Why climate change is forcing some environmentalists to back nuclear power

of different energy sources using objective evidence and pragmatic trade-offs," reads the letter, "rather than simply relying on idealistic perceptions of what is ‘green.’" It argues that while wind and solar are very promising energy technologies, they may not, on their own, be enough -- and that "nuclear power -- being by far the most compact and energy-dense of sources -- could also make a major, and perhaps leading, contribution." (Nuclear power gives off virtually no greenhouse gas emissions -- although the processes of extracting uranium, and building nuclear plants themselves, certainly do.) The two main authors of the letter -- Barry Brook and Corey Bradshaw -- have considerable green cred. They are widely published in the conservation field, most recently having authored a prominent paper suggesting that efforts to reduce the global population would not have a significant impact on staving off wildlife extinctions and other ecological damage. This is not the first time that a coterie of environmental scientists have stood up for nuclear energy. Last year, four top climate researchers -- Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution, Kerry Emanuel of MIT, Tom Wigley of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and James Hansen of the Earth Institute of Columbia University -- wrote a letter defending the deployment of what they described as newer, safer nuclear power technologies, remarking that "in the real world there is no credible path to climate stabilization that does not include a substantial role for nuclear power." "The risks associated with the expanded use of nuclear energy are orders of magnitude smaller than the risks associated with fossil fuels," the letter added. Nuclear power defenders frequently point to France -- a nation that is certainly to the left of the United States politically, and yet gets more than 70 percent of its energy from nuclear power. This example, like the letters above, suggests that nuclear power is no simple left versus right issue -- there is a lot of support for nuclear power among academic scientists in particular. Nonetheless, when it comes to the advocacy for an expansion of nuclear power, there is an important counterargument -- nuclear power deployment is very costly. The environmental scientists don't directly address cost in their letter, but Brook and Bradshaw do in their larger paper in Conservation Biology, arguing that "the standardized, compact, passive-safety blueprints of next-generation nuclear power plants....have the potential to be transformative." But


Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai ‘heartbroken’ by Pakistani school massacre

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai says she is devastated by a Taliban attack at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, that left more than 130 people dead, mostly children. Earlier this month in Oslo, Malala Yousafzai spoke with cautious hope about the future in her native Pakistan after accepting the Nobel Peace Prize. On Tuesday, the 17-year-old said she was “heartbroken” by the latest tragedy: Taliban gunman storming an army school in Peshawar and roaming the auditoriums and classrooms in a killing spree that claimed at least 141 lives. Nearly all the dead were, like her, teenage students. “Innocent children in their school have no place in horror such as this,” said Yousafzai, who is now studying in Britain after her long recovery from wounds inflicted by a Taliban gunman in 2012 in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. “I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts.” “I am heartbroken by this senseless and cold blooded act of terror in Peshawar that is unfolding before us … I condemn these atrocious and cowardly acts and stand united with the government and armed forces of Pakistan,” she added. She said that she joins the world in mourning the children killed -- “my brothers and sisters,” she called them. “But we will never be defeated,” said Yousafzai, who won this year’s peace prize for her advocacy for children’s education. Kailash Satyarthi, an Indian rights activist, who was awarded a separate peace prize this year, called the Taliban attackers in Peshawar “enemies of Islam.” "The terrorists who have committed this heinous crime are the enemies of humanity. They are the enemies of Allah, they are the enemies of society and they are the enemies of Islam,” he said at a meeting in India. “I pray that somewhere in their hearts, their conscience awakens.” At least 130 people, most of them children, were killed when Taliban gunmen stormed a school in the Pakistani city of Peshawar.


Sony Pictures hackers invoke 9/11 while threatening theaters that show ‘The Interview’

Sony Pictures Entertainment headquarters in Culver City, Calif. (AP Photo/Nick Ut) On Tuesday, the group claiming to be responsible for the massive hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment posted a message on text sharing site Pastebin threatening violence against theaters showing the movie 'The Interview,' the controversial comedy action film about planning an assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The group (or someone claiming to represent the group) invoked the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while threatening screenings of the movie, which is scheduled to be widely released on Christmas Day. Warning We will clearly show it to you at the very time and places “The Interview” be shown, including the premiere, how bitter fate those who seek fun in terror should be doomed to. Soon all the world will see what an awful movie Sony Pictures Entertainment has made. The world will be full of fear. Remember the 11th of September 2001. We recommend you to keep yourself distant from the places at that time. (If your house is nearby, you’d better leave.) Whatever comes in the coming days is called by the greed of Sony Pictures Entertainment. All the world will denounce the SONY. Along with the message were links purporting to provide more documents from the attack, labeled "mlynton" -- an apparent reference to Sony Pictures chief executive Michael Lynton. The group, which calls itself GOP, short for "Guardians of Peace," has been leaking internal documents from Sony Pictures Entertainment online after a cyberattack on the studio that began Thanksgiving week. The group has threatened further disclosures unless the company stops the release of what it calls the "movie of terrorism" -- presumed to be a reference to "The Interview." Some investigators believe that the hack is linked to North Korea. Cyberattacks against South Korean media and financial institutions last year shared some technical details with the attack against Sony. North Korea has denied any involvement in the attack, but suggested that people who sympathize with the country may have been responsible. North Korean officials have called "The Interview" an "act of terrorism" and called for "merciless" counter-measures if released. The message seems more likely to be aimed at getting Sony Pictures or theaters to pull the film than a credible threat to go after every theater planning to show the movie. "The North Koreans are famous for making really bombastic, over the top threats," said


The mesmerizing view of Christmas lights from space

From Christmas to Ramadan, images of the Earth taken from space show how we use lights differently during the holidays. The holiday spirit can now be quantified and measured -- as a brightening of nighttime lighting so distinctive that, if you have the right technology to observe it, is visible from space. Such is the upshot of a new series of powerful NASA satellite-based composite images, showing major increases in night lighting in many U.S. and global cities during the holidays -- and especially in the suburban areas surrounding them. For instance, here's what the D.C.-Baltimore area looks like (anything colored green means there is more nighttime light at this time of year than in other seasons): Credit: NASA's Earth Observatory The image above is based on data from the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite, whose Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), capable of glimpsing the side of the Earth that is facing away from the sun, is responsible for the famous "Earth at Night" pictures that we've all seen before. So what's the reason for increased lighting? It's simple, says NASA's Miguel Román, a physicist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center who conducted the research behind the images with Eleanor Stokes, a NASA fellow and Ph.D. student and at Yale. "What you’re seeing here, anywhere you see green, is Christmas lights from space," says Román. "If you look at the spatial trend, you will find, a lot of the green in the DC area is concentrated in the suburbs," he adds. Here are Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, and Las Vegas: Credit: NASA's Earth Observatory The composite images are based on the period from the end of Thanksgiving through the first week of January. Only cities not under regular snowfall in winter could be imaged in this way (snow reflects light). Overall, the researchers found that nighttime lighting increased by 20 to 50 percent in U.S. cities and suburbs during the holiday period, and that suburbs tended to light up more than urban centers. The images are based on data from 2012 and 2013. Here are Atlanta, Charlotte, Birmingham, and Nashville: Credit: NASA's Earth Observatory And the holiday light-up isn't just an American phenomenon. The researchers also looked at predominantly Muslim cities celebrating Ramadan, a month of fasting that shifts its date each year, due to the lunar Islamic calendar. Here, they examined three years, from 2012


2014 is ending, but this wave of technology disruptions is just beginning

Asia, because it will become a local industry. But this will be bad for the Chinese economy — which is largely dependent on manufacturing jobs. In the next decade, robots will likely go on strike, because we won’t need them anymore. They will be replaced by 3D printers. Within 15 to 20 years, we will even be able to 3D print electronics. Imagine being able to design your own iPhone and print it at home. This is what will become possible. 2. The reinvention of finance. We are already witnessing a controversy over Bitcoin. Many technology and retail companies are supporting it. Crowdfunding is shaking up the venture-capital industry and making it less relevant because it provides start-ups with an alternative for raising seed capital. We will soon be able to crowdfund loans for houses, cars, and other goods. With cardless transactions for purchasing goods, we won’t need the types of physical banks and financial institutions that we presently have. Banks in the United States seem to be complacent because they have laws protecting them from competition. But our laws don’t apply in other countries. We will see innovations happening abroad which disrupt industries in the United States. 3. Health care. Apple recently announced Healthkit, its platform for health information. It wants to store data from the wearable sensors that will soon be monitoring our blood pressure, blood oxygenation, heart rhythms, temperature, activity levels, and other symptoms. Google, Microsoft, and Samsung will surely not be left behind and will all compete to provide the best health-data platforms. With these data, they will be able to warn us when we are about to get sick. AI-based physicians will advise us on what we need to do to get healthy. Medical-test data, especially in fields such as oncology, is often so complex that human doctors cannot understand it. This will become even more difficult when they have genomics data to correlate. Over the last 15 years, the cost of human genome sequencing has dropped from the billions to about a thousand dollars. At the rate at which prices are dropping, the cost of sequencing will be close to zero in a few years and we will all have our genomes sequenced. When you combine these data with the medical-sensor data that the tech companies are collecting on their cloud platforms, we will have a medical revolution. We won’t need doctors for day-to-day


‘Super bacteria’ found in Rio waters where sailors and windsurfers are supposed to compete in the Olympics

these microorganisms are the same as those caused by common bacteria, but they require stronger antibiotics and, sometimes, can require hospitalization,” the study’s coordinator, Ana Paula D’Alincourt Carvalho Assef, told the AP. “Since the super bacteria are resistant to the most modern medications, doctors need to rely on drugs that are rarely used because they are toxic to the organism.” Aathletes of the Finn class compete during the first test event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro in August. (Felipe Dana/AP) Surely, Olympic athletes, who for the most part, are robust, healthy and have strong immune systems are less at-risk, though, right? Not so surely, actually, the Instituto says. There has yet to be a case of super bacteria infection from the contaminated waters the Instituto tested, but just because no one’s gotten sick doesn’t mean the super bug doesn’t pose a threat to the wider world. “Carriers can take these resistant bacteria back to their own environments and to other people, resulting in a cycle of dissemination,” the Instituto said, speaking of people who may have gotten contaminated but not have succumb to illness. This was not how it was supposed to be. As part of its Olympic bid, Rio had promised to reduce pollution in the Guanabara Bay, which has become a receptacle for some of the city of 12 million’s untreated sewage, by 80 percent, the BBC reports. In June, however, Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes said that goal would not be met. The state of the bay is a disappointment to many sailing teams, including the U.S. contingent. “Our job is to prepare our athletes and we encourage all clean-up efforts on Guanabara Bay,” Josh Adams, Managing Director of U.S. Olympic sailing told The Washington Post. Adams says the organization is taking the new findings seriously and will compare them to their own water sample test findings, which the team’s medical staff took earlier this year. “We are going to follow what the experts recommend,” Adams said, referring to the U.S. medical team’s analysis, which is ongoing. He was quick to add, however, that the Instituto’s findings will not immediately affect the training regimen of U.S. Sailing Team Sperry Top-Sider, which has 14 athletes racing in Guanabara Bay this week. “We are preparing to race the Olympic games at this venue and don’t expect it to change,” he said.


