the Woodley Park/Adams Morgan/Mount Pleasant areas will be interesting for dog and child walkers alike. This also puts back into overdrive my biggest fear ever from the zoo: an ape falling from those overhead lines. But that’s a different story. Right now, all the comedians are out on Twitter. The jokes range from pop culture to political, obviously. Here’s a sample. That panda is probably down in Barry Farm... #RedPanda allegedly on flight to Moscow. No -- wait -- Ecuador?! But that makes no sense! Rusty the Red Panda last seen running away from DC in the direction of a city with a decent restaurant scene. A Red Panda Fur trimmed snapback would look cold as hell with some Red Yeezys. Not saying, just saying. What sort of reward are we talking about for finding this missing red panda - free cuddles for life? OK. I'M ON IT. #PandaHunter Dan Haren envies that missing red panda A timely Nats zinger and a zoo news reference in one tweet? You, sir, win first prize.


2013 Rammy Award winners and the best speeches

Other than the awards, of course, the highlight of the Rammy Awards is always the dance party that breaks out after enough guests visit the seven beverage stations. (Maura Judkis/The Washington Post) D.C.'s restaurant industry celebrated itself Sunday night at the Rammy Awards, a gala for local restaurateurs and their achievements. More than 1,600 people filed into the Marriott Wardman Park, many decked out in garden attire for the evening's "Restaurants in Bloom" theme, to see who would take home the night's top prizes. Scroll down to see the Rammy winners, but if we were handing out awards for last night, here's who would have won: Best reference to an unsavory profession in an acceptance speech: Second-best reference to unsavory profession in an acceptance speech: Best one-liner about a D.C. politician: Most genuine acceptance speech: Straight shooter of the night: 2013 Rammy Award winners: (Note: To be eligible for a Rammy Award, a restaurant must be a member of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington, which explains why critical darlings like Little Serow were not among the nominees or winners.) FINE DINING RESTAURANT: Blue Duck Tavern UPSCALE CASUAL RESTAURANT: Estadio NEW RESTAURANT: Mintwood Place CASUAL RESTAURANT: C.F. Folks Restaurant CHEF: Fabio Trabocchi -- Fiola RESTAURATEUR: Ashok Bajaj -- Knightsbridge Restaurant Group PASTRY CHEF: Beverly Bates -- Vidalia RISING CULINARY STAR: Scot Harlan -- Green Pig Bistro RESTAURANT MANAGER: Michael Nevarez -- Vidalia/Bistro Bis/Woodward Table RESTAURANT EMPLOYEE: Luis Noriega -- Zengo WINE PROGRAM: Marcel's by Robert Wiedmaier BEVERAGE/MIXOLOGY PROGRAM: Room 11 JOAN HISAOKA ASSOCIATE MEMBER: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (not coincidentally, this is where the awards ceremony was held) DUKE ZEIBERT CAPITAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Linda Lee HONORARY MILESTONE: Clyde's of Georgetown NEIGHBORHOOD GATHERING PLACE: Nellie's Sports Bar HOTTEST RESTAURANT BAR SCENE: Bar Pilar POWER SPOT: P.J. Clarke's


Nightlife Agenda: Local beers, a patriotic bar crawl and happy hour with frozen cocktails

Every Tuesday, the Going Out Gurus highlight the week's best DJs, bands, dance nights and parties. Eleanor Friedberger visits U Street Music Hall to perform songs from "Personal Record," which was released on Merge Records earlier this month. (Photo by Roger Kisby/Merge Records) Tuesday, June 25 Wednesday, June 26 Belgian beer aficionados say De Struise, a small Flanders brewery, produces some of that country's finest ales. It's a rare and distinct treat to have 17 of them at ChurchKey on the same night, along with brewery founders Urbain Cotteau and Philippe Driessens. Look for two new ales, a "session sour" called Weltmerz that's only 3 percent alcohol, and a Flanders Oud Bruin style called Ypres, as well as the Pannepot Reserva 2010 and the recent collaboration with Three Floyds, a double IPA called Shark Pants. The Geto Boys Thursday, June 27 Eleanor Friedberger Friday, June 28 The D.C. area has reggae clubs, such as Patty Boom Boom, and reggae festivals, including the Jamaica Day Reggae Festival at the Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds next month. But for a steady fix of classic reggae – the Jamaican ska, rocksteady and dub that reverberated around the world in the '60s and '70s – there's no better place than Marx Cafe's monthly Soundclash, whether you're looking to hear big hits or special vinyl-only rarities. The monthly party is celebrating its 11th anniversary this week, which means a special rum punch (prepared by mixologist Dan Searing of Room 11), Soundclash T-shirts and other surprises. As always, there's no cover, and the bass begins booming at 10 p.m. Saturday, June 29 DJ Dredd There are many outdoor concert series throughout the summer, but it's hard to beat the music and the neighborhood vibes at the Petworth Jazz Project. Couples, families and groups of friends spread blankets on the grassy lawn of the Petworth Recreation Center and tuck into picnics while listening to some of the area's best jazz groups. This time around, it's the Corey Wallace DUBtet, led by trombonist Wallace, a Baltimore native who plays in the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra and the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra. The band plays from 7 to 9 p.m.; there's a special set for the kids at 6 p.m. When last year's derecho hit, Alexandria's Port City brewery lost power. The only problem: Its tanks were full of beer. One batch of lager wound up fermenting at higher temperatures


