his eating adventures, once ate Cornish hen prepared by a classically trained chef in a Chevron station. “The average person just fills up their tank, pays with a credit card and drives off,” Hebert said. “But if you just walk a few feet from the pump to the store, you might discover one of the best eating experiences of your life.” In the Washington area, the discoveries are often quintessentially ethnic, no doubt owing to the region’s booming immigrant population, especially outside the Capital Beltway. J.P. and Anna Goree opened Seoul Food DC, an offshoot of their popular food truck, in June, serving bibimbap bowls and other Korean specialties at an Exxon station in Wheaton. J.P. grew up in Wisconsin; Anna grew up in Korea. They met working at Whole Foods, where he was a meat cutter and she was pastry chef. They were approached by the station’s owner, Hank Kim, who went to the same college as Anna. Most gas stations see about 1,100 customers a day, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores. The largest revenue driver is gas, accounting for 72 percent of cash flow but only 35 percent of profit. Gas station owners need to squeeze more money from their space to thrive, and foodies are a totally untapped well of income and appetites. “I need more traffic in the store to sell more things,” Kim said. “They bring more traffic to me, and I bring more traffic to them.” The Gorees invested thousands of dollars in the restaurant, instead of the hundreds of thousands it would have taken for a standalone place. They have no debt. The tables and chairs are from Ikea. They buy local food. The flowers on the tables are from the farmer’s market. A Yelp reviewer wrote, “Atmosphere is actually quite nice for a gas station.” Marla Bilonick, who works with small businesses at the Latino Economic Development Center, dropped by for lunch the other day — her first time eating in a gas station. “It definitely adds a certain amount of intrigue,” she said, halfway through her bibimbap bowl with beef. “But it’s insanely delicious.” Putting on her small-business hat, Bilonick said, “When you work with limited resources, sometimes it comes out better than when you have unlimited resources.” But most gas station chefs are dreaming bigger, hoping to use the quirky locations to build their brands for franchising


Russia anti-gay law casts a shadow over Sochi’s 2014 Olympics

SOCHI, Russia — First Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov and the mere mortals of Sochi were sent on a marathon of construction that clogged traffic and made heads throb. Then came the wrath of the gods: The city has had nearly 20 inches of rain in September — 2.3 inches is the average for the month — setting off landslides requiring mayoral attention. Last week, the downpour was so heavy and roads were so flooded that the Emergency Situations Ministry deployed 1,800 workers to pump out water and shovel debris off streets. And now, the clash of civilizations. President Vladimir Putin signed a law at the end of June prohibiting the promotion of nontraditional sexual relationships to minors. It has been interpreted as banning gay pride parades — children might see them — and preventing any discussion of homosexuality among teenagers. The law has made gay athletes and spectators fearful of discrimination, and even arrest, at the Olympics. And Thursday, as the International Olympic Committee coordinating commission made its last inspection tour of Sochi before the opening ceremony Feb. 7, its members added fuel to this particular flame. Russia, they said, was not violating Olympic anti-discrimination principles. “The spirit of the Games is awakening here,” said Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the coordinating commission. Advocates in the West were furious. They had been lobbying the IOC to confront Russia over its policies, which they say encourage not only discrimination but also violence toward gay men and lesbians. Looking past the piles of gravel and seas of mud, ignoring the deluge, the IOC declared the competition venues ready and offered Russia hearty congratulations. On Sunday, the Olympic torch was lighted in ancient Olympia, beginning its seven-day journey across Greece and on to Russia, which Putin calls a very special country, different from the West. In a recent speech to international scholars, Putin had little patience for what he called political correctness. He accused the West of rejecting the values underlying Western civilization. “They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual,” he said. “They are implementing policies that equate large families with same-sex partnerships, belief in God with the belief in Satan.” For mayor, no concerns Some activists have wondered whether an Olympic boycott is in order. Although President Obama condemned the Russian law, he counseled against a boycott. Last week, after the IOC statement, various organizations said


National Geographic employees get local groceries at on-site farm stand

Organization: Location: Employees: 1,239 locally; 1,347 nationwide. Every Tuesday, Julie Crain takes home an armful of fresh local produce. At this time of year as the season turns, she’s snapping up the last tomatoes, corn and berries of summer and getting fall’s first harvest of pumpkins, squash and root vegetables. And to get all these healthy groceries, she need not leave her office. Crain is an employee of National Geographic Society, and she gets to shop at a farm stand that is set up each week at the organization’s downtown Washington headquarters. Farmer Gregg Keckler hawks his produce from a small tent in the National Geographic Society’s courtyard. In addition to fruits and vegetables, he sells herbs, teas and homemade jams, breads and pies. “He’s really spoiled me,” Crain said. “I don’t like to buy from the grocery store.” Keckler originally partnered with National Geographic when the nonprofit wanted to start an agriculture share, in which employees can pay to receive a delivery of fruits and vegetables each week, with the offerings changing based on what’s in season. A couple of years later, Keckler and his son came to an on-site fair at National Geographic to sell their food and to encourage more workers to join the agriculture share. Susan Kolodziejczyk, an employee of National Geographic Channel, said that was when the idea for the weekly farm stand was born. “[Staffers] kept asking, ‘When will you be back?’ The son said, ‘How about next week?’” Kolodziejczyk said. Sodexo, the catering giant that manages National Geographic’s cafeteria, also works to incorporate food from the farm into the dishes it prepares for staffers. Kolodziejczyk, a member of a committee at National Geographic that promotes sustainability, said the farm stand has been a powerful way to encourage staffers to eat in a way that is eco-friendly.


Federal spending woes not hitting state and local markets

that’s a serious misconception. In fact, the state and local market is driven by its own demographic, economic, policy and technology factors. Demographics Because state and local governments provide a variety of direct services, population growth and demographic changes can alter their missions. The number of young and oldis set to grow, leaving fewer working-age people to pay for education and health care. These trends are likely to drive efforts to augment school classrooms with technology and use business intelligence to rein in Medicaid costs. Economics Financial events can also drive buyer responses. The recent recession, for instance, ushered millions of Americans into unemployment offices and into two- and four-year colleges. The reaction to the swelling demand caused a whirlwind of procurement activity. States overhauled unemployment insurance and workforce development systems to reduce fraud and improve job matching. Colleges upgraded wireless networks, deployed online curriculum tools and modernized student information systems. Policy State and local policies are driven by thousands of elected and appointed leaders who previously looked to Washington for leadership. But as federal grant money dried up as a result of budget cuts and partisan stalemate, state and local leaders are increasingly ignoring the federal government and forging ahead with their own agendas. The federal government still retains some clout in areas of significant trickle-down funding, like social services and transportation. However, in other areas of government business, contractors are better off studying governors’ and mayors’ policy agendas. Technology Contrary to their reputations as technology backwaters, state and local governments can be very responsive to new technologies. Virtualization has spread like wildfire through this market, and cloud offerings are gaining traction with leaner post-recession IT departments. Several manufacturers are promising cheap, under-$100 tablets in the near future, putting the promise of one-to-one classroom computing within reach. With tens of thousands of potential buyers in this market, vendors with the right disruptive technologies and solid partner and reseller networks can surf a wave of adoption to significant profits. Government IT contractors should recognize that the state and local market can serve as a stabilizer for any public-sector business development portfolio. Aligning their services and solutions with these drivers will allow contractors to make a strong business case to buyers. Chris Dixon is senior manager on the state and local industry analysis team at Herndon-based Deltek, which conducts research on the government contracting market and can be found at www.deltek.com.


Government contractors brace for federal shutdown

Federal contractors are getting pretty good at preparing for a disruption in their work — and that’s the problem. With the threat of a government shutdown looming, company executives spent much of last week bracing for interruption, just as they did before sequestration began earlier this year and when a shutdown nearly occurred two years ago. “Even though we don’t want to admit this, we are better prepared,” having dealt with previous disruptions, said Greg Baroni, chief executive of Vienna-based contractor Attain. Still, executives said they’d rather their staff spend that time on building the business instead of guessing whether some temporary halt is imminent. Executives at Unisys’s Reston-based federal systems business spent recent days doing what they have been doing during past stoppage threats: reviewing the status of the unit’s top 65 contracts, which generate over three-quarters of its revenue. Federal shutdowns in 1995 and 1996 closed government offices, parks and museums, and caused several hundred thousand workers to be furloughed. “Unfortunately, we’re getting familiar with dealing with this,” said Ted Davies, president of the federal unit. “You do all the preparing you can.” Still, there’s only so much planning companies can do, given the uncertainty about whether and how long a shutdown might last and what percentage of a company’s employees might be deemed essential. Contractors said they assumed they would get little notice about whether their employees would go to work or not. And then, they would have to decide — on a contract by contract basis — what to do with those workers. Even contractors whose work would be deemed essential can hit stumbling blocks, said Elizabeth A. Ferrell, a partner at McKenna Long & Aldridge who specializes in government contracting. “Contractors that interact on a regular basis with the government for design reviews or acceptance of goods or technical direction ... those people are not going to be around,” in the event of a shutdown, she said. Additionally, contractors that work at government facilities “may be willing, ready and able to perform on a contract that has funds on it, but they can’t go perform because the facility is shut down.” David Langstaff, chief executive at Chantilly-based TASC, said contractors have little choice but to deal with the uncertainty. “This is not the way to run a railroad; nevertheless, this is the new normal for us,” he said. “In one sense, we feel prepared, given


SpaceX launches Falcon 9; Orbital’s Cygnus docks with international space station

