Construction set to begin next week on Prince George’s County’s first Whole Foods Market

Construction of Prince George’s County’s first Whole Foods Market is set to begin next week and the store will open in late 2015, the project’s developer said Thursday. The Whole Foods store, planned for a wooded property on the northwestern boundary of Riverdale Park, was stalled for nearly two years. During the lengthy approval process, residents and some elected officials from nearby towns argued that the new grocery would worsen traffic in the already congested Route 1 corridor. Washington-based Calvin Cafritz Enterprises is building the store as the anchor of a $250 million development that includes nearly 1,000 units of multifamily housing, a 120-room hotel, 22,000 square feet of office space and about 168,000 square feet of retail space. General contractor L.F. Jennings estimated that site work for the development will take 10 months and run concurrently with construction of the first phase of the project, including Whole Foods. The store is slated to open late next year, a year after the original proposed opening date. “Of course, we always hoped it would happen sooner, but we anticipated that it would take a while,” developer Jane Cafritz said. The Cafritz family has owned the 37-acre site, on Route 1 north of East-West Highway, for about 50 years and has been in talks about the project since 2006. Construction of the grocery store, known for its natural and organic products, is a major milestone for Prince George’s, where residents have complained for decades that their communities are underserved and shunned by high-end retailers. County Executive Rushern L. Baker III (D) has said Whole Foods will be an economic boost to the county. Riverdale Park Mayor Vernon Archer, a longtime supporter of the Cafritz project, said the town’s largest new development could be a revitalizing force in the community, attracting other new businesses. “I am very excited and happy that we are finally getting there,” Archer said, noting the months of delays and the many lengthy public hearings about the development. “The Cafritz project is going to start moving something other than mountains of paper and start the actual process of building.” But the developer still faces a few hurdles, including pending legal action. The town of University Park, which borders the development, withdrew one suit last month but has another pending against the project. University Park Mayor John Tabori said the town’s fight is over specifications for a bridge to be


Growth of prepaid could be boon for banks on the back end

purpose products might be a bit more profitable on the front end, but it’s difficult to retain those consumers because often there’s not a consistent stream of income tied to the card.” Barbella said the industry has benefited from an explosion in the use of prepaid cards since the credit crisis. Consumers made 2.78 billion prepaid Visa and MasterCard transactions totaling $99.5 billion in 2012, up 19 percent from the prior year, according to the most recent data from Nilson Report, a trade publication. Bancorp Bank is the largest prepaid sponsor, with nearly 25 percent of the market share, according to Nilson. The firm, along with its main competitor MetaBank, has held top rank in the sponsorship business during continued consolidation. As government regulators raise concerns about safeguards and fees tied to benefit and payroll cards, some banks have exited the market. Earlier this month, JPMorgan Chase said it planned to stop issuing prepaid cards for corporations and the government, in light of a New York state probe into the fees workers encounter for using the cards. “The barriers to entry are so much more significant now than they were eight or 10 years ago,” Barbella said. Banks have to ask themselves: “Can you really afford to comply at the levels required when you don’t have a portfolio in place to generate the revenues to offset that expense?” McBride contends that regulatory and reputation risk are a part of the calculation in every service that banks offer, and the growth opportunities in sponsorship may be enough to offset that gamble. “Payment transactions have been an area that banks have identified as a potential for revenue stream where if they’re not careful,” they can be pushed out of the business altogether, he said. “They understand the risks.” There is more than one avenue for banks to participate in the prepaid market, McBride said, noting that more banks are offering their own cards to existing customers and people who might not qualify for a checking account. About a dozen of the country’s largest banks, including JPMorgan and PNC Bank, offer their own prepaid cards. It is unclear how much banks are making from these cards, as they don’t break out the revenue in their earnings. But the cards are attractive because they are exempt from an amendment in Dodd-Frank that restricts the amount banks can earn from debit and credit card fees.