How can pro hockey players on teams across the U.S. get the mumps?

Beau Bennett (19) and Sidney Crosby (87) of the Pittsburgh Penguins have contracted the mumps. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP) If we ever need proof of medicine's limitations against the threats posed by nature, we need look no farther than the National Hockey League. Yes the NHL, where strong and fit athletes with some of the best medical care available are swelling up like chipmunks from an outbreak of the mumps. At least 14 players — including superstar Sid Crosby — and two on-ice officials have come down with a virus we normally associate with childhood, according to ESPN, which also has assembled this nice timeline of contacts between teams and officials. The New York Times says that when suspected cases are included, the number rises to 20 players. Symptoms usually start with headache, a low-grade fever and loss of appetite. In a third to two-thirds of cases, people develop the hallmark swelling of the salivary glands, called parotitis. About 10 percent of men can suffer testicular inflammation and some women experience inflamed ovaries and breasts. Deafness in one or both ears is seen about once in every 20,000 cases. http://www.washingtonpost.com/posttv/sports/pittsburgh-penguins-coping-with-mumps-outbreak/2014/12/18/bcc87836-46f6-4f0e-a60a-7f64bf00b83b_video.html There is no cure, but vaccination has been routine for Americans since 1967 and Canadians since 1969. So how could this outbreak be occurring? The first thing to remember is that vaccination, while highly effective, is not perfect. About 92 percent of the U.S. population born since 1967 has been vaccinated, according to Amy Parker Fiebelkorn, an epidemiologist with the measles, mumps, rubella and polio team of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So 8 percent of Americans are not protected. And immunization does not provide complete protection from the mumps virus. People who have received one dose of the vaccine are 78 percent covered, and those who have gotten two doses — the second dose is usually called a booster — have 88 percent protection, Fiebelkorn said. Vaccine effectiveness also can wane over time, but Fiebelkorn did not believe that was a major factor in the NHL outbreak. Immunization has brought the annual number of cases down from 212,000 in 1964 to 229 in 2012, according to the CDC's fact sheet. But that doesn't mean outbreaks are unheard of. In 2006, about 6,500 people, mainly Midwestern college students, came down with the disease. In 2009-10, 3,500, mainly orthodox Jews in the Northeast, were infected in another


D.C. area forecast: Savory sun, bothersome breeze today; small rain or snow chance late Saturday

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 6/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL Latest mid-Atlantic infrared satellite shows movement of clouds over past two hours. Refresh page to update. The next few days take pity on all those rushing to complete holiday preparations with relatively uneventful weather in abundance. A system passing far to our south late Saturday struggles to throw some light rain or snow at the area. Little or no snow accumulation is likely. With fair skies, early risers on Friday can be treated to a coupling of a sliver of a moon and Saturn on the eastern horizon. If you are traveling to less light infested areas, the winter sky is a magnificent display of bright constellations now. With the longest night of the year on Sunday, you have plenty of time to do some gazing. Today (Thursday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Friday): Tomorrow night: December 14, 2014. (Kevin Wolf via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD On Saturday an approaching storm puts the sun back on hiatus at least by midday. Highs reach the lower 40s. The storm system is so weak and so far south that it will be hard pressed to produce any precipitation at least until the evening. It may be cold enough to allow snow flakes, but not cold enough for them to stick. Chances of precipitation are only 20% during the day climbing to 40% late in the evening. Overnight lows reach the upper 20s to lower 30s. Confidence: Medium SNOW POTENTIAL INDEX 2/10 (↓): Sunday Monday


READ IN: Havana Nights Edition

the U.S. and helped bring down the so-called "Cuban Five," and who spent the last 20 years in a Cuban jail. The spy hasn't been publicly identified. (Washington Post) Cannot WAIT to read the full story behind this one. -- Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), outgoing chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the White House shift a "dramatic and mistaken change of policy." Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) called it "another concession to a tyranny." Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) voiced opposition, too. (Washington Post) -- U.S. intelligence officials have concluded the hackers who broke into Sony's computers were working for North Korea, though they aren't prepared to publicly accuse the hermit kingdom. The Obama administration is still considering what action it could take. There are no sanctions left to impose, one administration official said. Sony has pulled the release of "The Interview" after hackers threatened to attack theaters showing the film. (Washington Post) Scary precedents here, all around. -- Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for his country's declining economy in an annual news conference today in Moscow. Putin blamed "external factors," including Western sanctions, for falling oil prices and the ruble's declining value. (New York Times) Putin has spoken twice this week with leaders of Ukraine, Germany and France, part of an effort to formalize a cease-fire that's been widely observed in eastern Ukraine since last week. (New York Times) -- Accused Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will appear in federal court this morning for a final pre-trial hearing, 17 months after the attack that killed three and wounded 260 people. His trial is scheduled to begin in January. (New York Times) -- Front Pages: WaPo full-page banner: "U.S., Cuba to ease Cold War stance." Miami Herald full-page: "AFTER A HALF CENTURY, A THAW IN U.S.-CUBA TIES." Miami-based Diario Las Americas: "OBAMA DERRIBA EL MURO" ("Obama breaks down the wall"). LA Times, NYT, USA Today all carry full-page Cuba banners. WSJ fills four columns, with jumps to 3 more stories inside. National Roundup: -- New York: Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (D) administration said Wednesday it will block high-powered hydraulic fracturing after six years of study by two state agencies. Cuomo has distanced himself from the process, insisting he's deferring to experts, but a draft of the final report that blocked fracking was circulating among Cuomo administration officials earlier this week. Cuomo's decision puts him to


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state. 99th: Sen.-elect Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who hails from the 37th-most populous state. 100th: Sen.-elect Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), whose state is the 47th largest by population. -- Just so House aficionados don't feel left out: The oldest incoming House member is Rep.-elect Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), who succeeds Rep. Rush Holt (D). The youngest is Rep.-elect Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), who succeeds Rep. Bill Owens (D). Ready to feel old? Three members -- Stefanik and Reps.-elect Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) and Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.) were born in the 1980s. B1: -- The Swiss National Bank said Thursday it would introduce a negative interest rate on deposits it holds for lenders, an effort to hold down the value of the Swiss franc. The central bank will begin charging 0.25 percent on deposits exceeding a certain threshold. The European Central Bank introduced their own negative interest rate in June. (New York Times) -- Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said in a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could erode U.S. financial safeguards aimed at preventing a future crisis. Liberals don't like a provision in the TPP that would allow foreign companies to challenge U.S. policies outside the domestic legal system, and another one that would grant foreign companies access to U.S. markets without being subject to restrictions on predatory financial products. (Washington Post) -- Stock futures are up more than 1 percent in premarket trading after markets made big gains on Thursday. The Nikkei added more than 2 percent today, and most world markets are trading more than a percentage point higher as well. (CNN) C1: -- Big winner in the thaw between the U.S. and Cuba: Major League Baseball, which can now draw from a pool of talented players who have been off limits since Castro took power in 1959. There were just 19 Cuban-born players in the majors last year, the most since 1967. MLB has been planning for normalized relations since at least 2007. (New York Times) Bonus: Click for a 1999 photo of Peter Angelos, Fidel Castro and Bud Selig taking in a game. C4: -- Hank Stuever on Stephen Colbert, whose last Comedy Central episode airs tonight: "In a culture as fickle and fast as ours, it ought to be impossible to keep a running joke aloft for nine years and still have it play in a vibrant


Tadich Grill D.C. names executive chef for early 2015 opening

Tadich Grill The original Tadich. (Photo by Sarah Stierch via Flickr) Coming to the former Ten Penh space at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, the restaurant will be an East Coast copy of the the third-oldest continually operating restaurant in the country, which was established in 1849. Bolstering Tadich Grill's old-school cred, an F.A.Q on the restaurant's Web site points out that "Tadich Grill accepted only gold nuggets, coin or cash from 1849 until 1990." In addition to specialties such as cioppino and rice pudding, the D.C. location will preserve the formal, white-jacketed service of the original location. Unlike its San Francisco counterpart, Tadich D.C. will accept reservations. And because downtown Washingtonians aren't as laid-back about their lunch breaks as Californians are, there will be a to-go menu.


