Army Ten-Miler: Augustus Maiyo edges Robert Cheseret at the finish line

win, all alone in front during the weekend Hurricane Sandy traveled north, the elements had some influence. “We had to battle the wind the whole time,” he said. “You could feel it one way or another the whole time. It definitely slowed us down.” In preparation for Chicago, Maiyo had been running 140 miles a week in Colorado Springs, where he and the rest of the WCAP athletes train together several times a week. Had he known he was going to be racing 10 miles, he said he would have been running much less. “I didn’t think my speed, for 10 miles, wasn’t all there, but when you get in a race you can surprise yourself,” he said. The wind was a departure for the Army Ten-Miler, which had enjoyed good racing conditions the past several years. But that did not bother Maiyo when it came to the competitive side of the race. This was the first time he had broken the finish-line tape in several tries. “I’ve been second [twice], fourth, sixth, seventh,” he said. “Finally, I won it. It feels good.” Frederick native Stephanie Reich won the women’s title in 56:21, almost two minutes ahead of the next woman, after finishing third in 2015. “I tried to go out conservatively, trying to be patient, but at four miles I felt good, so I kept going,” she said. “I knew a woman could come up behind me, but I just kept pushing so that wouldn’t happen. I just tried to keep moving up, passing people.” She had run 57:46 last year in her first race longer than 10,000 meters, shortly after graduating from Bucknell University. In the year since, while coaching cross-country at Thomas Johnson High in Frederick, her training picked up with the help of the Georgetown Running Club. In May, she won the Frederick Half Marathon. Vienna’s Perry Shoemaker was second for the second straight year in 58:15, and Kelly Calway, a U.S. Military Academy instructor who won the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon, was third in 58:56. The Army Ten-Miler, regularly the second largest U.S. 10-mile race behind the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia, had 24,455 finishers this year, down from 26,312 in 2015. Runners dealt with the WMATA’s moratorium on early openings and late closings during the SafeTrack process, which pinned many between a 7 a.m. opening and the 8 a.m. start time for faster runners.


Southern Md. student found dead on Md. college campus

A student from Southern Maryland was found dead early Sunday on the campus of the University of Maryland Baltimore County, the county police said. They identified the student as Eric Thomas Askins, 17, of Hollywood, Md. He was a freshman, the police said. Police said police and rescue personnel were sent to the campus about 12:30 a.m. Sunday after the student was found unconscious. He was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. They said no signs of foul play were found. The state medical examiner’s office is to determine the cause of death. Police said the death was being investigated by the homicide unit, which investigates sudden deaths where no cause is apparent. The campus is in the Arbutus area of the county, three or four miles southwest of Baltimore City.


With a California sensibility, she’s changing British attitudes toward vegetables

topped with candied fennel seeds; zucchini fritters with aioli; tomato tarte tatin with orange and yellow heirloom tomatoes and crispy nasturtium seeds; crispy olives, roasted feta, deep-fried capers. “Lots of different textures,” says Jones. Texture is vital to her. Presentation, too: “It’s so important. It’s like getting up and getting dressed in the morning. If you don’t brush your hair and you put on clothes that have yesterday’s soup down them, you’re not going to feel your best, you’re not going to be on your game.” Baked Sweet Potato Rosti. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) In London, the land of meat-and-two-veg, Jones’s vegetarian approach still feels fresh. Not too long ago, the nose-to-tail trend of carnivory exemplified by Fergus Henderson and the London restaurant St. John was all the rage. And Jones says her message would have struggled to find an audience before the past few years. “When I became vegetarian, about eight years ago, I had to let people in on it quite slowly; I didn’t know anyone else in food who was vegetarian,” she says. “People were incredulous: ‘How are you going to manage that?’ ” But opinions are shifting somewhat, in part due to the efforts of chefs such as Ottolenghi, whose Middle Eastern cuisine is vegetable-heavy and whose books “Plenty” and “Plenty More” (not to mention his own Guardian column) brought vegetarian cooking to a huge audience. Londoners, like Americans, have more access to fresh ingredients than ever, “and our engagement in cooking has definitely changed,” Jones says. “Whether that has filtered down [to everyone in society], I don’t know. We’ve still got a lot of work to do.” Nowhere is that clearer than in Homerton, where she lives. It’s immediately obvious as you exit the train station, where a coffee cart — beloved of the middle-class incomers who have transformed this part of London — stares across the road at a deep-fried-chicken takeout shop. Jones is well aware that her message is reaching an already engaged audience, interested in eating nutritious, vegetable-focused recipes. What she wants is to figure out how to get the word out to those who don’t read the Guardian or “buy beautifully photographed £12 recipe books.” Amazing Lemon Cannellini Cake. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) For those willing to try, her food can be wonderfully simple. Since the birth of her son this year, she has been focusing on some of


Ethiopia imposes state of emergency as unrest intensifies

Nigerian and Dutch enterprises, according to local media reports. A 31-year-old American academic from the University of California at Davis was killed outside Addis Ababa on Tuesday when her vehicle was stoned. There also have been reports in the state media of mob violence directed against minority groups. Mobile Internet service has been cut across much of the country for the past week, and social-media sites have been blocked. Jawar Mohammed, a U.S.-based Oromo activist who gives regular updates on events in Ethiopia on his Facebook page, dismissed the role of outside countries in the protests and said the attacks on factories are part of a strategy to bring the government to its knees. “The centerpiece of the grand strategy in this Oromo Protests is in fact to paralyze the economic muscle of the regime by severely reducing its revenue,” he said by email. “It is working more than anticipated.” He said only factories connected with the regime and foreign ones built on improperly confiscated land were being targeted. Ethiopia’s economic model relies heavily on foreign companies coming in to industrialize the country and provide much-needed employment. Mohammed expressed doubt that the new security measures would do much to dampen the protests, noting that most of Oromia has been under a de facto state of emergency since the unrest began. Emma Gordon, senior Africa analyst for the global risk consulting firm Verisk Maplecroft, said the attacks on the economy are an effective way to pressure the government. “The scale and frequency of the attacks on foreign assets has already rocked investor confidence in Ethiopia,” she said. “In both Amhara and Oromia, some assets have been near-totally destroyed, despite having government-sanctioned security on site. As a result, some investors are already pulling out of the country.” Although some industries are likely to stick it out, important sectors such as tourism are expected to be severely damaged. Ethiopia, known for its mountains, rock-cut churches and hiking opportunities, has become an attractive tourist destination in recent years. “We have been growing quite fast, we are a young business, and I had anticipated this being our best year ever by a considerable amount, but that’s not going to happen now,” said Mark Chapman of Tesfa Tours, which offers hiking trips. “We are getting a lot of cancellations.” Protesters burned and looted tourist lodges on the popular Lake Langano in Oromia this past week. Reda


The White House is for sale? Actually, two are on the market, just two miles apart.

to be lousy with the places. If your wannabe first family is not likely to move into the 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW address, with all the features that go with it (acclaimed chef, Rose Garden, walking distance to the Peet’s Coffee on 17th Street, nuclear arsenal), there are other White Houses to be had in abundance. That’s good for Jeff Stein, the real estate agent in charge of selling the Georgetown Pike White House. Being a domicile doppelgänger helps with the copy writing. (12,500 square feet, six bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, pool, outdoor kitchen, looks like the freaking White House!) “It’s a unique look that helps the house stand out from other properties of this size on the market,” Stein said on a recent Sunday as potential buyers trooped in and out of the neoclassical building. One family of six split up, the kids heading straight for the backyard pool, the dad heading toward the basement theater and the mom mulling the gleaming music room. This home on Georgetown Pike in McLean is one of two White House-style homes on the market in Northern Virginia. (Tranzon Fox) If they were looking for a secure Situation Room or a red phone to the Kremlin, they were disappointed. This White House is presidential only in its facade, where six columns and the rounded portico have screamed “South Lawn” since it was built in 1989. It became a little less authentic in 2004 when it acquired a two-car garage where the East Wing should be. There has been a lot of traffic in the three open houses the agents have held in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 27 auction, which Stein expects to attract a crowd of bidders. He won’t say what the minimum acceptable bid will be, but bidding will start at $2 million. Almost none of the potential buyers have asked about the home’s exterior. “We’ve always liked it not because it looks like the White House but because it’s a really well-built house with a beautiful neoclassical style,” said Philip Gentry, the Arlington dentist who has owned the house for the past 22 years with his wife and dental partner, Jeanette Coutin-Gentry. They are selling as their children start to enter adulthood. “To us, it’s always looked more like the governor’s mansion in Mississippi.” It does, in fact, bear a remarkable resemblance to Gov. Phil Bryant’s Greek Revival home


D.C. police arrest man in killing that sparked triple shooting in Northeast Washington

D.C. police arrested and charged a 36-year-old man Monday in the fatal shooting in August of a man in the Burrville neighborhood of Northeast Washington. Sean Smith of Northeast Washington was charged with second-degree murder while armed in the killing of Matthew Walker, 26, of Northwest D.C. Walker was fatally shot about 1:25 a.m., Aug. 7, in the 900 block of Eastern Avenue NE. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said Smith was in the D.C. jail at the time of his arrest; court records show he was awaiting trial on a charge of unauthorized use of a vehicle. Police did not disclose a possible motive in the killing. But police reported that in the hours after the shooting, relatives of both the victim and the suspect who was arrested Monday had exchanged threats. In court documents, D.C. police said that on Aug. 7, a gunman later identified as Walker’s brother shot three friends or relatives of the suspect at a church in the 500 block of M Street NE, where the family of the suspect worship. The suspected gunman also was wounded in the noontime shootings, and was charged with assault with intent to kill.