Maryland school board asks for dismissal in Talbot lacrosse players’ suit

Casey Edsall, 17, left, and Graham Dennis, 17,right, both juniors and Easton High School lacrosse players, were disciplined for carrying a lighter and pen knife, respectively, in their lacrosse bags. (Kim Hairston/Baltimore Sun) A Maryland school board asked a federal court Thursday to dismiss a civil rights lawsuit filed by families of two former high school lacrosse players who were suspended for carrying small knives and a lighter in their sports gear bags that they said they were using to fix their equipment. The families alleged in their complaint that school officials in Talbot County, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, violated the students’ constitutional rights to due process and their protections against unlawful search and seizure. The suit was filed last month in U.S. District Court in Baltimore against Talbot County’s school board and four current or former school officials. The Maryland State Board of Education in 2012 ruled in favor of the lacrosse players - in a rare state reversal of student punishment - saying that the case was about “context and the appropriate exercise of discretion.” The board overturned the suspensions and ordered the incident be expunged from student records. In its motion for dismissal, Talbot County disputes the legal basis of the suit and cites protections to school officials from legal action. It argues the state board’s action “does not necessarily give rise to a federal cause of action for monetary damages.” Talbot County school officials also contend the search was not unlawful and the students’ due process rights were not violated.


Gmail was down for many users Friday afternoon

The Google logo is shown on an electronic screen at the Nasdaq MarketSite, Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan) (Mark Lennihan/AP) Productivity ground to a halt yet again as a brief outage at Google kept many users from being able to use Gmail on Friday afternoon. The worst of the outage lasted for approximately 10 minutes, though services remained unstable for about an hour. But it was long enough to send Gmail’s millions of users to Twitter to complain about not being able to check their e-mails. Those trying to access their accounts were greeted with an error message from Google saying that the accounts were temporarily unavailable. The message also directed users to look at the company’s Apps Status Dashboard for updates on the outage. The dashboard initially showed no disruptions for any Google services, but was later updated to show problems with Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Drive, Google Groups and other services. Some users on social media networks also reported that they were unable to open their Google+ accounts, even after mail had been restored. In a statement, Google said that it is “investigating reports of an issue with some Google services” and will be posting updates to its Apps Status Dashboard. All services on the Google Dashboard were working as intended, at about 4 p.m. on Friday afternoon. The company hasn’t released official usage numbers for Gmail in over a year — the firm last touted 425 million in June 2012 — but companies that partner with Gmail, such as Todoist, have said that Gmail now has over 500 million accounts. The service has not had a major outage since 2009, when an issue with one of the company’s servers caused communication problems for days. But hiccups with the system are not uncommon. Most recently, Gmail and Google Docs were both hit by a limited outage in April that left some users unable to access their messages, documents or Google chat for the better part of the morning. Related stories: Gmail, Google Docs hit with limited outage Follow The Post’s new tech blog, The Switch, where technology and policy connect.


Home value was an unneeded detail

Regarding the Jan. 20 Metro article “Georgetown man is fatally stabbed; son is charged”: Since most people have a rough idea of the value of Georgetown properties, why was it necessary to include the line “the couple had lived in the house, valued at just over $1 million”? If someone were killed in a neighborhood in Southeast, Southwest or Northeast Washington, would the value of that home also make it into the newspaper? Larry Davis, Arlington


Hail to the Pandas

It is a monumental day for the Washington football team and its new name. The old controversial team name and mascot are being replaced by the Washington Pandas and mascot Bao Bao. Beginning in the 2014-15 NFL season, adoring fans can purchase and wear Panda NFL jerseys over full panda suits and sit in the Bao Bao bleacher section at FedEx Field. In seeking to fend off soccer’s growing popularity worldwide, the NFL has granted team owner Daniel Snyder full marketing rights to the more than 1.3 billion Chinese citizens, bringing the net worth of the Pandas to a staggering $1.6 trillion — more than all other NFL teams combined. When asked to comment on finally changing his mind on renaming the team, Snyder said, “Just look at the Jan. 19 edition of The Post. Photos of Bao Bao were on the front page and two pages of the Metro section, and there were 39 illustrations in Outlook’s ‘Bamboozled’ feature. We’re used to The Post giving our team a lot of ink, but nothing like that. We envision that Bao Bao and the Pandas can dominate the Sports section soon and bring our team back to worldwide prominence and greatness.” Donnie Chapman, Clarksville ● A note of appreciation to Post illustrator Richard Johnson for his page of pandas in the Jan. 19 Outlook section. My wife and I have saved it and find each drawing a delight. James Hilleary, Bethesda