Usain Bolt doesn’t want the Olympics to do away with an event that he dominates

(AP Photo/ Scott Heppell, File) The International Olympic Committee voted last week to abolish the cap on the number of sports offered at each Games while still limiting the number of athletes to around 10,500 and medal events to 310. This means event-heavy sports could see a reduction in competitions to make way for sports that have a greater appeal to local audiences (for instance, baseball and softball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics). Event-heavy sports such as track and field and swimming are seen as logical areas where reductions could be made, and according to a report out of Australia, that’s exactly where things are heading. Here’s Michael Gleeson of The Age: The events regarded most at risk under a athletics shake-up are, in order: the 10,000 metres, one of the men’s race walks – most likely the 20-kilometre event – the 200, shot put and triple jump. Respected athletics administrator Brian Roe, a senior international technical official at the Olympics and world championships, said he was at a meeting of influential thinkers in the sport when the options were put and those five events were all presented as the most obvious choices if there were to be changes. The 200 is, at first blush, a surprise as sprint events are popular but it is deemed unnecessary or superfluous with the 100 and 400. Unsurprisingly, Usain Bolt is aghast at this final suggestion. The world record holder and two-time defending Olympic 200-meter champion told Reuters that he couldn’t believe they’re even considering it: “Normally I’m not a controversial person, but I think that’s just stupid. Personally, track and field is the highlight of the Olympics every edition, that’s not even a question,” the Jamaican sprinter said. “So when you’re going to try to take events away from the track and field event, it is just ridiculous and I don’t think the IAAF should stand for that at all.” In a statement, the IAAF said any speculation about event changes at future Olympics is “unfounded.”


Street Smart: Silo in Mount Vernon Triangle, by way of Tehran

"We were bombed at least twice a week." Reza Akhavan. Photo by Amy Rogers Nazarov In 2006, when Akhavan, 38, left Tehran for Reston, where one of his sisters had immigrated, he was impressed with Americans' forthrightness, even as he was overwhelmed by the array of pastries for sale at Starbucks, where he began working the third day after exiting the plane. His English was excellent (he had studied it since he was 7, bombs or no bombs), but the differences between a cranberry orange scone and a pecan tart took longer to master. Though he had earned a mechanical engineering degree from Islamic Azad University and had been a steel trader in his late father's engineering consulting firm in Iran, Akhavan was surprised by how much he enjoyed working with people and food. He left Starbucks after 18 months to open a Saxbys franchise, then became a manager at Dupont Circle's Front Page. Still, he dreamed of opening his own restaurant. Silo patrons. Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post The 2,300-square-foot space he eventually leased in Mount Vernon Triangle had been vacant for about five years when Akhavan opened Silo in January. In the kitchen, executive chef Michael Walters puts new twists on traditional American fare, such as a burger topped with onions caramelized in dark ale, or home fries laced with truffle oil. Hamburger topped with onions caramelized in dark ale. Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post Partly under the influence of his mother, who still lives in Iran, Akhavan has let Persian fare cycle on and off Silo's menu in the year since it opened, including kashk-e bademjan, a savory dish of eggplant, onion, mint and "lots of garlic," Akhavan says. A planned trip to Iran this spring with his American-born wife, Lauren, could yield new inspiration. "I miss the people of Iran, and I miss the nature," Akhavan says, citing the northern region near the Caspian Sea - the very one the family fled to decades ago - as a place for which he still yearns. "But D.C. is this green and beautiful place you can live and work in. When I flew over Washington [for the first time], I couldn't believe how amazing it looked from up there." For stories, features such as Date Lab, Gene Weingarten and more, visit WP Magazine. Follow the Magazine on Twitter. Like us on Facebook. E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com.


D.C. area forecast: Typical December weather through the weekend, and turning stormier Christmas week

8:40 a.m. update: (NASA) TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 7/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL From 5:00 a.m.: Satellite: Latest regional satellite shows movement of clouds over the past two hours. Today (Friday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Saturday): Tomorrow night: Sunday: Christmas decorations at City Center D.C. (Cliff Burns via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD Sunday night: Monday Some showers (25-35% chance) are still possible on Tuesday. Even when we have some breaks between the raindrops, it appears skies will generally stay mostly cloudy. High temperatures may be the highlight, though, with comfortable readings around 50 to mid-50s. As we get closer and get a better idea on just how much sunshine might (might not) peek through clouds and these potential showers during the day, we might have to adjust our projections a bit. Confidence: Low-Medium SNOW POTENTIAL INDEX 1/10 (↓):


The Pentagon’s newest weapons look like something out of ‘Star Wars’

The Navy is unveiling a laser weapons capability that can be used aboard ships at sea. One of the newest weapons in the Pentagon's vast arsenal is a concentrated beam of light, a laser that zaps and burns, delivering destruction by the kilowatt, as if in "Star Wars." Under development for years by the military and the defense industry, lasers have moved from science-fiction fantasy, to the laboratory and, just recently, to the Persian Gulf. They sizzle rather than go boom, providing pin-point accuracy that proponents say can prevent the kind of collateral damage that's unavoidable with missiles or bombs. And they represent the Pentagon's most aggressive efforts to use technology to bolster brute force, as it develops fighter pilots helmets designed to see through the body of the plane, uniforms with fabric that conducts electricity, and Ironman-like exoskeletons. In announcing a Defense Innovation Initiative last month, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that in order to keep its battlefield edge, the military needs to move with the urgency of a Silicon-Valley start-up in developing breakthroughs in technologies such as robotics, autonomous systems, big data and 3-D printing. While the U.S. has focused on fighting wars for more than a decade, he said that potential enemies have taken the time to innovate. "Countries like Russia and China have been heavily investing in military modernization programs to blunt our military's technological edge," he said. Last week, the Navy announced a big step in that direction. For months, sailors tested a $40 million, 30-kilowatt laser mounted on the deck of the USS Ponce in the Persian Gulf. Using a video-game like controller, service members practiced taking out drones and small boats. And now the weapon, which looks like a giant telescope, is ready to take out real threats if necessary, officials said, meaning the Pentagon could soon record its first kill with a laser. The Afloat Forward Staging Base (Interim) USS Ponce (ASB(I) 15) conducts an operational demonstration of the Office of Naval Research (ONR)-sponsored Laser Weapon System (LaWS) while deployed to the Arabian Gulf. (U.S. Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released) "The captain of that ship has all of the authorities necessary if there was a threat inbound to that ship," said Rear Adm. Matthew L. Klunder, chief of naval research. "To protect our sailors and Marines, we would defend that ship with this laser system." Unlike missiles, lasers travel at the


After a hardware failure, the Kepler spacecraft finds a second life — and an important new exoplanet

from the sun as a physical force pushing hard against the craft's solar panels, the mission team turned the star into a virtual fourth reaction wheel. The other wheels push back against the force of the sun, and that tension keeps Kepler firmly in place. It's not exactly the same as it was during its first mission. Now Kepler has to be positioned so that the sun hits its panels just so and can stay focused on one point only for about 80 days before it's time to readjust, but NASA has found new ways to use the craft. "We developed this concept of how to operate the telescope in a different mode," said Steve Howell, Kepler/K2 project scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center. Instead of staring at lots of stars for a long time to observe the sheer number of planets, Howell said, K2 focuses on potentially interesting objects in the hope of finding a planetary jackpot. That's why he's so excited about K2's first finding. "This was the promise of K2," he said. "We had great hopes that it would find these kind of planets." The planet in question is a Super Earth (a planet about 2.5 times larger than Earth) 180 light years away. Because it sits in between Earth (a rocky planet) and Neptune (a gaseous one) in size, Howell says that many scientists will want to study it. They want to understand how planet size and type are related. To find it, a graduate student at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics named Andrew Vanderburg compared thousands of publicly available images from Kepler. "We get an image of the star over and over," Howell said, "And in those images the star is very slightly fainter at times because the planet has blocked its light." Kepler's work on this new planet is now done: K2 will never be pointed at the planet again, Howell said. But as it continues to look for new bodies worth exploring, scientists using other space telescopes -- and ones on the ground -- will turn their attention to the first big find of its second life. Here’s a look back at some of the space telescope’s discoveries. Related: Kepler space telescope spies a ‘Mega-Earth’ Rosetta casts doubt on origins of Earth’s water Curiosity Rover finds new indications of water on Mars New Horizons spacecraft is ready to change our view of Pluto


The world’s biggest canned tuna company is about to get a lot bigger

DES PLAINES, IL - JANUARY 27: Cans of tuna fish are displayed in a grocery store January 27, 2006 in Des Plaines, Illinois. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images) The American canned tuna industry is now pretty much entirely Asian-owned. Thai Union Frozen Products, already the biggest canned tuna company in the world, is on the verge of acquiring Bumble Bee Seafoods, the largest canned tuna company in North America, for a reported $1.5 billion. The deal, if approved, would further cement Thai Union's dominance by making it the biggest canned tuna producer in North America, the world's biggest canned tuna market. It would also mark the sale of yet another American canned tuna behemoth to an Asian firm. The buyout is the latest example of what has been a rapid consolidation of the global seafood industry, a response to changing consumer demands and fluctuating costs, according to analysts. The newly merged company would house two of the three most recognizable—and consumed—canned tuna brands in the country: Chicken of the Sea, which Thai Union already owns, and now Bumble Bee. Together, the two account for 38 percent of U.S. canned tuna sales, a shade more than Starkist, whose 36 percent market share is currently the highest. Starkist was bought out in 2008 for $363 million by South Korea's Dongwon Industries Co. Ltd. "The deal is the largest acquisition in the history of our company and one of the most exciting external growth propositions," Thiraphong Chansiri, Thai Union president and chief executive, said in a statement. The Thai canned seafood company had previously told investors that it was setting its sights on a lofty sales goal: reaching $8 billion in revenue by 2020. Merging with Bumble Bee would without question help jumpstart that process. Bumble Bee's annual sales, which total about $1 billion, would boost the merged company's total to roughly $5 billion. The deal, though agreed upon by both Thai Union and private-equity firm Lion Capital, which owns Bumble Bee, could face significant scrutiny from antitrust authorities. The canned tuna industry is already top heavy, and this merger might put too much of the industry's sales in two players' hands. "This potential merger will raise concerns with U.S. regulators," Jeffrey Jacobovitz, an antitrust expert at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, told Reuters. "I don't think this merger would breeze through." There is speculation that in order to make the deal work, the