Md. The cause was a heart attack, said her daughter, Clara Beshoar. Mrs. Beshoar, a former resident of Potomac, Md., was born Yoshii Kenai in Tokyo. In the 1970s and 1980s, she was a columnist for two Japanese magazines. Later she taught Japanese in Montgomery County Public Schools and elsewhere, and also was a translator of Japanese into English and English into Japanese. Her husband died Aug. 20. David Davis, NIH scientist David Davis, 89, a National Institutes of Health scientist who was known for work in the field of X-ray crystallography and the structure of the enzyme that allows HIV to infect cells, died Sept. 1 at a hospital in Bethesda, Md. The cause was complications following hospitalization for seizure disorders, NIH said. Dr. Davis, a resident of Kensington, Md., was born in Carmarthen, Wales, and worked at NIH from 1955 to 2012. He was a founding member of its molecular biology lab. Walter Deshler, U-Md. professor, vintner Walter Deshler, 95, a retired University of Maryland geography professor who also operated a noncommercial avocational vineyard and winery in Mechanicsville, Md., died Aug. 18 at a retirement facility in Silver Spring, Md. The cause was a stroke, said his daughter, Sara Deshler. Dr. Deshler was born in Phillipsburg, N.J. He joined the Maryland faculty in the early 1950s and was a professor of geography from 1957 until 1980. Since 1972, he operated a vineyard in Mechanicsville. He won top honors in Maryland Grape Growers Association judgings on French hybrids and emerging varietals, and he was a mentor to other grape growers and winemakers. Edward Proctor, CIA deputy director Edward Proctor, 95, a former CIA deputy director for intelligence and a 27-year veteran of the spy agency, died Sept. 5 at an assisted living center in Yardley, Pa. The cause was arteriosclerotic heart disease, said a daughter, Suzanne McAndrews. Dr. Proctor, a native of Providence, R.I., joined the CIA in 1953 as an analyst specializing in Soviet economic and military developments, expenditures and arms control. He was appointed deputy director for intelligence in 1971. He had responsibility for analysis of foreign developments, including photographic interpretation and foreign broadcasts. In 1976, he became chief of the CIA station at the U.S. Embassy in London, serving in that capacity for three years. He retired in 1980. He received the CIA’s Distinguished Service Intelligence Medal. In retirement, he did consulting on business and intelligence


First flu case in Maryland of the season is reported

Maryland’s health department has announced the first case of seasonal flu in the state this autumn. The first case was found in an adult in the Washington region, the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene said Friday. The strain of the virus involved in the case was type A(H1N1), one of the strains included in this year’s flu vaccine, the health department said. The patient was not hospitalized, the department said. The case was reported about a month earlier than last year, when the first confirmed case was reported Nov. 4, the health department said.


The 10 best bars in Washington, from pinball taverns to cocktail havens

Tavern Washington’s largest selection of new and vintage pinball machines is the draw at this friendly neighborhood bar, where bartenders serve beer-and-a-shot combos and free baskets of popcorn slathered with sriracha butter. 3720 14th St. NW. 202-723-0502. lymanstavern.com. Customers at The Sovereign. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) 5. The Sovereign Its laserlike focus on Belgian lambics, saisons and blonde ales — and American beers made in a Belgian style — make it a fascinating place to settle in and take a deep dive into craft beer. 1206 Wisconsin Ave. NW. 202-774-5875. thesovereigndc.com. The exterior of All Souls, a corner bar in Shaw. (Matt Batista/Courtesy of All Souls) 6. All Souls David Batista runs this one-room bartender’s bar, where affordable French and Spanish wines meet well-made signature cocktails, most of them priced at just $9. 725 T St. NW. 202-733-5929. allsoulsbar.com. Copycat Co on H St., NE. (Farrah Skeiky/For The Washington Post) 7. Copycat Company The best cocktails in the H Street corridor are in this narrow, dimly lit walk-up, where veterans of Barmini and the Columbia Room draw inspiration from tiki drinks, bitter amari and long-lost bartender manuals. 1110 H St. NE. 202-241-1952. copycatcompany.com. Bartender shaking drinks at Espita Mezcaleria. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) 8. Espita Mezcaleria Mezcal is as central to Espita as the Mexican street art on the walls: The Oaxacan spirit is mixed with fresh fruit in seasonal cocktails, served in a shot glass alongside Miller High Life, or poured in flights from the dozens of bottles behind the bar. 1250 Ninth St. NW. 202-621-9695. espitadc.com. Right Proper is a brew pub that employs one of the most innovative brewers working in town. (Kate Patterson/For The Washington Post) 9. Right Proper Shaw Shaw’s lone brewpub has expanded to a production facility in Brookland, but I prefer the convivial original bar, where the regularly changing drafts might find a dry-hopped Berliner weisse next to a wild Belgian-style saison next to a barrel-aged hoppy farmhouse ale. 624 T St. NW. 202-607-2337. www.rightproperbrewing.com. Bloomingdale resident George White, left, and friends, Travis Corbuh, middle, and Holly Le at the Showtime Lounge. (Amanda Voisard/For the Washington Post) 10. Showtime Washington’s finest jukebox, stuffed with vintage R&B and soul, is found in this cash-only bar, competing for attention with $5 beer-and-a-shot combos and the Sunday night performances by the funky house band. 113 Rhode Island Ave. NW. No phone. twitter.com/Showtime_DC.


To Beijing’s dismay, jailed Uighur scholar wins human rights award

Ilham Tohti openly made heroes of terrorist extremists that conducted violent terror attacks,” said ministry spokesman Geng Shuang. “He also used his position as a lecturer to entice and coerce some people to form a group to promote and participate in East Turkestan separatist forces’ activities.” Uighurs in Xinjiang, which is sometimes called East Turkestan, have long complained about repression and discrimination at the hands of the Chinese government. Resentment has sometimes , turned violent, as witnessed by deadly riots in 2009 and more recent terrorist attacks, apparently inspired by a violent interpretation of Islam. Tohti began writing about problems and abuses in Xinjiang in 1994 and later set up a website that offered a counter to the official government narrative, attempting to foster discussion about the economic, social and developmental issues Uighurs face. He said the site took pains not to promote separatist ideas. At the time of his 2014 trial, the White House said that China’s government had failed to distinguish between peaceful dissent and violent extremism and that Tohti played a vital role in reducing inter-ethnic tension. In January this year several hundred academics petitioned Beijing to release him. “The real shame of this situation is that by eliminating the moderate voice of Ilham Tohti, the Chinese government is in fact laying the groundwork for the very extremism it says it wants to prevent,” said the Martin Ennals Foundation’s chairman, Dick Oosting. Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, said that instead of criticizing the award, the Chinese government “would do better to look in the mirror — and release Tohti immediately.” When Tohti was nominated for the award, his daughter Jewher Ilham said her father had used only one weapon in the struggle for the basic rights of Uighurs: “Words. Spoken, written, distributed and posted. “This is all he has ever had at his disposal, and all that he has ever needed. And this is what China found so threatening. A person like him doesn’t deserve to be in prison for even a day,” she said. The other finalists for this year’s award were the Ethiopian independent journalism collective Zone 9 Bloggers and Razan Zaitouneh, a Syrian human rights lawyer, activist and journalist. In 2010, another jailed Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and he remains behind bars. The Chinese government reacted furiously to that decision, curbing imports of Norwegian salmon.


Does your garden need a fall cleanup? Not so fast.

the University of Delaware, is also co-author of “The Living Landscape.” When we cut back the seed heads and stalks, we deprive birds and small mammals of seeds. “I always encourage people, if they have seed-producing plants such as black-eyed Susans, purple coneflowers or goldenrods, to leave them up because the overwintering birds really rely on them,” said Deborah Landau, an ecologist with the Maryland/D.C. chapter of the Nature Conservancy. Neatniks also harm countless species of beneficial insects. Landau said other casualties include the egg masses of such creatures as praying mantises and spiders. The former resembles a hardened foam mass enveloping a stem; the latter looks like a string of pearls. Many native bee species spend the winter as pupae within the pithy stems of perennials and the canes of hydrangeas, Tallamy said. “Much of the insect community is spending winter in that debris we get rid of all the time,” he said. One option for appearance’s sake is to cut back material in the front yard but leave dead top growth standing in less-visible parts of the garden, he said. Stalks and leaves that must be cut can be stored elsewhere outside, but don’t lay them down. The snow will flatten a pile and it will rot, he said. Landau said these undisturbed beds also provide shelter for frogs and salamanders (and presumably a third amphibian, the toad). Also, this debris is home to butterflies. I was in the Smithsonian’s Ripley Garden the other day, and it was Grand Central for monarch butterflies — adults, caterpillars and even pupae. If it stays warm, the chrysalises will hatch soon and the butterflies will head south. But other butterflies spend the winter here in their cocoons, and the pipevine plants were loaded with pipevine swallowtail caterpillars eating their way into a pupal stage, to emerge as adults next year. “The less disturbance the better,” Landau said. “All these animals have adapted to depend on these plants in the winter.” Maybe we can be smart enough to copy them. Also at washingtonpost.com Read past columns by Higgins at washingtonpost.com/home. More from Lifestyle: In this garden, fall is a time to flourish, not fade In Washington, the joy of fall gardening is a reward for suffering through summer An arborist muses on a 35-year career high in the branches An introduction to the 4,000 kinds of bees in the U.S. and Canada


National Zoo’s Redd is a furry ambassador for endangered orangutans

about the baby, but most haven’t gotten too close. Soon zookeepers will let Batang introduce Redd to his dad, Kyle. Batang cradles week-old Redd at the National Zoo. The species may become extinct if people continue to destroy the Southeast Asian tropical rain forests where wild orangutans live. (Erin Stromberg/Smithsonian's National Zoo) Hanging on In the wild, orangutans are born in trees. Orangutans are the largest arboreal (tree-dwelling) species on Earth: Adult males in the wild weigh about 200 pounds. Redd (staff members at the zoo named him that to honor his species, which is known as the “red ape”) instinctively clings to the hair on Batang’s body to keep from falling, as if he lived in a tree. Redd’s mom holds on to him to keep him safe. When she wants to climb from one part of her enclosure to the next, she stations Redd on her face (as if she’s wearing a mask) to free up her hands. “He holds on to the hair on her head, and she can’t see anything,” Bania said. Little ambassador Redd’s job is to eat and grow. He’ll be dependent on his mom until he’s about 8 years old. But from the minute he was born, the infant has had an important job: as an ambassador for his species. Orangutans may become the first of the ape species to go extinct during our lifetime if people continue to destroy the Southeast Asian tropical rain forests where wild orangutans live. Redd will help educate tens of thousands of people who visit the zoo about the importance of his species and how to help save wild orangutans. He will also eventually join the group of breeding orangutans in zoos across the country. For now, he’s helping his species by doing something that comes easy: just being cute. How you can help Orangutans on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra are disappearing because people are taking over their habitat, cutting down tropical rain forests to plant a type of tree called the oil palm. That causes orangutans, Sumatran tigers, pygmy elephants and native rhinos to lose their homes. Here are some ways you can help save orangutans and their neighbors: ● Read all you can about the species and share what you learn. ● Talk to your parents about what products they buy that are made with palm oil and about the importance of supporting