Going Out Guide: Free and easy events

MONDAY Yvonne Caruthers The former National Symphony Orchestra cellist performs a piece that combines music and storytelling. “In Search of the Perfect G-String” is a depiction of Caruthers’s life and the journey that led her to the NSO. Caruthers will portray different characters and play the cello. Tickets will be distributed in the States Gallery around 5:30 p.m. 6 p.m. Kennedy Center, Millennium Stage, 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600. www.kennedy-center.org . Best for mature audiences. TUESDAY Exploring identity: artists and policymakers In conjunction with the “Cultural Exchanges” exhibit at the Betty Mae Kramer Gallery, a panel discussion featuring Maryland state Sen. Jamin B. “Jamie” Raskin (D-Montgomery) and artists Shanye Huang and Pauline Jakobsberg will focus on cultural identity in American society. Susan Jenkins, chief executive of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, will moderate the discussion. “Cultural Exchanges” closes Feb. 7. 6 p.m. Silver Spring Civic Building, Betty Mae Kramer Gallery, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring. www.creativemoco.com/kramer-gallery . WEDNESDAY ‘Our America’ gallery talk Members of the American Art Museum’s conservation team present a gallery talk and tour of the “Our America: The Latino Presence in American Art” exhibit with commentary on some of the pieces. The exhibit, which features work by Carmen Herrera, Ruben Trejo and others, closes March 2. Yvonne Caruthers (William Haroutounian) Noon. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000. www.americanart.si.edu . THURSDAY Climate change and human origins At the National Museum of Natural History, Chris Scholz, professor of earth sciences at Syracuse University, discusses his research in Africa and how climate change has affected the Great Rift Valley. 4 p.m. National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-633-1000. www.mnh.si.edu . FRIDAY Jazz Film Fridays with Larry Appelbaum: Double Feature The Library of Congress hosts a screening of the 2001 film “Inside Out in the Open ,” a documentary exploring free jazz with appearances from musicians Alan Silva, Joseph Jarman and Roswell Rudd. Visitors also can watch the 2013 film “The Breath Courses Through Us,” a documentary featuring the 1960s jazz group The New York Art Quartet, which featured Rudd, John Tchicai, Milford Graves and Reggie Workman, with controversial poet Amiri Baraka. Both films were directed by Alan Roth. 7 p.m. Library of Congress, James Madison Building, Mary Pickford Theater, 101 Independence Ave. SE. 202-707-5502. www.loc.gov . SATURDAY ‘For Colored Folks . . . ’ As part of the


Polio is on the rise in war zones worldwide

the battle against infectious disease requires organization, resources and a plan. Wars and conflict push the other way: T In Syria and Pakistan, this is occurring once again, threatening campaigns against the polio virus, a disease that primarily affects young children. Two years ago, in 2012, the global incidence of polio reached an all-time low and hopes were kindled that we might be on the verge of eradicating the disease. This month, India celebrated an important landmark: three years without a polio case; as recently as 2009 there were 741 confirmed cases there. Both Afghanistan and Nigeria, where the disease is endemic, also saw lower levels last year than in 2012. But polio leapt forward in Pakistan, where it is also endemic, and there were new outbreaks in the Horn of Africa and Syria. In all these locations, a critical challenge is to vaccinate children, and that means health-care workers must reach where they live. Unfortunately, war and violence are blocking their way. In Pakistan, which recorded 85 cases last year compared with 58 in 2012, militants continue to kill health-care workers who are attempting to vaccinate children. The World Health Organization warned recently that the city of Peshawar, in Pakistan’s northwest, is the world’s “largest reservoir” of polio virus. On Jan. 22 in Charsadda, 15 miles outside of Peshawar, six policeman providing protection for a polio vaccination team were killed when a bomb struck their vehicle; a boy nearby also died. On Jan. 20, gunmen on motorbikes opened fire on health workers carrying out vaccination campaigns in the southern city of Karachi, killing three. The militants carrying out these attacks appear to be attempting to pressure the Pakistani government; they claim (wrongly) that the health-care workers are spreading nefarious Western influences. In fact, the attackers are showing their own ignorance — the spread of polio in Pakistan can just as easily threaten their children, too. In Syria, engulfed in civil war, slow and gradual progress is being made in efforts to vaccinate against polio after an outbreak last year, but there are still tens of thousands of children trapped in conflict zones who are receiving no humanitarian aid at all, much less vaccinations. Again, access is the key. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent, which like all such groups is backed by the government, is at the forefront of the vaccination campaigns. But in a forthcoming article in the New