Musk’s company SpaceX roared off a launch pad in California, a harbinger of grander things to come. Orbital and SpaceX have NASA contracts to supply cargo to the space station. SpaceX had already reached the station three times, and Orbital matched the feat Sunday when its Cygnus spacecraft parked itself at the orbiting laboratory, ready to offload about 1,500 pounds of food, clothing and scientific experiments designed by students. Orbital launched Cygnus on Sept. 18 atop the company’s rocket, Antares, from Wallops Island, Va. Although that launch went off without a hitch, a software glitch delayed Cygnus’s rendezvous with the station until Sunday. In the meantime, the company had to demonstrate that the unpiloted Cygnus could make delicate maneuvers in the vicinity of the laboratory, which is currently home to six astronauts. “We had to go through some tough wickets, and we did with flying colors,” Orbital spokesman Barron Beneski said. “It was a great day for the whole company.” With the hardest part of this demonstration mission a success, Orbital is now on track to carry out eight cargo missions to the station under a $1.9 billion NASA contract. The company hopes to launch again in December. SpaceX, meanwhile, has a $1.6 billion contract for supplying cargo, and it is one of three companies, along with Sierra Nevada and Boeing, hoping to win a contract to taxi astronauts to the station. The 224-foot Falcon 9 “version 1.1.,” which ignited Sunday on a pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base, is an upgrade of a SpaceX rocket that has already gone into space five times. This version, with more powerful engines, carried to orbit a small satellite that will study “space weather.” The company named its rocket “Falcon” after the Millennium Falcon spaceship from the “Star Wars” movies. The two-stage rocket has nine engines on its first stage, hence “Falcon 9.” SpaceX hopes to build a heavy-lift version that will employ three rocket cores strapped together. SpaceX appears to be on a trajectory to compete for heavy-lift military launches, edging into the territory of United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of aerospace behemoths Boeing and Lockheed Martin. And Musk, who runs SpaceX part time when not supervising the electric car company Tesla, has the even more audacious goal of colonizing Mars. In a corporate webcast Sunday, SpaceX employees at the company’s Hawthorne, Calif., factory could be seen wearing “Occupy Mars” T-shirts.


Washington area could lose $200 million a day if shutdown occurs, economist says

A National Park Service guide gestures as tourists flock to the Lincoln Memorial. A federal shutdown could affect tourism. (Mike Theiler/Reuters) The Washington region, home to the largest concentration of federal workers and contractors in the nation, could lose an estimated $200 million a day and could see more than 700,000 jobs take a financial hit if the federal government shuts down Monday night, according to a local economist’s projections. And that’s not counting the blow to tourism, one of the region’s economic mainstays, if the Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo, Civil War battlefields and other federally funded attractions are shuttered, said Stephen Fuller, director of George Mason University’s Center for Regional Analysis. “This is serious,” Fuller said. “The national economy may not notice a shutdown much unless it lasts three or four weeks. But for the Washington area, this is a tsunami.” In addition to the economic impact, area residents could also see cuts in federal services: no new applications for benefits such as Medicare, Social Security and child-care subsidies, no new housing or small-business loans, no new clinical trials for research funded by the National Institutes of Health and a murky prognosis for the safety net for those most in need. Child-care centers in federal agencies would close, parents said, and child-care workers, who are not employed by the federal government, likewise would be sent home. Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are scrambling before the Oct. 1 deadline. If a spending plan isn’t passed, many federal agencies will close their doors. Mail will continue to be delivered, as the U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency. Amtrak officials have said trains will continue to run. And while the District is the only jurisdiction that could have basic services — such as trash pickup and libraries — halted, Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) is attempting to avoid that by declaring every city employee essential, a distinction that could keep them working through a federal shutdown. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) has been pushing a bill in Congress to exempt the city from a potential shutdown, as it did in 1995, when a federal shutdown had what Norton called a “disastrous” impact on the District. “It was horrific,” Norton said. “In a shutdown, the garbage does not get picked up, no matter what, for a week. Then you can declare a health emergency.” ‘We’re really bleeding’ The possible shutdown


Federal workers turn to prayer and preparedness

work. Carolyn Federoff, an attorney in the Boston office of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, spent Sunday reviewing documents to close a deal with a developer to build 27 apartments for low-income elderly residents in Winthrop, Mass. “It’s not like I’m getting compensated for working on Sunday,” she said. “But we’ve got to get this deal done. This is such a crazy Congress that nobody can be sure the money would survive into the next fiscal year.” She scheduled a dental appointment for Tuesday afternoon. “Maybe it’s a little cynical of me. But I figure we’re not going to be working October 1 because of this [expletive] Congress. I can’t say politely what they are.” Back in Washington at the Air and Space Museum gift shop, James Gekas sold three postcards to a visitor. A recent University of Maryland graduate “in a transitional stage,” Gekas is 26. He lives with his parents in University Park. “We’re making low wages as it is,” he said. He has one month left before his $9.55-an-hour gig runs out. “I don’t want to see the place close for my last month,” he said. He’s interviewing for a job doing supply chain management for the military. “Another federal job,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “Funny, right?” The past week was particularly sad, zoo workers said. One of the zoo’s biggest draws, the panda Webcams, will be closed down along with more than 20 other animal cams. “It’s a very popular feature around the country, but it’s not considered essential services,” said Pamela Baker-Masson, a spokeswoman for the National Zoo, where the gates will be closed to the public. Animal keepers and other employees will still report to work. Tysean Carr, 20, a popcorn vendor near the zoo’s Panda Plaza, said he had one message for Congress. “Please get this over with,” said the college student, who works 30 hours a week at the zoo in addition to attending business classes. “I gotta pay rent.” As the electrician Gripper watched families snap photos of orangutans traveling overhead, he said that government work was once synonymous with job security. “I still love this country, and it’s still a place that’s less poor than most,” Gripper said. “But something’s gone really wrong when I have to think about selling off items just to maintain my life. All I want is to go to work.”


Danger to economy worries experts weighing potential government shutdown, default

to see whether something really bad happens.” There are already signs of intensifying anxiety in the financial markets, which had largely brushed off the fiscal clash previously. The stock market, as measured by the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, was down four of five days last week, and the dollar also fell. More relevant, the cost of a type of insurance that investors use to protect themselves against default in U.S. government bonds has rocketed higher in recent days, suggesting the chances of default are increasing. Business interest groups, usually aligned with the Republicans, have urged the GOP to abandon their demand for policy concessions, such as delaying President Obama’s signature health-care law, in exchange for funding the government and raising the debt limit. “It is not in the best interest of the employers, employees or the American people to risk a government shutdown that will be economically disruptive and create even more uncertainties for the U.S. economy,” the nation’s leading corporate lobbying groups, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, wrote Friday in a letter to Congress. Much of the government will close Tuesday without action by Congress. If the shutdown lasts more than a few days, it would affect the economy in numerous ways, most clearly by cutting spending on contracts and salaries. But there are likely to be a wide range of indirect effects as well, because government operations provide the launching point for key activities driving economic growth, according to independent economists. For example, the closure of national parks and museums may hurt hotels, restaurants and the people who work for them. The process of getting approval for a home loan could take much more time, slowing a housing recovery that is one of the few bright spots in the economy. Headlines about dysfunction in Washington could also sow consumer and business fears even in parts of the economy not directly affected by a shutdown, leading individuals and businesses to cut back on spending and investment. Economists estimate that the cumulative effect of a prolonged shutdown could trim economic growth in the final three months of the year by up to 1.4 percentage points. Under that scenario, the economy would hardly expand at all — at a time that is usually one of the most important economic periods of the year. “That would mean a hit to employment and income as we approach the critical holiday


Washingtonians worry about impact of looming government shutdown

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are scrambling before the Oct. 1 deadline. If a spending plan isn’t passed, many federal agencies will close their doors. Washington, a company town unlike any other in America, was on the verge of grinding to a standstill late Monday. And with the factory about to be shuttered, here’s what the dawn could bring: More than 700,000 federal workers idled in and around the District; battalions of frustrated tourists locked out of museums; rush-hour commutes that feel like Sunday morning and countless worried merchants wringing their hands. The Capital of the Free World: Closed till further notice. Immune from the worst of a recession that battered the rest of the nation in recent years, U.S. government employees in this U.S. government town know they’ll be disproportionately impacted if nonessential federal offices and programs are shut down at midnight in the spending impasse between Congress and the White House. “I don’t do something that keeps people alive,” said NASA employee Victoria Friedensen, 57, walking on Capitol Hill in her orange workout jacket Monday before going to work. She’s a program executive, and she and others have been told they will have to stay home if the government closes. Friedensen had been watching news of the stalemate closely, hoping for a breakthrough. “I don’t even think our BlackBerrys will work,” Friedensen said. “For one day, that will be great!” Government shutdown What's open and what's closed Then it will be difficult. The Washington area could lose up to $200 million a day if the National Zoo, Smithsonian museums and other government-funded attractions are shuttered, authorities said. When talk of It’s much harder on some of her colleagues, especially those whose spouses also work for the federal government. Some people were already furloughed this year, when NASA made mandated spending cuts. It’s frustrating, she said, to watch the impasse. “What if you already lost six days of your income? And now?” Elerky Crosby, 66, a longtime National Institutes of Health employee, remembers the 1996 government shutdown, when she was classified as an essential worker. Now, as an administrative support employee who delivers charts to different buildings within NIH, she is among the 40,512 employees set to be furloughed . “I’m scared to death,” she said. Kevin Bondesen, 57, was expecting not to be allowed to work Tuesday. Only a few of his colleagues in human resources at


Shutdown: What would close, what would stay open in the Washington area?