Ethiopia meets protests with bullets

wrongheaded use of force. On Oct. 2, in Bishoftu, a town 25 miles southeast of the capital, Addis Ababa, an enormous crowd gathered to celebrate Irreecha, an important festival that marks the end of the rainy season and onset of the harvest. Since last November, protests have been rising among Ethiopia’s approximately 40 million ethnic Oromos, fueled by anger over plans for reallocating their land, political disenfranchisement and detention of opposition activists. Anti-government chants began at the festival, and security forces responded with tear gas. In previous protests, tear gas has foreshadowed live ammunition. When the tear gas in Bishoftu was followed by the sound of gunshots, panic ensued. Many people were killed when they fell into deep trenches and drowned or were trampled. In August, at least 90 protesters were shot and killed by Ethiopian security forces in the regions of Oromia and Amhara. All told, according to Human Rights Watch, Ethiopian security forces have killed more than 500 people during protests during the past year. In announcing the state of emergency, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn blamed “anti-peace forces” and “foreign enemies” whom he claimed are trying to destabilize Ethiopia. But attempts to point to foes abroad masks the truth that unrest is being fueled by a deep sense of anger at home. The ruling Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front, the target of the rage, would do better to confront the root causes than to answer with bullets and tear gas. The violence threatens to shake foreign investment that has been a pillar of Ethiopia’s development agenda. In recent days, businesses owned by foreigners have been attacked; Africa Juice, a Dutch-owned firm, was set alight last week by a crowd of hundreds in Oromia. Ethiopia’s human rights abuses and political repression must be addressed frontally by the United States and Europe, no longer shunted to the back burner because of cooperation fighting terrorism. With the state of emergency, Ethiopia’s leaders are borrowing a brutal and counterproductive tactic from dictators the world over who have tried to put a cork in genuine popular dissent. It won’t work. Read more: The Post’s View: Ethiopia’s regime has killed hundreds. Why is the West still giving it aid? The Post’s View: Ethiopia silences its critics with a deadly crackdown on dissent Letters to the Editor: America’s complicity in Ethiopia’s horrors Olympian Feyisa Lilesa: From Rio to America, I will keep fighting Ethiopia’s oppression


New programs make mortgages available for many who had been frozen out

to have household income below the median for your county, and your household debt-to-income ratio cannot exceed 45 percent. Quicken also offers a 3-percent-down alternative. Both programs compete directly with Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgages that require 3.5 percent down and come with mortgage insurance premiums that are noncancelable for the duration of the debt. Quicken chief executive Bill Emerson told me that although the company’s 1 percent and 3 percent plans are relatively new, “our data shows they are performing very well” and are expected to continue doing so because they are carefully underwritten. They’ve got average FICO scores of 739 and average debt-to-income ratios of 36 percent. Roughly 90 percent of all borrowers funded have been first-time home purchasers, according to Emerson. Or consider the 3-percent-down program offered by Bank of America in partnership with Freddie Mac and Self-Help Ventures Fund, an affiliate of Self-Help Credit Union, a community development lender. This program does not require borrowers to have any specific amount of cash reserves — a common problem for millennials and families with modest incomes. There’s also no private mortgage insurance or required monthly premium payments, although the fixed interest rate is marginally higher — currently about 4.5 percent — than on a standard conventional loan, according to Deborah Momsen-Hudson, director of secondary marketing at Self-Help Credit Union. Another variation of the new low-down-payment concept comes from two mortgage companies specializing in lending to minority and moderate-income first-time borrowers: Alterra Home Loans and New American Funding. Partnering with Freddie Mac, the companies jointly launched the “Your Path” pilot program last month. Minimum down payments are 3 percent; earnings from second jobs held by borrowers can be counted if the employment has been continuous for at least 12 months (half the usual 24-month requirement); and incomes from non-borrower residents can be used to extend the maximum debt-to-income ratio of 45 percent to 50 percent. Jason Madiedo, chief executive of Alterra, told me the target borrowers are people supplementing family incomes with multiple jobs, where total incomes often don’t fit traditional underwriting requirements. They “are typically Hispanic or other immigrants,” he said. “They’re hard-working, stable and responsible. They simply want to achieve their dream of homeownership.” He’s betting they do great on repayments. But just in case, the company is servicing the loans intensively — checking in monthly, at least — to make sure all is well. Ken Harney


Montgomery County Animal Watch

Montgomery County These cases were received by the Montgomery County Animal Services Division. For information, call 240-773-5900. This number provides recorded information on topics such as the new animal services and adoption center’s hours and location in Derwood, adoption and licensing procedures, and lost-and-found and field services. Dog slips outside, bites teen: Cat bites owner’s dad: Humane Society adoptions The Montgomery County Humane Society’s private rescue shelter has dogs, puppies, cats and kittens available for adoption. Call 240-252-2555 or visit mchumane.org.MCHS Adoptions and Education Center, 601 S. Stonestreet Ave., Rockville. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except holidays. Reduced FEES FOR CATS Cats and kittens will be available for adoption at the next open house of Friends of Montgomery County Animals at the following location. Call 301-977-4833 or visit fmca.org or facebook.com/fmcainfo.PetSmart at Milestone Center,20924 Frederick Rd., Germantown. Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Cats at no-kill shelter Cats and kittens will be available for adoption through the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County’s no-kill shelter at the following location. For information, call 301-740-2511 or visit awlmc.org.Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County no-kill shelter, 12 Park Ave., Gaithersburg. Hours: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday; noon to 3 p.m. Saturday; 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton


It’s obvious: To Michelin, lower-priced restaurants are an afterthought

or less my turf. But, frankly, I’d lose all credibility if I dared to pass off Doi Moi, Bad Saint, Zaytinya, Kyirisan and others as cheap eats. There’s a difference between being able to cobble together a meal to meet an arbitrarily low price point and experiencing a restaurant as it was intended. Happy hour at Zaytinya, on Ninth Street NW. (Michael Temchine/For The Washington Post) To my mind, high-profile restaurants such as Bad Saint, Zaytinya and Kyirisan feel uncomfortably shoehorned into this category, perhaps because inspectors did not deem them worthy of a real Michelin star or two. If that’s true, then the Bib classification seems as much a dumping ground for Michelin also-rans as a bargain-hunter’s designation. I know this much is true: If Michelin were truly interested in quality food with a modest price tag, its inspectors would have investigated spots with less star power. It wouldn’t take much research. At this point, numerous diners and critics have praised such places as Baan Thai, El Sol Restaurante & Tequileria, Donburi, Panda Gourmet, Indigo, Bub and Pop’s, Taqueria Habanero, Mi Cuba Cafe and other bargain outlets within the District. Perhaps these places will appear on another bargain list that Michelin publishes. A spokesman reminded me that the D.C. Michelin Guide will include an “Under $25” category, separate from the Bib Gourmand selections. These are recommended restaurants, just like the Bib Gourmand places, even if they carry no stars and no lip-smacking mascot heads. These second-tier cheap eats will be revealed Thursday, along with the prom-queen starred restaurants that will, of course, hog the spotlight. El Sol's steak huarache — masa with beans, cheese, cactus, sour cream and steak. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) What qualities separate the restaurants on the two bargain-minded lists? I mean, other than an additional $15 on your tab at Bib joints? I wish I knew for certain. Media outlets and Michelin itself have said the Bibs are places where inspectors will happily spend their own money. They’re inspector favorites, in other words, which seems a reasonable, if not exactly analytical, explanation for the separation of lower-cost eateries. Personally, I would have assumed inspectors would want to spend their own cash on any restaurant in the Red Guide. While restaurants in the Bib and Under $25 categories are not eligible for Michelin stars, they can appear on both budget lists, if the prices


2016 Fall Dining Guide

through the evening, which starts with Champagne in a snow-white salon, moves on to a futuristic food lab and concludes with dessert at the neighboring Barmini, the city’s chicest lounge? Minibar is many things. Most of all, it’s an exceptional blast. 855 E St. NW. 202-393-0812. minibarbyjoseandres.com. Prix fixe $275. 73 decibels. Chef/owner Patrick O’Connell at The Inn At Little Washington. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) NO. 7: INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON The biggest challenge for fine-dining purveyors these days? Exquisite food and service aren’t enough, says Patrick O’Connell, the country’s wittiest innkeeper. “People want to be astonished!” Thirty-eight years after his dreamy dining destination opened within view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, “the Inn” still manages to coax sighs and smiles from repeat guests. One of three menus celebrates the “here and now” with foie gras mousse and sauternes gelee in (how rich!) a golden egg. Another list, “The Good Earth,” makes a world-class “meatloaf” out of local chanterelles. And no matter how many times I’ve sampled it, herbed lamb carpaccio with Caesar salad ice cream, among several “enduring classics,” tastes like falling in love for the first time. Prepare to eat too much bread, drink too much wine and wish you had the work of the Inn’s pastry chef for all enchanted evenings going forward. A great way to gauge a restaurant is to see how it handles sticky situations, as when a certain food critic’s credit card was declined — no thanks to a fraud alert I never got from MasterCard until after I got home. “The same thing happened to the president of” a U.S. ally, one of the Inn’s suave stage managers assured me.309 Middle St., Washington, Va. 540-675-3800. theinnatlittlewashington.com. Prix fixe $188-$218. 53 decibels. NO. 8: LITTLE SEROW My ambivalence about tasting menus takes a holiday at the best Thai expression on the East Coast. “All the decisions are made for you,” a server says of the seven or so dishes served family-style. “Make yourselves at home,” she says, pouring sparkling rosé in advance of the best fireworks show outside the Fourth of July. Her entreaty is easy to follow; Johnny Monis is cooking the meal, after all. (As shy as he is talented, the James Beard Award winner leaves guest care to his wife and co-owner, Anne Marler.) For the next hour or so, we marvel at dishes inspired by northern Thailand:


Bob Dylan just won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Don’t know him? Listen here.

