17-member Commission on a Global Health Risk Framework for the Future issued its final report on Jan. 13, and the panel’s conclusions are a wake-up call about the threat of pandemic disease that could originate almost anywhere and spread everywhere. Despite all the advances of science, “the global community has massively underestimated the risks that pandemics present to human life and livelihoods,” the group declared. “There are very few risks facing humankind that threaten loss of life on the scale of pandemics.” The 1918 influenza pandemic killed anywhere from 50 million to 100 million people; in catastrophic mortality events since 1900, only World War II caused more deaths. Since it first appeared, HIV/AIDS has killed more than 35 million. Although the tolls have been far lower, five outbreaks in the past 15 years have been worrying: severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS; two influenza waves, H5N1 and H1N1; Ebola; and Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS. As the world becomes more globalized with the movement of goods and people, as climate change disrupts the environment, and as pathogens move between humans and animals, cocktails of infectious disease will form, spread and sicken. Already a dozen cases of Zika virus have been reported in the United States, so far only among people who had traveled outside the country. “The threat from infectious diseases is growing,” the panel warns, adding that “the conditions for infectious disease emergence and contagion are more dangerous than ever.” Moreover, “further outbreaks of new, dormant, or even well-known diseases are a certainty.” The commission insists that pandemic risks must be treated not as distant, unavoidable possibilities but as real national security threats. Just as nations invest in military preparedness, the panel says, so should they confront disease. In fact, this has been long neglected in many places. The panel calls for measures to bolster public health systems in individual countries; creating a rapid-response capability; strengthening the World Health Organization; and funding research and development of new therapies, all for about $4.5 billion a year. That’s the equivalent of three Powerball drawings like the one on the day of the panel’s report. Read more about this topic: The Post’s View: Everything went wrong in the Ebola outbreak. We’re still not ready if it happens again. Anthony S. Fauci: No more excuses. We have the tools to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Lawrence Summers: The world can’t hide from pandemics


In Rwanda, a journalist opens his notebook to expose injustice

to people who live in fear.” Gibson’s journey demonstrates the tragic arc of free speech in a country where expression is stifled. In a span of 180 pages, the talented journalist starts a magazine, irritates the government, loses his home, is betrayed by his best friend, goes into hiding and, by the final pages of the book, is a destroyed man. “The government had not needed to kill him,” Sundaram writes. “They had just made him useless, ruined his mind, with the paranoia, by turning on him those he loved and trusted most, so that he had become a victim of that double world he had showed me, in the lights.” Sundaram is no longer the naive Yale graduate who landed in Congo nearly a decade ago to give a voice to the voiceless. His first book, “Stringer: A Reporter’s Journey in the Congo” (2014), was visceral, emotional reportage; “Bad News” feels measured, even mildly resigned, in comparison, the work of a journalist more inured to life under a corrupt regime. The title sets the tone, and the last line of the book, “It was the end of freedom,” is its echo. Sundaram’s exposé is courageous and heartfelt. When he stumbles upon a village where all the grass roofs have been torn off the huts, he looks for signs of violence but finds none. It turns out that the people destroyed their own homes because of a presidential order to modernize. Many elderly Rwandans and children have since contracted malaria, but the villagers are so filled with fear that they praise the government nonetheless — “the president was a visionary for destroying these roofs,” one woman says. “It must have required a humiliation of some sort to say those words,” Sundaram observes sympathetically. Sundaram is thorough, even when the news is bad, and includes a 13-page appendix documenting “journalists who have faced difficulties after criticizing the government of Rwanda.” But he leaves little space for self-reflection, and readers may wonder if Sundaram himself fears for his life, as his students stop attending his class, go into hiding or are arrested. In writing this book Sundaram surely put himself at risk, and it is a testament to his bravery that he did so without drawing undue attention to its personal cost. Read more: Best books of 2015 Bad News Last Journalists in a Dictatorship By Anjan Sundaram Doubleday. 192 pp. $25.95


New Western security plans for Libya take shape as the Islamic State threat grows

that now controls much of Iraq and Syria, has already laid claim to the coastal city of Sirte, using the same brand of severity. In recent weeks, the militants have shown new potency beyond their Libyan base, launching sustained assaults on oil facilities and killing at least 47 people at a police training center in what Western officials fear is a campaign to further undermine Libya’s economy and security. American officials say they have indications that Islamic State leaders are now instructing foreign recruits to defer plans to travel to Iraq and Syria, where U.S. and allied military actions have made their operations more difficult, and travel instead to Libya. “They are looking for a place that has less risk for them,” one senior U.S. military official said. While Western officials believe the Islamic State threat in Libya is for now internal, they fear that may change given the country’s proximity to Europe. The United States has already taken unilateral action against the Islamic State in Libya. In November, the Pentagon announced an airstrike targeting Abu Nabil al-Anbari, whom officials had identified as the group’s leader there. But Western nations, wary of upsetting fragile peace talks, have held off on more sustained action against the group and insist that Libyans must take the lead in fighting the Islamic State. Speaking this week as officials from 18 nations gathered in Rome to discuss Libya’s future, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni promised a coordinated front to support Libya’s unity government. “We have before us a real opportunity to stabilize the country, which must be grasped by everyone,” Gentiloni said. Officials said they do not plan to resurrect a failed 2013-14 training plan, which sought to build a force by pulling Libyans out of the country for training. That effort was marred by a host of problems including a spree of sexual assaults by Libyan recruits in Britain. They do hope to launch efforts to build up a national military force that is stronger than a host of militias and expect to conduct training efforts in Libya, which will require substantial force protection measures and could put foreign troops at risk. American officials say they are considering the resumption of training for Libyan counterterrorism forces. In 2013, the U.S. military halted a special operations training program after gunmen looted a training base and made off with U.S. equipment. A senior U.S. defense official


You’re obsessed with outcomes. Here’s why attention to process pays off.

your brains evolved to identify threats. That shadow in the tall grass might be a predator waiting to make you its lunch. Hence, generating false positives means that you might be wrong 99 of 100 times, but on the savannah, that 100th event saves your life. People tend to be outcome focused, often to the detriment of choosing a good process. Perhaps another example from outside of the world of finance might be helpful. Imagine you have a medical condition that requires surgery. It’s a bit tricky, but the procedure has a good chance of success. You interview a few doctors, looking at their academic history, published papers, experience and reputations. You narrow the list to two surgeons and get access to their surgical records, including patient survival rates. Both surgeons have very good reputations; one works primarily for private patients covered by insurance, the other is at a top medical school. The private doctor runs a success/survival rate of 86 percent, while the medical school doc runs less than 60 percent. Which doctor do you choose? If you immediately said the 86 percent doctor, you are outcome focused. You saw the better results and that was all you needed to know. Others might have wondered why a cutter with a great reputation at a top-ranked medical school had a much worse survival ratio. So you do a little more research into his process. You find that he invented this procedure 20 years ago. He did all of the early experimental surgeries, including lots of clinical failures (meaning bad surgical outcomes). But he refined the surgery, where through trial and error he developed what is now a life-saving technique. Indeed it has since become standardized, thanks to him. Every doctor and patient who followed afterward benefited from his groundbreaking clinical work Because of his background and work in this area, this doc gets all of the “impossible” surgical cases. When other surgeons don’t think they can do the operation — or don’t want to — they refer it to his medical school. Hopeless and complicated surgeries make up a big part of his practice. People travel from around the world just to have this surgeon do this procedure on them. He has seen every variation of patient, and because of this, he has done more of these operations than anyone in the world. Based on this new information, which surgeon


D.C. police say fatal shooting near Mount Vernon Square wasn’t random

D.C. police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Friday morning near Mount Vernon Square in Northwest Washington, according to a department spokesman. The shooting occurred about 10 a.m. in the 400 block of M Street NW. Police said the case is being investigated as a homicide. Police would only say the victim is an adult male. The incident was in an area a few blocks east of the convention center and near New York and New Jersey avenues. D.C. Police Cmdr. Stuart Emerman, who heads the Third District, wrote on the departments Internet bulletin board that “at this time, we do not believe this to be a random incident.” Rachelle P. Nigro, an advisory neighborhood commissioner for the area, said police told her the shooting occurred inside an apartment building. Police released no other details but said more information would be available later Friday afternoon. It is the District’s fifth homicide of this year. There were seven at this time in 2015.


Why a looming storm makes us think we can eat all the junk food we want

our top-selling items were,” said Claudia Crowder, regional grocery coordinator for MOM’s Organic Market’s 14 stores in the region, on Thursday. “It was jerky and chips.” Bread, she said, was “maybe the fifth or sixth item.” Shoppers bought whole milk and eggs, too, of course. But then, Crowder said, they filled their carts with kombucha, plantain chips and seaweed snacks, all of which were top-selling items at the chain this week. Even Crowder, a shopper by trade, couldn’t come up with any nutritional reasoning for what she threw in her cart this week. “I totally felt I was being irrational in my purchases,” she said. “I bought marshmallows, which I haven’t bought in five years! I was like, ‘Well, it’s going to be snowing, and I’m totally going to be shoveling and exerting energy, so I might as well have something really good.’ ” Consumer behavior experts have theories about why we respond to an impending weather disturbance by filling our carts with dark chocolate gelato and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Storm preparedness — wrapping up everything at the office, getting into your minivan and making a run to the nearest grocery store for batteries — is so psychologically exhausting, that once you’re at the store, anything goes (into your cart). “Basically, your ability to resist temptations is reduced,” says Ravi Dhar, director of the Center for Customer Insights and professor of psychology at Yale University. “Mental stress can have an effect on the type of food you choose.” Behavior experts call this “mental depletion.” The obvious answer becomes Funfetti cake. Some shoppers, Dhar says, also begin to reward themselves for checking off the necessities, such as batteries and bottled water. This is the “licensing theory” of consumer behavior: You give yourself license to buy whatever. (Maybe this is why all the low-fat frozen dinners lingered on the shelves at Trader Joe’s.) Says Dhar: “It’s the reward effect, like, ‘I’ve been a good person, and I can buy that ice cream.’ ” This seems to be what gripped Jillian Combest, 18, a Howard University student we spied in the aisles of Target. After doing the responsible, informed thing and pre-ordering bottled water to pick up in-store, “I bought red velvet Oreos and fruit snacks,” she said. Her eyes wandered for a moment. “Ooh, is that hairspray?” A few aisles over,, Julie Farkas, 22, a medical assistant, and her roommate Maggie Adams,