Obama tries the kitchen-sink approach to global warming

White House is pursuing a slew of complementary measures, too. (AES) For instance: The White House is hammering out an agreement with China and other countries to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a potent greenhouse gas used in everything from soda machines to many car air conditioners. The administration will also develop a plan for curbing methane emissions from natural-gas production. The Energy Department will set new efficiency standards for appliances and buildings. The Interior Department will try to speed up wind and solar development on public lands. Foreign-aid agencies will cease financing coal plants overseas (except when there are no possible alternatives). Pile that on top of all the climate steps the administration has already taken — like the fact that fuel-economy standards have been ratcheted up to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025 — and the short-term climate target starts to look more attainable. Emissions aren't the sole focus, either: The White House also plans to help state and local agencies prepare for the impacts of climate change that are lurking in the near future, such as sea-level rise or flooding or extreme weather. An example: All federally-funded rebuilding after superstorm Sandy now has to take the risks of future flooding into account. All of these steps can, in theory, be pursued without Congress. Yet Obama could still encounter plenty of resistance from lawmakers, who can threaten to pull funding from the EPA and other agencies if they go too far. Last week, House Speaker John Boehner called Obama's rumored plans "absolutely crazy." "Why," asked Boehner, "would you want to increase the cost of energy and kill more American jobs at a time when the American people are still asking the question, where are the jobs?” What happens after 2020? Meanwhile, the cuts that the Obama administration can make in the next seven years are just a small part of the climate story. Many developed nations have aimed to cut their emissions a whopping 80 percent by 2050, in the hopes of limiting global temperature rise to no more than 2°C. A recent open letter from the Clean Air Task Force warned that cuts of that magnitude will require more than just reining in coal plants. Clean-energy technology will have to get a lot better, too. “Ultimately,” the letter notes, “we will need to capture the carbon from gas-fired power plants as well. Renewable energy faces challenges of scale,


Rusty’s day out

being a red panda. Sure, you’ve got “panda” in your name, but you live in the black-and-white shadow of your ursine relatives, the giant pandas — the sexually frustrated bamboo munchers who move gift-shop merch like none other. So how’s this lesser-known species to get its due? For the National Zoo’s red panda Rusty, it means beating an escape from his enclosure and prompting a worldwide, social-media fueled freak out. The excursion lasted only a few hours before Rusty was collared in Adams Morgan around 2 p.m. Monday, presumably before he could get himself a jumbo slice. More from AP, NYT, WRC-TV, City Desk and DCist. In other news: Charter schools nationally fail to outperform traditional public schools — but not in D.C. (Post) Sixty-one percent of Washingtonians say the Redskins should stay the Redskins (Post) Stanley Straughter becomes third person to admit participating in Jeffrey Thompson-funded straw donor scheme (Post, DCist, WTTG-TV, WaTimes, AP, WAMU-FM) Peaceoholics vow to fight (WTTG-TV, WJLA-TV, WUSA-TV) DCPS truancy is down but far from eliminated (Post) Dried blood on man’s pants led to arrest for Petworth stabbings (Post, WJLA-TV, WUSA-TV) Friends of Paul Mannina: “We want answers that lead to actions that fix a broken system, and guarantee that others in the D.C. courts and prisons get their immediate mental health needs recognized and addressed” (Post letter) Surrogacy liberalization has wide support on council, though national debate is sharper (WAMU-FM) Muriel Bowser’s comments on marriage officiant bill draw response from proponents (Blade) Herb Miller, Sandy Wilkes drop out of Walter Reed derby (WBJ) Sure, Herb, whatever you say: “I don’t need another real estate project. … I just want our city to be a very special place” (WBJ) JBG vs. MRP for Florida Avenue development rights (Housing Complex) Opponents’ pressure has zoning update stuck in limbo (GGW) Man, 25, shot to death early Monday near Potomac Gardens (Post) Man shot Monday evening at 8th and H streets NE (Post) Columbia Heights residents would really like the fire trucks to keep it down (New Columbia Heights) Patton Boggs sheds 17 partners (Post) Site of burned-down Peggy Cooper Cafritz home will host two, probably three, new houses (WBJ) Downtown BID aims to double bike parking in three years (DBID) Tom Sherwood’s latest D.C. politics zinger (DCist) Attention JAWB lunchers: Reagan Building food court workers may be underpaid (HuffPo) Sammy Hagar + Nationals Park = !!! (WBJ)