Hydrogen cars met with mix of excitement and skepticism in Washington

later, though, Chu acknowledged that he had changed his mind about hydrogen, pointing to new techniques developed to extract hydrogen from natural gas as well as improvements and cost reductions in automotive technology. Toyota executives, for instance, say they have reduced the cost of hydrogen vehicles by 95 percent in the past decade, mostly by bringing down the size of the fuel cells and by finding new, less expensive materials with which to build the tanks. At that point, though, the United States had already fallen behind the likes of Japan, Germany, Sweden, South Korea and the United Kingdom, all of which have made considerable government investments in hydrogen infrastructure and already have dense refueling networks. Now in catch-up mode, and now under the watch of Obama’s second-term Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, the United States has started to invest more money back into hydrogen. In May, the agency launched H2USA, a public-private collaboration between fuel suppliers, automakers, government agencies and clean technology groups to coordinate research and map out a plan for a hydrogen infrastructure. “It’s not the kind of problem the federal government is going to solve on its own, or that state governments or the industry are going to solve on their own; it really needs a team effort,” David Danielson, head of the department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, said at the auto show last week. He added that H2USA members will put forth several recommendations for the agency and other stakeholders in the next few months. Moniz, who also spoke at the show, said the department is taking a close look at steps that have been taken at the state level in California, where, sparked by public investments under former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) and accelerated by legislation signed by Gov. Jerry Brown (D), a cluster of nine hydrogen stations have sprouted around Los Angeles. Over the next decade, the state will invest an additional $200 million to reach 100 stations by 2024. Money for the program comes from vehicle registration fees, meaning drivers are footing much of the bill for the infrastructure. Some private stakeholders, such as Toyota, which is planning on bringing its first hydrogen-powered car to the United States starting next year, have taken steps to speed up the process. The company partnered with the University of California, Irvine to fund research to determine how far apart to build hydrogen stations


What makes a good Medical Mystery? The writer tells all.

to do with the seizures. Because the symptoms of Dravet typically surface at 6 months, the age at which children receive a DPT shot, the vaccine had been erroneously blamed. I contacted one of the report’s authors, who secured permission to provide the names of some affected families. Two refused to participate, but Laura Cossolotto, who heads a group composed of families whose children have Dravet, agreed to tell the story of her daughter’s decade-long ordeal and eventual diagnosis at the Mayo Clinic. Until a genetic test revealed the errant gene, Cossolotto said she, too, had blamed the vaccine for her daughter’s life-threatening problems. Why doesn’t The Post identify doctors or hospitals that miss diagnoses? The column is meant to illuminate the diagnostic process, not affix blame — even when it might seem well deserved. Naming those who flubbed the case — sometimes a long list — doesn’t advance the larger story. But having the doctor who figured it out explain how he or she did so and why things might have gone wrong provides information that might be useful to readers. In one instance a doctor who made an incorrect diagnosis based on evidence available at the time — telling parents their young son had mild cerebral palsy instead of a far more serious degenerative disorder — discussed what made her question her diagnosis and change her mind, suspecting something that was, sadly, correct. Her reasons included emotional factors, which can affect the diagnostic process in unexpected ways. And in one unexpected twist, a respected specialist who missed a relatively easy diagnosis in one mystery was the same person who made the right call in a far more difficult case published months later. How long does it take to track down a mystery? Some, like the vaccine case, take months, while others, especially those proposed by a hospital’s media relations staff, typically proceed far more quickly: The patient has signed whatever release the hospital requires, the doctor has agreed to cooperate, and obtaining records is a relative snap. Because delays are inevitable and a mix of cases — age, sex, profession and illness or condition — is essential, I juggle several cases simultaneously. After 80 columns, finding maladies that haven’t been covered or don’t echo previous cases becomes more difficult. Why isn’t the answer revealed in the first few paragraphs? Seriously? The name of the column is “Medical Mysteries.”