Bob Dylan, photographed around 1966, earned a Nobel Prize this year for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” (Barry Feinstein) Bob Dylan, a singer-songwriter whose music has spanned half a century and multiple genres — including folk, blues, rock and gospel — was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday. In a surprise decision, he became the first singer-songwriter to win the award, which is typically given to novelists or short-story writers. The Swedish Academy, which awards the approximately $925,000 honor each year in Stockholm, Sweden, said that Dylan had “created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” One member of the academy called Dylan “a great poet in the English-speaking tradition” and compared him to Homer, whose epic poems the “Iliad” and the “Odyssey” were recited in ancient Greece. The prize has been given since 1901 and honors an artist’s entire body of work. Dylan’s is the last Nobel Prize awarded this year, following Nobels given for science, economics and peace. Once called “the most influential American musician rock and roll has ever produced” by Rolling Stone magazine, Dylan has recorded and toured since the early 1960s. Here are eight of his classic songs. “Song to Woody” (1962) Bob Dylan - Song to Woody Here’s to the hearts and the hands of the men One of Dylan’s first songs was an ode to Woody Guthrie, the Oklahoma-born folk singer who wrote “This Land Is Your Land.” “Blowin’ in the Wind” (1963) Blowing In The Wind (Live On TV, March 1963) How many roads must a man walk downBefore you call him a man? Dylan rose to prominence as a folk singer with songs that addressed racial inequality in the United States. “Blowin’ in the Wind” became one of the leading anthems of the civil rights movement. “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” (1963) A Hard Rains Gonna Fall {Live at Town Hall 1963} - Elston Gunn Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkingBut I’ll know my song well before I start singing The song was released at the height of the Cold War, when the United States and Soviet Union were preparing for the possibility of war with nuclear weapons. Many listeners interpreted “A Hard Rain” as being about the fatal effects of a nuclear blast. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” (1963) Don't Think Twice It's All Right


Does a musician have any right to win the Nobel Prize in literature?

Bob Dylan in a 1966 publicity photo. (Barry Feinstein/Columbia Records/Legacy via Reuters) When the secretary of the Swedish Academy announced that Bob Dylan had won the Nobel Prize in literature, my first thought was, “That’s the strangest pronunciation of ‘Don DeLillo’ I’ve ever heard.” Though Dylan was long rumored to be a contender for the Nobel, the possibility had attained a kind of mythical, some might say comic, status. And after waiting 23 years for an American to win the literature prize — Toni Morrison was our last one — wouldn’t the Swedes finally recognize DeLillo or Philip Roth or Joyce Carol Oates? You know, people who actually write literature? The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind. A good case can be made — has been made many times — for the literary value of Dylan’s lyrics. Indeed, the Swedish Academy secretary, Sara Danius, placed his work in a long tradition that stretches back to Homer and Sappho. And if there are any doubts about Dylan’s right to be categorized as a real poet, they’re not shared by America’s other greatest poets, who reacted to Thursday’s news with enthusiasm when contacted by The Washington Post: Edward Hirsch: Billy Collins: Rita Dove: Juan Felipe Herrera: August Kleinzahler: Nick Flynn: Mary Karr: Terrance Hayes: Yusef Komunyakaa: Ron Charles


With a wildlife-attractions ban, TripAdvisor takes an animal-welfare stand

to the issue, said Barbara Messing, TripAdvisor’s chief marketing officer. TripAdvisor features nearly 700,000 attractions, of which only a few thousand involve animal encounters. The company expects to discontinue sales on hundreds of activities that do not comply with its criteria. “It’s not a huge revenue loss,” she said, “and it’s a big win for animal-welfare standards.” Messing conceded that there is “no universal standard” for this tourism sector, so the company will rely on the advice and expertise of reputable conservation groups, animal rights organizations and scientists. It will start removing the offending tours from Viator immediately and will continue to weed them out through early next year. Tours cut from the site can appeal the decision and may be reinstated, depending on the evidence. The policy shift has several exceptions. Experiences with educational, scientific or conservation value — such as zoos, aquariums and safari parks — will remain. Other exemptions include attractions that feature domestic animals, such as children’s petting zoos; aquarium touch tanks used for teaching purposes; supervised feeding programs; and “voluntourism” excursions at zoos, aquariums and sanctuaries. However, if a facility qualified for inclusion offers an add-on tour that fails the test, Viator will remove the tour but keep the main attraction. As for the millions of consumer reviews on TripAdvisor, the company said that it will not take down any write-ups, including ones covering the noncompliant attractions, and will even update the entries with new postings. Messing hopes the personal accounts will help raise awareness and assist other travelers contemplating a specific wildlife excursion. For additional information on the issue, the company will affix to each relevant listing a paw icon that will link to an educational portal. Nearly a dozen organizations in the field will contribute to the educational tool, including activist and conservation groups (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, World Animal Protection, Think Elephants International), sustainable tourism organizations (Sustainable Travel International, Pacific Asia Travel Association) and academics (Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit). “The portal will provide links and information on animal welfare practices, helping travelers to write more informed reviews about their experience, and to be aware of opinions that exist on the conservation implications and benefits of some tourism attractions,” the company stated in a news release. “In turn, TripAdvisor believes that better reviews will enable travelers to make more informed booking decisions and improve the standards of animal


“and it’s a big win for animal-welfare standards.” Messing conceded that there is “no universal standard” for this tourism sector, so the company will rely on the advice and expertise of reputable conservation groups, animal rights organizations and scientists. It will start removing the offending tours from Viator immediately and will continue to weed them out through early next year. Tours cut from the site can appeal the decision and may be reinstated, depending on the evidence. The policy shift has several exceptions. Experiences with educational, scientific or conservation value — such as zoos, aquariums and safari parks — will remain. Other exemptions include attractions that feature domestic animals, such as children’s petting zoos; aquarium touch tanks used for teaching purposes; supervised feeding programs; and “voluntourism” excursions at zoos, aquariums and sanctuaries. However, if a facility qualified for inclusion offers an add-on tour that fails the test, Viator will remove the tour but keep the main attraction. As for the millions of consumer reviews on TripAdvisor, the company said that it will not take down any write-ups, including ones covering the noncompliant attractions, and will even update the entries with new postings. Messing hopes the personal accounts will help raise awareness and assist other travelers contemplating a specific wildlife excursion. For additional information on the issue, the company will affix to each relevant listing a paw icon that will link to an educational portal. Nearly a dozen organizations in the field will contribute to the educational tool, including activist and conservation groups (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, World Animal Protection, Think Elephants International), sustainable tourism organizations (Sustainable Travel International, Pacific Asia Travel Association) and academics (Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit). “The portal will provide links and information on animal welfare practices, helping travelers to write more informed reviews about their experience, and to be aware of opinions that exist on the conservation implications and benefits of some tourism attractions,” the company stated in a news release. “In turn, TripAdvisor believes that better reviews will enable travelers to make more informed booking decisions and improve the standards of animal care in tourism worldwide.” Look for the paw prints early next year. More from Travel: Around the world in 20 days: How to visit seven countries in one 21,623-mile adventure This isn’t Darwin’s Galapagos: The wildlife-rich islands are more tourist-friendly than you think Still finding kicks on Route 66


What Michelin gets wrong about D.C.’s dining scene — starting with Rasika

The Post's food critic Tom Sietsema is excited to see places like Pineapple and Pearls and Sushi Taro on the list of Michelin star restaurants in D.C., but he also notes a few deserving eateries were left out. No Rasika, the contemporary Indian restaurant that I consider to be the best in the country? And where’s the love for Johnny Monis, the chef whose modern Greek and Thai-flavored restaurants — Komi and Little Serow, respectively — serve as standard-bearers for those cuisines? The Michelin Guide’s shutout of three of Washington’s most esteemed dining destinations, all of them among my Top 10 favorites in the Fall Dining Guide, is as much a surprise as the French tastemaker’s decision not to bestow its highest award. Shockingly, no local restaurant received three stars, which the guide defines as “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.” For the sake of comparison, neither description fits the underwhelming meals I’ve left at Alinea in Chicago or Masa in New York, both rated three-star by Michelin. More on them later. Only three D.C. establishments got two stars, described as “excellent cuisine, worth a detour.” They are Minibar by José Andrés, Pineapple and Pearls and the Inn at Little Washington. The selection of the Inn — the romantic, over-the-top creation of chef Patrick O’Connell set in bucolic Washington, Va. — was a surprise bonbon. When Michelin announced plans to survey Washington earlier this year, the publisher said inspectors wouldn’t critique outside the District. Minibar won two Michelin stars, but did it deserve three? (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post) Minibar was a natural for the honor — but it deserves even more. The avant-garde restaurant, basically a 30-course magic show, is very much in the vein of Arzak, a Michelin three-star in San Sebastian, Spain, where I had the great good fortune to eat two years ago and where one of multiple astonishments was an ocean-fresh lobster displayed on a tablet computer, its screen animated with blue waves. Was it “worth a special journey?” Absolutely. But I feel the same way about Minibar, an evening-long spectacle that includes luscious sight gags and moves guests from salon to dining room to bar for a truly transporting feast. Minibar is also a vastly superior experience to its closest competitor in this country, the aforementioned Alinea. Having eaten there this summer, I can vouch that watching servers remove ceiling tiles for the dessert


Women runners turn to technology to feel safe

Women runners make up just over 50 percent of the 43 million runners in the United States, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. (iStock) E But like many female runners these days, she also runs with caution in mind. High-profile stories of women who have been assaulted or even murdered while running can make the sport feel risky. Expecially for those like Kelly, who have no choice but to get out before the sun has fully risen and their workday begins. These days, women slightly outnumber men in the sport, making up just over 50 percent of the 43 million runners in the United States, according to the National Sporting Goods Association. Statistics on assaults of runners are hard to come by — crime statistics focus more on basic factors such as gender and age — which can make the anecdotal evidence feel more weighty. There’s plenty of advice about staying safe, including running with a partner and avoiding sparsely populated areas. (See sidebar.) But these days, many women are also turning to technology to improve their sense of security. Kelly is a case in point. Her high-tech tool of choice is the smartphone app Road ID, specifically its “e-crumb” feature. “Users can pick up to five emergency contacts to enter,” says P.J. Rabice, director of marketing at the app’s company, which is based in Erlanger, Ky. “The contacts can then follow their runner via text or email as she heads out the door and along her route.” “I’ve never carried my phone with me until lately with the news of three runner murders” in Massachusetts, Michigan and New York City, Kelly says. “I still run in the dark, but I’ve decided it’s smart to have someone know that I arrive safely back home.” Runners can set up how long they want their contacts to follow them and/or establish an alert system that reveals any stops of five minutes or more. Users can zero in on their runner’s location and take action if they are concerned. “It makes me feel safer because at least someone knows where I am and if I made it back,” Kelly says. Michele Gonzalez of Staten Island has similarly grown more concerned about her running security. The senior analyst for J.P. Morgan is often up and running as early as 4 a.m. while training for marathons. She sometimes stays indoors to feel safe but


How many galaxies are in the universe? Scientists’ guess just got 10 times larger.