As the threat of a government shutdown draws near, many residents in the Washington area are wondering how it would affect them and the services they rely on. Here are some of the local agencies and services that would be shuttered in the event of a shutdown, and others that will not be impacted: Local attractions: — The Smithsonian museums, the National Zoo, Civil War battlefields and other federally funded attractions would close. Mail: — The U.S. Postal Service is an independent agency, so mail would continue to be delivered. Transportation: — Amtrak trains, Metrorail, Metrobus and Circulator would continue to operate. D.C. services: Mayor Vincent C. Gray has determined the District government will not close during a federal shutdown – meaning trash will be collected, permits and licenses will be issued, and city offices will remain open regardless of whether Congress reaches an accord. Other: — There would be no new applications for benefits such as Medicare, Social Security and child-care subsidies, no new housing or small-business loans, and no new clinical trials for research funded by the National Institutes of Health. — Child-care centers in federal agencies would close. — Passport offices would remain open. More questions? Reporters answered questions about a government shutdown, the politics of the budget battle and the impact on federal agencies and the D.C. area.


BlackBerrys would go dark for furloughed workers during a shutdown

memo states that it’s up to each agency to determine how to enforce the digital restrictions. But my Washington Post colleague Lisa Rein reports that furloughed employees will have to turn in their smartphones during a four- hour shift Tuesday to put their affairs in order and turn in the phones. Agencies can’t even rely on sending messages about when workers can get back on the job via mobile devices or “home access to work e-mail,” the memo says. The OMB cites the Anti-Deficiency Act — the same act that will keep workers out of their physical offices — for the digital shutdown. As with other government work, there are some exceptions to which positions will still be allowed to use virtual space, such as work that protects lives or vital property. Government workers have already faced the prospect of turning in their PDAs, and The Post’s Karen Tumulty reported in 2011 that workers were anticipating going through withdrawal symptoms such as hearing phantom rings and vibrations from empty pockets. That dependence has only grown in the past two years, and a majority of American smartphone users keep their phones on or near them at least 22 hours a day, according to an 2012 study from the research firm IDC. The shutdown could also affect government Web sites, according to the memo, because workers will not be able to update those online pages during a shutdown. There will be exceptions on an agency-by-agency basis. Essential systems can stay up, as can back-end technical systems and other systems needed to maintain the functionality and security of those systems. Also, any site that does not require someone to maintain it can remain online, the memo said. Agencies can also extend the deadlines for any paperwork or applications due to the goverment if such submissions are put on hold during a shutdown. While Web sites are shut down, the memo suggests, agencies should put a standard notice on their landing pages letting visitors know that the information on the Web sites may not be up to date. Related stories: Washington braces for the first shutdown of the national government in 17 years BlackBerry smartphones still reign in Washington, the slow-poke capital The Switch: You will no longer be able to watch this baby panda online if the government shuts down Follow The Post’s new tech blog, The Switch, where technology and policy connect.


During a shutdown, Mall visitors will see barricades, not landmarks

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are scrambling before the Oct. 1 deadline. If a spending plan isn’t passed, many federal agencies will close their doors. The National Park Service began barricading the monuments and memorials on the Mall and turning off its 45 fountains after the federal government shut down at midnight. Park Service spokeswoman Carol Bradley Johnson said the Lincoln Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, among others, would be barricaded so that visitors cannot enter them. In addition, maintenance workers would shut off the fountains at the World War II Memorial, the Roosevelt Memorial and other monuments with water features on the Mall and within the park system. She said the new pumping and filtration system at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would also be shut down. More than 300 Park Service workers on the Mall would be furloughed during a shutdown, Johnson said. Workers have been told to report for duty Tuesday morning and then plan to stay for four hours to help shutter operations. Government shutdown What's open and what's closed “We are pre-staging barricades,” she said, meaning that workers were delivering barricades to the various sites to be set up now that the government has shut down. Indeed, barricades were seen stacked at the World War II Memorial on Monday afternoon. “We’re also contacting anybody who has a permit to let them know that in the event of a shutdown, all permits will be canceled,” she said. One organization that will feel the impact of a shutdown is the Honor Flight program, which flies World War II veterans from around the country to Washington for a one-day visit to the memorial. “We have been getting quite a few calls from honor flights and have had to let them know that the memorial will be closed and the fountain will be off, that the Mall is legally closed,” Johnson said. “So, unfortunately, they won’t be able to access the memorial.” “Jefferson will be closed,” as well as “MLK, FDR, Ford’s Theatre, Korea, Vietnam,” she said, referring to various Park Service sites. “There’s going to be signs saying that they’re closed, and they will be probably blocked off. We’re limited in how much fencing we can get.” Arlington National Cemetery, which is operated by the Army, will be open, but the cemetery’s Arlington House, run by the Park Service,


Father of the Prius sees long road to a fully electric future

charge and one to reduce that charging time, he told the group. The day when an affordable vehicle that could supplant, in a widespread way, the existing internal combustion fleet may be a long way off. Uchiyamada said Toyota plans to introduce a car powered by a hydrogen fuel cell as early as 2015. But its range will be limited to perhaps 300 miles and its initial sales restricted to a handful of markets — think California — where charging stations could be available. The company is also working on a next-generation battery, aimed for completion in 2020, that could make hybrids even more efficient or extend the range of fully electric vehicles beyond their typical few dozen miles on a charge. But even that will require a trade-off. For fully electric use, for example, the automaker has to balance the more potent battery with the longer length of time it takes to charge, and choose whether to funnel the benefits of better technology into improved performance or cost savings. Until the basic constraints are broken — and technology offers a cheaper way to deliver more power and a fast charge — upcoming improvements may mark more of an evolution than a revolution. That doesn’t mean they won’t be substantial. Uchiyamada, a physicist who worked with the team that developed the Prius in the 1990s, said the group underestimated what it could achieve. It looked to boost fuel economy by 50 percent. Instead, the team more than doubled it. Prius and other hybrids are now staples in the Toyota line, and Uchiyamada said that over the next five years he expects they could account for more than half of the company’s U.S. sales. He said he does not see a business challenge coming from companies such as Tesla, which makes high-end, all-electric cars, because its price is far too high for the vehicle to become a widespread replacement for gas. Nor is he convinced that driverless cars and networked highways will take over anytime soon. Toyota is using things such as radar systems and object recognition to add new safety features to its vehicles, he said, but the technology that will allow cars to talk to each other and coordinate their motions is far from proven. While it’s tempting to hope “that we can drink champagne and have fun,” Uchiyamada said, “a human at the end will need to control.”


Police arrest man after white powder with glass shards found in National Zoo attractions

(Gary Cameron/Reuters) A man was arrested at the National Zoo on Monday afternoon after authorities said he left behind a suspicious powder with glass shards in the Reptile Discovery House and the Small Mammal House, according to a spokeswoman. The D.C. fire department said the substance was not toxic — an official described it as corn starch — but it forced zoo officials to close the two attractions to visitors. The zoo also closed the Invertebrate House because it connects with the reptile house. Pamela Baker-Masson, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the three buildings remained closed the remainder of the day so that police could conclude their investigation and workers could clean. The zoo will be closed should the government shut down. Authorities said he incident occurred about 3 p.m. when a patron notified park officials about the suspicious substance. Baker-Masson said officers with the National Zoological Park Police responded and arrested a suspect. His name was not immediately released pending charges being filed. Baker-Masson said no visitor nor animal was injured. She described attendance as light.


At a primary-care clinic, a doctor faces a time crunch and shortage of funds

cholesterol, in English and Spanish. Pinned to corkboards were telephone lists of community centers, information about accessing phone interpretation and pamphlets on resources for victims of domestic violence. The doors on either side of the room were closed to protect patient confidentiality and to shield us from the glares of angry patients, frustrated by the long waits. I felt a prickling irritation as I thought of the clinic’s decision to schedule 40-minute appointment slots for new patients and 20-minute slots for follow-up patients. One could spend hours with these patients, many with limited English and low health literacy, before getting to the bottom of their symptoms. Yet, that afternoon the most essential thing we managed to provide to one particular patient was a bit of extra time. If we had not taken that time, we would have missed the opportunity to intervene at a critical moment — and save a life. - A diagnosis in 40 minutes AUDIO: A physician explains how she and her team battled the clock to uncover a potentially fatal diagnosis. Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content. SOURCE: Health Affairs It began with a simple request from a resident: “Can I tell you about a patient?” she asked. She was an exceptionally smart, conscientious and thorough physician in training, but this time she seemed uncertain. “I think what’s going on with this patient is that she’s anxious, but something doesn’t feel right,” she began. “I don’t want to blow this off as just depression and anxiety.” A puzzling history The patient was a Spanish-speaking, 62-year-old woman following up after an emergency department visit where she had received a diagnosis of anxiety and been treated with the drug Ativan. The medicine wasn’t helping. For two weeks, the woman complained of right-arm weakness. “But I don’t find anything unusual on exam,” the resident told me, seeming anxious herself. “The patient is worried and is hoping that her symptoms are due to increased stress.” The resident had performed the appropriate neurologic exam, which tests muscle strength and reflexes, and everything seemed normal. I knew there were still some additional neurologic tests to be performed, but anxiety seemed the leading cause of her symptoms. Many of our immigrant patients experience depression and anxiety that couldn’t be underestimated, I told my resident. The intractable sadness that many feel from being separated from family members often translates


FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Obama’s Sept. 30 remarks on the looming government shutdown

who are with border control -- Border Patrol will remain on their posts, but their paychecks will be delayed until the government reopens. NASA will shut down almost entirely, but Mission Control will remain open to support the astronauts serving on the space station. I also want to be very clear about what would change. Office buildings would close. Paychecks would be delayed. Vital services that seniors and veterans, women and children, businesses and our economy depend on would be hamstrung. Business owners would see delays in raising capital, seeking infrastructure permits or rebuilding after Hurricane Sandy. Veterans, who've sacrificed for their country, will find their support centers unstaffed. Tourists will find every one of America's national parks and monuments, from Yosemite to the Smithsonian to the Statue of Liberty, immediately closed. And of course the communities and small business that rely on these national treasures for their livelihoods will be out of customers and out of luck. And in keeping with the broad ramifications of a shutdown, I think it's important that everybody understands the federal government is America's largest employer. More than 2 million civilian workers and 1.4 million active duty military serve in all 50 states and all around the world. In the event of a government shutdown, hundreds of thousands of these dedicated public servants who stay on the job will do so without pay. And several hundred thousand more will be immediately and indefinitely furloughed without pay. What, of course, will not be furloughed are the bills that they have to pay: their mortgages, their tuition payments, their car notes. These Americans are our neighbors. Their kids go to our schools. They worship where we do. They serve their country with pride. They are the customers of every business in this country. And they would be hurt greatly, and as a consequence all of us will be hurt greatly, should Congress choose to shut the people's government down. So a shutdown will have a very real economic impact on real people, right away. Past -- past shutdowns have disrupted the economy significantly. This one would too. It would throw a wrench into the gears of our economy at a time when those gears have gained some traction. Five years ago right now, our economy was in meltdown. Today our businesses have created 7 1/2 million new jobs over the past three and a half years.