The best innovations of 2014

a bold new way. Rather than construct huge buildings to make a nuclear reactor, the goal is to create a compact nuclear reactor that can sit on the back of an 18-wheel truck or the wing of an airplane. In short, the same types of powerful nuclear fusion reactions that power the sun could also be used to power new forms of transportation or, potentially, even entire cities. That has huge ramifications, and not for people who enjoy driving around their own personal nuclear truck. Imagine a new era in energy, in which the costs are pushed down so dramatically that airplanes stay aloft for what seems like an infinite period of time. Of course, there are the skeptics and naysayers who can’t possibly imagine how nuclear reactors could be made that small. Yet, Lockheed Martin says that it might be possible to see a prototype within five years and an actual compact nuclear reactor within the next decade. 5. Samsung Gear VR, for bringing virtual reality to the masses The new Samsung Gear VR device promises to create new types of immersive experiences. (Hannibal Hanschke/Reuters) The release of Samsung Gear VR, powered by Oculus, might end up taking virtual reality mainstream. Already, there have been announcements of new apps and other offerings for Gear VR, including gaming and experiential content, as well as entirely new types of films made using virtual reality technology. The Samsung Gear VR device, while still in the experimental “Innovator Edition,” is really a test case for whether there is a robust consumer market for an affordable tech device that offers an immersive, 360-degree experience. As a result, 2015 could end up being a big year for virtual reality. For example, the launch of the original VR device that you strap to your face, the Oculus Rift, is slated for release later in the year. And other big players getting into the VR mix include Sony and Google. 6. The Uberfication of everything, for showing us the upside and downside of the sharing economy The valuation of car-sharing service app Uber rocketed to $40 billion in 2014, giving rise to much speculation about the future of the sharing economy. (Sergio Perez/Reuters) The most talked-about startup in 2014 was Uber, as the company continued to expand globally at a rapid pace. In the span of just six months, Uber went from an $18 billion company to


Two military suicide bills, different results: The Jacob Sexton and Clay Hunt acts

eyes of many, its passage should have been joined by that of another bill: the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. That bill, the subject of an earlier post on Checkpoint, had broad support in both chambers of Congress but was blocked from passage by retiring Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). He objected to it being taken up by the Senate, saying it would create a duplicative program in the Department of Veterans Affairs and add $22 million in federal spending. That’s less than the cost of a single new fighter jet. Marine veteran Clay Hunt is shown here in Haiti in 2009, two years before he committed suicide. New suicide prevention introduced on Capitol Hill bears his name. (Photo released by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America) The Hunt and Sexton bills tackle the problem from different angles. While the Sexton bill focuses primarily on suicide in the active-duty military, the Hunt bill calls for independent evaluations of all mental health-care and suicide-prevention programs in the VA and the Defense Department, a student loan repayment program that would offer up to $120,000 per year to recruit psychiatrists who commit to working for the VA, and a program that would take back unneeded prescription drugs from patients at VA facilities. The blocking of the Hunt bill has outraged veterans groups like IAVA, which has a robust membership and active presence on Capitol Hill. But the group’s founder, Army veteran Paul Rieckhoff, also applauded the efforts of Wicker and Donnelly, saying the passage of the Sexton bill was a step in the right direction. Donnelly, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said working on suicide prevention in the military was one of the most important things he could do. He took the issue up after joining the Senate in January 2013 following six years in the House of Representatives. “I just wanted to make sure we were doing everything to prevent this scourge, because when it does happen it is such a heartbreak for families and everyone affected,” he said in an interview with Checkpoint. “I thought maybe I could have some impact on bringing those numbers down.” Sexton’s father, Jeff, reached out to Donnelly after hearing him question outgoing Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel on the subject of military suicides during Hagel’s confirmation hearing in January 2013, Donnelly said. The specifics of the Sexton bill are designed in


Crossword: What in the world, in 2014

Which former druglord's hippos were wreaking havoc in his now deserted estate? (Reuters) From the rise of Islamic State to the unending chaos in Ukraine and the deadly spread of Ebola, a series of big news events defined 2014. Here at WorldViews, we put together questions from some of the events, big and small, that made headlines, to test how closely you've been following the news this year. If you've played this puzzle before, you know the rules. If you're new to this, here are some things you should know: The clock starts when you click the "START" button. The target time to complete this puzzle is 15 minutes. To see how scoring works, read this post. Note that we've added a feature which allows you to read related stories to reveal the word by clicking on the yellow light bulb icon on the top right corner of the puzzle board below. You will be docked five points if you use this option. Have at it.


NASA image captures x-rays streaming off the sun

X-rays shooting off the sun, in green and blue. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/GSFC) The sun isn't a smooth, contained ball of plasma. It's actually got radiation shooting off it all willy-nilly, all the time. But it's never looked quite as lovely as it does in the image above. The picture was made using observations taken by NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, or NuSTAR, which were laid over a picture taken by the Solar Dynamics Observatory. NuSTAR was designed to look at distant black holes, and this is the first time scientists have turned it on our own sun. "At first I thought the whole idea was crazy," mission principal investigator Fiona Harrison said in a statement. "Why would we have the most sensitive high energy X-ray telescope ever built, designed to peer deep into the universe, look at something in our own back yard?" But only NuSTAR was powerful enough to capture the faint x-ray emissions of the star, which are seen in green and blue. These high-energy x-rays come from gas heated higher than 3 million degrees. The sun has been pretty active lately, throwing off lots of radiation. But as it calms in the coming years, NASA scientists hope that NuSTAR will be able to detect theoretical nanoflares -- tiny eruptions of radioactive particles, like smaller versions of the solar storms we can observe, that have never been recorded. From NASA: Nanoflares, should they exist, may explain why the sun's outer atmosphere, called the corona, is sizzling hot, a mystery called the "coronal heating problem." The corona is, on average, 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit (1 million degrees Celsius), while the surface of the sun is relatively cooler at 10,800 Fahrenheit (6,000 degrees Celsius). It is like a flame coming out of an ice cube. Nanoflares, in combination with flares, may be sources of the intense heat. And it's less likely, but NuSTAR could help scientists spot dark matter, too. It's possible that the telescope is sensitive enough to spot particles of dark matter called axions. If they exist (and can be spotted) they'd show up as a spot of x-rays in the center of the star.


Army general to decide fate of former prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl

A four-star Army general will review the case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, shown here as a private first class in 2009. He went missing from his patrol base in June 2009, and was recovered by U.S. troops in May in exchange for five Taliban detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (AFP PHOTO / HANDOUT / US ARMY ) A four-star Army general in North Carolina will determine whether or not to bring charges against a U.S. soldier who went missing in Afghanistan in 2009, Army officials said Monday. Service officials said the results of an investigation of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was recovered this May in exchange for five Taliban detainees, has been forwarded to Gen. Mark Milley, the commanding general of U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort Bragg, N.C. Milley will determine what will happen next for Bergdahl, with the options ranging from no further action being taken by the Army to the soldier being court-martialed. Army officials declined to provide any additional information. “We cannot discuss or disclose the findings of the investigation while disciplinary decisions are pending before commanders,” Army officials said in a statement. The investigation likely determines whether Bergdahl deserted his patrol base in Afghanistan in 2009 and what kind of treatment he faced after being taken prisoner by insurgents. He was held by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group allied with the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Eugene Fidell, Bergdahl’s attorney, said that in choosing Milley to review the case the Army has “brought in the big guns” to determine the outcome. The service has treated Bergdahl with respect, he added, predicting a “wise and sensible outcome.” “I think the best thing for all involved is if they concentrate on the matter at hand and sort out as best they can where the facts, circumstances and equities point,” said Fidell, a military justice expert and lecturer at Yale University. As the Associated Press reported Friday, senior Pentagon leaders have been briefed on the investigation already. Bergdahl could get up to $300,000 in back pay over the five years he was held, but also faces the prospect of losing his military benefits if he is convicted of desertion or going absent without leave.


From Michelin stars to Teslas, what Washington VIPs want for Christmas

“An arts education to be included in every child’s school day,” said Rutter, who would also love “a day at the spa with my daughter.” Chris Pontius, DC United midfielder “You know how they say that as you get older the things that mean more to you are not necessarily the more expensive things? For the past few years my parents have framed my clutch jersey in the national championship game and my first ever pro jersey,” said Pontius. “So I hope they surprise me with something else meaningful.” But the soccer star is “getting into golf.” So he did ask for one thing: “Basically it tells your distance from the pin, I think it’s called a range finder.” Debbie Dingell, incoming Democratic congresswoman from Michigan “I want good health for everyone in the New Year,” said Dingell, who’s hoping for a swift recovery for her husband, retiring Rep. John Dingell, after he fractured his hip this month. Pressed for something that comes in a box, she confessed to having a Michigan-crafted item on her wish list: “A Shinola watch!” Daniel Savetta, Washington Ballet company dancer “I have a lot of family members in Australia and it would be a dream to have some family members travel over to see me perform in The Washington Ballet’s world premiere of Septime Webre’s ‘Sleepy Hollow’ in February,” said Savetta. And for a stocking stuff the dancer fancies, “a trip to Croatia or Italy. Trips like that put a lot of things into perspective. A nice sheer wool scarf couldn’t hurt either.” Patrick O’Connell, chef and owner, Inn at Little Washington “It would make me very happy if the Guide Michelin finally decided to rate the restaurants of Washington, D.C.,” said O’Connell. Maha Sharma, owner of Blo Dupont, Washington D.C. “The holidays are about spending time with family, and my Frenchie Henry is like a son to me,” said Sharma. “I’m a big fan of the Washington Humane Society’s annual Fashion For Paws event, but I’d like to keep partnering with them to help raise funds and provide homes for abused animals.” But if she had to choose a bucket list Christmas gift, Sharma said, “I’ve always wanted to go skydiving, and I hear the best place to go is in Sydney, Australia. The thrill of jumping out of a plane and losing control would be a the kind of Christmas gift I’d