Local digest: Man fatally shot near Mount Vernon Square in Northwest

THE DISTRICT Man fatally shot near Mount Vernon Square D.C. police are investigating a fatal shooting that occurred Friday morning near Mount Vernon Square in Northwest Washington, according to a department spokesman. The shooting occurred about 10 a.m. in the 400 block of M Street NW. Police said the case is being investigated as a homicide. Police would only say that the victim is an adult male. It is the District’s fifth homicide of this year. — Peter Hermann MARYLAND Man slain in Prince George’s County Authorities in Prince George’s County said a person is dead after a Friday incident involving cutting and a shooting in the Lanham area. The person’s name was not released at this time, and few details were immediately available. The incident happened around 4:30 a.m. in the 4900 block of Whitfield Chapel Road. Police are calling the incident a homicide. Three men were cut and one was shot, police said. — Dana Hedgpeth More than 2 dozen displaced after fire Twenty adults and six children were displaced in Prince George’s County after their apartment building caught fire early Friday morning. Firefighters said they rescued several people from the third story of the building in the 2500 block of Queens Chapel Road in Hyattsville. No injuries were reported. Officials said a smoke alarm alerted residents of the fire. Those displaced are being helped by the Red Cross, officials said. — Dana Hedgpeth VIRGINIA Fairfax County police investigate sex assault A Centreville woman was sexually assaulted after letting a man inside her house after she heard him outside calling for help, Fairfax County authorities said this week. The woman, who lives in the 13800 block of Rampant Lion Court, told detectives she heard a knock at her door around 1:40 a.m. Thursday. Police said she also heard a male voice calling for help and answered the door. She let the man enter her house and he sexually assaulted and injured her before fleeing, authorities said. — Victoria St. Martin


Judge rules that Walmart strikes are protected

to packaged salads produced by Dole in its Springfield, Ohio, facility. The CDC said 12 people in six states have been hospitalized in the outbreak since July after eating salads sold under the names Dole, Fresh Selections, Simple Truth, Marketside, the Little Salad Bar and President’s Choice. The company notified the CDC on Thursday that it had stopped all production at the processing facility and was withdrawing all packaged salads produced there, the agency said Friday. ● General Electric topped Wall Street expectations for the fourth quarter and reaffirmed its target for 2016, but its shares slipped in afternoon trading as the company’s industrial revenue declined. The industrial conglomerate on Friday reported earnings of 52 cents per share, excluding the financial operations it’s shedding, on $33.9 billion in revenue. Analysts had predicted per-share earnings of 49 cents and revenue of $35.91 billion, according to FactSet. Revenue from the company’s industrial segment slipped 1 percent, to $31.4 billion. ● National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials said Friday that a Ford pickup driver killed last month in South Carolina was the ninth person to die in the United States and the 10th to die worldwide in incidents involving Takata air-bag inflators that explode, firing off shrapnel-like shards. NHTSA also said it is recalling 5 million additional vehicles with potentially defective air bags. In the United States, about 23 million Takata air-bag inflators have been recalled on 19 million vehicles sold by a dozen manufacturers. ● Home-rental price growth turned tame in December — a sign that a burst of apartment construction last year may be relieving cost pressures. Real estate data firm Zillow said Friday that median rent rose a seasonally adjusted 3.3 percent from a year ago. The median rent nationwide has held steady at $1,381 a month since August, after having previously surged dramatically above the pace of wage growth. Rents edged up just 0.4 percent in Chicago, 1.8 percent in Philadelphia, and 1.6 percent in St. Louis. ● Morgan Stanley chief executive James Gorman received a $4.6 million stock bonus for his performance in 2015, up 5 percent from the year before, according to a regulatory filing. The 183,678 shares come in addition to Gorman’s $1.5 million salary, cash, deferred cash and long-term incentives. Gorman’s overall compensation is expected to be down modestly from last year’s pay of $22.5 million, a Morgan Stanley spokesman said. — From news services


Elon Musk, president of Mars?

SpaceX founder Elon Musk at the Export-Import Bank in Washington on April 25, 2014. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) Michael Byers holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia. Humanity’s horizon expanded last month when SpaceX used a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver 11 communication satellites to orbit and then landed the rocket’s first stage — all 156 feet of it — upright and undamaged at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Last Sunday, the company nearly replicated that feat. It used another Falcon 9 to launch a single, larger satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and guided the first stage to a barge off the California coast. The landing itself went well, before a locking mechanism on one of the rocket’s legs failed. None of SpaceX’s competitors doubts that a breakthrough has been achieved. Jeffrey P. Bezos, founder of Blue Origin (and owner of The Post), tweeted that SpaceX “will soon make Falcon 9 landings routine — so good for space!” Getting to space used to involve building the equivalent of a Boeing 787 and discarding it after a single three-minute flight. The rocket constituted 99 percent of the cost of a launch; that cost can now be spread over multiple missions. For this reason, reusable rockets could well lead to the colonization of Mars, something SpaceX founder Elon Musk has long been planning. Musk himself hopes to travel there, in the company of thousands of other settlers. The establishment of a Mars colony would take our species to an entirely new level of potential. It would also raise many issues, including about the long-term legal status of the settlement and its inhabitants. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which has been ratified by the United States and more than 100 other nations, stipulates that “celestial bodies” are “not subject to national appropriation.” The fact that this prohibition is directed at nations rather than corporations such as SpaceX was not an oversight. Corporations exist by virtue of being incorporated under a national legal system. Their vessels — whether ships, airplanes or spacecraft — are registered under those laws and operate as extensions of national territory when they venture abroad. The East India and Hudson’s Bay companies governed vast territories from the 17th to 19th centuries, but they did so under British royal charter and not as independent sovereigns. However, the drafters of the Outer


5 wines that’ll satisfy a splurge or a bargain hunt

will let you return to your conversation. If conversation flags, however, the wine will always welcome you back. Serve it slightly chilled. ABV: 12.5 percent. Wine Traditions: Available in the District at Arrowine and Spirits, P&C Market; on the list at Buck’s Fishing and Camping, Thally. Available in Maryland at Finewine.com in Gaithersburg. Available in Virginia at La Fromagerie in Alexandria, Vienna Vintner. Doelas Albariño 2013 ★ ★ Rias Baixas, Spain, $17 Crisp, citrusy and lovely, this delicious white is fine by itself but even better with simple seafood dishes or salads. ABV: 13 percent. Elite: Available in the District at Ace Beverage, Bottle Shop, Broad Branch Market, S&R Liquors; on the list at 1789, Ardeo + Bardeo, Blue Duck Tavern, Buck’s Fishing and Camping, Lapis, Olivia’s Diner, Prime Rib, Ris. Available in Maryland at Cork 57 Beer and Wine and Geste Beer & Wine in Bethesda, Fenwick Beer & Wine and Snider’s Super Foods in Silver Spring; on the list at K Town Bistro in Kensington, Republic in Takoma Park, Woodside Deli in Silver Spring. Albada Garnacha Vinas Viejas 2013 ★ 1 / 2 Calatayud, Spain, $14 Spain keeps churning out delicious garnacha (known as grenache elsewhere) with effusive, spicy fruit flavors. This is yet another example, a fun wine to have with casual weeknight dinners. ABV:14.5 percent. Kysela: Available in the District at Magruder’s, Rodman’s. Available in Maryland at Antietam Spirits in Boonsboro; Artisan Wine Co. in Westminster; Balducci’s in Bethesda; Bay Ridge Wine & Spirits and Pinky’s West Street Liquors in Annapolis; Columbia Fine Wine & Spirits; Finewine.com in Gaithersburg; Fishpaws Marketplace in Arnold; Frederick Wine House, Old Farm Liquors and Ye Old Spirit Shoppe in Frederick; Longmeadow Wine & Liquors in Hagerstown; Silesia Liquors in Fort Washington; Wine Source in Baltimore. Available in Virginia at Beer Run in Charlottesville, Leesburg Vintner, Unwined (Alexandria), Vienna Vintner, Vino Volo at Dulles Airport. Las Perdices Malbec 2014 ★ 1 / 2 Mendoza, Argentina, $12 The popular Las Perdices is an example of how Argentina produces good-quality malbec at all prices. This should be available by the glass at restaurants for less than $10 and is always a good find on wine lists at under $30. ABV: 14.5 percent. Elite: Widely available in the District, Maryland and Virginia, and frequently found on restaurant wine lists. More from Food: How you can tell a cool vintage from a hot one Wine