An international team of astronomers have found that the universe contains at least 2 trillion galaxies. (NASA, ESA/Hubble/via AP) Thought the universe was crowded with 100 billion to 200 billion galaxies? Try 1 trillion or even 2 trillion galaxies and more. That’s the latest census, reported Thursday. An astrophysics professor at the University of Nottingham in England led the international team that came up with the mind-boggling estimate of 2 trillion galaxies in the universe. Professor Christopher Conselice said that represents a minimum tenfold increase. In a phone interview, Conselice said he was surprised by the results. He anticipated two or three times more galaxies, perhaps, but “10 is quite high” and it could prove to be even greater. The scientists based their galaxy head count on deep-space surveys already conducted by the Hubble Space Telescope and ground observatories. They turned the images into 3-D and used new mathematical models for the update. “It boggles the mind that over 90 percent of the galaxies in the universe have yet to be studied,” Conselice said in a statement. “Who knows what interesting properties we will find when we discover these galaxies with future generations of telescopes?” Even scientists have trouble wrapping their minds around such huge numbers. According to Conselice, 2 trillion is roughly equivalent to the number of seconds in 1,000 average lifetimes.


Another prize for Bob Dylan — but this one is sweetest for fans and fellow songwriters

as word spread of Dylan’s award. Congratulatory tweets went out from, among others, President Obama, author Stephen King, “Hamilton’s” Lin-Manuel Miranda, and musicians Billy Bragg and Jarvis Cocker. Peter Case, a musician deeply influenced by Dylan, was also pleased. When Case was growing up in Buffalo, his mother brought him a copy of Dylan’s latest record, the 1965 album “Bringing It All Back Home.” “It opened me up to Shakespeare and the sound of language and to try to understand it,” says Case. “It opened me up to deep compassion about people. And that whole second side of ‘Bringing.’ He really kind of covers everything on the second side.” Case, now 62, has seen the music business change, from his major-label debut in the 1980s to the struggle to make records in recent years. But through it all, he has kept listening to Dylan. And in the dark of early Wednesday morning, after driving to his next gig — Brooklyn to Albany — he checked in to his hotel and saw the news on his iPhone. “It’s just great to give a songwriter the Nobel Prize, but not just a songwriter,” Case said. “It’s Bob Dylan. He’s just a giant. They had to open a special door for him.” President Obama awards the Medal of Freedom to Bob Dylan at the White House in 2012. (Jim Lo Scalzo/European Pressphoto Agency) Princeton University history professor Sean Wilentz, author of “Bob Dylan in America” and the unofficial historian of the musician’s website, said he wasn’t surprised by the Nobel. “We’re honoring a great literary figure of our time,” he said. “I don’t know that it’s much different than any other great literary figure being honored. He has taken the lyric form, which is an ancient form, as old as Homer, and raised it to an entirely new level, a level that stands with the highest literature that the West has produced. Period.” He also imagined Dylan would be grateful for the award, noting that he keeps his 2000 Oscar, awarded for “Things Have Changed,” on an amplifier during gigs. McGuinn, who, after the Byrds dissolved, toured with Dylan and also played his 12-string Rickenbacker guitar on his 1973 hit “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” said he had no idea what Dylan was thinking about the Nobel Prize. “He’s got a gig tonight in Las Vegas,” said McGuinn. “He’s probably thinking more about that.”


Dario Fo, Italian playwright and ‘jester’ who won Nobel Prize, dies at 90

Dario Fo in 2015. (Gabriel Bouys/AFP/Getty Images) Dario Fo, an Italian comic actor, playwright, satirist and self-described jester whose satirical works angered the Catholic Church and his country’s political, military and industrial elite but also earned him the Nobel Prize for literature, died Oct. 13 at a hospital in Milan. He was 90. He had a progressive pulmonary disease, hospital officials told the Associated Press. When Mr. Fo received the Nobel in 1997, some literary experts were aghast and admitted they had never heard of him. Many writers who were better known, including V.S. Naipaul, Mario Vargas Llosa, Doris Lessing, Alice Munro and Gunter Grass, had not yet received the prize. Instead, Mr. Fo became one of the most unlikely Nobel laureates in literature — until the very day he died, when the prize was awarded to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. At various times, Mr. Fo was arrested, banned from Italian television and prevented from entering the United States because of suspected support of terrorist groups. In awarding the Nobel to Mr. Fo, the Swedish Academy noted that he “emulates the jesters of the Middle Ages in scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden.” The official Vatican newspaper, long at odds with Mr. Fo’s depictions of religious authority, noted, “Giving the prize to an actor who is also an author of debatable texts — leaving aside every moral consideration — has surpassed all imagination.” When he received the prize, Mr. Fo professed to be as surprised as anyone else. “It’s not bad at all getting a Nobel,” he said, “and making so many old fossils explode with rage.” He was the author of more than 40 plays, most with overtly political and satirical themes. He acted in most of them, often with his wife and collaborator, Franca Rame. It was sometimes difficult to characterize Mr. Fo’s work, which had few English-language counterparts. He drew comparisons to such disparate figures as Lenny Bruce, Charlie Chaplin, Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks and the Monty Python comedy troupe. Tall and paunchy, Mr. Fo was once described as looking like “a thinking man’s Rodney Dangerfield.” Others said Mr. Fo was the heir of a much older dramatic line, deriving from itinerant clowns and bards who roamed across medieval Europe. He also was influenced by the satirical comedies of French playwright Molière and by Angelo Beolco, the 16th-century Italian actor-playwright known as Il Ruzzante, who


Man found fatally stabbed near Fort Totten in Northwest Washington

A man was fatally stabbed Thursday night in Northwest Washington near Fort Totten, according to D.C. police. The incident occurred about 9:15 p.m. in the 400 block of Buchanan Street NW, near Grant Circle just off New Hampshire Avenue. Police said officers were called for a man down and found the victim suffering from several stab wounds. Police said he was pronounced dead on the scene. He was identified as James Patrick Tenor, 54, of Northwest. Authorities provided no other information early Friday.


The scientist known as ‘Dr. Condom’ shares her adventures in the field

Detective: In Pursuit of Smallpox and AIDS" by Mary Guinan and Anne D. Mather (Johns Hopkins Univ.) Guinan, however, does. In 12 short chapters, she shares fascinating stories from her experience with the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) at the CDC. Though some of her tales are weighed down by technical jargon, as a whole the book (co-written with Anne D. Mather) offers a frank and illuminating look at how scientists — female scientists in particular — actually work to combat disease. A daughter of Irish immigrants who grew up in New York City, Guinan long dreamed of becoming a chemist or an astronaut. But as she climbed through the ranks in the 1960s, Guinan was thwarted by her gender. “The New York Times want ads were segregated by gender back then, and there was never an ad for a chemist in the female listings. Sometimes I applied for the jobs listed in male ads,” Guinan writes, “but doing so was both humiliating and unsuccessful.” Ultimately, Guinan was accepted into Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she planned to study academic medicine. During her last year of school, she discovered an opening at the EIS and decided to apply. “If this mission worked, it would be the first time in history that a human disease was eliminated by the design of humans,” Guinan writes. “It was an exhilarating idea.” Her acceptance by the EIS in 1974 altered the course of her life, leading to a career in public health spanning more than 40 years. The only female officer in her class, she joined India’s smallpox-eradication program and played a pivotal role in the campaign’s success. “It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life. The program had worked. And I was hooked,” Guinan writes. “I had found something to believe in.” Guinan’s description of her work on the smallpox project is compelling and rich in detail. She explains, for example, some of the challenges she faced working in Kanpur, India, where a vaccine shortage forced doctors to contain the disease by isolating smallpox patients and vaccinating their contacts and anyone within a 10-mile radius: Language, communication and cultural barriers were chief among the obstacles. “I was a woman traveling with two men who were not my family members, an extremely unusual occurrence in Indian culture. Most of the people in the area had never seen a foreigner nor even


The sun is disappearing, and you have only 10 months to prepare

across the United States, from sea to temporarily-not-shining sea. Millions of Americans will be in easy driving distance of a spectacle that has been called indescribable, unforgettable, even life-altering. The sun will disappear for about 2½ minutes, beginning in Oregon about 10:15 a.m. local time; the phenomenon will move eastward, ending an hour and a half later in South Carolina. In between, the eclipse will be visible from Grand Teton and the Great Smoky Mountains national parks, from St. Louis and Kansas City and Charleston, S.C., and all points in between. The last time a total eclipse was visible coast to coast was June 8, 1918, and it was front-page news nationwide. In “Plan Now for the 2017 Eclipse,” Bakich — a senior editor at Astronomy magazine — takes very seriously the idea that if you don’t plan ahead, you could miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Indeed, look around the Internet and you’ll see that hotels and campgrounds along the 50-to-70-mile-wide path of “totality” have been booking up since May. In addition to calling your boss early so you can get the day off, Bakich has these suggestions: ● Get eclipse glasses — for just a few dollars you can get lenses made with optical Mylar, or #14 welder’s glass. ● Find friends who have a solar telescope and watch with them. (You’ll see sunspots, the irregular profile of the moon’s edge, a glimpse of Venus.) ● During the eclipse, remember to tear your eyes away from the sun and turn around: In every direction, you’ll see the painterly colors of a 360-degree sunset. Everyone in the lower forty-eight will be able to see at least a partial eclipse — unless you’re under cloudy skies, where the sky will just grow darker. But as many passionate bloggers are pointing out, if you want to see it all, get a map and find yourself a spot where the eclipse will be total. “ ‘Close’ is NOT close enough!’ ” warns one site: “Just as the person who only smells the meal outside the steakhouse remains hungry, so too do those who observe the eclipse from outside the path of totality end the day wondering what, indeed, all the fuss was about.” Or from another, somewhat grimmer, blogger: “Likening a partial eclipse to a total eclipse is like comparing almost dying to dying.” A look at the best photos of space.