Expanding financial services is available route for the Post Office, report says

savings accounts, a service that ended in 1967 as banks gained a greater edge by offering higher interest rates. In the 1990s, the agency issued prepaid debit cards that never caught on with consumers. The market for financial products, especially reloadable, prepaid cards, has changed. The use of those cards has soared in the wake of the credit crisis that has pushed millions of Americans outside of the traditional banking sector. The most recent data from Mercator Advisory Groups show that Americans loaded $192 billion onto prepaid cards in 2012, triple the amount in the preceding five years. Retailers and big banks have latched on to the product, but the Postal Service’s ubiquitous network, with 32,000 locations, could give the agency an edge, according to the inspector general’s report. “The physical presence is already there to serve the needs of Americans,” said Charles Crum, an economist in the inspector general’s office. “Also, the Postal Service is not beholden to shareholders to maximize profits,” so it could keep fees low. Another area ripe for expansion is small-dollar lending, according to the report. The inspector general’s office said loans could be made available to people who have their paycheck directly deposited onto a Postal Service prepaid card. Consumers could borrow up to 50 percent of their paycheck at an effective annual interest rate of 28 percent, a fraction of the triple-digit interest rates that payday lenders typically charge, according to the report. But such a move would probably face opposition from banks, which are struggling to retool their small-dollar lending platforms under regulatory scrutiny. “We’re deeply concerned that the U.S. Postal Service is trying to drive the creation of a new [government-sponsored entity] engaged in banking services, which is not subject to the same level of regulation,” said Ken Clayton, chief counsel of the American Bankers Association, a lobbying group. “This new entity could be perceived by many as a government-endorsed and preferred provider of financial products,” he said. “The impact on banks already serving these communities would be substantial.” The Postal Service has not endorsed the inspector general’s report, and agency officials said they are still reading through the recommendations. The Postal Service has fought to stabilize its finances. The agency, which has posted $26 billion in net losses since 2011, pressed regulators for an emergency postage rate increase last year to offset its diminished revenue. The bid for a permanent


Gates on Bush — Who knew?

Former defense secretary Robert Gates challenges some myths and provides new information about the George W. Bush White House, but you wouldn’t know it based on the early reporting and reviews of his book “Duty.” Gates devotes nearly half of the 594-page book to his two years (actually, 25 months) at the Pentagon during the Bush administration. What he doesn’t do in that section, however, is employ any embarrassing anecdotes or acidic comments as in some of his writing on the Obama years. Gates is critical of the Bush White House, too, but tends toward generalities. At one point he describes the Bush administration as “a toxic mix of flawed assumptions about the [Iraq and Afghanistan] wars themselves; a risk-averse bureaucracy; budgetary decisions made in isolation from the battlefield; Army, Navy and Air Force focus in Washington on the routine budget process and protecting dollars for future programs; a White House unaware of the needs of the troops and disinclined to pay much attention to the handful of members of Congress who pointed to those needs; and a Congress by and large so focused on the politics of the war in Iraq that it was asleep at the switch or simply too pusillanimous when it came to the needs of the troops.” Remember Republican criticism of President Obama for announcing in December 2009 a surge of U.S. troops in Afghanistan at the same time he set a date to begin their withdrawal? According to Gates, Bush did the same thing during the 2007 surge in Iraq, just not so publicly. He served as defense secretary under presidents Obama and George W. Bush, bridging the two administrations and earning a reputation as careful, conservative and consensus-oriented. In developing the strategy for introducing Bush’s Jan. 10, 2007, surge of about 30,000 troops, Gates writes, “I believed the only way to buy time for the surge, ironically was to hold out hope at the beginning to end it.” Bush pushed for the surge against the advice of most of the military and with some congressional Republicans and Democrats voicing opposition. At a Senate Armed Services hearing on the surge, two days after Bush announced it, Gates said he caught lawmakers and the White House “off guard when I indicated that I hoped we could begin drawing down troop levels by year’s end.” While the Bush White House defeated congressional efforts to legislate a