Obama unveils broad climate change plan, to deliver major speech today

a piecemeal or kitchen sink approach to confronting the issue with a laundry list of initiatives. The centerpiece of the strategy is a proposed rule to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants by June 2014, an add-on to (already) proposed standards for new (or future) plants. The strategy also features initiatives to improve energy efficiency, increase renewable energy sources, reduce methane, build/enhance international partnerships to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and prepare for/adapt to climate change. The White House released a promotional video below in advance of the President’s big speech – which broadly lays out the rationale for the strategy and its different components: Addressing the threat of Climate Change Predictably, environmental groups have hailed the plan while conservatives have expressed reservations. Here are a few reactions: National Resources Defense Council’s Dan Lashof: The country is facing a threat; the president is facing facts. This plan takes aim at the heart of the problem: the dangerous carbon pollution from our power plants. Reducing that pollution is the most important step we can take, as a nation, to stand up to climate change. World Resources Institute: A comprehensive climate strategy will provide businesses with greater certainty and drive investments and innovation that can charge the U.S. economy. This announcement will have ripple effects that will increase the urgency of action around the globe. Center for Climate and Energy Solution’s Eileen Claussen: President Obama is laying out a credible, comprehensive strategy to use the tools at his disposal to strengthen the U.S. response to climate change. His plan recognizes that the costs of climate change are real and rising, and that to minimize them we must both cut our carbon output and strengthen our climate resilience. Putting these critical issues before the American public is itself a step forward. But it will require continued presidential leadership to translate the plan’s good intentions into concrete policy. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio): I think this is absolutely crazy! Why would you want to increase the cost of energy and kill more American jobs at a time when the American people are still asking the question, ‘Where are the jobs?’ For more information about the plan, refer to these articles/resources: Obama tries the kitchen-sink approach to global warming (Wonkblog, Brad Plumer) Obama climate strategy represents piecemeal approach Highlights of Obama’s plan to cut carbon White House Rolling Out Sweeping Climate Measures


New Weather Service supercomputer faces chaos

the southward extension of the upper-level trough in WCOSS in the high altitude plot). So what lay behind the chaotic like divergence of solutions between the identically same GFS run on different computer systems? Simply speaking, the error in model’s sequence of short range (3 hour) forecasts, which provide the “first guess” in assimilation of the latest observations, does not result in precisely the same initial conditions for the next pair of GFS extended range forecasts (see schematic illustration below). The differences in the simulations arise solely from exceedingly small, but apparently consequential differences in numerical calculations. These are associated with differences in the computer systems’ structure and logical organization (architecture) and compilers which translate programming codes (e.g., versions of Fortran) to machine language – and probably other factors way over my head to understand. The example shown was selected arbitrarily as the latest run at the time of this writing. In another case, which led me to this issue by NCEP’s Bill Bua, differences in extended range forecasts were less but quite noticeable. These two cases (above) may or may not be representative. For the last few months, NCEP has been running the GFS on WCOSS in parallel with the operational GFS on the current computers. An in depth evaluation by NCEP and other NOAA personnel is not yet complete, but must soon reckon with the advertised expectation that WCOSS will be accepted as the operational computer system in mid-July. [Note: you can be your own judge (with no vote) by comparing the operational GFS and the parallel GFS run on WCOSS]. The same is true with NCEP’s regional models. For example, in the NMM model, I’ve found differences between parallel runs as likely indistinguishable. This is not surprising since the forecast range (84 hours at most) is too short for initial condition differences to grow meaningful levels.] Before drawing any conclusions, however, consider this important caveat: What is being shown above are differences in GFS forecasts, not whether one verifies better or worse than the other (i.e. is more accurate). I suspect that differences are random so that on average they are performing statistically about the same. On that basis, it’s reasonable to believe case by case differences can be viewed as an unavoidable fact of life and conclude there is little, if any, reason not to accept WCOSS becoming the operational computer system in July. Stay tuned.