Why 2014 was the year of pot

recreational pot became legal in the state. (Elaine Thompson/AP) Washington became the second state to successfully implement pot legalization, with sales beginning about six months after they began in Colorado. 12. New York Times editorial board calls for an end to prohibition (July 27) (Back to the top) 13. Study: Medical marijuana laws associated with 25 percent fewer prescription overdose deaths (August 25) (Back to the top) (Matt Rourke/AP) A study published in the Aug. 25 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine finds that the annual number of deaths from prescription drug overdose is 25 percent lower in states with legal medical marijuana, giving credence to arguments that the drug has medical benefits and could save lives as an alternative to existing medicines. 14. Philadelphia becomes largest U.S. city to decriminalize marijuana possession (Oct. 20) (Back to the top) 15. Federal court considers whether marijuana should be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance (Oct. 27) (Back to the top) 16. Two more states and D.C. vote to legalize (Nov. 4) (Back to the top) Taylor Bickford, right, spokesman for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol; Chris Rempert, center, the campaign’s political director; and Bruce Schulte of the Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Legislation talk to reporters Nov. 5 in Anchorage, Alaska. (Ted S. Warren/AP) Voters in Alaska, Oregon and Washington, D.C., voted to legalize marijuana within their borders, not only doubling the number of states where voters have approved legalization, but also helping advocates in portraying such a policy shift as inevitable. They are already targeting a number of states in 2016. 17. Florida medical marijuana loses, with 58 percent of the vote (Nov. 4) (Back to the top) 18. Native American reservations allowed to legalize marijuana (Dec. 11) (Back to the top) 19. Congress blocks D.C. legalization (Dec. 13) (Back to the top) Adam Eidinger, left, Dr. Malik Burnett and Michael Brown, right, depart the Office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, after staging a sit down protest over the overturning of the marijuana law recently passed Dec. 10, 2014. in Washington, D.C. Eidinger and Burnett are with the DC Cannabis Campaign, and Brown is one of the District’s shadow senators. (Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post) A Republican provision inserted into the $1.1 trillion spending deal bans the use of taxpayer funds to enact marijuana legalization, though city officials appear to be preparing for a showdown over legalization regardless. 20.


D.C. area forecast: Damp, unsettled weather through Christmas Eve with sun returning Christmas Day

1:15 p.m. update: Area covered by dense fog advisory (National Weather Service) TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 3/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL Radar & lightning: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation and lightning strikes over past two hours. Refresh page to update. Our super-saturated situation persists through Christmas Eve with light stuff today, and heavier rain late tonight into Christmas Eve. We could even see a thunderstorm Christmas Eve night. Then finally, drier weather arrives by Christmas Day along with the most sun we’ve seen all week. Christmas Day stands to be windy, but it at least ushers in a drier period that carries us through Saturday when temperatures run warmer than normal. Another front and potential storm system approach on Sunday though. Today (Tuesday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Christmas Eve): Tomorrow night: Pentagon City metro station entrance, December 22. (Erinn Shirley via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD Christmas Day Friday The weekend starts off on nicer and drier footing with partly to mostly sunny skies on Saturday with temperatures into the warmer middle 50s, but clouds increase Saturday night as lows drop into the 30s and 40s. Sunday introduces a cold front and a potential low pressure tracking along it with more rain potentially by afternoon and evening as temperatures reach into the 40s. There is a very small chance it could end as snow showers later Sunday night. Confidence: Low-Medium


Sakuramen owners to open BUL in Adams Morgan on Dec. 30

When Jonathan Cho was growing up in Taegu, South Korea, he would look forward to the days when his parents asked him and his brother to run errands at the market. After buying the items on their parents' list, the brothers were free to spend the change on snacks at pojangmacha, or street vendors. Busan odeng tang, which will be on the menu at BUL in Adams Morgan. (Maura Judkis/The Washington Post) "We’d use those pennies that were left over, and we’d buy these snacks on the side of the road on the way back ... whether it was fish cake boiling in broth, or some kind of heavy, spice-based thing on a stick that you’d carry around," Cho said. "I remember sitting on the side of the curb with my brother -- we’d have our little bag of groceries -- and just eating." Yakitori at BUL. (Maura Judkis/The Washington Post) Those childhood memories inspired Cho to open BUL, an Asian street food restaurant, in the long-vacant Cafe Lautrec space just a few doors down from his Adams Morgan ramen restaurant, Sakuramen. Pronounced "boool," the name is Korean for fire or light. "In terms of the food, we do a lot of open-flame grilling, yakitori," said Cho. "But the image or metaphor of a fire is a very powerful thing." Cho's wife, MyungEun Cho, will split her duties between Sakuramen and BUL as chef, has devised a menu of Japanese yakitori, or skewered grilled meats, prawns and veggies -- some as cheap as $3 -- as well as larger entrees of fried rice, Korean omelettes and spicy ddukbokki, or rice cakes. Busan odeng tang, Cho's beloved childhood treat of fish cakes in broth, also is on the menu. The Chos make their own kimchi, which is used in many of the dishes. Some of the recipes come from family: "We still have Korean grandmas who give us pretty good advice," he said. BUL will seat 75, and eight at the bar. (Maura Judkis/The Washington Post) The restaurant, outfitted in brick and metal with a mural by artist Jin Chung, seats 75, with an eight-seat bar. It won't have its liquor license for a few more weeks, so the beverage program will consist of kombucha in the meantime. Eventually, Cho said he hopes he'll truly be able to bring the pojangmacha feeling to Adams Morgan by selling some of the snacks


The Top 10 local stories of 2014

Yes, kiddos, we’re coming to the close of another year. I love lists, so we’ll take this time to countdown the top stories of 2014, before people head off into their vacation caves until New Year’s. When I was putting this list together, I thought about getting loose with it, and expanding to a Top 25, but that seemed to get unwieldy. Per usual, we’ll start with our honorable mentions before getting to the rankings. Here are the rest: Ben Bradlee, former executive editor of The Washington Post, dies at 93; D.C. United finally gets a stadium deal in the city; the simple act of trash removal becomes a circus in the District; Bao Bao makes her public debut at the zoo and lastly, THE NATIONALS 18-INNING PLAYOFF GAME. If you were there, you will never, ever forget it. I know, because I was. The entire time. As a reminder, here are last year’s choices. Let’s get to it. Jordan Schneider, 24, of D.C., cheers for the U.S. this summer with an American flag tied around his neck and a red, white, and blue hat on. (Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post) 10. World Cup 2014 The D.C. area made its mark as the country’s largest soccer-viewing market during the tournament this summer, setting record ratings in the opener and leading the way until it ended. Not only were people watching on television, and the bars were packed, but the viewing venues multiplied as well. Outdoor showings happened in Dupont Circle, at Freedom Plaza and even the National Portrait Gallery showed a few matches. Heck, the D.C. Council took a break from a meeting to show a U.S. match at the Wilson Building. Overall, it was a fun spectacle for a month and any footy fan in the area certainly got their fill anywhere he or she went. Linda Crocker Simmons, curator emerita of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and a member of the Save the Corcoran advisory board, takes the podium at a memorial service Saturday for the museum, which is closing. (Kate Patterson/For The Washington Post) 9. Corcoran Gallery and College of Art dissolve as we know them For the past few years, the fate of the formerly independently operated art gallery and connecting art school has been up in the air. There were rumors of a deal with University of Maryland to keep the facility alive, then the


Street Smart: What to do in Dupont Circle

Once a Victorian-era neighborhood for Washington’s fashionable elite, Dupont Circle has earned a present-day rep as a reliable destination for night life and art. Today, the historic community hosts a healthy mix of history, creative entrepreneurs and homegrown labors of love. La Tomate Caffe. Photo by Kris Coronado La Tomate Caffe Rather than passively ruminate on the decline in business last winter, La Tomate owner Natalina Koropoulos began brainstorming ways to entice customers back to the 27-year-old Italian eatery. Her solution? Let them eat ricotta cheesecake … and sliced-to-order prosciutto … and fresh mozzarella. All are among the lighter offerings served at the small cafe adjacent to the original restaurant. Art Jamz. Photo by Kris Coronado ArtJamz What began as a "wouldn't it be neat if" conversation among friends has become a four-year-old business for former Washington Life executive editor Michael Clements. The paint-and-sip concept lets customers wield a paintbrush and a libation simultaneously. Fountain at Dupont Circle. Photo by Kris Coronado Dupont Circle Fountain Think of the marble fountain at the center of Dupont Circle's grassy roundabout as a congressional apology. Designed by architect Henry Bacon and sculptor Daniel Chester French, it was dedicated in 1921 and replaced a bronze statue of the man it honors, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Samuel Francis Du Pont. Du Pont ended his career disgracefully during the Civil War when he was ordered to capture Charleston, pitting his ships against a well-fortified Fort Sumter. The defeated Du Pont was subsequently relieved of duty. Steve and Phil's Garden. Photo by Kris Coronado Steve and Phil's Garden East side of Dupont Circle between Massachusetts Avenue and P Street In the late '90s, Phil Carney started straightening up a neglected U-shaped patch along the outer rim of the thoroughfare. "It was just trash and weeds," recalls the federal retiree. "I just thought it was an embarrassment." The small green space is now a source of local pride - brimming with dozens of seasonal flower and plant varieties - thanks to the continued gratis maintenance of Carney and former Dupont resident Steve Aupperle. Shizu Okusa of JDrink. Photo by Kris Coronado JRINK It's not every day that one gets a shout-out from Nationals wonder boy Bryce Harper, but that's what happened to Shizu Okusa last spring, when Harper lauded the cold-press juicery months after she and her former World Bank colleague Jennifer Ngai launched. In May, JRINK set


Russian coach sues over doping documentary, while world’s sports authority investigates

(Hendrik Schmidt/EPA) Russia is generally pretty good at brushing off Western European complaints about the homeland as anti-Russian propaganda. But a German documentary that alleged 99 percent of Russian athletes are doping is having far-reaching consequences within Russia’s borders. The documentary that aired in television in early December has one coach, with the backing of Russia’s sports authorities, going to court to fight the allegations brought on by the documentary’s main whistleblowers — middle-distance runner Yulia Stepanova and her husband Vitaly Stepanov, a former Russian Anti-Doping Agency official. The director of the film Hajo Seppelt is also being sued, Reuters (via the Moscow Times) reports. “This documentary came about due to clever editing. I did not give anyone banned substances,” Coach Vladimir Kazanin said Tuesday. “It is a really strange situation: Yulia was disqualified for doping offenses and at the same time says she wants the sport to be clean.” The 62-year-old did not answer questions about allegations that it’s sometimes the coaches in Russia who give the athletes the drugs, a practice the documentary claims to have caught undercover video of happening. “The coaches chose a girl, fed her pills and then she’d be off,” Stepanova, a former 800-meter runner who was banned because of abnormalities in her biological passport, said in the documentary. “And the next day she’d be banned and then they’d say: ‘We’ll find a new one.’ ” Meanwhile, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has reportedly begun a widespread investigation into allegations brought in the documentary. According to Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, WADA officials have taken over 3,000 samples from local athletes for testing. “A three-person commission from WADA, led by the director of science, has already come to visit us,” Mutko told Russia sports newswire R-Sport. “According to my information, they took about 3,000 samples to be checked in a laboratory in Cologne as well as other laboratories.” Mutko, who noted he initially wrote to WADA after the documentary aired inviting them to visit, added that the ministry has been and will continue to be completely open.