Two Marine generals fired for security lapses in Afghanistan

The commandant of the Marine Corps on Monday took the extraordinary step of firing two generals for not adequately protecting a giant base in southern Afghanistan that Taliban fighters stormed last year, resulting in the deaths of two Marines and the destruction of half a dozen U.S. fighter jets. It is the first time since the Vietnam War that a general, let alone two, has been sacked for negligence after a successful enemy attack. But the assault also was unprecedented: Fifteen insurgents entered a NATO airfield and destroyed almost an entire squadron of Marine AV-8B Harrier jets, the largest single loss of allied materiel in the almost 12-year Afghan war. The commandant, Gen. James F. Amos, said the two generals did not deploy enough troops to guard the base and take other measures to prepare for a ground attack by the Taliban. The two, Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, the top Marine commander in southern Afghanistan at the time, and Maj. Gen. Gregg A. Sturdevant, the senior Marine aviation officer in the area, “failed to exercise the level of judgment expected of commanders of their rank,” Amos said. “It was unrealistic to think that a determined enemy would not be able to penetrate the perimeter fence,” Amos said. The incident brings into stark relief the unique challenges of waging war in Afghanistan. The withdrawal of thousands of U.S. troops over the past two years has forced commanders to triage, sometimes leading them to thin out defenses. The U.S. military also has been forced to rely on other nations’ troops, who often are not as well trained or equipped, to safeguard American personnel and supplies. The attack occurred at Camp Bastion, a British-run NATO air base in Helmand province that adjoins Camp Leatherneck, a vast U.S. facility that serves as the NATO headquarters for southwestern Afghanistan. Because Leatherneck does not have a runway, the Marines use Bastion as their principal air hub in the country. Several hundred Marines live and work on the British side, and dozens of U.S. helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are parked there. The British are responsible for guarding Bastion, which is ringed by a chain-link fence, triple coils of razor wire and watchtowers from which sentries can scan the horizon for any potential attackers. British commanders had assigned the task of manning the towers to troops from Tonga, which has sent 55 soldiers to Afghanistan. On the


A shutdown wouldn’t immediately affect D.C. government after mayor taps reserves

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are scrambling before the Oct. 1 deadline. If a spending plan isn’t passed, many federal agencies will close their doors. The District government will not close during the federal shutdown — meaning trash will be collected, permits and licenses will be issued, and city offices will remain open. “Unless somebody takes me out in handcuffs, I’m not shutting down anything,” Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) said Saturday during a Potomac River cruise with a group of civic leaders. The decision to remain open came after city lawyers on Friday approved the use of a special reserve fund, containing $218 million or more, to keep the District operational during a federal shutdown. Separately, Gray has sought to designate all of the city’s 32,000 employees as exempt from shutdown furloughs — a decision that, if accepted by President Obama’s budget office, could render use of the reserve fund unnecessary. City finance officials estimate that the fund can support normal government operations for nine business days — through Oct. 13. The District’s human resources office told employees Monday afternoon that city agencies “will continue to operate on a regular schedule until further notice” and that workers “will be paid on the normal timeline.” Government shutdown What's open and what's closed In the past, federal shutdowns have threatened to close the District government because the city budget is ultimately set by Congress. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan issued a memo Friday determining that the reserve fund is available for use even outside of normal congressional appropriations because, according to the District’s charter, its contents “roll over from year to year and remain available until expended for statutorily authorized purposes” — which, he said, include avoiding the effects of a federal shutdown. Once Congress acts to reauthorize spending, officials said, the emergency fund will be fully replenished. But if the federal shutdown lasts long enough to deplete the reserve fund, Nathan said, the city will be forced into shutdown mode. As of Monday afternoon, the District had yet to receive a response from the Obama administration on the move to declare all city employees exempt. Gray said Friday that he had spoken to Obama budget director Sylvia Mathews Burwell about the matter but had gotten no indication of the administration’s posture. On Tuesday, the D.C. Council is set to vote on emergency legislation that will declare all city employees


Local Digest: National Zoo closes exhibits after powder is found; man is arrested

THE DISTRICT Man arrested at zoo after powder is found A man was arrested at the National Zoo on Monday afternoon after authorities said he left behind a suspicious powder with glass shards in the Reptile Discovery House and the Small Mammal House, according to a zoo spokeswoman. The D.C. fire department said the substance was not toxic — an official described it as corn starch — but it forced zoo officials to close the two attractions to visitors. The zoo also closed the invertebrate exhibit because it connects with the reptile house. Pamela Baker-Masson, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the three buildings remained closed the remainder of the day so that police could conclude their investigation and workers could clean. The zoo will be closed should the government shut down. The suspect’s name was not immediately released pending charges being filed. Baker-Masson said no visitor nor animal was injured. — Peter Hermann Md. man charged in September slaying District police have arrested a 28-year-old suspect and charged him with using a shotgun to fatally shoot a man two weeks ago in Southwest Washington’s Bellevue neighborhood. William Hogan of Oxon Hill was charged with second-degree murder while armed. Members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested him in Maryland on Sunday evening. He could be arraigned in D.C. Superior Court on Monday. D.C. police said Hogan is charged with killing Robert Spencer, 21, of Northeast about 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 17. The shooting occurred in the 100 block of Irvington Street SW. — Peter Hermann Police arrest suspect in double killing A 38-year-old man being sought in the killings of a brother and sister this summer in Northeast Washington has been arrested at a relative’s home in Winston-Salem, N.C., according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Kevin A. Walker faces extradition to the District, where he is charged in a D.C. Superior Court warrant with two counts of first-degree murder while armed. He is charged with killing Jamahl Jenkins, 21, and Jamie Jenkins, 28, on July 20. The siblings were shot about 3 a.m. in the 5300 block of East Capitol Street NE. The U.S. Marshals Office in Greensboro, N.C., said Walker was arrested Thursday at his uncle’s apartment in Winston-Salem. A statement from the marshals office said that officers seized clothing at Walker’s apartment. — Peter Hermann VIRGINIA Man accused of impersonating officer A former candidate for


of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force arrested him in Maryland on Sunday evening. He could be arraigned in D.C. Superior Court on Monday. D.C. police said Hogan is charged with killing Robert Spencer, 21, of Northeast about 10:20 p.m. on Sept. 17. The shooting occurred in the 100 block of Irvington Street SW. — Peter Hermann Police arrest suspect in double killing A 38-year-old man being sought in the killings of a brother and sister this summer in Northeast Washington has been arrested at a relative’s home in Winston-Salem, N.C., according to the U.S. Marshals Service. Kevin A. Walker faces extradition to the District, where he is charged in a D.C. Superior Court warrant with two counts of first-degree murder while armed. He is charged with killing Jamahl Jenkins, 21, and Jamie Jenkins, 28, on July 20. The siblings were shot about 3 a.m. in the 5300 block of East Capitol Street NE. The U.S. Marshals Office in Greensboro, N.C., said Walker was arrested Thursday at his uncle’s apartment in Winston-Salem. A statement from the marshals office said that officers seized clothing at Walker’s apartment. — Peter Hermann VIRGINIA Man accused of impersonating officer A former candidate for Alexandria’s city council was arrested this month on a charge that he impersonated a law enforcement officer. Scott Gordon returned to his car Sept. 19 to find a police officer giving him a ticket, police said. He then revealed a firearm, which he has a permit to carry, and implied that he was a federal law enforcement agent. Court records show that Gordon has been charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer, brandishing a firearm and driving on a suspended license. Gordon, a Republican insurance agent, dropped his city council bid last year and endorsed a Democratic candidate. He could not immediately be reached for comment. — Rachel Weiner Baby born early after a car crash has died A baby that was delivered prematurely after her mother was involved in a car crash in Fairfax County died Sunday evening, Fairfax police said. The baby girl was born after a Mazda MX3 coupe struck a Toyota Avalon being driven by the newborn’s father, police said. The head-on collision occurred early Sunday morning on the Fairfax County Parkway, north of Braddock Road. The newborn’s parents, who are from Camp Hill, Pa., suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. The driver of the Mazda