Should grandma still get her checks in the mail? The paper lobby thinks so.

Last Wednesday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) grilled Treasury officials over something that affects a tiny number of their clients: The right to get their Social Security checks. Like actual paper ones. "In July, you're going to issue another letter," Warren told Treasury's Fiscal Assistant Secretary Richard Gregg, "that's basically a letter threatening the last two percent. They've got to move over to electronic transfer, suggesting that they're breaking the law if they don't do that, and not making any indication in that letter that there are waivers available to people." Treasury has been pushing for all-electronic distribution for a decade now, with tremendous success. And it makes sense, because direct deposit is much more effective: In fiscal year 2012, the Social Security Administration found 500,000 cases of checks that had been stolen or lost, and only 7,000 interrupted electronic transfers. Or at least, it's a lot easier to handle for an agency that has enough trouble staying solvent. Against that backdrop, it looked like Warren was defending the vulnerable and the few, in the form of an elderly woman who came to testify about losing her benefits to electronic identify theft. But that old lady has some big corporate allies: Consumers for Paper Options, a group that takes funding from trade associations like the Envelope Manufacturers Association and Printing Industries of America, to establish a "right" to printed communication. A few days earlier, Consumers for Paper Options put out a survey with conclusions like this: "An overwhelming majority of American adults across all demographic groups believe that consumers should not be forced to receive information in an electronic format." Even young people prefer receiving paper bills and statements, the group reported, and most people think it's wrong for the government to force everyone to obtain public services online. AF&PA "Paper: Making Life Better" And that's against the backdrop of a long-term rise in political giving from the printing and publishing industry, to more than $41 million last election cycle. It's easy to understand why the companies might be upping their presence in Washington: The Internet age has devastated traditional paper products, with newspapers, magazines and print advertising at historic lows. At the same time, e-commerce has boosted demand for packaging, so they've pressed for things like reform of the United States Postal Service, to keep it as cheap as possible for vendors like L.L. Bean and Pottery Barn to send


The cocktails-on-tap trend is becoming a movement

Red sangria, made with red wine, hibiscus, ginger and lime, is a new and refreshing option on Hogo's taps. (Photo by Fritz Hahn/The Post) The cocktails-on-tap trend has become a full-fledged movement with two new additions in the past week: Hogo, the rum bar next to the Passenger, has traded beer for house-made sangria on one of its taps, and the days-old Teddy and the Bully Bar offers two draft cocktails and no draft beer. Here's an update on some of the best draft cocktails in town. Teddy and the Bully Bar Hogo Mockingbird Hill Bar Pilar Range El Chucho


CrowdSourced: Wonkblog readers are really excited about cold fusion

After four weeks of the first Wonkblog CrowdSourced, there is a consensus! Asked to explain what you view as the most promising energy source for America's economic and environmental future, you favored one answer, heavily, above the others: Low energy nuclear reactions, or cold fusion. Nine of the top ten vote-getters favored this answer. (Perhaps with an assist from the website ColdFusionNow.org, which urged readers to participate). The advent of cold fusion could make fission-based nuclear plants, with their nuclear waste and risk of meltdown, a thing of the past. (JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS) It is obvious why the possibility would be attractive: A successful LENR technology would allow practically unlimited energy production without carbon emissions or the nuclear waste that results from fission-based nuclear reactors. It's also the case that there is no such technology on the immediate horizon; researchers are far from turning cold fusion from a conceptual idea into a workable energy source. Here's what a couple of the cold fusion enthusiasts had to say at the CrowdSourced, along with those who embraced other solutions as offering the most immediate promise for America's energy future. (Minor spelling and grammatical fixes have been made) Writes reader Tom888: There is little doubt that the future energy will be LENR, aka cold fusion. The field developed off the mainstream over the past years and we are at a point where commercial applications are being prepared for roll out now by several companies. This is mainly engineering and inventor driven, whereas basic science is lagging behind understanding the phenomenon. Nevertheless, the effect is indisputable now and the prospect is clean, unlimited source of thermal energy at very low cost. Today, June 03, this subject is being discussed at the EU in Brussels - questions are funding and how to move forward. In US, the company National Instruments is involves in supplying control software for LENR reactors, Siemens is looking at it, research is being done at many places (U of Missouri, NAS, SRI...). Several companies in US announced commercial LENR heaters within the coming months. Those reactors are typically small, table top devices, overall low-tech, which can be bundled to larger units for heating, steam and electricity generation. This puts an end to CO2 problems and oil wars. And, writes PeterRoe, While it makes sense to continue to use existing 'renewable' energy sources such as solar, hydro and tidal power where available, all