D.C. area forecast: The sun returns for a limited 3-day engagement

TODAY’S DAILY DIGIT 5/10: EXPRESS FORECAST Today: FORECAST IN DETAIL Satellite: Latest regional satellite shows movement of clouds over the past two hours. A white Christmas it is not. But look at the bright side: no worries about getting to Grandma’s house today. Just hold onto your Santa hats – it will be breezy. Friday and Saturday are fully on board this spell of mild weather – so give those new bikes a spin and head back out to the shops worry-free. The clear nights afford great opportunities for planet viewing whether or not you got a telescope for Christmas. Spot Venus at dusk followed by Jupiter rising mid-evening and then a glowing Saturn in the predawn sky. The only concern in the forecast is showers likely bringing an end to our fun in the sun on Sunday. Christmas Day (Thursday): Tonight: For related traffic news, check out Dr. Gridlock. Keep reading for the forecast through the weekend… Tomorrow (Friday): Tomorrow night: Christmas Tree at the Park at CityCenter (John Jack Photography via Flickr) A LOOK AHEAD Saturday Sunday Monday SNOW POTENTIAL INDEX 1/10 (↑):


Elon Musk’s next trick: Landing a rocket upright on a barge in the middle of the sea.

Video released by SpaceX shows test flights of the Falcon 9 Reusable rocket. And now for Elon Musk’s next trick. The billionaire entrepreneur is on the verge of attempting an audacious maneuver that could make his next space flight notable not just for the takeoff, but for the landing. Typically rocket boosters have their few minutes in the fiery, 3-2-1 spotlight, propelling the rest of the stages into the great beyond, before petering out and crashing unceremoniously into the sea. But Musk thinks that ditching one of the most expensive parts of the rocket is an unnecessary waste. Musk's Falcon 9 can launch, but can it land? Credit: SPACEX So SpaceX, his startup space company, has designed a rocket he hopes will be able to launch, then return to Earth, touching down softly on the bullseye of a barge floating in the Atlantic Ocean. Musk, the founder of Paypal and Tesla Motors, said that the odds of pulling off such an unprecedented feat “are not great—perhaps 50 percent at best.” But if SpaceX is able to one day stick the landing of the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket with consistency, it would mark a significant advancement for space flight. For years, Musk has been working on a way to land and reuse rockets. In two previous launches this year, the company completed soft landings in the ocean, briefly hovering over the water before toppling over. “Unfortunately, it sort of sat there for several seconds then tipped over and exploded,” Musk said during a forum at MIT in October. “It’s as tall as a 14-story building. When a 14-story building falls over, it’s quite a belly flop.” On its next trip to resupply the International Space Station, scheduled for Jan. 6, SpaceX aims to land the rocket on a barge 300 feet long by 170 feet wide, using its engine thrust to slow down from a velocity of about 3,000 mph. In tests, the company has practiced launching the rocket hundreds to thousands of feet into the air and then reeling it back down slowly, as if tethered to kite string before landing square on the landing pad. But stabilizing such a large rocket coming back from a great distance at high speeds isn’t easy —“like trying to balance a rubber broomstick on your hand in the middle of a wind storm,” Musk said. And rocket science is full


An Islamic State family portrait

Kevin Sullivan and Karla Adam have the disturbing story of Islamic State recruits being enticed by promise of a family friendly life here.


Military Bowl Briefing: What to do and where to eat

grits, and lamb sliders. The daily happy hour, which includes $1 oysters from 3 to 7 p.m., is prime time to visit, and there's a solid choice of craft beers. (26 Market Space; www.factorsrowannapolis.com.) Chick & Ruth's Delly is the most popular restaurant in Annapolis, if the weekend lines are anything to go by. Tourists, midshipmen and locals are happy to wait for the all-day breakfasts, with a choice of 20 omelets with homefries or grits, or dozens of speciality sandwiches and burgers, many of which are named for local politicians. After all, you are in the state capital. (165 Main St.; www.chickandruths.com.) Dry 85, which celebrates its first birthday on New Year's Day, is the city's top whiskey bar, offering more than 100 bourbons and ryes, including special bottlings you'll find nowhere else, while 17 taps pour local craft beers and shots. The food is hearty, especially at Sunday's Bacon Brunch, where pork stars in every dish. (193B Main St.; www.dry85.com.) Eastport, across Spa Creek from downtown, is the historic home of shipwrights and sailors. One of their principal hangouts is Boatyard Bar and Grill, where you'll find a top-notch raw bar, great rum drinks and a stellar crabcake. (The first lady has even been in to try them.) The food and the nautical decor are worth the walk across the drawbridge for dinner or brunch. (400 Fourth St.; www.boatyardbarandgrill.com.) Quick bar advice: Those looking for a great Irish pub should head to the cozy Galway Bay. If your taste runs to wine, Red Red Wine has all the flights you'll need, and reds and whites on tap. Level makes stellar cocktails to pair with inventive small plates, and Davis' Pub is the quintessential neighborhood dive with friendly regulars, canned beers and surprisingly good bar food, starting with the jumbo pretzel smothered in crab dip. Finally, because it's the Military Bowl, we must mention that the U.S. Naval Academy is open for visitors daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, though everyone 18 and older must show a valid government I.D. You're free to look around the U.S. Naval Academy Museum (closed today, open Saturday and Sunday), or the Chapel, where John Paul Jones is buried in the crypt. For the full experience, register for a guided tour, which costs $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $8 for children in the first through 12th grade.


Amazingly, astronomy can explain the biblical Star of Bethlehem

that it could have led the wise men to Jerusalem? Next, in order to reach Bethlehem, the wise men had to travel directly south from Jerusalem; somehow that “star in the east” “went before them, ’til it came and stood over where the young child was.” Now we have our second first-Christmas astronomy puzzle: How can a star “in the east” guide our wise men to the south? The North Star guides lost hikers to the north, so shouldn’t a star in the east have led the wise men to the east? And we have yet a third first-Christmas astronomy puzzle: How does Matthew’s star move “before them,” like the taillights on the snowplow you might follow during a blizzard, and then stop and stand over the manger in Bethlehem, inside of which supposedly lies the infant Jesus? The astronomer in me knows that no star can do these things, nor can a comet, or Jupiter, or a supernova, or a conjunction of planets or any other actual bright object in the nighttime sky. One can claim that Matthew’s words describe a miracle, something beyond the laws of physics. But Matthew chose his words carefully and wrote “star in the east” twice, which suggests that these words hold a specific importance for his readers. Can we find any other explanation, consistent with Matthew’s words, that doesn’t require that the laws of physics be violated and that has something to do with astronomy? The answer, amazingly, is yes. Astronomer Michael Molnar points out that “in the east” is a literal translation of the Greek phrase en te anatole, which was a technical term used in Greek mathematical astrology 2,000 years ago. It described, very specifically, a planet that would rise above the eastern horizon just before the sun would appear. Then, just moments after the planet rises, it disappears in the bright glare of the sun in the morning sky. Except for a brief moment, no one can see this “star in the east.” We need a little bit of astronomy background here. In a human lifetime, virtually all the stars remain fixed in their places; the stars rise and set every night, but they do not move relative to each other. The stars in the Big Dipper appear year after year always in the same place. But the planets, the sun, and the moon wander through the fixed stars; in


NFL coaching moves could come quickly as teams must line up rapidly to pursue Jim Harbaugh

In none of those cases would the firing come as a surprise. Tony Sparano has been the Raiders’ interim coach since owner Mark Davis fired Dennis Allen four games into the season. Jets Coach Rex Ryan reportedly already has begun to clean out his office. Bears Coach Marc Trestman has shared the bulk of the criticism with quarterback Jay Cutler as that team has struggled to a 5-10 record. The questions in New York and Chicago are whether general managers John Idzik of the Jets and Phil Emery of the Bears will be dismissed as well. Decisions about other NFL coaches are not as clear-cut. The New York Giants are said to be mulling whether retain Coach Tom Coughlin and General Manager Jerry Reese as their 6-9 season draws to a close. Coughlin is a two-time Super Bowl winner and the Giants are among the sport’s most patient, stable organizations. They also have won three straight games since a 3-9 beginning. The Atlanta Falcons play the Carolina Panthers for the NFC South title Sunday. It’s not clear whether a loss by the Falcons, which would drop their record to 6-10, would renew questions about the job security of their coach, Mike Smith. Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has said he will retain Joe Philbin as his team’s coach. A person familiar with the Washington Redskins’ planning said last week he expected the Redskins to keep both Coach Jay Gruden and quarterback Robert Griffin III for next season despite the apparent issues that Gruden and Griffin have had trying to co-exist this season. Whichever teams don’t land Harbaugh will be left choosing from a pool of candidates that includes highly regarded Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and offensive coordinators Adam Gase of Denver, Pep Hamilton of Indianapolis and Josh McDaniels of New England. Mike Shanahan, who was fired by the Redskins after last season, said last weekend on ESPN that he would consider a return to coaching under the right circumstances, and he previously had success with Cutler in Denver. Some in the league say they would not be shocked to see Ryan, who coached the Jets to appearances in the AFC championship game in his first two seasons with them, be interviewed for a head coaching job or two. Former Raiders coach Hue Jackson, now the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati, also is mentioned as a possible head coaching candidate.