Is this rap’s real golden age?

dropped “Untitled Unmastered,” an introspective sequel that resolves to defeat white supremacy through metaphysics: “Levitate, levitate, levitate, levitate.” Elsewhere in Compton, Schoolboy Q is siphoning red, white and blue into an anxious spew of purple haze. The psychedelic paranoia of his “Blank Face LP” sounds more like midnight in America than anything else around. Equally riveting is YG’s gangsta rap masterstroke “Still Brazy,” in which the rapper funnels all of his election anxiety into a song called “FDT.” (See if you can crack the code.) It’s rap’s most substantial election-year anthem since Young Jeezy’s “My President,” a tune that helped mobilize the youth vote that sent Barack Obama the White House. Whether or not “FDT” helps to keep Donald Trump away from the nuclear codes, YG has joined an important lineage of L.A. gangsta rappers who have used their respective megaphones to excoriate police brutality, economic injustice and the racism that feeds them both. And while “FDT” resembles a traditional protest song, start to finish, it’s crucial to remember that countless rap verses are punctuated with stand-alone expressions of dissent. The polemics might be embedded in thickets of stock-talk, but that doesn’t make a rapper’s politics less significant. The assumption is that you’re listening very closely to a lot of very fast music. Rap processes our shared reality faster than any other style of pop — and reshapes it, too. O They’ve found their champion in Chance the Rapper, a 23-year-old virtuoso from Chicago who radiates an optimism so bright, it might hurt your eyes. His third album, “Coloring Book” describes his relationships with his music, his city, his fame and his God in vivid detail. “Jesus’ black life ain’t matter,” Chance raps on a track called “Blessings.” “I know — I talked to his daddy/Said, ‘You’re the man of the house now, look out for your family.’” As casually as he juggles all of those syllables, he isn’t just dazzling us for kicks — he’s also saying something profound about the endurance of faith and family through 2,000 years of racial oppression. In the rap world, “lyricism” usually connotes a complex tangle of words, artfully arranged. The dictionary tells us something different: that lyricism has more to do with the emotional and expressive qualities in a work of art. Plenty of contemporary rappers are making magic between those two definitions, often while transposing different regional styles in the process.


Whether White House garden keeps growing, Michelle Obama has planted seed of healthy eating

of public service, and that other first ladies achieved as much or more after leaving the White House as they did when their husbands were in office. Perry noted that after Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Eleanor Roosevelt became a champion of human rights and represented the United States at the United Nations, becoming what President Harry Truman called “the first lady of the world.” “Mrs. Obama will have 30 to 40 years as a former first lady, to the extent she wants to use that power and influence,” said Perry, a professor of ethics and institutions at the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. “She’s obviously a socially conscious person, so I suspect she’ll continue in this role and pick up others.” Obama has other causes, too — one bringing a spotlight on wounded troops and their families, and another to improve access to education and opportunity for girls and young women in developing countries. The first lady has said that she was driven to create the White House Kitchen Garden and develop initiatives in childhood nutrition because of worries about the diet of her own daughters, Malia and Sasha. The garden more than doubled in area over the years, and its corner of the South Lawn also includes an apiary and a pollinator garden for bees and other insects. A flower bed is mixed with vegetables to attract more bees to cross-pollinate plants at the White House Kitchen Garden. (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Many of the causes Obama championed had been adopted by others earlier, including school gardens, locally grown organic food, and addressing the dietary challenges of the urban poor. The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, for example, has had an active urban greening and community gardening program in Philadelphia since the 1970s. But no one has brought all these issues together as effectively as the first lady, and many believe she has had a key role in their success. Noting advances in the past six years, Obama said that 50 million schoolchildren had access to healthier meals and snacks at school and 11 million were getting daily exercise. Fresh fruit and vegetables are widely available in fast-food restaurants and even convenience stores, and more than 8 million people in poor neighborhoods are now able to buy healthier food. “She has done it in a very nonprescriptive way,” Eschmeyer said. “She’s created almost this Public Health 3.0 version of how you meet


Local Digest: Oct. 14, 2016

THE DISTRICT Man found fatally stabbed in NW A man was fatally stabbed Thursday night in Northwest Washington near Fort Totten, according to D.C. police. The incident occurred about 9:15 p.m. in the 400 block of Buchanan Street NW, near Grant Circle just off New Hampshire Avenue. Police said officers responded to a report of a man down and found the victim suffering from several stab wounds. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as James Patrick Tenor, 54, of Northwest. Authorities provided no other information early Friday. — Peter Hermann VIRGINIA Rocket launch set for Sunday Almost two years ago, Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket exploded just seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Va. On Sunday, Orbital ATK, renamed after a merger with Alliant Techsystems, will try again, weather and other circumstances permitting. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. Eastern time. To see the rocket, look toward the southeast if you’re in the D.C. area. At its highest, the rocket will zip about 10 degrees above the horizon. It should be visible about 90 seconds after launch. “Antares should appear as a bright, moving star,” Space.com says. “Observers who use binoculars might also be able to see a short” exhaust trail. — Jason Samenow MARYLAND Hungry firefighters uncover CO threat Two firefighters stopped in at a Subway for lunch Friday, but instead of leaving with sandwiches, they discovered, by chance, potentially deadly carbon monoxide conditions that shut down a Lanham shopping center. Melvin Batts and Sam Acala of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department had popped into a Subway near Greenbelt and Good Luck roads around noon when the carbon monoxide detectors strapped to their walkie-talkies went off. When other crews arrived, they discovered serious carbon monoxide levels in the air, said Battalion Chief Mike Linynsky. Safe readings of carbon monoxide should fall in the range of 0 to 5 parts per million, he said, with people typically experiencing headaches at 20 parts per million. “The readings we found were as high as 600 ppm,” Linynsky said. Enough exposure at that level and “you’d be dead.” Emergency crews found that the exhaust vent from an air-conditioning unit was broken and was funneling carbon monoxide into stores instead of outside. Crews shut down the unit, reduced the carbon monoxide levels and had natural gas to the building turned off before people were allowed back in about


Local Digest: Oct. 14, 2016

occurred about 9:15 p.m. in the 400 block of Buchanan Street NW, near Grant Circle just off New Hampshire Avenue. Police said officers responded to a report of a man down and found the victim suffering from several stab wounds. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene. He was identified as James Patrick Tenor, 54, of Northwest. Authorities provided no other information early Friday. — Peter Hermann VIRGINIA Rocket launch set for Sunday Almost two years ago, Orbital Sciences’ Antares rocket exploded just seconds after liftoff from Wallops Island, Va. On Sunday, Orbital ATK, renamed after a merger with Alliant Techsystems, will try again, weather and other circumstances permitting. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. Eastern time. To see the rocket, look toward the southeast if you’re in the D.C. area. At its highest, the rocket will zip about 10 degrees above the horizon. It should be visible about 90 seconds after launch. “Antares should appear as a bright, moving star,” Space.com says. “Observers who use binoculars might also be able to see a short” exhaust trail. — Jason Samenow MARYLAND Hungry firefighters uncover CO threat Two firefighters stopped in at a Subway for lunch Friday, but instead of leaving with sandwiches, they discovered, by chance, potentially deadly carbon monoxide conditions that shut down a Lanham shopping center. Melvin Batts and Sam Acala of the Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department had popped into a Subway near Greenbelt and Good Luck roads around noon when the carbon monoxide detectors strapped to their walkie-talkies went off. When other crews arrived, they discovered serious carbon monoxide levels in the air, said Battalion Chief Mike Linynsky. Safe readings of carbon monoxide should fall in the range of 0 to 5 parts per million, he said, with people typically experiencing headaches at 20 parts per million. “The readings we found were as high as 600 ppm,” Linynsky said. Enough exposure at that level and “you’d be dead.” Emergency crews found that the exhaust vent from an air-conditioning unit was broken and was funneling carbon monoxide into stores instead of outside. Crews shut down the unit, reduced the carbon monoxide levels and had natural gas to the building turned off before people were allowed back in about 2 p.m., according to a statement from the fire department and messages from its Twitter account. One person was taken to a local hospital. — Lynh Bui


Progress in Ethiopia can come only from unity, not ethnic rivalry

Demonstrators chant slogans while flashing the Oromo protest gesture during Irreecha, the thanksgiving festival of the Oromo people, in Bishoftu town, Oromia region, Ethiopia, on Oct. 2. (Tiksa Negeri/Reuters) The October 11 World article “Ethiopia imposes state of emergency amid unrest” highlighted the widespread and proactive dissent that the undemocratic government is facing and the desperate measures it is taking. The situation is a consequence of the ruling party’s 25 years of dominance and its brutal suppression of human rights and political opposition. Every segment of Ethiopian society, regardless of ethnic affiliation, has been victimized by the government’s unfair and misguided policies. The people of Ethiopia, therefore, in unison, are saying enough to a quarter-century of abuse. That is the reason there are active opposition movements throughout the country. This should not overshadow, however, the destructive presence of secessionist groups and liberation fronts that will further threaten Ethiopia’s unity and stability. Such groups and their agendas will add only unmanageable chaos to the situation. The current popular movement can become effective only if it is channeled through a unifying, not a separatist, leadership. The people of Ethiopia are demanding that type of leadership to bring a sustainable, democratic change to their nation. Promoting and fighting for the interests of a single ethnic group will never be the solution for Ethiopia’s persistent political problems. Unity is the key to establishing freedom, equality and justice. Tewodros Abebe, Accokeek