doubt that the future energy will be LENR, aka cold fusion. The field developed off the mainstream over the past years and we are at a point where commercial applications are being prepared for roll out now by several companies. This is mainly engineering and inventor driven, whereas basic science is lagging behind understanding the phenomenon. Nevertheless, the effect is indisputable now and the prospect is clean, unlimited source of thermal energy at very low cost. Today, June 03, this subject is being discussed at the EU in Brussels - questions are funding and how to move forward. In US, the company National Instruments is involves in supplying control software for LENR reactors, Siemens is looking at it, research is being done at many places (U of Missouri, NAS, SRI...). Several companies in US announced commercial LENR heaters within the coming months. Those reactors are typically small, table top devices, overall low-tech, which can be bundled to larger units for heating, steam and electricity generation. This puts an end to CO2 problems and oil wars. And, writes PeterRoe, While it makes sense to continue to use existing 'renewable' energy sources such as solar, hydro and tidal power where available, all these, together with fossil fuels and nuclear will soon be obsolete. The energy source of the future is the phenomenon of cold fusion, also known as LENR etc. Before skeptics dismiss this as fantasy, they need to do a bit of research. Several parties have recently claimed breakthroughs at kilowatt levels from cold fusion reactors including Brillouin, Defkalion Green Technologies and Leonardo Corporation (Andrea Rossi), and a number of very serious researchers are reporting positive results. The current leader of the field seems to be Rossi, who recently had one of his devices tested by a group of independent scientists, under the auspices of a major Swedish power consortium. The test results clearly confirmed his claim that he has invented a practical cold fusion reactor. Through his agent ecat.com, he is also offering to install a 1MW thermal plant free of charge to a suitable host organisation, in order to publicly demonstrate the technology in action. Here are some leading vote-getters outside of the cold fusion crowd. Reader JKammerer makes the case for greater efficiency as the path toward a more economically and environmentally sustainable energy future. The single best source for energy in America is ignored by this question,


Another lottery contract is under the D.C. Council’s microscope

daily conversation, this intrigue behind this contract disappoints. The political machinations on this lottery contract, unlike the previous one, are by and large in public view, and they center around a fairly well-defined question: Has Scientific Games hired enough subcontractors? Not just any subcontractors, understand, but businesses certified by the city as being small, local, minority or woman-owned. Under District law, with certain exceptions, 35 percent of the value of all District government contracts worth more than $250,000 must be subcontracted to those certified firms. Scientific Games is pledging to subcontract only 17 percent, which has drawn strong objections from parties with ties to the small-business community — including Barbara Lang, president and CEO of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce, who on Thursday called the Scientific Games award a “terrible mess that speaks to chronic dysfunction in our procurement system” and called for a rebid of the contract. Thursday’s testimony laid out other noteworthy facts: The request for instant-ticket proposals drew only one other bidder, a joint venture that did not win the requisite certification in time and was thus disqualified. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, which evaluated bidders and awarded the contract, worked with the city agency in charge of business certifications to secure a waiver from the 35 percent requirement for Scientific Games, but it has neither granted nor denied the waiver after nearly six months. With a late July deadline approaching and the council pressing to review the Scientific Games deal, the OCFO’s contracting director earlier this month granted the waiver himself. Now OCFO and lottery officials say there is nothing illegal about any of that, and while critics challenge that interpretation, the conflict boils down to whether Scientific Games should and could do more to hire certified subcontractors. The company’s corporate counsel, Philip Bauer, made the case Thursday that it could not: The contract is, at its core, for the manufacture of lottery tickets, which, Bauer said, can be done in only Scientific Games’s Georgia factory using special Scientific Games paper and Scientific Games ink. The company, he said, also uses a special high-security transportation contractor to deliver the tickets to the city, but most everything else — including distribution to retailers — can and will be handled by a local certified business. But two council members did not show much patience for Bauer’s explanations. Vincent B. Orange (D-At Large) and Jack Evans (D-Ward