The 14 most glorious posts on Craigslist in 2014

It’s almost 2015, and we are still a society that depends on Craigslist. For selling our junk, for finding love…for laughing at people’s ridiculousness. It is the corner of the Internet where we find genius ideas and perplexing strangers just a few clicks away from the used furniture we were looking for in the first place. The site allows its users to nominate posts for an ongoing listing of the “best of” Craigslist. Here for your scrolling pleasure, we round up the “best of” this year’s “best of.” 14. Home-made diapers for chickens. If “Do you have indoor chickens or ducks?” is a question you find normal, then this business venture is for you. For $9 to $12 each, your chicken’s butts can be swaddled in a butterfly-patterned fabric diaper. The face of the chicken is hidden, so we can’t know whether he or she is pleased to be wearing a butterfly diaper. (Craigslist) 13. Hottie-magnet beagle for rent: A Vermont couple went in search of someone to house-sit their puppy Bo in March, hoping to find a person who wants to try out having a dog — or who needs a canine for more romantic purposes. “We are not kidding; this dog is a hottie MAGNET. Add the sweater and you will literally have to spray yourself with sex-repellent before leaving the house.” Dog known for lady-attracting puppy eyes. (Craigslist) 12. Calling all buff dudes: A person is moving to Japan. This person is having a going-away party. So, naturally, “I need someone who is MUSCULAR, and is willing to dress in Dragon Ball Z attire for 2-3 hours holding trays of appetizers. Trays shall be held as if you were going to release a massive power attack.” 11. A squirrel died so your beer could be warm: Greetings from Macon, Ga., where in February this post for a “squirell skin coozie with beer debubbler apparatus” appeared. Your Bud Light can be kept warm by a sweater of squirrel fur, with a tail attached. It seems highly probable that each time you raise your can to drink, the tail will fall to your face, perhaps caressing your cheek. It is “dezined from the highest quality materials” after all. Dezined. Do they come in the size of the Styrofoam cup, too? (Craigslist) 10. Wedding arch – made of books: This is past every level of Pinterest marriage cute. For a


A bedbug trap may be near, researchers claim

Regine Gries kept bedbugs alive to learn how to kill them. (Courtesy of Simon Fraser University) Five years. Countless false starts. And 180,000 bites. That’s what researchers say it took to identify the Achilles heel of the bedbug — a tiny, resurgent demon feared by every landlord, tenant, hotelier and guest. A husband-and-wife team working at a Canadian university say they’ve identified a chemical mix that attracts the Lilliputian beasts, and know how to catch and trap them. “This trap will help landlords, tenants, and pest-control professionals determine whether premises have a bedbug problem, so that they can treat it quickly,” said Gerhard Gries of Simon Frasier University. “It will also be useful for monitoring the treatment’s effectiveness.” The Grieses reported their results in “Bedbug aggregation pheromone finally identified,” published in Angewandte Chemie, a chemistry journal. After all, just 50 years ago, bedbugs were presumed dead — eradicated by the toxic, but incredibly effective pesticide DDT. But DDT, a carcinogen that can damage the reproductive system, was banned in 1972, setting the stage for a bedbug renaissance. By the end of the 20th century, the insects were returning to urban areas, popping up in places both well-appointed and squalid. They came to New York’s Ritz-Carlton. They came to the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. And they came to the Senate. Some even wanted to bring DDT back. “Annoyance over lack of sleep due to biting bedbugs should trump tree-hugging political correctness over continuing the DDT ban,” wrote one Newsbusters blogger. There had to be a way out. So, over eight years, Gerhard Gries’s wife, Regine Gries, kept a population of bedbugs alive to study them. Their food: her blood. The colony was hungry and, unlike her husband and many people, Regine Gries did not experience excessive swelling when bitten. After much trial and error, the couple determined the chemical constituents of bedbug pheromone — a scented secretion with which creatures communicate with, and sometimes lure, the opposite sex. They determined that by luring bedbugs with the pheromone, they made them feel safe — before a histamine slipped into the mixture essentially paralyzed them, or, as the researchers put it, caused their “arrestment upon contact.” Whether or not they’ve recently fed, they stay in one place when exposed to the histamine. In other words, there was no way out for the bedbugs. A number of pest control formulations utilize pheromones


FDA approves new Roche Ebola test for emergency use

one death), concern about the disease remain high. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the agency had mishandled samples of the virus, possibly exposing one worker. So it's no surprise that Swiss company Roche has put its version of a rapid test forward. The LightMix Ebola Zaire rRT-PCR Test works in about three hours, and is designed for Roche's testing consoles. Those letters in the test name stand for "real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction." That means the test works by detecting the signs of the Ebola virus on a genetic level. Here's how the virus spreads and how contact tracing works to stop outbreaks. The test starts by looking for a specific chunk of mRNA, or messenger RNA, which are molecules that carry genetic information from DNA over to the parts of a cell that produce proteins. The test then translates that mRNA strand into the corresponding DNA strand, and uses a process called a polymerase chain reaction to copy the DNA strand millions of times over. Once there's enough DNA to test, the clinician can see whether the original mRNA strand was the right one, and be sure that it's really present in the blood sample. Several other rRT-PCR tests Why approve multiple tests? The consoles that run these kinds of diagnostics are expensive, so a brand-specific test might not be universally usable by hospitals around the U.S. The emergency-use designation allows certain laboratories in the country to use the test in response to the current outbreak. The drug has been tested, but not rigorously enough to achieve the FDA's full stamp of approval. Roche will still have to go through those hoops in order for the test to be standard issue at labs and hospitals. [Related: 7 painful lessons that Ebola taught us] Unfortunately, adding more in-lab tests probably won't do much to improve Ebola diagnoses. Right now the biggest concern is that many patients are far from labs equipped with these expensive testing apparatuses. What the CDC is really waiting for is a rapid test that can be carried around and administered by aid workers in the field. If Ebola could be accurately diagnosed with a cheek swab dipped into a vial of testing solution, for example, health-care workers on the scene would be able to act more quickly to contain and treat patients in the early stages of the virus.


The best Middle East political science books of 2014

the broader Middle East, with the rents that accrue from oil thought to retard the development of democracy and to enable the construction of large, fierce security establishments to preserve autocratic power. Herb significantly advances our understanding of the precise mechanisms by which oil rents reshape political institutions and behavior. While Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates are the primary empirical focus, he ranges far wider across the Gulf and to oil rent-based states across the world. Read Herb’s contribution to POMEPS Studies #3 The Arab Monarchy Debate, “Monarchy Matters” and watch his POMEPS Conversation. Tarek Masoud, “Counting Islam: Religion, Class and Elections in Egypt” (Cambridge University Press). The degree of popular support for the Muslim Brotherhood has been one of the most central questions about Egyptian politics over the past few years. Masoud offers one of the most methodologically rigorous and sophisticated analytical treatments of the question yet. He combines research on the ground with creative statistical analysis to address a range of important puzzles about the Brotherhood and Egyptian politics more broadly. Read Masoud on the Monkey Cage: “Why the modest harvest of the Arab spring?” (with Jason Brownlee and Andrew Reynolds); on POMEPS: “Why do Islamists provide services?” and watch his POMEPS Conversation. Toby Matthiesen, “The Other Saudis: Shiism, Dissent and Sectarianism” (Cambridge University Press). This sweeping history of the Shiites of Saudi Arabia immediately becomes a definitive account of their politics and social organization. Drawing on wide-ranging interviews inside and outside of Saudi Arabia, along with a wealth of novel documentary sources and political publications, Matthiesen presents a compelling account of the evolving relations between the Shiite community and the Saudi state, and of the Shiite networks that cross the Gulf and the region. Read Matthiesen on the Monkey Cage: “Sectarianism comes back to bite Saudi Arabia” and “Elite fragmentation and securitization in Bahrain;” and watch his POMEPS Conversation. Even though it doesn’t qualify for the actual competition on grounds of a conflict of interest, I’m still going to plug the work of more than a dozen of my colleagues in “The Arab Uprisings Explained: New Contentious Politics in the Middle East” (Columbia University Press). I believe that this collection, focused on the outbreak and spread of the uprisings rather than on their still-unknown outcomes, will stand as an enduring contribution to the political science of the region. And finally, the novel of the year for


NYT on auto title pawns

and labor a yard job which they then pay back on Wednesday or Thursday. Business is unpredictable so traditional small business loans aren’t useful for these businesses. Moreover, these liquidity needs often exceed the amounts allowed for payday loans under state laws (where permitted at all). (2) Unbanked: Auto title pawns (as with traditional pawn shops) are heavily used by unbanked consumers. Payday loans require a bank account against which a check can be drawn, so while there is some substitution between payday loans and pawns (both auto and traditional), those who use title pawns often are unable to access payday loans (in addition, those who use payday loans often see overdraft protection as a closer substitute than title pawns). Title pawns do not require a bank account and can generate cash quickly. Auto title pawns also have two substantial advantages over traditional pawns: first, cars are worth more than traditional pawned goods (the average pawnbroker loan is estimated to be about $70); second, one huge benefit of auto title pawns is that the consumer retains use of the collateral during the loan, rather than having to surrender it. As gold prices soared in recent years, traditional pawns became capable of generating more cash, as jewelry is one of the most common type of goods pawned (especially by women). But as gold prices have fallen, the value of pawned jewelry has fallen as well. (3) Larger loans: The final category of people are those with impaired for whom payday loans simply do not generate enough cash. According to the NYT story, Ms. O’Connor needed $1,000 for bills. Under Missouri law, payday loans are limited to $500, so even if she preferred to use a payday loan it appears that it would not have generated sufficient funds. Those who use fringe lending products almost never have access to credit cards, either because they don’t have them or they are maxxed out already. 2. Those who use auto title pawns have limited options: Most notably, according to Hawkins’s research, 8.5 percent of those who use auto title pawns report that if they could not pawn their car they would have had to instead sell the car outright in order to generate needed cash for bills. I’m not a mathematician, but by my estimate if you have to sell your car then that increases your likelihood of losing access to your car to