Stocks fall as shutdown looms

Clarification: World stock markets sank Monday as the U.S. government ambled toward a shutdown that could dent the country’s economic recovery. Losses in New York were led by the Dow Jones industrial average, which fell 128.57 points, or nearly 1 percent. The drop was even steeper in Europe, and it was most acute in Asia, where Japan’s Nikkei fell more than 2 percent. It was a reminder of the U.S. economy’s still-central role in the world system and how trouble here can affect other nations. In recent months, the United States has emerged as a strengthening powerhouse while Europe remains in the economic doldrums and major developing nations have begun to sputter. Even a minor spasm in the United States — if it translates into slower growth, less consumer spending or reduced imports — could damage the fortunes of the rest of the world. A major meltdown — an extended government closure or, in the worst-case scenario, a default on U.S. government debt — could be calamitous. As the trading day closed without a hint of an agreement in Congress on a plan to continue funding federal agencies, it appeared that the vast federal bureaucracy would at least briefly grind to a halt — leading to lost income for hundreds of thousands of employees and lost revenue for contractors and suppliers. “The current impasse over the continuing resolution and the debt ceiling creates an atmosphere of uncertainty that could affect confidence, investment, and hiring in the U.S.,” ratings agency Standard & Poor’s wrote in an analysis of whether it would lower the country’s debt rating if the government closes. The answer: probably not, since government shutdowns tend to be short-lived and have little lasting impact on the economy. The last, in late 1995 and 1996, didn’t impede a 13 percent rise in the Dow between November and January of those years. But it would be a negative turn of events at a time when many economists see growing signs of strength in the U.S. economy — and even improvement in its federal finances. Overall government debt levels are beginning to moderate, and the nation’s account deficit — a reflection of its relations with other nations — has been narrowing. The impact on growth from the federal spending sequester, the expiration of tax hikes and other deficit-trimming measures has also begun to abate, prompting some economists to boost their forecasts of


D.C.’s National Aquarium shuts down, scattering aquatic denizens

John Kim, 7, and his father, James Kim, watch sharks being fed on Monday at the National Aquarium in Washington. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post) They’re busting up the old gang. The giant Pacific octopus will head north to Baltimore, along with the loggerhead sea turtle. The alligator pair will move south to Louisiana, where they will be released into the wild south of New Orleans. And Toby, the blue lobster — well, he’s still looking for a new home. After more than 100 years in the District, the National Aquarium shut its doors Monday — one of the few closures in town this week not related to the bickering on Capitol Hill. The Department of Commerce, which has housed generations of alligators, electric eels and Pacific octopuses in its basement, needs more space. That means, starting today, more than 250 species — 2,500 creatures in all — are being relocated. Many will go to other aquariums or zoos around the country, officials said. Even its most ardent supporters acknowledge that the National Aquarium wasn’t the most glamorous of tourist spots despite a major facelift in 2006. Unlike its sister facility in Baltimore, there are no dolphins, there’s no Atlantic coral reef. But fans of the space appreciated it for what it was — a watery respite in the middle of a bustling downtown. On its final day, the 2 p.m. feeding of the sharks attracted an appreciative crowd of more than 50 people. “It’s small, but there’s a lot to see here if you really take the time,” said Rayna Richardson, a support specialist for veterans who came with her mother, Jane Ferrara, for a last visit. The pair lingered in front of the Florida Keys exhibit, admiring the doctor fish and the neon gobys and snapping pictures. “We wanted to make sure we could see it one last time,” Ferrara said. “I’m just so saddened it’s closing.” Nearby, 2-year-old Carter Blackson squealed in delight as he pointed at brightly colored fish. “Oh, he’s scary,” he said as his mother, Yasmin Hawkins, held him closer to the glass. Aquarium officials hope to retain a presence in the District, but weren’t able to settle on new plans before they had to vacate the space at the Commerce Department, said spokeswoman Kate Hendrickson. Efforts to find a new home will continue, she said. The aquarium has a long history in the District.


‘Breaking Bad’ and the other Saul; a few good deals for federal workers to offset the raw deal

litigation, white collar defense, transactional, governmental affairs, international, life sciences and other matters.” Not bad. But “Better Call Saul” is a whole lot catchier. Open and shut Some federal employees around town were busy on Monday with shutdown planning, gaming out how their agencies will cope if the lights do, in fact, go out. Others were working on their personal shutdown strategies. They’re in luck — local dining establishments are offering furloughed feds some shutdown succor. There’s booze to dull the pain of being considered nonessential. And comfort food to soothe those anxiety attacks brought on by not being surgically attached to your BlackBerry. For starters, the local chain Z Burger is offering free burgers to shutdown-affected folks. And the Georgetown location of Sprinkles Cupcakes is dishing out a free confection to government workers showing their IDs. For the duration of the potential shutdown, Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Co. is knocking 20 percent off its Essential Pale Ale on draft and for growler fills for those visiting the brewery’s tasting room. Downtown, Carmine’s is shaking up a $12 shutdown-themed special cocktail. The Olive Branch (get it?) features Plymouth gin, olives, pickled onions and rosemary. Meanwhile, at the P&C Market, not too far from the Capitol by Lincoln Park, a sidewalk sign offered passerby some advice on how to survive a shutdown: “Buy beer/wine, drink, repeat.” Sounds like a plan. A shutdown wouldn’t be good for the dining establishments near the Capitol and other buildings where federal employees toil, since fewer workers means fewer customers taking lunch breaks or meeting for close-of-business drinks. (Though pizza-delivery joints might see an uptick.) But look for more shutdown-related specials as local watering holes look for a silver lining. Geyser grigio, perhaps? Speaking of imbibing, you’re not permitted to drink alcohol on some parts of the National Park Service land. Elsewhere, however, you can always sip a fine Yosemite Red Blend or Mesa Verde Chardonnay, part of the official wine collection of the park system. The promotional tie-in between the nation’s parks and the Sonoma winery that produces the vino is a novelty — though it could become more common as the Park Service looks to step up its profile (and fundraising) leading up to its centennial in 2016. Park Service Director Jon Jarvis agreed last year to waive the rules barring collaborations between the National Park Foundation — the fundraising arm of the nation’s


Eugene Robinson: Climate change report shows time for excuses is over

particles into the atmosphere that block some measure of sunlight. El Niño and La Niña changes in Pacific Ocean currents are associated with seasonal or yearly temperature fluctuations. Nevertheless, the infamous “hockey stick” graph showing global temperatures rising over time, first slowly and then sharply, remains valid. “Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system,” the IPCC summary says. “Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions.” Prospects for those reductions are iffy. The sluggish economy, higher automotive fuel economy standards and the substitution of natural gas for coal in many power plants have helped keep U.S. emissions in check. But China is by far the world’s biggest emitter, and while there are signs that Chinese leaders now consider climate change important, it is unclear how that country’s economy can continue its rapid growth without relying on coal. The IPCC report says it is “very likely” that heat waves will become more frequent and more intense. It is also “very likely” that extreme rainfall events, such as the deluge in Colorado last month, will become more common; that “Arctic sea ice cover will continue to shrink and thin” in coming decades; that “Northern Hemisphere spring snow cover will decrease” and that “global glacier volume will further decrease.” Sea levels will continue to rise because of warming — water expands as it heats — and because of glacial melting. This has implications for coastal populations not just in places such as Calcutta, India, or Dhaka, Bangladesh, but also in rich and powerful cities such as New York: Witness the massive flooding and storm-surge damage caused by Superstorm Sandy. “A large fraction of anthropogenic climate change resulting from CO2 emissions is irreversible on a multicentury to millennial time scale,” the IPCC says. In other words, this is the world we have made. Get used to it. But it is within our power adapt to climate change and keep it from getting much worse. The first step in Carbonoholics Anonymous is admitting we have a problem. Read more from Eugene Robinson’s archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q. Read more: Michael Oppenheimer: Climate science tells us the alarm bells are ringing Bjorn Lomborg: Don’t blame climate change for extreme weather


U.S. Olympians address Russia anti-gay law in advance of 2014 Sochi Games

PARK CITY, Utah — But in a series of interviews that will conclude Wednesday, many were asked their view of the recently enacted Russian law that bans “the propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,” legislation that stands to overshadow the competition when the Games begin Feb. 7. Their responses were as varied as the athletes themselves. Five-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller called the law “an embarrassment” and the International Olympic Committee’s prohibition on athletes’ expressing political views while competing at Olympic sites “hypocritical and unfair.” “I think it’s absolutely embarrassing that there are countries and people who are that intolerant and that ignorant,” said Miller, 35, the country’s most decorated male Alpine skier. “But it’s not the first time; we’ve been dealing with human rights issues probably since there were humans.” Russia is getting ready to showcase the resort town of Sochi, host of the next Winter Olympics. Appearances notwithstanding, most of the Olympic venues have been declared ready. Prospective Olympian Agnes Zawadzki, 19, a two-time and defending U.S. bronze medalist in figure skating, deferred to the U.S. Olympic Committee, which in July voiced disapproval of the law but made clear that its role was to prepare American athletes to perform at their best. “I’m not there to make a difference,” Zawadzki said of the Sochi Games, should she earn a spot on the 2014 U.S. squad. “I want to focus on myself and what I have to do well to compete well at the Olympics.” Two-time U.S. figuring skating champion Ashley Wagner “I have such a firm stance on this,” said Wagner, who narrowly missed the 2010 Vancouver Games. “I really believe we all should have equal rights. I obviously do not support the legislation in Russia, but it’s not my place to go into Russia and tell them how to run their country.” Signed by President Vladimir Putin in June, the law lays out heavy penalties for those deemed to promote homosexuality to anyone under 18. It has been sharply criticized by human rights activists worldwide, some of whom have called for a boycott in response. And its breadth and ambiguity have raised concern among many planning to attend the Sochi Games, whether as athletes, coaches, relatives and supporters or journalists, given confusion over what sort of “statement” constitutes propaganda under the law. A gay-pride march? A rainbow flag? A reasoned debate within earshot of anyone under 18? On


Does the tarnished image of politicians, government shutdown take the shine off D.C.?