The Bitcoin drug business is getting more competitive

Bitcoin burst into mainstream attention after Gawker wrote about the online drug marketplace Silk Road in 2011. Silk Road uses Bitcoin, with its decentralized, anonymity-friendly architecture, to shield its users and operators from law enforcement scrutiny. That's important because Silk Road sellers sell all manner of illicit goods, from marijuana to cocaine to prescription painkillers. (Nick Adams/Reuters) Forbes reports that Silk Road has been so successful that new firms are entering the Bitcoin drug market. And one of them has a fun promotional video, telling the story of "Charlie," who moved to a new city and wasn't able to find any weed. Then, he learned about the online drug marketplace Atlantis, and "the next day Charlie is high as a damn kite." Atlantis says it has lower fees and is more user-friendly than Silk Road. And the site has embarked on an ambitious publicity campaign. The site's anonymous CEO participated in a reddit "Ask Me Anything," boasting that Silk Road "has more users, but our service is better (to put it bluntly)." Another site, called Black Market Reloaded, keeps a lower profile. "I don’t see myself as a big leader or a personality to be praised," its anonymous administrator wrote on the site's forums, according to Forbes. "I see my role here as the guy in the machine room, simply making the ship float and move forward" While Bitcoin has grown more popular for illicit uses like drugs and gambling, use of Bitcoin for legal activities has also exploded. "While it's true that illicit transactions probably did help bootstrap the Bitcoin economy early on, we are way past the point where such transactions account for any sizable portion of the economy," argued Jerry Brito, a researcher at the libertarian Mercatus Center, in a blog post last week. For example, BitPay, a vendor that helps legitimate vendors accept Bitcoin payments, has been growing rapidly. The firm announced in April that it had processed $5.2 million in transactions for the month of March. In comparison, a 2012 study estimated that Silk Road, the leading drug marketplace, accounted for about $2 million per month in transactions in the first half of 2012.


Don’t be afraid of fast zombies

being severe. If a disease is too hard on its host, killing quickly, it can’t spread. If it’s too easy on its host, it doesn’t much matter if it spreads. “That’s one of the reasons we talk about the 1918 influenza a lot,” Schuchat said. “In many ways, it was a perfect weapon. Most people actually survived that influenza. The death rate was only about 2 percent. But that’s enormous across a society.” Had its death rate been 100 percent, by contrast, the flu would’ve been stopped in its tracks. And for all the advances of modern medicine, influenza would have an enormous advantage today: Modern air travel means that a flu that begins the morning in Nairobi can end the day in New Jersey. If globalization is influenza’s ally, the ability to rapidly disseminate information is its mortal enemy. The quicker the world knows what disease is coming, the faster resources can be mobilized and behavior can be changed to stop it. This is where reality and “World War Z” -- the book this time, not the movie -- converge. SARS caught the world unprepared in 2002 because authorities in China, where it first appeared, covered it up. Brooks deploys a similar scenario at the start of his zombie near-apocalypse. China has learned a lot since then. “I was in Beijing during the SARS response,” Schuchat said. “The Chinese have come an enormous distance since 2003. They’re real models now.” Their responsiveness and transparency were tested in February when a new strain of avian flu was found in China. Schuchat said that this time the Chinese did everything right: They alerted the World Health Organization, sequenced the genome and released the results, and mounted a massive effort to locate infections. China’s strides are not necessarily the norm. The concern today is the Middle East, where the SARS-like coronavirus known as Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, has emerged, and transparency in dealing with it has been wanting. Brooks believes that we like to consider these dangers in terms of zombies because we can calm our anxieties by telling ourselves that zombies aren’t real. “If all that happens because of a zombie plague, then you can say, ‘Oh, well, that would never happen, because there’s no zombies,’” he told the Times. But, to be a bit of a downer, the threat is real, and it’s even scarier than fast zombies.


News roundup to the edge of the solar system

from the sun, beaming data to Earth as it scoots at 38,000 mph toward the constellation Ophiuchus. Scientists had assumed that Voyager 1, launched in 1977, would have exited the solar system by now. That would mean crossing the heliopause and leaving behind the vast bubble known as the heliosphere, which is characterized by particles flung by the sun and by a powerful magnetic field.The scientists’ assumption turned out to be half-right. On Aug. 25, Voyager 1 saw a sharp drop-off in the solar particles, also known as the solar wind. At the same time, there was a spike in galactic particles coming from all points of the compass. But the sun’s magnetic field still registers, somewhat diminished, on the spacecraft’s magnetometer. So it’s still in the sun’s magnetic embrace, in a sense.This unexpected transitional zone, dubbed the “heliosheath depletion region,” is described in three new papers about Voyager 1 published online Thursday by the journal Science.“There were some surprises,” said Ed Stone, who has been the lead scientist of NASA’s Voyager program since 1972. “We expected that we would cross a boundary and leave all the solar stuff behind and be in all the interstellar stuff. It turned out, that’s not what happened.” How big is this transitional zone at the edge of the solar system? “No one knows,” said Stone, 77, a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology and the former head of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Voyager’s home base. “It’s not in any of the models. We don’t know. It could take us a few more months, it could take us several more years to get through it.” The dimensions and nature of the heliosphere are not a wholly esoteric matter. The sun’s magnetic field deflects much of the radiation coming from other parts of the galaxy that was created in supernova explosions. Interstellar space is not a benign environment. The heliosphere’s features make life easier for blue planets such as Earth. Voyager 1 can be counted as one of the great exploratory craft in history, and none has gone farther, nor cruised steadily at such astonishing speed (a few have briefly gone faster while falling into the sun). Two Voyager probes were launched in 1977. Both spaceships carried a gold-plated record crammed with digital information about human civilization, including mathematical formulas, an image of a naked man and woman, whale vocalizations, and clips