Beer of the Week: Kerri’s Cure Belgian Pale Ale

down, the local brewing fraternity comes together as a community. Last March, Kerri and Matt Rose, the owners of Forge Brew Works in Lorton, Va., found out they were expecting their first child. In August, they learned Kerri had Stage 4 stomach cancer. Their son, Lance, was born in September, two months premature, so his mother could begin chemotherapy as soon as possible. Casey Jones, the owner of Lorton’s Fair Winds Brewing and a friend of the Roses’, wanted to do something to help. “When Kerri and Matt got pregnant, we were so excited for them,” he said. “When she was diagnosed with cancer, we were like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ ” After consultations, Fair Winds decided to brew a special beer to raise money for Kerri’s treatment. Representatives from 20 breweries, including Port City, Lost Rhino, Capitol City Brewing and Mad Fox Brewing, gathered at Fair Winds on Jan. 7 to brew 30 barrels of Kerri’s Cure, which Jones describes as a “very, very classic Belgian pale ale. Matt and Kerri founded a Belgian-focused brewery, so as a nod to them, obviously we had to do a Belgian beer.” The day was a community effort: The Brewers Supply Group donated all the malt. Old Ox Brewery provided the yeast; the other breweries supplied the rest of the ingredients, including Saaz and Citra hops. Ocelot Brewing brought breakfast for the assembled crew. Lawyers and publicists offered their services free. Kerri died just over a week later, at age 32. “We felt like they’d be facing a long and expensive fight against an aggressive cancer,” Jones says. “Unfortunately, it turned out to be a short and expensive fight against an aggressive cancer. Matt’s a single parent raising an infant with a long road ahead of him.” All 20 breweries will tap Kerri’s Cure on Jan. 29. Different breweries received different amounts of the beer; after that first day, you might want to call ahead to check availability. Over the first weekend, the brewers together expect to raise at least $23,000, which will go to cover outstanding medical bills and help pay for Lance’s future education. A GoFundMe page for the family has raised $53,000 so far. Kerri’s Cure Belgian Pale Ale. Available on tap and in growlers at 20 Virginia breweries Jan. 29, including Forge Brew Works, 8532 Terminal Rd., Lorton, Va. 703-372-2979. forgebrewworks.com. More from Food: Beer Column


D.C. police arrest suspect in fatal stabbing in Southeast

The District Suspect is arrested in fatal stabbing D.C. police have arrested a suspect in connection with a fatal stabbing that occurred Saturday morning in Southeast Washington, according to a department statement. Tammy Lawrence, 41, of Southeast, was arrested several hours after the stabbing and was charged with first-degree murder while armed. Police identified the victim as Ricardo Dasilva, 30, of Southeast. D.C. police said the stabbing occurred about 8 a.m. Saturday inside a residence in the 2800 block of Douglass Place SE. The victim was pronounced dead on the scene. It was the District’s sixth homicide of 2016. — Peter Hermann Masked gunman shoots man in park A man was shot shortly before noon on Sunday near Sherman Circle Park in Northwest Washington, according to D.C. police. The victim was reported to be conscious and breathing and was taken to a hospital, said Officer Sean Hickman, a police spokesman. Police said the shooting occurred on the street about 11:45 a.m. in the 4700 block of Kansas Avenue NW, just south of the Brightwood neighborhood. Police said they do not yet know a motive. A police official said investigators were looking for two people, both wearing ski masks. VIRGINIA Case is settled on mortgage securities A group of 11 banks agreed to pay more than $63 million to settle allegations that they misled the commonwealth of Virginia and its retirement system about residential mortgage-backed securities, Attorney General Mark R. Herring said Friday. The banks, which include two Bank of America units, Morgan Stanley and a unit of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, defrauded the state’s retirement fund by selling it shoddy mortgage bonds in the run-up to the financial crisis, Virginia’s attorney general said in a 2014 lawsuit. None of banks admitted liability in the settlement, Herring said. The $63 million pact is the largest non-health-care-related sum obtained in a suit brought under a Virginia law aimed at curbing fraud against the commonwealth’s taxpayers, Herring said in a statement. In the lawsuit, Herring said an analysis showed nearly 40 percent of the mortgages that backed 220 securities purchased by Virginia’s retirement fund were fraudulently represented as posing a lower risk of default than they actually did. — Associated Press House in Loudoun is destroyed by fire A large house on an unplowed road in Loudoun County was destroyed by fire Sunday, authorities said. No one was injured. The 5,000-square-foot


Why a bright idea for growing food in the city had to move . . . to the country

away from the 33-acre parcel the company shares with Blue Ridge Produce, a local produce aggregator also focused on selling to the Washington market. BrightFarms’ innovation isn’t in how it grows food so much as in how it delivers it “from farm gate to store with nothing in between,” Lightfoot said. The greenhouses are built on the backs of 10-year contracts with supermarket chains that allow the company to invest in infrastructure and hire its own growers. BrightFarms’ first project, in Bucks County, Pa., has been growing salad greens year-round for nearby McCaffrey’s Food Markets since 2013. In exchange, the stores get produce that is historically subject to volatile pricing and seasonality at a consistent price and quality from a local source. Having a lease on land in the District allowed BrightFarms to secure a contract with Ahold USA, the company that owns Giant Food Stores, Peapod delivery services and Martin’s Food Markets in the region, to supply produce to about 100 of its stores in the Washington area. BrightFarms was able to maintain that contract despite moving the greenhouse project. A midwinter trip to a supermarket produce section, where tomatoes that ripened on their way from Mexico are the norm, would reveal the virtue of such a business plan. Those often-tasteless orbs, and salad greens traveling just as far from drought-ridden California, are the ones BrightFarms aims to compete with, if not replace, at the store. Growing that produce inside city limits would have been an added bonus, a win-win-win, Lightfoot said. He used to go to the proposed site on the southeastern tip of the District and think, ‘This is great.” “It was a neighborhood that needed jobs and, frankly, needed fresh food,” he said. “But we couldn’t get past the hairiness of it.” Chambers said the parcel of land was federal property that had been transferred to the District in the 1970s with limitations requiring it to have some sort of recreational use. The BrightFarms plan for a 120,000-square-foot greenhouse included educational gardening programs that would have met those requirements while making use of rare open land that was otherwise unusable as more than a park. The problem: Someone else had already used the site, illegally, as a dumping ground. At the edge of the property, where a tributary runs to the Potomac River, mounds of construction debris had been abandoned and had begun to pose a


Treatments for Guillain-Barré syndrome have expanded

I read with interest the article about Ralph Neas and his battle with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) [“With help, I survived a rare disorder,” Jan. 11]. Increased public and physician awareness of the syndrome will help in early diagnosis and treatment, which reduces the disability from GBS. Since Mr. Neas’s illness in 1979, two treatments are available to treat GBS in addition to supportive care. Plasma exchange, in which the plasma in a patient’s blood is removed in an effort to get rid of circulating factors causing the disease, and intravenous immunoglobulin, a human blood product, shorten the time a patient is paralyzed and speed up the time when rehabilitation can begin. Even with these treatments, many are left with weakness, severe pain and fatigue that impairs daily living. While the exact cause of GBS is unknown, research suggests that GBS patients develop antibodies against common infectious organisms. Those antibodies mistakenly identify the nerve as similar to the organism and attack the nerve. Not everyone exposed to a given infection gets GBS, and only certain infectious agents lead to GBS. These observations lead to the conclusion that GBS is due to a match (or mismatch) between a specific inciting agent and a susceptible individual who comes into contact with it. More GBS research is needed to prevent GBS and to find better treatments. Lessons learned from treating this autoimmune disease will benefit the many other autoimmune diseases that also lack effective treatments. David R. Cornblath, MD, Member, Board of Directors and Medical Advisory Board, GBS-CIDP Foundation International and Professor of Neurology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine


The surprising truth about the ‘food movement’

and vegetable consumption down just a hair since 2004. Michael Pollan’s “eat food, not too much, mostly plants” is undoubtedly the best seven-word diet advice ever given, but it doesn’t appear to be catching on. What explains the discrepancy between the common perception of a growing “food movement” and the disconcerting data on what people actually buy and eat? It could be the profound disconnect between the priorities of food movement leaders and those of food movement consumer participants. A Washington Post op-ed by four of those leaders (including Pollan) summarized what we think of as “food movement” concerns: cutting pollution and greenhouse gases, improving conditions for farmworkers and livestock, and ensuring that Americans have access to safe, affordable, nutritious, “real” food. For consumers, on the other hand, environmental, farmworker and animal welfare concerns take a back seat to their overwhelming first priority: their family’s health. Ketchum partner Linda Eatherton says the firm’s research indicates that “it all boils down to one thing. They care deeply about the health and safety of themselves and their family.” She notes that they also care about what’s going on in their communities and are beginning to register concerns about climate and environment, but, she says, “conversations about feeding the world fall very, very flat.” Consumers’ fears for health don’t focus on declining vegetable consumption or the dietary dominance of highly processed foods. They are focused, instead, on a sense that they’ve been misled by the people and companies selling them food. “They feel all the information presented to them before was intended to hide important information,” says Eatherton. Cereal maker Kellogg’s has announced it will remove all artificial colors and flavors from its products — which include Froot Loops, Corn Pops, Apple Jacks and Honey Smacks — by 2018. (Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press) That may well explain why the increasing pressure consumers are exerting on food manufacturers hasn’t focused on, say, decreasing the fertilizer runoff that’s polluting our water but has, instead, driven moves such as Kellogg’s, last August, to remove all artificial colors and flavors from their products by 2018. There’s not much evidence that switching from additives that are artificial to those that are natural will be a public health win, but “natural” — a word that the FDA hasn’t defined — seems to be what consumers are looking for. And natural sure sounds better than artificial. Even a hard-hearted empiricist


After blizzard, Thymos Quartet creates warm concert atmosphere

The Thymos Quartet. (JJ Renard) After four days in blizzard seclusion, a few people were ready to hear some live music. While most of Washington remained closed Monday, the Kennedy Center opened its doors for a few performances, including an evening concert by France’s Thymos Quartet. The house manager of the Terrace Theater asked listeners to feel free to take empty seats closer to the stage, creating an atmosphere even more like a home concert. One good reason to have made the effort to get across a city still only partly dug out from the weekend’s historic snowfall was the chamber music of Franz Schubert. The quartet opened with the composer’s String Quartet No. 13 in A Minor, and the intimate feel of the evening seemed to encourage the musicians to lean in and find softer nuances in this delicate piece. Unfortunately, intonation was not always in place, and there were ensemble lapses, including some moments of confusion in the third movement. Other problems troubled an even more magical Schubert piece, the “Trout” quintet for piano and strings. The piano, played with incisive force by Christoph Eschenbach amid his preparation of the National Symphony Orchestra’s European tour next month, seemed to need a visit by its tuner, wreaking further havoc on the ensemble intonation. Yann Dubost, on the double-bass part, had lovely solo turns, and cellist Delphine Biron enjoyed her increased freedom from the bass line in some beautiful duets with violist Nicolas Carles. The musicians had faced bigger problems traveling to this concert than most of us in the audience. They had managed to get to a venue in North Carolina on Sunday, only to have the concert there canceled, which made the Kennedy Center the site of the world premiere of a new string quartet (No. 17, “The Winter’s Tale”) by French composer Olivier Dejours. It is a long and unwieldy piece, but with some melodic direction and textural variety to recommend it. Some of the faster sections in shifting meters sounded underprepared and not quite unified. Downey is a freelance writer.