The home stretch: American troops in their final days of war in Afghanistan

A U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment shields himself from the rotor wash of a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter after being dropped off for a mission with the Afghan police near Jalalabad, December 20, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) On Sunday, a quiet flag-lowering ceremony held in Kabul by the U.S. and NATO was the ceremonial end to a tumultuous and bloody 13-year war in Afghanistan. The event officially marked the transition of the fighting from U.S.-led combat troops to the country’s own security forces, with the expectation being that a relatively small number of American troops will stay on in a few bases in Afghanistan to serve as specialized trainers. Photojournalist Lucas Jackson has been embedded with the 3rd Calvary Regiment at the operating base Gamberi in the Laghman province of Afghanistan, and in December, he released intimate and up-close photographs documenting the daily life, training, and camaraderie of troops counting down their final days in the region. A U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment is watched as he fires a squad automatic weapon during a training mission near forward operating base Gamberi, in the Laghman province of Afghanistan, December 15, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) A U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment carries a machine gun part after a mission at forward operating base Gamberi in the Laghman province of Afghanistan December 12, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) A U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment casts a shadow on a sign painted on a blast barrier at Bagram Air Field in the Parwan province of Afghanistan December 23, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment listen to a translation of an advising meeting at an Afghan National Army base near forward operating base Gamberi in the Laghman province of Afghanistan December 13, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) A shadow cast by a U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment shades bullet casings on the ground during a joint training mission, near forward operating base Gamberi in the Laghman province of Afghanistan December 12, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) U.S. soldiers from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment examine belts of bullets for corroded rounds during a training mission near operating base Gamberi, in the Laghman province of Afghanistan December 15, 2014. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters) A U.S. soldier from the 3rd Cavalry Regiment carries a box of mortar rounds after an exercise on forward operating base Gamberi in the Laghman province of Afghanistan December 24, 2014.


With Jim Harbaugh gone, top coaching candidates for Raiders, 49ers, Jets, Bears and Falcons

Ken Whisenhunt and Tampa Bay’s Lovie Smith — led their teams to a collective record of 42-70. Only the Lions and Texans had winning records. Only the Lions reached the playoffs. The Buccaneers and Titans each went 2-14 and they will have the top two selections in the NFL draft. The Redskins went 4-12. The coaches cut loose Sunday and Monday led their teams to a combined six conference championship games — three by Harbaugh with the 49ers, two by Ryan with the Jets and one by Smith with the Falcons. Harbaugh was to be the crown-jewel candidate during this NFL hiring cycle. The Browns tried but failed to complete a coaching trade for him last offseason. The Raiders, Jets and Bears seemed poised to chase him this time around. According to a person familiar with the league’s firing-and-hiring cycle, interested NFL teams continued even Monday to try to change Harbaugh’s mind but he apparently remained intent upon heading to Ann Arbor, Mich., and the Wolverines. Mike Shanahan, the former two-time Super Bowl-winning coach for the Denver Broncos, has said he would consider a return to coaching. He had success working with Cutler during their time in Denver and could be a candidate for the Bears or the 49ers, for whom he once was an assistant coach. Kyle Shanahan, Mike’s son and now the offensive coordinator of the Browns, also could be in the head-coaching interviewing mix. Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is regarded by many within the league as being more than ready to be a head coach. Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase is thought by some to be a rising star in the coaching ranks. They will be high on several teams’ lists of candidates. Former NFL head coaches could get another shot. Ryan might get a head coaching interview or two; some within the league are mentioning him as a possible candidate in Atlanta. Others in that category include offensive coordinators Hue Jackson of Cincinnati and Josh McDaniels of New England, along with Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. Former NFL head coach Jim Mora, now at UCLA, is being mentioned as a possible candidate for NFL teams, although it’s sometimes difficult to ascertain which college coaches are willing to be considered and make the leap to the pro game. Other highly regarded NFL assistant coaches likely to be in the interviewing mix are defensive coordinators


Close encounter with a bald eagle in Petworth

trying to collect an injured (dead?) squirrel from the road.” A bald eagle in the city is not that unusual, said Alicia Demay of City Wildlife, which rehabilitates wild animals found in urban areas and took care of the snowy owl that was later found dead in Minnesota in August after surviving an alleged collision with a Metro bus in D.C. (I say alleged because, while not quite at the level of a Grassy Knoll theory, not all birders buy that story.) In fact, POPville reported a sighting at the McMillan Reservoir in November. The D.C. snowy owl was part of the Snowy Owl Invasion of 2013. Snowy owls and bald eagles are both raptors. Is there something besides a desire for shorter commutes and better restaurants driving these wild animals into dense urban centers? No, said Ellen Paul, executive director of the Washington-based Ornithological Council. The forces driving bald eagles into the city are completely different from the ones that drew snowy owls from the Arctic Circle to as far south as Bermuda starting during the winter of 2011-2012. They were mostly young owls, Paul said, which has lead ornithologists to hypothesize that something — perhaps a bumper crop of rodents, a staple of their diet — lead to a surge in the snowy owl population that ended up outstripping the food supply, causing young owls to head south for grub. By contrast, the bald eagle spotted along New Hampshire Avenue most likely lives in the area. The DMV has plenty of suitable habitats for bald eagles, which reside by bodies of water in order to partake of a ready supply of fish, Paul said. Marylanders have reported eagle sightings in Columbia, Frederick, and Bowie. Virginians have spotted them in Manassas, Purcellville, and along the Dulles Greenway. The iconic birds have become a more common sight as the population has rebounded nationwide. The bald eagle was one of the first species to receive federal protection more than 40 years ago, but was removed from the Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants list in 2007. Paul said despite their reputation for being leery of humans, the bald eagles she has seen around the Beltway don’t appear to be that squeamish. She has seen eagles feasting on dead deer carcasses along I-270, and there is a pair that have lived in Potomac for years, along with all the other empty nesters.


PM Update: A sprinkle or flurry possible through the night, clearing Tuesday

Radar & lightning: Latest regional radar shows movement of precipitation and lightning strikes over past two hours. Refresh page to update. Colder weather made itself known today as highs rose to a range from 40-45 most spots. Clouds were tough to kick, and a few people even saw a snowflake or two. Some clearing did make it as far as northern Maryland before being pushed back a bit as we head into evening. The same general story continues through the night. A couple more random snowflakes (or rain drops) could fall as well. Through Tonight: Tomorrow (Tuesday): See Jason Samenow’s forecast through the weekend. And if you haven’t already, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter Looking toward D.C. on Saturday night. (DiManis via Flickr) Snow, at least somebody’s got it: Another view of the 11" that fell a couple of days ago. More snow expected Wednesday and Thursday! #powderdays http://t.co/pc1QeUifgg Mountain report: Shadows is bottomless: http://t.co/dZRdhg32sd #ChampagnePowder #SteamboatResort http://t.co/Xwd5mfJc2m Snowy day at #SteamboatResort RT @gh272: Still snowing 😃 http://t.co/KsPgTxUM8y


‘The Tragedy of the American Military’ is the latest attempt to define the Pentagon’s troubles

A U.S. soldier is shown in this April 2014 file photo walking next to the razor wire-topped fence at the abandoned “Camp X-Ray” detention facility at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. AFP PHOTO/MLADEN ANTONOVMLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images The Atlantic magazine has unveiled a new cover story bluntly titled “The Tragedy of the American Military.” Written by James Fallows, it explores the problems and culture of the U.S. military after more than 13 years of war, and what it might take to fix them. In particular, Fallows targets the “chickenhawk nation” that has sent its troops into combat without clear strategies, weapons acquisition programs that are expensive and politically connected, and an American public that is largely disconnected from the wars. Fallows also reports on the findings of a commission that President Obama requested in 2011 to examine how the Pentagon could best be reformed. The commission, headed by former Sen. Gary Hart (D.-Colo.), made a series of recommendations that will be familiar to those following defense policy in Washington. It sought the creation of another panel to assess the lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan, a separate effort to determine how the decision-making process for the use of military force should work in the future, and for the president himself to help bridge the gap between those who have served and the rest of American society. “Barack Obama, busy on other fronts, had no time for this,” wrote Fallows, who served in the Carter administration. “The rest of us should make time, if we hope to choose our wars more wisely, and win them.” The piece has created buzz on social media, in part because of the senior officials and famous academics quoted in it. But it’s the latest in a long line of journalism this year that grapples with how the military should reassess and reinvent itself following wars that have cost billions of dollars and thousands of American lives, without many clear victories. In one recent example, the Military Times newspapers published a series of stories relying heavily on a poll of 2,300 active-duty troops. The articles described a military in turmoil as it adjusts to changes like the end of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that banned gay men and women from serving openly in the military and the integration of women in more ground combat units. The Military Times stories also highlighted plummeting


The Switchboard: Inside China’s sophisticated Web propaganda operation

(marcohk / Flickr) Published every weekday, the Switchboard is your morning helping of hand-picked stories from the Switch team. After today, The Switchboard will be off for the rest of the week — but check back with us on Jan. 5 for more tech news. Hacked emails reveal China’s elaborate and absurd internet propaganda machine. A Q with Lizard Squad, the hackers who say they helped infiltrate Sony's network. Net neutrality to dominate D.C.’s tech agenda. Elon Musk’s SpaceX is preparing for its craziest rocket test yet. NVIDIA corporate network breached.