For a sip of Richmond’s exploding beer scene, head to one neighborhood

to grow to around 100,000 bottles a year. But the real attraction, Mailey says, is the new tasting area, which will offer “a much richer consumer experience.” The buildings surround an interior courtyard, and an old barn with cobblestone walls has been repurposed as a “cider salon” full of tables and chairs. “It’s like going to a little cider village,” Mailey says. The salon offers guided tastings every day but Saturday, when, due to expected crowds, the salon will stick to flights. 1320 Summit Ave. 804-231-0280. bluebeecider.com. In September, Charlottesville-based Three Notch’d Brewing opened its Collab House, where beermaking will be a collaborative process. (Three Notch'd Brewing) Three Notch’d Collab House The third branch of Charlottesville’s Three Notch’d Brewing is more than just another place to sip No Veto English Brown Ale or Hydraulion Red. Although you’ll find some longtime favorites there, says taproom manager Aaron Thackery, along with original beers by Richmond brewer Stefan McFayden, such as Hops Addition IPA, the real goal is to make creating beers a more interactive experience. Thackery explains that “artists, musicians, breweries, businesses, nonprofits” and regular beer lovers will be able to pitch Three Notch’d with ideas for new products, then participate in the recipe development and actual brewing. Among those with a green light: a coffee porter made with nitro brewer Confluence Coffee and an Apple Streusel Brown Ale with Whole Foods Market. Of course, you don’t have to come up with a beer to enjoy one: The taproom’s schedule includes Tap That Thursdays, with $3 pints of a new beer, and should soon include trivia nights and other events. 2930 W. Broad St. 804-269-4857. threenotchdbrewing.com. Veil Brewing showcases the work of head brewer and co-owner Matt Tarpey, known for previous work in Vermont and Belgium. (Deb Lindsey/For The Washington Post) The Veil Brewing Co. The splashiest recent addition to the neighborhood is the Veil, which debuted in April. Brewer Matt Tarpey worked as a brewer at the Vermont brewery the Alchemist, makers of Heady Topper, and later moved to Hill Farmstead, the Vermont farm brewery whose rustic ales are consistently named some of the best in the world. Tarpey also apprenticed at Cantillon in Brussels, a traditional family brewery known for its sour lambic and gueuze beers. In short, expectations were sky-high, even if Tarpey had never run his own brewhouse. The Veil’s IPAs and double IPAs have lived up to


Two men shot, one fatally, in Northwest D.C., police say

A shooting early Saturday in Northwest killed one man and injured another, District police said. Saul Flores, 36, of Northeast, was shot about 2 a.m. in the 600 block of Kennedy Street NW, police said. Police, responding to a call of shots fired, said Flores was found dead at the scene. Another man, who was not identified, suffered life-threatening injuries. Police ask that anyone with information about the shootings call 202-727-9099. Anonymous information may be submitted to the department’s TEXT TIP LINE by text messaging 50411.


The drug industry’s answer to opioid addiction: More pills

who take prescription painkillers. They call it “opioid-induced constipation,” or “OIC.” The story of OIC illuminates the opportunism of pharmaceutical innovators and the consequences of a heavily drug-dependent society. Six in 10 American adults take prescription drugs, creating a vast market for new meds to treat the side effects of the old ones. Opioid prescriptions alone have skyrocketed from 112 million in 1992 to nearly 249 million in 2015, the latest year for which numbers are available, and America’s dependence on the drugs has reached crisis levels. Millions are addicted to or abusing prescription painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that, from 1999 to 2014, more than 165,000 people died in the United States from prescription-opioid overdoses, which have contributed to a startling increase in early mortality among whites, particularly women — a devastating toll that has hit hardest in small towns and rural areas. The pharmaceutical industry’s response has been more drugs. The opioid market — now worth nearly $10 billion a year in sales in the United States — has expanded to include a growing universe of medications aimed at treating secondary effects rather than controlling pain. There’s Suboxone, financed and promoted by the U.S. government as a safer alternative to methadone for those trying to break their dependence on opioids. There’s naloxone, the emergency injection and nasal spray carried by first responders to treat overdoses. And now there’s Relistor, the drug based on Moss’s work, and a competitor, Movantik, for constipation. In colorful charts designed to entice investors, numerous pharmaceutical makers tout the “expansion opportunity” that exists in the “opioid use disorders population.” Indivior, a specialty pharmaceutical company listed on the London Stock Exchange, sees “around 2.5m potential patients, the majority of whom are addicted to prescription painkillers,” as opposed to illicit drugs such as heroin. Another company, New Jersey-based Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, highlights “growth drivers” for the market, noting that millions of additional Americans not yet identified are also likely to be dependent on opioid painkillers. Analysts estimate that each of these submarkets — addiction, overdose and side effects — is worth at least $1 billion a year in sales. These economics, experts say, work against efforts to end the epidemic. If opioid addiction disappeared tomorrow, it would wipe billions of dollars from the drug companies’ bottom lines. A potent product From a profit-making standpoint, opioids


Man killed, another injured in Northwest Washington shooting

THE DISTRICT Man killed, another hurt in NW shooting One man was fatally shot and another seriously wounded Saturday in Northwest Washington, D.C. police said. Saul Flores, 36, of Northeast, was killed about 2 a.m. in the 600 block of Kennedy Street NW, police said. — Fredrick Kunkle VIRGINIA Alexandria police make 2nd arrest in slaying Alexandria police on Saturday announced a second arrest in a homicide that rattled the quiet waterfront community of North Old Town a year ago. James Bolar, 33, of Lorton, faces charges of murder and using a firearm in a felony in the death of Leon Williams. James Bolar is a relative of Brian Bolar, 26, who was charged with the same offenses in May, police said. Williams, 37, was a father of two girls. He died of wounds suffered in a hail of gunfire on Belle Pre Way on Oct. 7, 2015. — Aaron C. Davis Arlington considering home-sharing rules The Arlington County Board took its first step Saturday toward regulating short-term home-sharing rentals offered on sites such as Airbnb by advertising public hearings on the proposal. The Virginia General Assembly last winter sought to set law statewide on the issue, but Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) delayed its implementation by referring the matter to the Virginia Housing Commission. Arlington board members said that if the legislature passes a new law during the 2017 session, it will preempt local regulations, but they hope to influence the state with a local law. More than 1,600 Arlington homes were advertised for rental through Airbnb in July. A public hearing will be set for Nov. 2, with additional hearings before the Planning Commission Nov. 30 and a County Board vote Dec. 10. — Patricia Sullivan MARYLAND Man dies in 3-vehicle crash in Pr. George’s One man was killed and two drivers were injured early Saturday in a three-vehicle crash in southern Prince George’s County. According to police, the driver of a northbound car on Indian Head Highway in Accokeek was killed when his vehicle was struck by a car and an SUV that were turning left onto Berry Road. Indian Head Highway is a divided road at the site of the crash with a signal and three southbound lanes that turn left. — Aaron C. Davis Man wounded during robbery try at hotel A man was shot and wounded Saturday during an attempted robbery in a hotel room


The white flight of Derek Black

about politics and history. “Same old Derek,” Don concluded, after a few hours, and that fact surprised him. His grief had been so profound that he’d expected some physical manifestation of the loss. Instead, he found himself forgetting for several minutes at a time that Derek was now “living on the other side.” Don asked Derek about the theories that had emerged on the Stormfront message thread. Was he just faking a change to have an easier career? Was this his way of rebelling? When Derek denied those things, Don mentioned the theory he himself had come to believe — the one David Duke had posited in the first hours after Derek’s letter went public: Stockholm syndrome. Derek had become a hostage to liberal academia and then experienced empathy for his captors. “That’s so patronizing,” Derek remembered saying. “How can I prove this is what I really believe?” He tried to convince Don for a few hours at the restaurant. He told him about white privilege and repeated the scientific studies about institutionalized racism. He mentioned the great Islamic societies that had developed algebra and predicted a lunar eclipse. He said that now, as he recognized strains of white nationalism spreading into mainstream politics, he felt accountable. “It’s not just that I was wrong. It’s that it caused real damage,” he remembered saying. “I can’t believe I’m arguing with you, of all people, about racial realities,” Don remembered telling him. The restaurant was closing, and they were no closer to an understanding. Derek went to sleep at his grandmother’s house. Then he woke up early and started driving across the country alone. *** Derek Black is pictured Sept. 25, 2016. “It’s scary to know that I helped spread this stuff, and now it’s out there,” he told a friend, alluding to the ideology he once promoted. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post) Every day since then, Derek had been working to put distance between himself and his past. He was still living across the country after finishing his master’s degree, and he was starting to learn Arabic to be able to study the history of early Islam. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in white nationalism since his defection, aside from occasional calls home to his parents. Instead, he’d spent his time catching up on aspects of pop culture he’d once been taught to discredit: liberal newspaper columns, rap music and Hollywood movies.


Endlessly beautiful music from pianist Inon Barnatan, accompanied by the BSO

Inon Barnatan. (Marco Borggreve ) In a highly anticipated return to the D.C. area on Saturday, pianist Inon Barnatan surpassed all expectations at the Music Center at Strathmore in a brilliant debut with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Armed with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37, Barnatan immersed himself in music-making from his opening salvo of robust scales and zinging octaves in the Allegro to the playful dissonance and dizzying chromatic runs of the Rondo. The Israeli pianist wielded an impressive array of dynamic pianism, thanks to an endless palette of touches at the keyboard, that allowed him to act as a chameleon with the BSO. Not only did Barnatan blend masterfully with the orchestra by supporting the strings and winds with visceral awareness, but he also coasted on the orchestral accompaniment as a champion surfer might, zipping across the sound waves effortlessly and letting the harmonies propel him forward naturally. In the concerto’s Largo, especially, Barnatan revealed why he is generating excitement by breaking out of his established accompanying career: His poignant solos brought tears to the eyes because they were so tenderly wrought. Led by guest conductor Vasily Petrenko, the BSO echoed those moments in kind. The pianist’s joy in being in the moment acted as a catalyst and generated a sparkling energy that carried through to the final notes Under Petrenko’s meticulous guidance, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93, unfolded as a soul-searching narrative, sometimes gleeful but with gravitas, contemplative yet driven. The conductor showed off the BSO’s sinewy strong, sonorous sounds via serpentine melodies performed in breathtaking fashion by solo instrumentalists — and all of it underpinned by a relentless yet human heartbeat.