Pursuing critics, China reaches across borders. And nobody is stopping it.

including two foreign nationals. On Oct. 17, Gui Minhai, a Hong Kong-based publisher and naturalized Swedish citizen, vanished from his 17th-floor vacation condominium in Thailand. Days later, three Mighty Current employees disappeared while visiting the Chinese city of Shenzhen. In late December, Lee Bo, a British citizen, was apparently abducted from a warehouse in Hong Kong — an action that appeared to violate the “one country, two systems” principle Beijing pledged to uphold after taking control of the city from Britain in 1997. In a series of odd communications with his wife, Lee said he was “assisting with an investigation” in China and that “everything is fine.” That proved unlikely. Months after Lee’s colleague Gui went missing, he reappeared on Chinese television last week to deliver a choreographed “confession” — for a car crash that took place in 2003. Within the week, in an unrelated case, a second confession by a Swede was broadcast on state television. It featured Peter Dahlin, who has worked to support Chinese lawyers. He disappeared on his way to the Beijing airport on Jan. 3 and was held for nearly two weeks before being given access to consular officials. He was finally released Monday evening and deported, colleagues said. A Chinese journalist, two dissidents and the son of a jailed civil rights lawyer also have gone missing or been forcibly repatriated from Thailand and Burma in the past three months, heightening the perception that for critics of the Chinese Communist Party and their families, nowhere is safe. The U.S. State Department expressed “concern” about the confessions and the use of “extra-legal means” to bring foreign nationals to China. And the German Foreign Ministry voiced “really serious” concern that Britain and Sweden had either not been granted access to their citizens or were granted access only after an “unacceptable delay.” “This is clearly and undoubtedly not in accordance with the international obligations of the People’s Republic of China with regard to the Vienna Conventions,” spokesman Martin Shaefer said Friday, referring to a 1963 international accord on consular relations. But the response from other European countries has been anemic, say critics who note that many are keen to court Chinese investment. When the European Union issued a statement calling on Chinese authorities to “review their decision” to expel a French journalist at the end of last year, many European embassies in Beijing declined to even publish the


For an offbeat museum experience, have a slumber party with penguins in San Francisco

high school freshman in Marin County, Calif., was learning about the solar system and selected two planetarium shows. Chrissy chose the four-story rain forest, where she could face some of her phobias. I selected the Animal Color Encounter because, well, it was starting in five minutes. In the Color of Life section, two staff members explained the concept of camouflage to a young, bouncy audience seated in bleachers. To illustrate their point, they produced a ball python as thick as a chunky scarf. “The python uses its color to hide and eat mice,” the expert said. “How wide does his mouth open?” Hands shot up, then approximated a maw that could fit a bowling ball. Halfway through the talk, I looked around and realized that two-thirds of my group had wandered off. I found them by an exhibit featuring California newts. My friend, clearly alarmed, urged me to read the informational sign, which explained how the toxin in a single newt can kill thousands of mice. “Why haven’t we heard about these?” she said in her protective mother voice. We decided to look for critters with kinder dispositions. En route to the rain forest, we passed a gaggle of dads tossing back bottles of beer. “Is there a mom’s wine corner?” she asked. (Yes, in the Academy Cafe, which has a stocked cooler of reds and whites.) On average, upwards of 4,000 people visit the museum each day. Entering the rain forest can require significant time and patience. We, however, breezed right in, pausing only to consider the photographer’s question: “Do you want to take a penguin picture?” (Unfortunately, not a real bird but you in a penguin hat.) We climbed the ramp, passing under a wireless mobile of butterflies. I peeked into glass boxes housing exotic creatures, such as Borneo gliders and golden mantellas, vibrant frogs from Madagascar that looked as if they had fallen into Benjamin Moore paint cans. Chrissy, meanwhile, was admiring a fluttery insect with a pair of trompe l’oeil eyes on its wings. “I think I’m getting over my fear of moths,” she said. “This one is so pretty and peaceful.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her breakthrough moment involved an owl butterfly, not a moth. A few minutes shy of 8 p.m., the staff started to clear the ecosystem. Its inhabitants follow the same sleep schedules as fourth-graders. “The animals


A stubborn, unseen insect devastates D.C.-area parks

that does that.” The trails prevent water and nutrients from flowing through the tree, essentially strangling it from the inside. “There were six of us and we just looked at it and scratched our heads,” McCullough said of that first encounter with the metallic-green beetle. “I remember going home and telling my husband, I said, ‘I think this is going to be a big deal.’ ” At the time, she said, there was very little written about the life cycle of the beetle. A decade later, here’s what experts know: The beetles live for about a month, and during that time, they emerge, mate, lay eggs and die. One ash tree can have more than 10,000 larvae in it. They bore into the tree and feed on its living parts. After the 1- to 1.25- inch wormlike larvae feed, they overwinter and emerge as adult green beetles in early spring through D-shaped holes in the tree. Putting an end to the life cycle is the key to saving ash trees. There are insecticide treatments, but they can be costly and don’t save the tree. Researchers are studying — and rearing in labs at the University of Maryland — a wasp native to China that is the emerald ash borer’s natural predator. But specialists say it could take some time. And time is not on the side of the ash trees. Over the next decade, Jerry Langham, senior arborist for Prince George’s County’s park and planning commission, said the bug could change the landscape of Maryland. Unless the ash trees, which are relatively inexpensive and line many of Maryland’s communities, are treated continually, they could all die. “It’s moved beyond me trying to get control of it,” said Langham. “It’s mainly removal.” In Maryland, after the trees are cut down, there are plans to replant. But some parkgoers wonder about the lasting effect of the infestations. Richard Baker, 75, bought his house because it was right behind the Rock Creek Trail. He shook his head when he was told about the borers’ devastation. “When you think of the weeding out of the species, whether it’s a species of trees or animals or birds, all of that is very sad,” Baker said. “At the same time, we cherish what we have. And there is a price to be paid for living in an industrial society. And this is part of the price.”


Window air-conditioners to be allowed at sweltering Maryland public schools

Gov. Larry Hogan (R), center, and Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), left, are on the state Board of Public Works. (Brian Witte/AP) Maryland’s Board of Public Works on Wednesday lifted a ban on using state money to purchase window air-conditioning units for public school classrooms. The rule was designed to promote energy efficiency, but it came under scrutiny at the start of the school year, when children and teachers in Baltimore City and Baltimore County found themselves sweltering in classrooms amid higher-than-usual temperatures. Seventy-six of the 145 city schools are without air conditioning and 48 of 175 in the county. Comptroller Peter Franchot (D), one of three members of the board, described the situation Wednesday as “our Flint,” referring to problems with lead-tainted drinking water in that Michigan city. He said that without window units, students, teachers and school employees were subjected to “conditions that few of us would even expose our animals to.” Gov. Larry Hogan (R), another member of the board, said the unanimous vote to change the regulation provides “an immediate solution to a terrible problem.” Some school officials have expressed concern that the districts would have to shift funds from other projects in order to pay for the portable air-conditioning units. State Treasurer Nancy K. Kopp (D), the third member of the board, said districts should report back on where they find money for the installations. Gregory Thornton, chief executive of Baltimore City schools, estimated that the cost for his district would be $17 million. Baltimore County superintendent Dallas Dance said the figure would be between $8 million and $10 million for his schools. Hogan and Franchot said they expect the districts to install the units quickly. After addressing its regular agenda, the panel moved on to an annual ritual known as the “Begathon,” in which state education and political leaders plead their case for money to build and renovate schools. The requests continue for hours on end, this year with hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. In the past, lawmakers have criticized the event as a waste of time, with local delegations making the trek to the State House only to stand outside the governor’s office waiting to be heard. Former governor William Donald Schaefer (D) had a reputation for bawling out school superintendents and city leaders during the meetings. Another former chief executive, Martin O’Malley (D), described the events as “mind-numbing” and pushed to


Montgomery County news in brief

Pafumi (folk/acoustic), Sterling The competition was created by local philanthropist Cathy Bernard in honor of her uncle, Fred Ebb, an American songwriter and creator of Broadway hits, such as “Cabaret” and “Chicago,” and iconic songs including “New York, New York.” Audience members can arrive at 6 p.m. to buy dinner and drinks at the theater before the 8 p.m concert. Cabaret-style seats are $15 and theatre-style seats are $10. Food and drink is not included in the ticket price. For details and tickets, visit bethesda.org or call 301-215-6660. Montgomery has an opening on housing opportunities panel Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on the Housing Opportunities Commission. The seven-member panel is responsible for building, managing and financing housing for low- and moderate-income residents. Members serve five-year terms without compensation, but they are eligible for reimbursement for travel and dependent care for meetings attended. Meetings are held first Wednesdays in Kensington. Members are expected to attend regular meetings of committees and boards of directors of properties, to which they are assigned. Additional meetings are scheduled as needed. Members are required to attend at least 75 percent of the scheduled meetings. The deadline to apply is Feb. 5. To apply online or view other vacancy announcements, go to montgomerycountymd.gov. ‘If I were mayor’ essay contest for Maryland fourth-graders In a statewide essay contest, Maryland fourth-graders are being asked to share their views on what it takes to be a mayor. Entrants must write a 275-word essay on the theme “Rising to the Challenge.” They must answer three questions: →What new programs or services would you create to help citizens lead a healthier life/make the town a healthier place to live? →How would you get citizens to participate? →What things would you do as mayor? All essays must open with the line: “If I were mayor, I would . . .” The children should use grade-appropriate language and demonstrate strong language art skills and knowledge of civics and social studies. Eleven entrants will be selected to receive a $100 prize, governor’s citation and an Annapolis boat cruise. Winners will also be honored at a ceremony at the State House.Essays must be received by March 31. For information, visit mdmunicipal.org or call 410-268-5514. The contest is sponsored by the Maryland Municipal League and the Maryland Mayors Association. — Compiled by Lisa M. Bolton and Jillian S. Jarrett