The weekend and beyond: Golf, soccer, road projects, Metrorail work

more weekend events in the Going Out Guide. Storms move through the area Friday afternoon, and the weekend will be hot and humid, with rain more likely Sunday than Saturday, the Capital Weather Gang says. People heading south this weekend should pay special attention to the I-95 road work listed below, and for those staying local, note that Metro is working on all five rail lines. Metro weekend delays Red Line. Orange Line Blue Line. Yellow Line. At L’Enfant Plaza, Yellow Line riders should watch for signs directing them to the correct platform. All the Yellow Line trains, whether heading for Huntington or Mount Vernon Square, will arrive on the same platform at L’Enfant Plaza this weekend. Green Line. I-95/395 At 11 p.m. Friday, the High Occupancy Vehicle lanes on I-395/95 from the D.C. line to the HOV lanes’ end at Dumfries Road (Route 234) will close until 10 a.m. Saturday, and then again at 11 p.m. Saturday night until 10 a.m. Sunday Silver Line On Friday, the left through lane on the eastbound side is scheduled to close between the Reston Parkway and Wiehle Avenue overpasses from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Then on Saturday night, the workers will move to the left through lane on the westbound side. The lane shifts are the first step in preparing for the final paving, scheduled to take place in about two to three weeks. Canal Road AT Tournament There’s no spectator entrance at the main drive of Congressional Country Club off River Road. The only public, walk-up entrance is at Persimmon Tree Lane and Country Club Drive, the tournament says. Use this link to see information on parking and directions. Follow this link for more information from Montgomery County about the shuttle buses and public transportation. Alumni Alliance 5K in D.C. D.C. police plan to close streets along the route at 7 a.m. Here’s the route: West on W Street NW to Sixth Street NW, north to Gresham Street NW, east to Fifth Street NW, south to Fourth Street, right on W Street, ending on Sixth Street NW in front of Howard University’s Cramton Auditorium. Upcoming . . . - Gas prices will change in Virginia and Maryland. - Metro will ease up on weeknight track work. - Tolls will rise for Maryland’s bridges and tunnels. - Travelers will turn July 4 into a four-day weekend. - Metrobus service changes start.


PM Update: Storms slowly wind down this evening but more likely over the weekend

9:20 p.m. update: 6:10 p.m. update: Radar lightning: From 6:00 p.m.: Through Tonight: Saturday and Sunday: See Camden Walker’s forecast into early next week. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter Rainbow over the District by Brian Allen (via Flickr) Amazing timelapse of storms with rainbow over Washington, D.C.:


Google Reader dies today. Here’s why I’m not replacing it.

Filter Bubble', defines it as "the unique universe of information that you live in online." Pariser's main concern is with algorithmic filters, like the one Google applies to your search results (if you're worried about that, then Duck Duck Go has you covered). But Reader and Twitter are even worse than that. Rather than an algorithm filtering what I read, I'm filtering what I read. In certain ways, I make a great curator for myself. I know what I already like. But that's also the problem. I'm terrible at knowing what I don't already like. And so too are the people I follow. After all, I'm following them because I already like and know their work. By now, I'm pretty familiar with the sources they read, too. There's nothing wrong with RSS feeds, or with Twitter. But they both bias my information diet in the same ways: Toward quick reads rather than long ones, toward writers and outlets I know rather than ones I don't, toward blogs rather than other kinds of articles, and toward information I curated rather than information that someone else curated. Those biases are dangerous for me. After all, my job is to keep coming up with new and interesting things things to report and write about. The more I read the same things over and over, and the more I read the same things that other writers read, the worse I'll be at my job. So I'm taking the death of Google Reader as an opportunity to make some changes. I won't be leaving another RSS reader open in my browser, and I've already been working to check Twitter less frequently. Instead, I'm going back to bookmarks -- and other people's curation. I'm bookmarking a few of my favorite blogs, and then bookmarking a few news outlets and magazines, and a few socially curated sites (like Digg and Reddit), and a few more idiosyncratically curated sites (like LongReads.com and Byliner). My hope is to combine enough different forms of curation that I break out of my habits and regularly see content I wouldn't have known to look for. And since a lot of that content will be longer and less convenient to read, the spot in my browser that used to be reserved for Reader will now play host to my Pocket oage, so it's easy for me to work through articles I've saved when