looking to locate a business here, you are going to think twice. If you are thinking about bringing a 20,000- member convention here, you will think twice. You can’t afford unexpected disruptions. No business can.” Anything else? “I am a big believer that when the Redskins win and a panda is born, people hear about Washington, in a good way,” he says. “And when they can’t pass a budget, they hear about Washington, too, in a bad way.” Makes sense. Tourism could suffer, experts say. “We get hit with some of that bad reputation,” says Barbara Lang, president of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. People wonder: Will my flight be able to land? “What is open, what is closed?" frets Dinegar. Will there be cab drivers? Are the lights even on? It’s potential mayhem. On Monday, some visitors said they had to alter their plans. One family from Arizona was squeezing in three museums, 90 minutes at each, just in case everything closed Tuesday. Excuse us, ma’am. What’s your particular take? As a tourist and an American who follows the political scene? “I kind of hope it happens,” said Tina Paquette, a 46-year-old financial manager visiting D.C. from West Palm Beach, Fla. “I hope the Republicans stay strong and prove their point.” “This horrible law took away my doctor and raised the cost of my prescriptions,” she said of Obamacare, a.k.a. the Affordable Care Act. But is it fair to blame just the Democrats and exonerate the Republicans? “I think they’re both wrong, honestly,” she said. The poll-takers are discovering that a large majority of people are peeved — that’s the technical term. And they blame gridlock for the nation’s economic woes. Approval ratings of Congress are in the dumper — down to 10 percent, says one new poll. But it goes beyond just Congress. The entire political culture in Washington is under indictment. A recently released poll from The Washington Post and the Miller Center at the University of Virginia asked about a long list of reasons why the economy isn’t working for people today. Nearly seven in 10 blame “elected leaders in Washington who don’t work together.” Among the list of 12 items tested, this is clearly the No. 1 focus of blame, more so than structural problems in the economy such as outsourcing, the growing wage gap or the rising cost of health care. And a new


LADEE spacecraft to bid adieu to Earth’s orbit

The spacecraft that has been orbiting Earth since being launched early this month from Virginia is scheduled to approach this planet for one final time Tuesday morning before heading off for the moon. The spacecraft, known as LADEE, is set to come within about 900 miles of Earth in a “final fly-by” at about 6:30 a.m. before heading off for good, according to NASA. In Washington, the talk is of shutting things down. But the spacecraft, which was launched from Wallops Island on Sept. 6, will keep going, “since the mission is in a critical phase,” said Rachel Hoover, a spokeswoman for NASA’s Ames Research Center. In swinging past Earth once more, the spacecraft is returning from a long distance. Its orbits of Earth, elliptical in shape, have taken it to points in space more than 160,000 miles from the planet, according to NASA. The Earth orbits have been performed to check out systems aboard the robotic spacecraft and to get it into proper position for coming under the grasp of lunar gravity. This is to be the last orbit of the Earth. On this orbit, plans call for the craft to finally reach a point where it is captured by the gravity of the moon. With its payload of scientific instruments, it is then to go into orbit around the moon, to perform missions that include making studies of lunar dust and the moon’s sparse atmosphere. LADEE was carried aloft by a rocket on Sept. 6 in an event that left a fiery trail across the sky, visible over a wide stretch of the Eastern Seaboard.


Mall landmarks barricaded, closed to visitors as shutdown gets underway

Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill are scrambling before the Oct. 1 deadline. If a spending plan isn’t passed, many federal agencies will close their doors. For a few hours of the first day of the first federal government shutdown in 17 years, the actual shutting down of national landmarks appeared to be proceeding slowly. The Lincoln, Jefferson and other memorials on the Mall were still accessible to tourists as the sun rose and the sky lightened, with the fountain at the World War II Memorial flowing for all to see. The National Zoo’s Panda Cam continued to operate as well, offering viewers a look at giant panda Mei Xiang cradling her month-old cub. But the camera went dark about 8 a.m., and visitors were soon blocked from the Lincoln Memorial by bicycle barriers that had been set up at the bottom of the plaza steps. Other landmarks were shut a short time later. Signs posted on the barricades read: “Because of the federal government shutdown all national parks are closed.” A spokeswoman for the National Park Service said that all the memorials on the Mall — including the Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials, as well as the Washington Monument — would be blocked over the course of the morning. In addition, maintenance workers will shut off the 45 fountains that dot the Mall memorials and other attractions within the park system, said the spokeswoman, Carol Bradley Johnson. Johnson said the new pumping and filtration system at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool would also be shut down. More than 300 Park Service workers on the Mall would be furloughed during the shutdown, Johnson said. Workers have been told to report for duty Tuesday morning and stay for four hours to help shutter operations. “We are pre-staging barricades,” she said, meaning that workers were delivering barricades to the various sites to be set up now that the government has shut down. “We’re also contacting anybody who has a permit to let them know that in the event of a shutdown, all permits will be canceled,” she said. One organization that will feel the impact of a shutdown is the Honor Flight program, which flies World War II veterans from around the country to Washington for a one-day visit to the memorial. “We have been getting quite a few calls from honor flights and have had to let


In deserted shutdown capital, a city full of aimless tourists and workers

administration, the vacationing family will remember seeing a lot of little signs: “Because of the federal shutdown, this National Park Service area is closed, except for 1st Amendment activity.” Officials estimate that the Washington area could lose up to $200 million a day during the shutdown. Tour bus operator John Holbrook is already weathering the cancellation of a tour for 600 students, a potential $195,000 in lost bookings. “We’re in damage-control mode,” said Holbrook, whose company has been arranging tours for students for 20 years, including all the biggest sites: the Lincoln, Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr. memorials; the Vietnam Veterans Memorial; and all the federally funded museums. Tour operators in other cities can take visitors to alternative sights that aren’t closed, he pointed out. “But with Washington, D.C., all our eggs are in one basket.” Holbrook said. “And all those eggs are cracked.” The Potomac River continues to flow, of course. But the National Park Service docks in Georgetown and West Basin at Ohio Drive are closed. That means people who planned to take a riverboat excursion from Alexandria to Georgetown or the Mall have had to cancel, costing the Potomac Riverboat Co. about $5,000 per weekday. Willem Polak, president of the Alexandria-based company, said he can still run his water taxis between National Harbor and Old Town Alexandria. But canceled boat charters on the weekend will cost him dearly. “If the shutdown lasts until the weekend, that’s $15,000 per day,” Polak said. Jordan Polhamus shook his head. A Detroit resident visiting Washington for the first time, for a conference to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace, he had planned to stop in every noteworthy building he could find. With little to do Tuesday afternoon, he stood on 15th Street NW, not far from the White House, and sighed. “I’m a big history nerd,” said Polhamus, 28, who studied political theory at Michigan State University. “And I think it’s dangerous when a democracy can’t figure out how to take care of its business. It’s dangerous when they can’t even keep the doors open.” Behind him, in long a row of curbside souvenir stands, four vendors sat like bored sentries, waiting for customers who weren’t showing up. Their names are Young Ok, Lee Ly, Mu Joo and Hai Nguyen. They sell T-shirts and ball caps, lanyards and coffee mugs, tote bags and lapel buttons emblazoned with “I [Heart] DC.” “We love Washington,”


Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe commits to sales tax, but he adds stimulus to go with it

TOKYO — At a policy meeting, Abe confirmed that he will go ahead with the sales tax increase decreed last year by a previous government. But Abe, who has devoted much of his tenure to pulling Japan past two decades of deflation, added a series of measures to offset the initial shock, including new corporate incentives for investment and spending on infrastructure projects. In bumping the levy from 5 to 8 percent, Japan’s government will generate an estimated extra 8 trillion yen, roughly $80 billion, per year. The bulk of that — 5 trillion yen — will be reinvested in the economy as part of the stimulus. Economists say the moves highlight Abe’s strategy as he tries to turn a nascent recovery into a long-lasting one. Since Abe took office last December, drastic monetary easing and government spending have sparked a 40-percent rise in the stock market and profits for major exporters. Japan’s central bank said Tuesday that business sentiment among large manufacturers has reached its highest level since December 2007, before the global financial crisis. But Japan is weighed down by decades of government spending, much of it less purposeful than that directed by Abe. Japan has the highest debt burden among developed countries, owing a sum more than twice the amount of its annual gross domestic product. And economists warn that Japan will be forced to borrow further as its population shrinks and its proportion of pensioners grows. “I’ve concluded we can achieve a balance between economic revival and fiscal rehabilitation,” Abe said at an evening press conference, according to the Kyodo news agency. The tax increase, Abe said, would help ensure a “sound social security system” for future generations. The International Monetary Fund projected in an August report that Japan’s economy would grow by 2 percent this year, with gradual inflation. But the same report said that Abe must also proceed with structural reforms and deregulation while putting together a longer-term plan for fiscal consolidation. The tax increase is “an essential first step,” the report said, but not sufficient by itself. The tax hike was brokered by Abe’s predecessor, Yoshihiko Noda, who pushed the legislation through parliament but lost nearly all his political capital in the process. Tax increases have long been risky business in Japan. After the previous consumption tax increase, in 1997, Japan plunged into a recession, although it was linked to a broader, regional