D.C. community calendar, Jan. 28-Feb. 4, 2016

8 p.m. Through Feb. 21. Washington D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. 202-518-9400. $12-$67. Steve Martin’s “Picasso at the Lapine Agile” “Sweat” “The Glass Menagerie” “Freedom Just Around the Corner: Black America from Civil War to Civil Rights” A exhibition chronicling the African American experience through stamps and mail includes letters carried by slaves and a selection of original artwork from the U.S. Postal Service’s Black Heritage stamp series. Thursdays, through Feb. 15, National Postal Museum, 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE. 202-633-5555. postalmuseum.si.edu. Friday, Jan. 29 Conversation Circles Adults may practice their English and learn about American history and culture through the art of portraiture, program starts promptly at 10 a.m. with an interactive gallery talk led by a Portrait Gallery educator. Fridays from 10 a.m.-noon., National Portrait Gallery, G St. lobby, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. Free. Baby and toddler story time Bilingual Spanish story time Children’s safety seats and belts inspection Preschool story time Toddler story time Move, Learn, Create Kelly King teaches how to stretch creative capacity, feel good and connect with fellow participants, features a variety of dance styles, all experience levels welcome. Fridays from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Smith Center for Healing and the Arts, 1632 U St. NW. 202-483-8600. www.smithcenter.org. $10/class, $25/month. Preschool story time Toddler story time Lunchtime conservatory tour Art + coffee Open studio Fridays Stand-up comedy “Iphigenia” Saturday, Jan. 30 Educator workshop: how design influences behavior: the social nature of public space “SuperPig!” Genealogy introduction Saturday morning yoga Yoga in Mount Pleasant Carol and Marjorie lead relaxing, stress-free yoga, all experience levels welcome, wear comfortable clothing, bring water and a yoga mat. Saturdays at 10 a.m. Mount Pleasant Library, 3160 16th St. NW. mtpleasantlibrary@dc.gov. 202-671-3121. Free. Family story time Family story time Chinese New Year family festival Celebrate the 2016 lunar new year by awakening the lion and ringing in the year of the monkey with fun craft activities, traditional performances, artists and demonstrations, co-sponsored by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China. 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Kogod Courtyard, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. Free. Trading card meet-up Yoga at Northwest One Eating for a lifetime: cooking for people with cancer “The Radical King” by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Portrait story days: Jackie Robinson The Great raid Exploring Venus, Earth’s planetary twin Chamber music concert Lesole’s dance project Copenhagen Cool With Trio Con Brio


‘Kung Fu Panda 3’: Welcome return of a bravehearted bumbler

In “Kung Fu Panda 3,” Po, left, reunites with his father, Li. Po remains a charming bumbler — excited to learn, for example, that other pandas don’t eat with chopsticks. (DreamWorks Animation) Move over, Poe Dameron. Po the panda is back in town. And this Dragon Warrior is every bit as brave as the galaxy’s favorite Resistance pilot. DreamWorks Animation’s “Kung Fu Panda 2” (2011) ended with a revelation: The biological father of Po (voice of Jack Black) is alive and living in a faraway panda Shangri-La. That set things up for a reunion between Po — who had been living with his adoptive father, a goose — and his birth family. In a prologue, “Kung Fu Panda 3” wastes no time getting to the heart of its central conflict. The late kung fu master Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) — the tortoise who selected the unlikely Po as the legendary Dragon Warrior — is trying to enjoy his eternal rest when he’s interrupted by Kai (J.K. Simmons), an angry yak Oogway had exiled to the Spirit Realm. Stuck there for centuries, Kai’s been stealing the chi, or energy, of ancient kung fu masters and turning it into amulets that transform into jade soldiers at his command. Attacking Oogway allows Kai to return to the mortal realm to continue his attempt at world domination, leaving only Po to stop him. Simmons is a natural as the vengeful Kai, having perfected his ominous baritone in everything from HBO’s prison drama “Oz” to his Oscar-winning performance as a tyrannical music teacher in “Whiplash.” By contrast, Bryan Cranston dials up the dulcet tones to play Po’s returned papa Li, who convinces Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) that he can teach Po the ancient art of chi necessary to defeat Kai. Li’s presence delights Po, who’s thrilled merely to discover that other pandas exist. (He’s especially excited to learn that other pandas don’t waste time using chopsticks, but stuff dumplings directly into their mouths with their paws.) Meanwhile, Po’s doting adoptive father (James Hong) is understandably worried that the instant bond between Li and Po will leave no room for a noodle-making goose. With the film’s focus shifting to the pandas’ ancestral village in the mountains, there’s little for the original Furious Five to do except for Tigress (Angelina Jolie). Master Shifu and the rest of his protégés — Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper


Musical theater nerds? Not here.

The cast of “Shake Loose,” from left: Anthony Manough, Lori Williams, Rayshun Lamarr and Roz White. (MetroStage/Chris Banks) If you audition for a Thomas W. Jones II show with a standard tune from a Broadway musical, you may be told, “Great. Now, can you sing us something that’s not in that tradition? Because we won’t be doing that.” Then, writer-director Jones explains, “you find out whether somebody really has jazz chops, or can sing rhythm and blues. If they can’t do it, this is not the place they should be working.” “Shake Loose: A Musical Nights of Blues, Moods, & Icons,” premiering at Alexandria’s MetroStage, is a revue drawn from the wide range of songs Jones has written with longtime collaborators William Knowles (a jazz pianist) and William Hubbard (whose roots are in gospel). In various combinations, they’ve created about a dozen shows and roughly 350 songs since meeting during “Bessie’s Blues” at Studio Theatre in 1995, a show revived at MetroStage last year. The musical palette ranges from the searing blues and hip-hop of “Slam!” (a Jones-Knowles collaboration) to the gospel of “Three Sistahs” (Jones and Hubbard). Their shows have become a staple at MetroStage, where Hubbard says producing artistic director Carolyn Griffin sometimes asks exactly how she should describe the music. “It comes from the tradition of jazz,” says Jones, whose subjects have included Sammy Davis Jr. (“Cool Papa’s Party”), Frankie Lymon and Pearl Bailey. “And it’s got to sound like what it’s got to sound like. It’s not rhythm and blues tailored for the stage. It’s tailored for the club.” “We come at music as music,” Knowles says. “It’s not an approximation. It’s the thing. I do theater half the year, and the other half of the year I’m out in the club, man. That’s how I make a living.” The “Shake Loose” tunes cluster around Jones’s focus on 20th-century African American history, from the Great Migration and struggling for success to love ballads and a fascination with entertainment icons. A poet, playwright, lyricist and actor (he was in Woolly Mammoth’s “Cherokee” last year), Jones melds styles freely. He credits Knowles and Hubbard for their “vast musical vocabulary” as projects dig into, say, 1920s jazz, or 1990s rap and hip-hop and blues. “You know they can get to the heart of what that is and still maintain their own musical voice,” Jones says. “It’s ‘in the style


Traveling to Rio for Carnival or the Olympics? Here’s what you should know about Zika virus.

a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. Patrick Sandusky, spokesman for the United States Olympics Committee, issued this statement via email: “We are closely monitoring the situation through the CDC and have ongoing contact with the International Olympic Committee, the organizing officials in Rio, the World Health Organization and infectious disease specialists with expertise in tropical diseases, including the Zika virus. Additionally, we’re taking steps to ensure that our delegation and those affiliated with Team USA are aware of the CDC’s recommendations regarding travel to Brazil.” Infectious disease specialist Kyle Petersen spent years studying Zika virus as commanding officer of Naval Medical Research Unit 6 (NAMRU-6) in Lima, Peru. He oversaw a 300-member team that studied infectious diseases and developed vaccines, medicines, and strategies to detect and combat illnesses such as dengue fever, West Nile virus and yellow fever, all of which are in the flavivirus genus and are in the same family as Zika. His post ended in August 2015, and today the captain in the U.S. Navy Medical Corps serves as associate professor of medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda. Petersen says this isn’t the first outbreak of Zika virus, which actually dates back to the 1940s in Uganda. While testing rhesus monkeys for yellow fever, researchers found a virus they didn’t recognize. They named it Zika for the forest in which it was found. In 2007, Petersen says, Zika made its way to Yap, an island in the Federated States of Micronesia. This was the first time the virus was seen outside of Africa and Asia, and about 180 people had symptoms such as rashes, joint pain and conjunctivitis, according to the World Health Organization. Petersen says that scientists suspect that a castaway mosquito traveled to the island in a shipping container. The mosquito causing the outbreak is the Aedes aegypti species, which Petersen says is one that is drawn to people, rather than nature. “It lives near a house and in flower pots, in tires, in garbage, in any small container that can collect water or make a nice place to lay its eggs. It is easy for them to get into an urban area and just spread all over the place,” he says. Petersen said that women who are pregnant or considering getting pregnant should avoid