Galex space telescope goes dark

We took a bit of time off on Friday. Here’s what we’re reading/watching today: The Andromeda galaxy is seen here in an ultraviolet image taken by Galex. The galaxy is the largest galactic neighbor to the Milky Way galaxy at 2.5 million light-years away. (NASA/JPL-Caltech) 1) NASA has officially shut down the 10-year-old space telescope Galexy Evolution Explorer, or Galex. The space agency had handed over control of Galex to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). “Galex is a remarkable accomplishment,” said Jeff Hayes, NASA’s Galex program executive in Washington, via a release on the Caltech Web site. “This small Explorer mission has mapped and studied galaxies in the ultraviolet, light we cannot see with our own eyes, across most of the sky.” The telescope was shutdown at 3:09 p.m. ET on Friday, but it will stay in orbit for an estimated 65 years. In 2007, The Post’s Marc Kaufman “…the discovery shows not only how matter is spread through the galaxy by fading stars but also points to the likely fate of our own star. The sun is expected to last another 4 billion to 5 billion years and then dissipate in a way perhaps similar to Mira.” Observations made using Galex also led to the discovery of a black hole in the process of consuming a star, rings of new stars around dead galaxies, the confirmation of dark energy’s nature, and the discovery of “teenage galaxies,” or galaxies in the process of evolving from young to old. The remaining data from Galex collected over the last year will be released to the public in the coming year, according to a release. (Caltech via Space.com) 2) President Obama arrived in Tanzania on Monday on his trip through Africa. The Post’s David Nakamura is with the president as he travels around the continent. Given the priority Obama has placed on innovation in both his domestic and foreign policies, we asked Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, for her take on how the administration should pivot to Africa and which countries could use the most attention, given the foundation’s focus on innovation in Africa. Here’s what she had to say via an e-mail: “It’s encouraging to see the administration focusing on Africa, and to see the President visiting countries where Africans have been building better lives for themselves and their families … As donors, we can invest


This terrifying chart shows we’re not growing enough food to feed the world

yield gains could be stagnating, explained Jonathan Foley, an agricultural expert at the University of Minnesota, in an interview we did a few months back. "In many parts of the world, we haven't seen enough investment in agriculture because of economics or policies or institutions," he said. Many former Soviet states, say, could improve their yields through better fertilizer use. They just aren't doing it. But in some parts of the world, there's a more worrisome prospect — farmers are doing everything they can to squeeze more productivity out of their farmland, but they're starting to hit a biological "wall," a limit on how much yields can keep rising. "We can sometimes bust through these walls with technology, genetics, better seeds," Foley says. Indeed, this is a place where people hope that genetically modified crops might be able to boost yields. "But at a certain point," Foley says, "we run up against fundamental physiological limits for plants. If billion of years of evolution can’t figure it out, are we going to be able to? That I don’t know." And this is all a worry even before we start talking about global warming, which creates its own set of issues. Scientists like David Lobell have found evidence that extreme heat waves could hurt crop yields in the decades ahead, outweighing the benefits of warmer temperatures. And if climate change brings more frequent droughts — as some researchers expect — that would make a further dent. Australia's wheat yields, for one, have stagnated in recent years thanks to an extended dry period. So what can the world actually do? But there are other options, too. In a 2009 essay (pdf) for Scientific American, Foley argued that the world should focus on five big things: 1) Stop razing forests and savannahs for farmland — by, for instance, shifting away from crop-based biofuels. 2) Focus on boosting yields where it's technologically doable, especially in Africa. 3) Figure out how to use water and fertilizer more efficiently everywhere. 4) Pare back the amount of meat in our diets. 5) Cut down on the enormous amount of food waste worldwide. "Feeding nine billion people in a truly sustainable way," Foley concludes, "will be one of the greatest challenges our civilization has ever faced." That essay doesn't have all the answers, but it's one place to start on the topic. Further reading: — What we know about