Resupply mission rocket launch postponed until Monday

The planned launch from Virginia of an Antares rocket on a resupply mission to the International Space Station was postponed until Monday night, authorities said. Orbital ATK, a Dulles-based company, was to launch its Antares rocket from Wallops Island on Sunday night. A ground-support equipment cable did not perform as expected during the prelaunch checkout, according to a statement posted Sunday evening on a NASA blog. The statement said spares were on hand and “rework procedures” were underway. The rocket is to lift the Cygnus spacecraft, which is to be released to dock with the space station. The launch is part of NASA’s program of contracting out the supply missions. The 7:40 p.m. Monday launch is expected to be visible from Washington in the southeast, 10 degrees above the horizon. The planned launch is a resumption of an effort that ended in failure two years ago, when the Antares rocket involved blew up just seconds after liftoff.


Ethiopia’s state of emergency will work

Residents of Bishoftu protest the Oromo anti-government during the new year holiday Irreechaa on Oct. 2, 2016. (Zacharias Abubeker/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE via Getty Images) The Oct. 12 editorial “State of emergency” concluded that with a state of emergency, Ethiopia’s leaders are borrowing a brutal tactic from dictators and trying to put a cork in genuine popular dissent, and said “it won’t work.” The protests staged in some parts of the country have raised some legitimate questions about the absence of good governance, leadership inefficiency, dislocation of farmers, unemployment and other policy-implementation problems. The decision to declare a state of emergency was taken to deal with threats to peace and security posed against the nation by anti-peace groups in close collaboration with foreign elements. The declaration came after deliberations on the recent loss of life, damage to property and assessment of the situation of the country. Ethiopia’s government is committed to ensuring all fundamental human rights as stipulated in Ethiopia’s constitution. The declaration also helps to accelerate and carry forward the efforts being made by the government and the people of Ethiopia to solve the pressing problems and challenges facing the country. It will work. Ethiopia should reinforce its efforts to resist domestic and foreign terrorists and anti-peace elements. Tesfaye Wolde, Washington The writer is minister counselor for the Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.


Olympic swimmer is back from Rio with a silver medal — but no full-time job

of their athletic lives, not to spend four more years training and sacrificing. And so, at age 25, with his silver medal in the 1,500-meter freestyle under his belt, and armed with a master’s degree in business management from Michigan and just enough fame (he hopes) to open some doors to the corporate world, Jaeger has effectively retired from competitive swimming. “We can’t all be Michael Phelps and be set for life,” Jaeger said after his recent clinic at the YMCA. “I ended up going further with swimming than I ever thought I would. But I was always making decisions along the way where — if I stopped swimming tomorrow, and I’m not an athlete anymore, how am I going to be ready? That’s how I lived my life.” Thus, instead of returning to Ann Arbor, Mich., this fall to resume training as a post-graduate swimmer with an eye toward the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games — and piecing together, through sponsorships, appearances, stipends and bonuses, the six-figure income needed to accomplish that — Jaeger has moved, along with his girlfriend, to Hoboken, N.J., and is flinging himself into a sphere that is only slightly less cut-throat Darwinian than elite-level competitive swimming: the Manhattan real estate industry. “I’m super-competitive and I hate losing,” Jaeger said. “But I can direct that where I want to. I’m hoping that whatever job I get, I can channel it.” Connor Jaeger is leaving competitive swimming behind, but he’s new to the corporate world he longs to enter. (Charles Mostoller/For The Washington Post) But he also isn’t fooling himself: “The reality is, whatever I’m doing — I mean, I always loved swimming. I looked forward to going to practice in the morning, or the afternoon. That’s the one thing — I may not enjoy this next thing as much.” Hardware that opens doors How much is a single Olympic silver medal worth in real terms? Probably not as much as you think. The U.S. Olympic Committee attached a bonus of $15,000 for silver medals this summer ($25,000 for a gold), and USA Swimming tacked on another $30,000 (or $75,000 for gold) — money that will help bridge the gap during Jaeger’s transition from elite professional swimmer to ground-level corporate worker. His two major sponsorship deals, a swimwear company and a credit card, will expire at the end of the year. The silver medal could push Jaeger


Redesigned rocket lifts off for International Space Station

The Orbital ATK Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on October 17. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via Reuters) This story has been updated. A redesigned rocket launched Monday evening from Virginia on a mission to supply the International Space Station. The Orbital ATK rocket was redesigned after one exploded during takeoff two years ago. “It is great to be back,” said Frank Culbertson, president of Orbital’s space systems group. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden described the launch as “magnificent” and personally thanked the Orbital ATK team. “It’s been a very difficult two years, and I can’t imagine what those of you in the Orbital team went through. I can’t imagine how long you were holding your breath tonight,” Bolden told the launch control crowd. “But you know, we made it and that’s what’s all important.” The rocket is rolled to the launchpad Thursday. It will deliver more than 5,100 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the International Space Station. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP) Now outfitted with a pair of Russian-made engines, the rocket blast off from a repaired launchpad on Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch was visible along much of the East Coast. Perched on top of the rocket is a Cygnus cargo ship loaded with 5,290 pounds of food, supplies, equipment and science experiments for the space station, a $100 billion laboratory in orbit about 250 miles above Earth. “We’ve missed these guys,” Joel Montalbano, NASA’s deputy station manager, told reporters during a prelaunch news conference Saturday, referring to the Antares team. The mission became more crucial for the U.S. space agency after a September 1 accident destroyed a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and a $200 million Israeli communications satellite. The accident, which occurred while the rocket was being fueled for a routine prelaunch test, has temporarily grounded SpaceX, the only company other than Orbital contracted by NASA to fly cargo to the space station. Private contractors for the cargo runs became necessary following the retirement of the space shuttles in 2011. With SpaceX sidelined, NASA added extra food, clothing, laptop computers and spacesuit parts to the Cygnus cargo list, Montalbano said. The last launch of an Antares rocket, on October 28, 2014, ended in disaster a few seconds after liftoff. After the accident, Orbital sped up plans to replace the rocket’s Soviet-era engines


Organic pioneer Nora Pouillon plans to retire, sell her eponymous restaurant

be a little crazy.” Pouillon’s career and topsy-turvy personal life have been documented in her memoir, released last summer, called “My Organic Life.” A young woman married to a French journalist, she moved to Washington in the 1960s and found “a culinary nightmare.” Horrified by how unhealthy American food could be, she taught herself to cook and then began to teach others. After a stint in the kitchen at the Tabard Inn, she bought a former grocery store and opened Restaurant Nora in 1979. Female chef-owners are still, regrettably, rare, but in those days, they were almost nonexistent. “I believe that Nora forever will be a heroine of the food scene of D.C.,” said chef José Andrés. “To me, she deserves everything. She’s shown us the way.” Nora Pouillon in her herb garden on the side of her restaurant in May 1983. (Harry Naltchayan/The Washington Post) The restaurant was one of the approximately 100 to get a mention in D.C.’s first Michelin Guide, released last Thursday, though it did not receive any stars. In their write-up, inspectors praised the vegetarian tasting menu and called Pouillon “the Alice Waters of D.C.” It took her two years to develop the standards for an organic restaurant with the certification agency Oregon Tilth. The restaurant became certified in 1999. The fact that there aren’t more certified organic restaurants is “sort of depressing,” she said. “I was hoping there would be more, but often restaurants perhaps strive toward doing it, but after awhile they lost interest, because they figured their clientele didn’t really care.” That may be because talking a good game about farm-to-table food is, for many customers, no different from proving those bona fides through certification, as Nora does. “They don’t understand that you cannot just say ‘I’m organic.’ You basically have to prove it,” she said. It also disappoints her that her proteges have not taken the same path. “In 37 years I went through, I think, 40 different chefs,” she said, “And none of them — none of them — has an organic restaurant. They all do their own thing.” One of them is Haidar Karoum, former chef of Proof, Estadio and Doi Moi. Pouillon was “very influential in terms of how I think about food,” he said. But when he opened Proof, he never considered organic certification, even though he bought from the same farms he did while a chef


England takes first place — and three more spots — in ranking of Europe hotels

The Lanesborough, a swanky property in London, took first place in U.S. News & World Report’s survey of the overall best hotels in Europe. (Courtesy of The Lanesborough) England beat Italy by one, France by two and Hungary by three. Spain didn’t make the cut. Are we talking football scores? Michelin-starred restaurants? Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner sightings? Nope, these are the countries that appeared in U.S. News & World Report’s Overall Best Hotels in Europe, the plummiest category of its best hotels in Europe survey, which was released this week. For its newest study, the rankings-happy outfit (see colleges, used cars, diets, Medicare plans and U.S. hotels, among other subjects) surveyed nearly 2,100 high-end hotels in 40-plus countries. It chose 10 hotels as the overall best, with England nabbing first place with the Lanesborough, recognized as one of the most expensive hotels in Britain. A weekend night, for example, starts at $600, including 24-hour butler service. The country also secured Nos. 7 through 9: Beaumont, in London’s West End; Corinthia Hotel London, near Trafalgar Square; and the Milestone Hotel, which overlooks Kensington Palace and Gardens. Italy dominated the top half with Hotel Santa Caterina, on the Amalfi Coast (No. 2); J.K. Place Roma, in Rome (No. 3); and Palazzo Avino (No. 4), also on Mediterranean shores. Perhaps the Roman number of the competitor’s king was a good omen for France, which earned fifth place with the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. The country also doubled-down on V for the 10th-place win, Hôtel Plaza Athénée, which reopened in 2014 after a $268 million facelift. Hungary was the sole representative for Central Europe, with its Four Seasons Gresham Palace (No. 6, in case you’ve lost track) in Budapest. If you’re wondering why your favorite Provençal guesthouse or Irish castle bed-and-breakfast was omitted: The report focuses only on luxury hotels and resorts — defined as properties with a 5-star hotel-class rating — containing at least 20 rooms. The publication based it findings on travel experts and guest reviews provided by TripAdvisor. Hotel Santa Caterina, on the Amalfi Coast, took the second spot. Italy had three properties in the top 10. (Courtesy of Hotel Santa Caterina) Here’s the full overall best hotels in Europe category: 1. The Lanesborough (England) 2. Hotel Santa Caterina (Italy) 3. J.K. Place Roma (Italy) 4. Palazzo Avino (Italy) 5. Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris (France)