Why investors are following Musk, Bezos in betting on the stars

investors have typically been science-fiction enthusiasts looking to help create a new market and enjoy the thrill of trying to help mold the future that they would like to see. But that’s beginning to change, industry officials said. “People who are purely interested in financial return are just beginning to take a look at space,” said Joe Landon, chairman of the Space Angels Network, a group of early-stage investors. “The trend is more in that direction, but it’s still pretty early on.” Over the past decade, the global space industry has grown at a steady clip, and officials think that the tipping point from steady to explosive is near. In 2014, its economy totaled $330 billion, a 9 percent jump from the previous year and up from $176 billion in 2005, according to the Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization that seeks to promote space endeavors across the world. “After years of steady, respectable growth, the space industry appears to be on the cusp of a new era of rapid expansion in both capabilities and customers,” the foundation said in its annual report. It wasn’t always that way. For years, Jurvetson, a partner at DFJ, a Silicon Valley venture-capital firm, was looking for a space company to invest in. Launching model rockets was a hobby, and he would have loved to have found a way to mix business with pleasure. “It didn’t happen for 10 years,” he said. “Because in each and every case, no matter how exciting exploring the unknown is, or the grandeur of space tourism, none of them penciled out, economically.” None of them until he met with Musk, who had detailed plans on how he would upend the space industry as he had with online commerce at PayPal. Rocket technology had stayed relatively stagnant for decades, with very few new entrants into the market. Innovation, which had disrupted virtually every industry, from cable to taxis, was somehow lacking in space. SpaceX and others have shown that “the commercial space industry is enormous and ripe for disruption,” Jurvetson said. “Making a 100-fold improvement is actually a piece of cake, and making a thousand-fold improvement is feasible.” Being able to reuse rocket boosters instead of discarding them after each launch, as is now typically the case, was one advancement. Making launch prices transparent, as SpaceX did, was another, said Chad Anderson, a managing director at Space Angels Network. The


billionaires have poured so much of their own money into the ventures. “Having successful business people putting their money behind this gives it a lot of credibility,” Anderson said. While the futuristic endeavors of colonizing other planets and opening up the cosmos to the masses may get a lot of attention, there “are also companies doing things that are more practical,” Landon said. One example: Earth observation. “That’s a business now,” he said. One of the leaders in that sector is Planet Labs, a San Francisco company founded in 2010 by a group of former NASA scientists. “What we wanted to do was change the conversation and give a near real-time insight into the state of the world as it is now so you can make a better decision,” said Robbie Schingler, the co-founder and chief strategy officer. The company’s fleets of satellites collect all sorts of data that it says have “endless real-world applications,” from measuring crop yields, keeping an eye on natural resources or helping first responders in natural disasters. It has 39 satellites in orbit and expects to have 150 flying around the globe by year’s end. In April, Planet Labs announced that it had raised $118 million, which was more than expected. Other companies want to use space as a light-speed highway for commerce. Instead of running thousands of miles of cable across remote areas, OneWeb, a company backed by Branson, plans to put up a constellation of hundreds of miniature satellites that it says will connect the billions of people without Internet access to the digital economy. SpaceX is planning a similar endeavor with more than 4,000 miniature satellites. Meanwhile, Google has sponsored a $30 million competition for the world’s first privately funded mission to land a robot on the moon by next year. Google executives Larry Page and Eric Schmidt are also investors in Planetary Resources, which plans to mine asteroids. Filled with precious metals, the asteroids are the “diamonds in the rough of the solar system,” Eric Anderson, the company’s co-founder, told CNBC recently. Asteroids have “rare metals, industrial metals and even fuels,” he said, “so we could create gas stations in space that would enable us to travel throughout the solar system just like ‘Star Trek.’ ” It sounds like something out of a James Cameron movie. And maybe it will be. The Hollywood director serves as an adviser to the company.


Calling all beer lovers: Apply for our Beer Madness tasting panel

A panelist takes notes during last year’s Beer Madness competition. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post) The Washington Post’s 10th annual Beer Madness — a bracketed taste-off that will winnow 32 craft brews down to a single champion — is approaching, and you may know what that means: We’re in need of reader panelists. As with last year’s event, our 2016 competition will include experts and readers. So take your best shot, and do it promptly. Send an email to food@washpost.com with BEER MADNESS in the subject line. To be considered for one of the designated reader slots, you must be able to attend tasting sessions on two evenings in late February or early March at a location TBA in the District. Other requirements: ■ Describe your qualifications and your passion for beer in a single, tightly constructed sentence. Humor is appreciated. ■ List your three favorite domestic craft beers and your favorite style. ■ Include your age and gender, and attach a photo of yourself that we could publish if we decide to. (File format: JPEG, under 1 MB in size.) ■ The deadline for submitting your panel bid is Friday, Feb. 12. More from Food: Have questions about cooking? Join our live chat Wednesdays at 12.


Grim news for bears, tigers under proposed new wildlife law in China

tiger-skin rugs, a status symbol for the wealthy. That, in turn, encourages more poaching of wild tigers in neighboring countries. “This increases the risk of trade and demand for tiger parts and products spiraling out of control,” Banks said. Dave Neale, animal welfare director at Animals Asia, said legislators missed an opportunity to tackle bear-bile farming by failing to include specific provisions that would have demanded that animals’ physical and behavioral needs are met — something that is effectively impossible during bile farming. The draft law also allows for endangered wildlife to be used in “traditional Chinese medicine, health-care supplements and foodstuffs,” as long as it is in line with other laws, public order and “good morals.” Already, Chinese demand for wildlife parts and products has pushed many animals close to extinction. Among them is the Chinese pangolin, a scaly anteater whose meat is considered a delicacy and whose scales are used in traditional medicine in China and Vietnam. With few pangolins left in China, there has been a surge in poaching and trafficking from Southeast Asia and even Africa: The pangolin may now be the most heavily trafficked mammal in the world. Its blood, scales and body parts are used to stimulate lactation, enhance virility and treat ailments from arthritis to cancer. “The revision of the law that allows use of wildlife products for ‘health-care supplements’ use could open the floodgates to pangolin use and spells doom for the already imperiled animal,” said Ho, of Humane Society International. Conservationists welcomed some clauses in the new law. WildAid, which has helped lead efforts to change attitudes toward shark-fin, ivory and rhino-horn use among Chinese consumers, noted a new focus on raising public awareness of wildlife protection with the support of civil society. Some welcomed the fact that the new legislation mentions habitat protection, although others said those provisions were too vague. “Many endangered animals are at the top of the food chain,” said Xie Yan, founder of the Protected Area Friendly System. “They cannot survive if their food is not protected. The bill should have aimed to protect the entire ecosystem, not some particular species.” Xu Jing contributed to this report. Read more: China’s growing panda population is fragmenting, and that’s a problem Ivory price halves in China after Xi pledges ban Here’s how to start breaking down the illegal wildlife trade Today's coverage from Post correspondents around the world


Brazil may be close to a more reliable test for the Zika virus

South America’s biggest country has seen a rise in cases of a disease triggered by the little-known Zika virus being linked to a spike in birth defects. SAO PAULO, BRAZIL — If scientists succeed, it could represent a major breakthrough for public health authorities in Brazil looking for a definitive connection between a Zika epidemic in the country and an outbreak of thousands of cases of the birth defect microcephaly. Zika has spread rapidly through the Americas in recent months, causing fear and panic, especially among pregnant women. The World Health Organization said Zika could affect 3 million to 4 million people within a year, and President Obama has called for urgent action. Luis Ferreira, a microbiologist at the University of Sao Paulo who is part of a “Zika network” of 42 laboratories, said the new test could be ready in a few weeks. The Brazilian government blames the incidence of microcephaly on Zika, but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have not positively confirmed the link. The CDC, however, has warned pregnant women against traveling to countries with outbreaks of Zika infections. The Brazilian government is investigating 3,448 suspected cases of microcephaly, it said in a bulletin this week. Beyond those, it has discounted 462 cases and confirmed 270 as being microcephaly. However, it has been able to confirm the presence of Zika in only six of the 270 established cases. This is because of the lack of a widely available method to test for the virus months after parents may have been infected, Ferreira said. The virus can be detected in the blood of victims for a few days and in their urine for a few months. Currently, complex tests can spot traces of the virus in antibodies but take up to 10 days, because the antibodies produced are similar to those of dengue, another disease spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. This week Lyle Petersen, director of the CDC’s vector-borne disease division, said that current tests cannot differentiate between the antibodies humans produce in response to the two diseases. Paolo Zanotto, a microbiologist at the University of Sao Paulo who is coordinating the Zika network said the team is waiting for a protein from Senegalese researchers that may be able to tease out the differences between antibodies produced against dengue and Zika. Here's a look at the pandemics that made


New growers, more plants ease D.C.’s pot pain

Metropolitan Wellness has an ample supply of medical marijuana for its registered patients in the District. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post) A months-long shortage of medical marijuana in the District has been eased in recent weeks by new growers moving into the city and a change in the law that doubled the number of plants producers can cultivate, according to buyers and suppliers. The boost in supply has ended rationing and cut the price of cannabis for the 3,500 city residents legally allowed to buy it. During the shortage, some patients said they were forced buy marijuana from street users or turn to ad hoc networks of unsanctioned growers willing to provide it at low or no cost. “Things are really good now, but it’s been rough,” said Belinda Cunningham, 64, an HIV and cervical-cancer patient from Northeast Washington. On doctors’ orders, she uses cannabis up to three times a day to boost her appetite and reduce nausea from the more than 15 medications she takes daily. “When I couldn’t get it, I got sick again. My doctors said, ‘Uh oh, you’re losing weight.’ ” The city program allows patients who get prescriptions for cannabis to register with the District Department of Health and then purchase up to two ounces a month each of Blue Dream, Medijuana, Old Amsterdam or other varieties at city-sanctioned dispensaries. For the first year of the program, the law covered only five health conditions, including AIDS, cancer and glaucoma. But after the city council relaxed those restrictions in the summer of 2014, a flood of new registrants quickly outstripped the tightly regulated supply chain, in which three licensed cultivation centers provided cannabis to three licensed dispensaries. As the number of qualified buyers jumped from under 800 to more than 2,300 in six months, outlets began restricting patients to just a gram or two per visit, leading some users to return day after day or to do without. In some cases, dispensaries had to close their doors when they could not restock their inventories. “It was a total bummer,” said Vanessa West, manager of Metropolitan Wellness, a dispensary near Eastern Market. It took months for the cultivators to catch up, even after the council voted in 2014 to increase the number of plants each could grow from 95 to 500, and then, in April, to 1,000. It takes more than five months to bring a plant from