Commuters face midday rush hour as federal workers head home due to shutdown

authorized to speak to the media. “By 2 p.m. there won’t be anybody. It’s going to be empty later,” she said of Metro trains. Her friend, Denise Carver, who also works for Health and Human Services, said she was headed to her Brookland home and planned to do chores like cleaning out closets as she waits for word on when to come back to work in the agency’s civil rights office. “Even if you have savings this is going to impact you,” she said. “It’s going to impact Metro and restaurants and grocery stores. This is a federal town and we spend money. If you don’t know when your next paycheck is coming you are not going to spend money.” Jennifer Moats, an economist at the Commerce Department, planned to take a Green Line train to Greenbelt and then drive home to Columbia. “It looks like everybody’s going home,” she said. She took Metro on Tuesday because she didn’t want to wait for the 4 p.m. commuter bus that she usually takes. At the Smithsonian Station, with museums closed, only a few people waited at the station platform Tuesday afternoon. Most of them were frustrated tourists asking if anyone knew when the museums would re-open. Ivan Fonseca, and his wife, Hilda Hurtado, visiting from San Jose, Costa Rica with their two young sons, were trying to find a place to go. It was only after they showed up at the Air and Space Museum on Tuesday morning did they discover that all the museums were closed. “We have not been able to enter any museum,” said Fonseca, still unsure why. “This is terrible. What else can we do now?” Metro workers at Smithsonian were fielding questions from tourists about why the museums were closed, what else was open to visit, and what station would take them to the nearest shopping mall or Georgetown. “So what else can we do?” asked Hurtado talking to another tourist, Janet Linares, visiting from Mexico. At L’Enfant Plaza Metro Station, the platform was a little busier than usual early Tuesday afternoon with many federal workers headed home. “It is a lot more people now than usual,” said Cory Grant, a D.C. government employee waiting for a Green Line train at L’Enfant. “This is ridiculous. I don’t understand what they are trying to do. They need workers to keep things running.” A financial analyst at the


Pentagon waiting for an Orange train said she came in to work for four hours and was told to stay tuned for news about when to go back to work. Her commute Tuesday morning was easy with lighter traffic from her home in Baltimore to the New Carrollton Metro. “Nothing makes sense anymore,” she said. “I think we are all a little depressed.” But by 2 p.m. the early afternoon rush appeared to be humming along for many transit riders, without significant problems. Bus shelters near the Silver Spring Metrorail station were mostly empty, as train riders easily fit onto waiting buses. Metro riders getting off at Silver Spring said the system was busy, but not overly crowded. That might be because the afternoon commute for some federal workers began Tuesday morning. A furloughed staffer leaving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said only about 50 people out of 900 or so remained in NOAA’s Silver Spring offices by 1 p.m. Most people headed home in the morning, he said, shortly after checking in. Alexandria’s DASH service was running extra buses to and from the Pentagon and the Mark Center station to handle the early rush hour, while Prince William County’s OmniRide also planned to run some extra buses. The Fairfax Connector began running extra buses at 1 p.m., officials said. Prince George’s bus service, The Bus, was operating on a normal schedule. Byran McReynolds, acting associate director for the Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation, said The Bus is keeping the same schedule, but added, “We are prepared to add buses if necessary.” Commuters who depend on Maryland’s MARC system were told they might find longer trains to accommodate the early rush, a spokesman said. The Brunswick Line added a train leaving Union Station at 2 p.m. making all stops to Martinsburg. However, the P875 train, which usually leaves Union Station at 4:25 p.m., will be canceled. A special midday train also operated on the Camden Line, leaving Union Station at 2:15 p.m. and making all stops to Camden. Train P850, which usually leaves Union Station at 5:22 p.m., will be canceled. Train P852, which leaves Union Station at 5:53 p.m., will make “flag stops” at stations usually covered by P850, a spokesman said. At those stations — Riverdale, College Park, Greenbelt, Jessup and St. Denis — trains will stop if anyone on board has bought


Navy-Air Force football game in jeopardy because of shutdown; Department of Defense suspends service academy games

said, “At this time, travel for all intercollegiate athletics is canceled — this includes the Air Force-Navy game on Saturday, 5 Oct.” Back in Annapolis, Navy’s players practiced Tuesday afternoon as if the game would be played. “I’ve heard a lot about it from other people here at school, Facebook. I’ve seen the articles,” Midshipmen quarterback Keenan Reynolds said of the shutdown. “As far as we’re concerned as a football team, we’re preparing just like the game’s on Saturday. We’re not thinking about what could be or what may happen. As far as we’re concerned, the game’s still happening and we’ve got to get ready to go.” During the last government shutdown in 1995, five of the eight employees in Air Force’s sports information department were furloughed. Staffers from the Western Athletic Conference and nearby Colorado State pitched in so the football team’s home game against Notre Dame on Nov. 18, 1995, could go on as planned (the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish won, 44-14). Navy and Army also played on that Saturday in 1995 during the first of two government shutdowns that year. “I’ve been here 16 years, and it’s never happened” over that time frame, Navy Coach Ken Niumatalolo said. “It’s the first time ever, so obviously it’s a unique situation. I’m not the smartest guy in the world. I’m just a football coach, so we’ll just prepare for inside the white lines. That’s all we can do.” The academy announced the men’s soccer game against Howard scheduled for Tuesday night has been canceled. It is unknown whether the game will be rescheduled. The Midshipmen women’s soccer team is scheduled to travel to American on Wednesday afternoon, and the school’s swimming and diving teams were to host George Mason and Loyola (Md.) on Thursday. Elsewhere, the Army Ten-Miler on Oct. 20 and the Marine Corps Marathon on Oct. 27 are not likely to be affected by the shutdown, according to a Runner’s World Newswire report. More than 22,000 runners crossed the finish line in last year’s Army Ten-Miler, the second-largest 10-mile race in the country. The shutdown is “not going to affect our race,” a spokesperson told the outlet. The Marine Corps Marathon, the country’s third-largest marathon with a field of up to 30,000 runners, will be run by a staff that “is paid with nonappropriated funds. The race will go on,” said Tami Faram, the marathon’s public relations coordinator.


Government shutdown threatens romantic wedding by the Jefferson Memorial

Mike and MaiLien on the Capitol Dome overlooking the National Mall during their engagement shoot. (Photo by Stephen Gosling Photography) They wanted to marry in the place where they first began to fall in love. So Mike Cassesso and MaiLien Le, classic young Washington strivers who have worked on Capitol Hill and on major political campaigns, scheduled their nuptials for the site of their first date, on July 19, 2009: the west lawn of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Their 130 guests were already starting to fly in from all over the country for the ceremony this Saturday when they received an ominous e-mail from the National Mall and Memorial Parks permit management office Monday morning. If the federal government shut down and remained shuttered at the wedding’s 5:30 p.m. start time Saturday, Cassesso and Le and their family and friends would be barred from stepping foot on the property. Suddenly, the couple’s romantic Washington wedding was morphing into a government shutdown wedding. By Tuesday, the long-planned event was falling victim to nasty congressional squabbling — one of two dozen October weddings on the Mall, and potentially scores of others at hundreds of national parks across the country, endangered by the federal shutdown. “Shutdowns are one of those things that on an intellectual level you know are going to impact an average person, but you really don’t get it until it hits you in a way like this,” said Cassesso, 29, a legislative analyst for AARP. “There are plenty of people around the country who may not understand that this isn’t just going to hurt nameless government workers and that, in a depressing way, it impacts your wedding plans with just a few days’ notice.” His intended — who said she had prided herself on being a low-stress bride — had a somewhat more visceral reaction to the situation.“Oh [expletive],” said Le, 30, a project coordinator for an executive search firm, when she read the e-mail from the permit office. “This is really happening.” Mike and MaiLien during their engagement shoot. (Photo by Stephen Gosling Photography) Carol Johnson, a spokeswoman for the National Park Service’s National Mall and Memorial Parks unit, sympathized with the couple’s plight. “I can’t even imagine it,” she said. “It’s clearly so crushing. It would be so devastating.” But Johnson said that there’s nothing she can do and that Cassesso and Le are not the only couple


Visiting veterans storm closed war memorials

to Washington since the war — led by jubilant Republican Congress members and television crews as a bagpiper played “Shenandoah.” They planned for months and travelled far and wide to visit Washington, D.C., but tourists have been greeted by the government shutdown, which means closed museums and sites. The Post's Zoeann Murphy talks to some of them on the National Mall. Bystanders clapped and shouted, “Thank you for your service!” No Park Police officers were immediately in evidence in the scrum. The memorial had been closed at around 8:30 a.m. and its fountains shut down shortly after that. A National Park Service spokeswoman said Park Police were there monitoring the situation. “It’s the best civil disobedience we’ve seen in Washington for a long time,” Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.) told part of the group inside the memorial. “As the son of a World War II veteran, I just want to say, guys, forget about all this politics and all this junk,” he said. “This is about you today, and this is about us saying thank you to you and your service.” Someone shouted: “Members of Congress here say America doesn’t shut down!” And a group of people called out in unison: “We love our congressmen!” It was unclear just who had moved the black bicycle-rack-type barricades. Huizenga said the lawmakers had done it. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he thought the Park Service had opened the gates. “I think the Park Service leadership didn’t like the visual,” he said. “And who would?” The monuments are closed because, during a shutdown, there is no money to pay the rangers who staff them, said the Park Service spokeswoman, Carol Bradley Johnson. And the agency is worried about the security of the memorials and the safety of visitors at unstaffed sites. “It is not something we enjoy doing,” Johnson said. “But it’s important that we protect and preserve our monuments for future generations.” Rep. Steven M. Palazzo (R-Miss.) said the barricades just seemed to part for the veterans Tuesday. “All I can say is the Japanese couldn’t stop them,” he said. “The Germans couldn’t stop them. Apparently a little gate couldn’t stop them. “I just looked down and they parted,” Palazzo said. The veterans were touring the memorial on the Mall as part of the Honor Flight program, which flies in veterans from around the country for free to visit the memorial. The group


FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Obama’s Oct. 1 remarks on the government shutdown and Obamacare

sign up. So over the next six months, people are going to have the opportunity, many -- in many cases for the first time in their lives -- to get affordable coverage that they desperately need. Now of course, if you're one of the 85 percent of Americans who already have health insurance, you don't need to do a thing. You're already benefiting from new benefits and protections that have been in place for some time under this law. But for the 15 percent of Americans who don't have health insurance, this opportunity is life- changing. Let me just tell folks a few stories that are represented here today. A few years ago, Amanda Barrett (sp) left her job in New York to take care of her parents, and for a while she had temporary insurance that covered her multiple sclerosis. But when it expired, many insurers wouldn't cover her because of her MS. She ended up paying $1,200 a month. That's nowhere near affordable. But starting today, she can get coverage for much less because today's new plan can't use your medical history to charge you more than anybody else. Sky-high premiums once forced Nancy Beagle (sp) to choose between paying her rent or paying for her health insurance. She's been uninsured ever since. So she pays all of her medical bills out of pocket, puts some on her credit card, making them even harder to pay. Nancy says, they talk about those who fall through the cracks; I fell through the cracks 10 years ago and I've been stuck there ever since. Well, starting today, Nancy can get covered just like everybody else. Fernice (sp) Edwards was laid off from her job a year ago today. Six months ago, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She couldn't afford insurance on the individual market, so she hasn't received treatment yet. Her daughter LeNaise (sp), a student at the University of Maryland, is considering dropping out of school to help pay her mom's bills. Well, starting today, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, Tranaise (sp) can get covered without forcing her daughter to give up on her dreams. So if these stories of hard working Americans sound familiar to you, well, starting today, you and your friends and your family and your co-workers can get covered too. Just visit healthcare.gov, and there, you can compare insurance plans side-by-side the


Government shutdown affects fundraising for some members of Congress

From federal office buildings to the national parks and memorials, sights around Washington and across the country are closed after Congress failed to pass a funding bill. Members of Congress may be getting paid during the government shutdown, but they could still feel a financial hit in their campaign coffers. A number of fundraising events scheduled this week in Washington have been postponed, as lawmakers decided they did not want to be seen schmoozing for donations while angry federal workers fret about how long they will have to go without pay. Tuesday evening’s second annual Taste of Cincinnati, to benefit the reelection campaign of Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), was off. (Requested contribution: $500 per person.) Among those slated to attend the event was House Speaker John A. Boehner (R) and other members of the Ohio delegation, according to a copy of the invitation obtained by the Sunlight Foundation’s Political Party Time Web site. Also scrubbed: a reception Tuesday that the National Republican Congressional Committee was scheduled for House Energy and Commerce Committee members, as well as a Thursday breakfast fundraiser at the Capitol Hill Club to benefit the Healthcare Freedom Fund, a leadership PAC established by Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.). Even fundraisers outside the Beltway may be affected. Prospects are iffy for this weekend’s Arkansas trout fishing retreat with GOP Sen. John Boozman, slated to be at Gaston’s 400-acre White River Resort in the Ozark Mountains. (Requested contribution: $2,500 per person, according to Political Party Time.) Still, the fundraising industry has not been completely stymied. Rep. Gene Green (D-Tex.) attended a lunch Tuesday to benefit his campaign committee at the Tortilla Coast on Capitol Hill, hosted by the US Oncology Network PAC. (Suggested donation: $1,000 per person.) The parties’ political committees sought to make the most of the final hours of the drama Monday night, drumming up donations with urgent e-mails. The Democratic National Committee sent an e-mail late Monday asking supporters to “fight back” against the GOP’s “extreme agenda.” The DNC said it rang up almost $850,000 in online donations from more than 30,000 donors in the 24 hours preceding the shutdown, its best day of fundraising this year, according to a party official. Ed O’Keefe contributed to this report.


With shutdown, right-wing fanatics throw Pr. George’s County a haymaker

a frenzy as Election Day drew near. Use Dixie-style voter-suppression tactics to ensure the desired outcome. But there is something especially cruel about this new breed. They don’t even seem to care about the suffering of white people — not even the specter of hungry white babies would make them support food stamps. Or refrain from staging a $3 trillion government holdup. “To shut down the federal government affects minorities in especially harsh ways, since so many of our brothers and sisters are living paycheck to paycheck,” said Darlene Young, national president of Blacks in Government, a D.C.-based nonprofit group that supports African American government employees. Not that the tea party pols could give a hoot. “It’s not that everyone doesn’t agree that government will have to be downsized,” said Scott Peterson, a spokesman for Baker. “It’s just that sensible people believe it should be done in an orderly, gradual way. Not in sudden, unpredictable bursts.” Prince George’s residents take in about $12 million a day in salaries and wages from the federal government. These are not freebies for lazy bureaucrats, as the tea party likes to claim, but income earned through hard work and dedication to public service. They work as scientists at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, analysts at the Census Bureau, military personnel at Joint Base Andrews and researchers at the Agriculture Department, just to name a few. For each day the federal government stays closed without paying its employees, the county will lose about $270,000 in tax revenue. “Ultimately, the County’s AAA bond rating may be at risk,” Baker said in his statement, “which would affect the services the County provides and subsequently hamper our economic development, progress, and job creation efforts.” Make no mistake, the people of Prince George’s will not only endure this latest indignity — they will prevail. The county may have the largest number of black federal employees in our area. But it also has the largest number of black military veterans, many of them officers. And we have the most black-owned businesses in the nation. Sooner or later, the monies lost during this government shutdown will be recouped, and the tea party people responsible will be voted out of office. We can only hope — as we ponder how so many well-educated black people find themselves at the mercy of a handful of right-wing fanatics. For previous columns, go to washingtonpost.com/milloy.


It’s brown ale season

Brown ales aren’t as trendy as the pumpkin ales and Oktoberfests, the usual suspects that turn up every autumn. But they’re every bit as seasonal. (Katherine Frey/The Washington Post) I spotted it just after midnight on July 31, lurking in my local bodega: a bottle of Southern Tier Brewing’s Pumking. For many, the first pumpkin-beer sighting of the season is a pleasure, akin to spotting an early fall leaf twisting through the air. For others, it is a nuisance, a sign of gimmickry or “seasonal creep,” in which autumn ales infiltrate summer like kudzu. For me, it is a reminder that coolers will soon contain orange-and-brown Pantone spectrums of sweeter, maltier, spicier beers, which — despite their popularity — I usually don’t like to drink. I can hear the accusations already. Beer snob! But I blame my palate rather than elitism. (If pumpkin ales and Oktoberfest lagers strike you as more bounty than blight, please, drink on.) When your preferred beverages are often dry and bitter and you aren’t quite ready for wintery porters and stouts, it’s easy to feel trapped between warm-weather beers and a sugar-and-spice brick wall. Yet I’ve found a way out, a quiet provider of seasonal pleasure. My rescuer is a sort of bumbling Don Quixote: the humble, not especially trendy brown ale. First, however, some words about the usual autumn suspects, chief among them the pumpkin ale. The cult of the gourd has a robust membership — Maine’s Shipyard Brewing was the country’s 15th-largest craft brewery last year in terms of sales volume, thanks largely to its flagship Pumpkinhead Ale — but no style of craft beer provokes more debate. “I can’t stand these [expletive] pumpkin beers,” Shane Welch, president of Brooklyn’s Sixpoint Brewery, told me. “What started out as genuinely creative has turned into a total farce.” Then there are the Oktoberfests, usually German-style Marzens, the slightly boozy lagers long associated with Munich’s celebration. Named after the month of March, when pre-modern brewers stockpiled beers that could last until their seasonal activity resumed in the fall, these are malty yet drinkable and can be delicious. After one or two bottles, though, the oompah music can lose its oomph. Other styles are marketed as fall beers, of course. Some of the best might be the “fresh hop” ales, in which brewers use just-picked hops rather than dried ones, lending extra nuances to the notes of


Greek prime minister shut out of National Gallery opening reception by shutdown

time, the National Gallery’s closure is affecting public schools, as well. In addition to its average 12,000 visitors a day, eight school tours will be canceled should the shutdown continue. Gallery instructors will not be allowed to visit fourth graders at Wheatley Education Campus to give a lesson in art history as part of the Gallery’s “Art around the Corner” program. But not all work stops when the government shutdown starts. The Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery is spending this week receiving many of the 133 objects for its upcoming, “Yoga: The Art of Transformation.” With museums in Jodhpur, London and Zurich lending works for the exhibition, the Smithsonian staff must to be there to ensure the art’s safe arrival and installation. “Art couriers and the artwork are coming in this week,” said Allison Peck, spokeswoman for the Sackler Gallery. “We have the staff in place to receive the art and make sure that the art is cared for so the exhibition can open as scheduled.” During the shutdown, about 600 of Smithsonian employees are deemed essential, with security being one of the main priorities. Since some of the Smithsonian personnel are paid from private funds, others are continuing to answer phones in press offices or feed the animals at the National Zoo. And though “shutdown” sounds apocalyptic, no lights went out at museums on Tuesday. Temperature-controls were not abandoned. If there’s a silver lining for Washington museums, it’s that private museums, which are often at a disadvantage with those who flock to free ones, are open and accepting displaced visitors. Caroline Winslow, a student at George Washington University tweeted, “The government shutdown means my Friday class at the National Gallery might have to be held at the Corcoran instead.” The Corcoran Gallery of Art responded to her quickly: “While a shutdown would be unfortunate — happy to have you!” Many of Washington’s private museums are offering free admission. The Phillips Collection offered free admission from Tuesday to Friday. The National Building Museum and The National Museum of Women in the Arts offered free admission during the shutdown to any furloughed government employees. Amy Mannarino, spokeswoman for National Museum of Women in the Arts, said that by 1 p.m. on Tuesday, 19 federal employees had already shown up to tour the exhibitions. “We always want to be helpful to our community during this difficult time period,” Mannarino said. “We want