What the future may hold for winemakers and wine drinkers

Elissa Garza, left, of Boston and Gabi Parsons of San Francisco sip wine during a class in Boston in May offered by the Society of Grownups. The financial education firm uses a coffee shop and dinner club atmosphere to help attract millennials. (Josh Reynolds/for The Washington Post) A new year always prompts crystal-ball gazing, and the Silicon Valley Bank has obliged with its annual assessment and predictions for the U.S. wine industry. The outlook isn’t all good. Last year, the bank predicted a “breakout year” for U.S. wineries, with a resurgent economy and consumer optimism. This year’s report, written by Rob McMillan, executive vice president and founder of SVB’s wine division, notes generational shifts among the U.S. consumer base and inexpensive imports as threats to the industry’s well-being. Cheaper imported wines, fueled by the strength of the dollar, are a boon for consumers. We’ll see not only more French, Italian and Spanish wines at favorable prices, but also fascinating wines from South Africa, southeastern Europe, Turkey and Georgia. But these imports are competing with domestic wines for a somewhat tighter market. Younger consumers, the millennials and Generation X’ers, are proving to be adventurous in their tastes for alcohol; they spread their affection (and money) among wines, craft beers, meads, ciders and artisanal cocktails. That led to a sharp decline in the growth of wine sales in restaurants last year. “The drop in restaurant sales took place in all price points,” McMillan writes. “We believe [this is] explained by more at-home consumption and a behavior change of our frugal millennial consumers, who are more likely to satisfy their restaurant consumption needs by starting with a beer or cocktail, then having a glass of wine rather than a bottle of wine with dinner.” The rising competition from craft beers, ciders and cocktails is becoming known as “the new normal” for wine producers. It will be the focus of the annual USBevX trade industry conference here in Washington in mid-February. In last year’s report, McMillan wrote that millennials were having a negligible impact on the wine market. This year, however, millennials — which the report defines as those 21 to 37 years old — accounted for 16 percent of wine sales, overtaking the oldest generation, which McMillan calls “matures” (68 and older), who accounted for 11 percent. Baby boomers (50 to 67) are still the largest consumer bloc, at 41 percent, but that


The Zika threat

A 6-week-old baby born with microcephaly is treated in Recife, Brazil, on Jan. 29. (Mario Tama/Getty Images) IF RUNAWAY disease were not a disturbing enough nightmare for most people, there is a knock-on effect often just as disruptive: panic, confusion and fear. When a silent killer is on the march and authorities react by dissembling or with desperation, people get the message — and get irrational. The case of Ebola virus disease in West Africa demonstrated vividly how, in managing an outbreak, good information is as important as medical therapy, and failure to inform can lead to disaster. Now the Zika virus, while not as deadly as Ebola, is highlighting again the need for honesty, transparency, and a renewed commitment to research and rapid response in managing such threats. The Zika virus existed for decades in equatorial zones of Asia and Africa. Then, about 10 years ago, it cropped up on various Pacific islands. The virus, borne by mosquitoes, causes a mild, flu-like sickness and rash in some infected people, and there is no known therapy. Zika showed up in Brazil last year and now has infected more than 1 million people, and, most worrisome, has been linked to a condition known as microcephaly, in which a child is born with a small head and brain. The Brazilian authorities made the connection because a surge of microcephaly — more than 4,000 cases — emerged about the time the Zika virus arrived, and there is evidence the virus was present in a small number of children and their mothers. Much more needs to be known about the link, however. In El Salvador, the government did not wait for further tests, and suddenly advised all women in the country to delay getting pregnant until 2018. Aside from the Big Brother attitude, the advice seemed to signal desperation. The announcement did, perhaps, serve as a crude wake-up call for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant to pay attention, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged all pregnant women to avoid travel to areas where the virus has been found. The virus is certain to spread in the months ahead — by some estimates, to 3 million or 4 million people. The World Health Organization has warned it is “spreading explosively.” The most responsible action by authorities is to fight mosquitoes and the conditions in which they breed,


The Zika threat

million people, and, most worrisome, has been linked to a condition known as microcephaly, in which a child is born with a small head and brain. The Brazilian authorities made the connection because a surge of microcephaly — more than 4,000 cases — emerged about the time the Zika virus arrived, and there is evidence the virus was present in a small number of children and their mothers. Much more needs to be known about the link, however. In El Salvador, the government did not wait for further tests, and suddenly advised all women in the country to delay getting pregnant until 2018. Aside from the Big Brother attitude, the advice seemed to signal desperation. The announcement did, perhaps, serve as a crude wake-up call for women who are pregnant or might become pregnant to pay attention, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged all pregnant women to avoid travel to areas where the virus has been found. The virus is certain to spread in the months ahead — by some estimates, to 3 million or 4 million people. The World Health Organization has warned it is “spreading explosively.” The most responsible action by authorities is to fight mosquitoes and the conditions in which they breed, and help people grasp the basics, such as protecting themselves against mosquito bites that can infect. The spread of a new or unusual disease — whether it be severe acute respiratory syndrome a decade ago, or Middle East respiratory syndrome a few years ago, or Zika now — also raises an important challenge to biomedical researchers. There’s been a hope that gains in genomics and other disciplines could lead to a rapid-response mechanism for fighting such threats. Had a vaccine been successfully developed quickly for Ebola, thousands of lives might have been saved. It is not easy to bend the rules of nature and create effective vaccines and drugs quickly. But the arrival of Zika should remind us that basic and applied research to this end is well worth the investment. Read more: The Post’s View: More pandemics are inevitable, and the U.S. is grossly underprepared Michael Gerson: The next epidemic The Post’s View: Everything went wrong in the Ebola outbreak. We’re still not ready if it happens again. Peter J. Hotez: A new wave of diseases threatens Southern Europe and the Middle East The Post’s View: Fighting MERS, again


Herbert L. Abrams, a founder of doctors’ anti-nuclear group that won 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, dies at 95

Herbert L. Abrams (Rod Searcey) Herbert L. Abrams, a pioneering physician, student of presidential disability and co-founder of a medical group that received the Nobel Peace Prize for its work to eliminate the possibility of nuclear war, died Jan. 20 at his home in Palo Alto, Calif. He was 95. His death was announced by Stanford University, where he was a longtime faculty member. The cause was not disclosed. In medicine, Dr. Abrams was a specialist in interventional radiology who was known for expanding the use of X-rays and other imaging technology for treatment rather than merely diagnosis. He became renowned as one of the founders of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, bringing together doctors from the United States and the Soviet Union to advocate for tighter international controls over nuclear weapons. The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. For years, Dr. Abrams said he was confident that no nation would dare to use nuclear weapons. But, in explaining his heightened concerns about their possible use, he told the Los Angeles Times in 1989 that it began to “dawn on me that these weapons of annihilation were being considered for use in the settlement of disputes between nations.” Former Defense Secretary William J. Perry praised the work of Dr. Abrams and the physicians’ group in a statement released by Stanford: “The forces maintaining nuclear weapons and creating the danger that we might use them are very powerful and very hard to stop, and Herb and the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War were an early voice of sanity in this field.” Dr. Abrams’s career included what he called the “four dimensions of bio-medicine”: patient care, research, teaching and advocacy. As a radiologist, he had a major role in developing what is known as angiography, or a technique of creating images of the blood vessels and heart. Angiography has proved to be a useful tool in helping physicians eliminate blockages in coronary arteries and has been beneficial in the prevention and treatment of heart attacks. Dr. Abrams was the author of a 1961 textbook, “Angiography,” one of the principal medical texts in the field. An updated version, which appeared nearly 40 years later, was called simply “Abrams’ Angiography.” As a demonstration of the breadth of his personal interests, Dr. Abrams was also the author of another book, “The President Has Been Shot: Confusion,


Virginia Tech student from Maryland held in missing Blacksburg girl’s death

of Nicole Madison Lovell, 13, who was reported missing Wednesday, police said. Eisenhauer, an engineering student, was a track champion at Wilde Lake High School in the Howard County, Md., community of Columbia. No information was available Saturday night about any connection between the two, and no cause of death was given. The girl’s body was found a few miles south of the border between North Carolina and Virginia, police said. The discovery was made about 4 p.m. in Surry County, N.C., about 80 miles south of Blacksburg. On Saturday afternoon, the police announced that Eisenhauer was being held in the abduction of the girl, whose body had not then been found. “This has been an extremely fast investigation within the just past 12 hours,” said Blacksburg Police Chief Anthony Wilson. He said it was continuing. The girl was reported missing Wednesday and was last seen in Blacksburg between midnight and 7 a.m., police said. A report issued after her disappearance said she had undergone a liver transplant and required prescription medicine daily. The police flier asking people to look for her said she was without her medication. Several agencies helped in the search, and Virginia Tech students also took part. Blacksburg police said in the afternoon that new developments in the inquiry late Friday had led to Eisenhauer and to his arrest early Saturday at his residence on campus. The developments were unspecified, and it was also unknown what led searchers to the body. Attempts to reach Eisenhauer’s family by telephone at their home were unsuccessful. Newspaper reports published while Eisenhauer was at Wilde Lake identified him as an outstanding runner. In 2014, while a junior, he won the class 3A Maryland title for the 3,200-meter race, according to a Washington Post account. That was apparently only one of his attainments. Wilde Lake school officials and coaches could not be reached. In a statement, the university said the entire school community extended its support to the family and friends of the missing girl. A Facebook page had been created to support the search for Nicole, and in the afternoon it bore the words “KEEP HOPE ALIVE.” A comment posted on the site under the name of David Lovell said he was the girl’s father. “[Devastated] to learn that my daughter has been found dead! I’m so in shock I know nothing more to say, I’m broken!” the posting said.


Why critics of China aren’t safe anywhere

Chinese journalist Li Xin talks to an Associated Press reporter over Skype, at the AP office in New Delhi on Nov. 20. (Saurabh Das/Associated Press) A Chinese journalist calls his wife in China as he boards a train in Thailand. Then he disappears. Everyone loves a good mystery, but this one has two flaws. First, it’s nonfiction. Second, a principal character already is pretty sure she knows what happened. “I think he was brought back by the Communist Party,” the wife told the Guardian newspaper last week. If so, Li Xin’s disappearance would fit into a pattern of increasingly brazen Chinese lawlessness overseas, as agents of the Communist regime track down critics, kidnap them, bring them home and dump them in prison. The only puzzle is the muted response of the Obama administration and other governments. Though maybe that’s not such a mystery either. Li was a human rights activist and columnist for the Southern Metropolis Daily. His wife told reporters that he left China in October, after the regime pressured him to inform on other activists. After failing to win asylum in India, he was trying in Southeast Asia. Reaching across borders to track down perceived enemies is not a new tactic for China’s regime. In June 2002, Chinese agents lured a democracy activist living in North American exile, Wang Bingzhang, to a meeting with other human rights campaigners in Vietnam. “They were conferring over lunch in a restaurant near the China-Vietnam border when several men speaking Chinese ordered them into a car,” Wang’s daughter, Ti-Anna Wang, recounted in a Post op-ed. “Beaten, blindfolded and gagged, my father and his two colleagues were abducted into China by boat. They were left in a Buddhist temple in Guangxi Province for the Chinese authorities.” Wang Bingzhang was sentenced six months later to life in prison and has been confined ever since — going on 14 years. He is 68 years old. For years, Wang’s case was outrageous but unusual. Now, as The Post’s Emily Rauhala and Simon Denyer reported last week, overseas abduction is becoming almost routine. None of the victims has engaged in violence or committed crimes. Their offense is to criticize or simply report on China’s rulers. Those abducted include five men connected with a Hong Kong publisher that was working on a tell-all biography of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Abductions apparently took place in Hong Kong, though China


Benoît Violier, eminent chef, found dead at 44

a French government-sponsored list of the world’s top 1,000 restaurants. Another renowned and influential guide of best restaurants, GaultMillau Suisse, had declared Mr. Violier the best chef of 2013, citing his “new and staggering” cuisine and granting him an exceptional 19/20, the same score as his famous predecessor and mentor in the Hotel de Ville, Philippe Rochat, who died last year. Mr. Violier died a few hours before the much-feared Michelin Guide released its 2016 edition for France. The awards ceremony on Paris’s chic Place Vendome began with a minute of silence for him. The Swiss edition comes out in October. Mr. Violier was born in the French city of Saintes, near Cognac, on Aug. 22, 1971. He was 20 when he started to train in the finest cuisine with world-famous chefs such as Joel Robuchon, the Lenotre and Fauchon luxury catering houses, with the Hotel Ritz and restaurant La Tour d’Argent in Paris. He arrived at Crissier’s Restaurant de l’Hotel de Ville in 1996, two years before it received its third Michelin star, the most coveted award in the culinary world. Mr. Violier took over the establishment in 2012 with his wife, Brigitte, and managed to keep the top position in the famous red guide. He won world appreciation for finely and deliciously conveying his passion for hunting into the art of cooking game. He was the author of two reference cooking books. His death at the height of his fame recalls that celebrated French three-star chef Bernard Loiseau, owner of the restaurant La Côte d’Or in the Burgundy region, who was found dead beside a hunting rifle in 2003. Loiseau’s death followed the downgrading of his establishment by the Gault-Millau guide and rumors he could also lose one of his three stars in the Michelin guide. The now-renamed Bernard-Loiseau Relais in Saulieu, owned by his widow, Dominique Loiseau, and chef Patrick Bertron, finally lost its third star on Monday when the 2016 Michelin guide was released. Some chefs have complained of living under the pressure and judgment of these guides that call the shots in the closed circle of the world’s best tables. — Associated Press Read more Washington Post obituaries : Signe Anderson, an original member of the Jefferson Airplane, dies at 74 Francisco Flores, El Salvador president trailed by corruption, dies at 56 Kenny Sailors, forgotten star credited with inventing basketball’s jump shot, dies at 95


How a yoga injury led me into the crossfire over opioids

the memos. That way, in case they get audited, they can show their paper trail and prove that they’ve done due diligence.” Doctors do not want to send patients away in pain, Wergin said, but they also do not want to harm patients or get in trouble by overprescribing pain medication. The Hopkins report suggested more-stringent guidelines for prescribing opioids, calling on states to overhaul the way they monitor chronic pain treatment and adopt procedures — such as urine screening and collecting data on prescriptions given to patients — to make it easier to identify who may need treatment for substance abuse. Doctors are divided. Lynn Webster, a former president of the American Academy of Pain Medicine and the author of “The Painful Truth: What Pain Is Really Like and Why It Matters to Each of Us,” criticized the Hopkins report. “I am amazed that one of our finest educational institutions in America failed to address the most important source of the prescription drug abuse problem in their report,” he said. “Not once did the report discuss the lack of safe and effective treatments for pain. The report lacks attention to the needs of people in pain.” Caleb Alexander, lead author of the report, said that while he agrees that new and more effective pain treatments are necessary, the point of the report was to suggest ways to make current treatments safer. “The goal was to make recommendations to reduce an incredibly high rate of injury and death associated with opioids,” Alexander said. “My concern with focusing on safer treatments is that it distracts from the epidemic of prescription opioids.” Many doctors agree that new federal guidelines — including a full physical exam and medical history on each pain patient, starting patients on the lowest effective dose, implementing pain contracts and closely monitoring pain medication use — are necessary. Growing awareness of the problem and discussion about the soon-to-be-released CDC guidelines are already resulting in better interactions, Wergin said. “Before, we were trying to treat pain in a less structured environment, and it was harder to see the full picture,” he said. Now states are keeping more detailed records and centralizing them “so the patient’s entire care management team has easy access to what exactly is going on at any given time.” Without pain contracts and without knowing a person’s history, clinics could accidentally prescribe a patient too much pain


U.S., Chinese factory activity slows; Yahoo expected to cut workforce

by China’s sharp deceleration, which has, in turn, hurt emerging economies that have supplied China with materials. Low oil prices have also caused energy companies to cut back investment. And the strong dollar has made U.S. goods more expensive overseas. — Associated Press TECHNOLOGY Report: Yahoo expected to cut staff Yahoo chief executive Marissa Mayer is set to reveal cost-cutting plans that include a reduction of 15 percent of the Internet company’s workforce and the closure of several business units, the Wall Street Journal reported. The plans are expected to be announced after Yahoo’s fourth-quarter results, the Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Yahoo had about 11,000 employees as of June 30, according to its website. The company is scheduled to report on Tuesday. In a letter to Yahoo last month, activist investor Starboard Value ramped up pressure on the company, taking aim at Mayer and her leadership team and raising the prospect of a proxy battle. Yahoo has struggled to increase its Internet business, which includes selling search and display ads on its news and sports sites and email service, in the face of competition from Alphabet’s Google unit and Facebook. Mayer’s turnaround efforts have had little tangible effect so far. — Reuters Also in Business ● Household spending cooled in December as Americans used gains in incomes to boost their savings. Consumer purchases were little changed after a 0.5 percent advance in November that was bigger than previously estimated, Commerce Department figures showed Monday. The Bloomberg survey median forecast called for a 0.1 percent increase. Incomes climbed 0.3 percent for a second month. ● Chinese police arrested 21 employees at China’s largest online finance business on suspicion of fleecing 900,000 investors for $7.6 billion in what could be the biggest financial fraud in Chinese history. State media outlets reported the arrests late Sunday and state broadcaster CCTV aired purported confessions from two former employees at Ezubao, an Anhui Province outfit that rose from obscurity to become China’s largest online financing platform in about 18 months. ● American Airlines Group has followed United Airlines in providing free snacks for economy passengers after more than a decade without them. American, the world’s biggest carrier, began offering Biscoff cookies. The goodies are reappearing on the same day that United began serving a Dutch confection known as the stroopwafel free to coach passengers. All four major airlines now have free


Why can’t new restaurants ever open on time?

Erik Bruner-Yang’s Maketto, in the Atlas District, was several years in the making. It was first planned to open in February 2012; it eventually launched in April 2015. (Dixie D. Vereen/For The Washington Post) Culinary skills and financial wizardry are important enough, but if you want to open a restaurant in this, or any, town, you must possess one important trait: Optimism. Why? Because although chefs and restaurateurs like to tell us when they’re going to open their doors to a hungry public, their establishments almost never, ever debut on time. “You want to believe it’s going to happen on time, and everyone warns you it’s not,” said Kwame Onwuachi, the current “Top Chef” contestant preparing to open Shaw Bijou, in Shaw. Thanks to a fall-to-spring delay, Onwuachi has gone through three seasonal versions of his ambitious 17-course tasting menu. On the plus side, he’ll be really ready for next year. Seeing the silver lining is key in the restaurant business. “I think part of my job is to be an optimist about how these things are going to go,” said Michael Babin, the founder of Neighborhood Restaurant Group. Still, “There is a point in almost every project where you say, ‘I am never going to do this again.’ ” And Babin has been at this for a while. He’s on the brink of adding two properties — Hazel restaurant in Shaw and the Sovereign beer bar in Georgetown — to his portfolio of a dozen-plus. Neither will open when originally anticipated. So what is it that gums up the works, whether you’re a first-timer or veteran? For a restaurant to open on time, “a thousand things have to go right,” said Brian Miller, a designer at Edit Lab at the Streetsense architectural design firm who has had his hand in many of the area’s newest eateries. “To have it delayed, only one thing has to go wrong.” Many problems, of course, have to do with the buildings, especially when they are old — and particularly if they have never been a restaurant before. Rick and Elizabeth Myllenbeck ran into both of those problems when they decided to open their Sonoma Cellar wine tasting room on King Street in Old Town Alexandria. Necessary additions to the 1810 structure included bathrooms, an electric panel, an accessible ramp and a hood exhaust system that needed to be made invisible from the street