Sochi 2014: Security concerns a reality for U.S. Olympians and their families

the city of Volgograd, roughly 500 miles from Sochi. Earlier this month reports emerged about the possible presence of female “black widow” suicide bombers in Sochi, though the reports, which U.S. officials learned of through the media, have not been corroborated. The 2014 Olympics are being held within 300 miles of Russia’s volatile North Caucasus region, a center of Islamist extremist activity, where insurgents have threatened attacks on the Games for years. Last week the U.S. Olympic Committee sent a travel memo to athletes cautioning against wearing conspicuous Team USA gear outside the secure Olympic compound because it “may put your personal safety at greater risk.” During a State Department background briefing for reporters last Friday, a senior administration official affirmed the wisdom behind that suggestion. “I think it’s just common sense that perhaps if you’re an American Olympic athlete, you perhaps don’t want to advertise that so much directly outside of the — or far outside of the venues,” the official said. Mark Caldwell said he and his wife are determined to go to Sochi to watch their daughter Ashley compete in aerials, adding that he felt security concerns have been overblown. “I’ve stood at the top of the Deer Valley aerials hill and looked down on the 60-foot jump into space without any landing in site,” said Caldwell, who lives in Houston. “My daughter [confronts] that fear daily, repeatedly. Of course we are concerned about the terror prospects in Sochi, but the Olympics are a once-in-a-lifetime event. And for us, twice now. “Not that the threat isn’t real or that we won’t be very cautious in Sochi. But we think that the media hype is in overdrive on this story. It’s unfortunate that any story would overshadow the work and sacrifice that all of the athletes have endured to reach this pinnacle of sport.” Fred Evans, whose daughter, Aja, is among the U.S. medal hopefuls in bobsled with teammate Elana Meyers, struck a more anxious tone. He’s not making the trip to Sochi, preferring to host a viewing party at his Chicago area home. But his daughter will be cheered on in Russia by other members of the Evans family, and her father has been keeping a close watch on State Department travel alerts on their behalf. “There’s a reality that there are people who don’t like you, who are willing to die to prove that. That’s a


Curry Mantra 3’s lunch deal appeals

Indian travel posters decorate the small dining room at Curry Mantra 3 in Vienna. (Dayna Smith/For The Washington Post) Asad Sheikh says he aspires to be Northern Virginia’s version of Ashok Bajaj, the Indian entrepreneur who launched his eighth restaurant in the District last year. Sheikh has made good on his intention in the past few years by opening not one but three Indian restaurants, starting with Curry Mantra in Fairfax City in 2011 and adding Curry Mantra 2 in Falls Church last year. The latest notch in Sheikh’s belt can be found in Vienna under the name (who would have thought?) Curry Mantra 3, introduced in September. With fewer than 50 seats, it’s the smallest of the empire builder’s dining rooms. Sheikh intends to expand the space by taking over a neighbor’s lease this year. His first goal, he says, is to make Curry Mantra 3 busy. That shouldn’t be a problem. Lunch finds a deal of a meal in the form of the buffet: 10 or so dishes that always include butter chicken and goat curry, at just under $10 a taker. And among the “Seven Wonders” at Curry Mantra 3 are attractions such as lamb meatballs in a cloak of yogurt zipped up with mint, cilantro and green chilies; and tender chicken arranged with spinach and yellow lentils. Indian standards such as chat masala and sag paneer are executed well, too. Despite its name, Sheikh’s third restaurant is not a copy of its siblings. Those “wonders” on the menu are original to Curry Mantra 3, for instance, and the design, utilizing glittery tiles and posters celebrating Indian festivals, is also one of a kind. Bottom line: “I don’t want people to get bored,” says Sheikh of the concept. Yes, there’s a Curry Mantra 4 in his future. The restaurateur is eager to roll it out in either Alexandria or Arlington — close, in other words, to a future that includes Washington. 262-H Cedar Lane, Vienna. 703-992-6332. www.currymantra3.com. Entrees, $14 to $18. More from Food: First Bite Other Tom Sietsema reviews/Ask Tom Smoke Signals Spirits Column Beer Column


First phase of new town center at former Laurel Mall site is set to open in March

The first portion of the $130 million redevelopment of the former Laurel Mall will open in March, the developer said Monday, announcing more than a dozen retailers and restaurants that will debut there this year. A 70,000-square-foot Burlington Coat Factory will open in late March, kick-starting the grand opening of the Towne Centre at Laurel, just two years after the city in northern Prince George’s County said goodbye to the old enclosed mall. Thomas M. Fitzpatrick, president and chief operating officer at Greenberg Gibbons, the Owings Mills, Md.-based developer, said the center on Route 1 is 85 percent leased. Last year Greenberg Gibbons, which began tearing down Laurel Mall in August 2012, announced four prominent tenants for the new site: Harris Teeter, Regal Cinemas, Sports Authority and Burlington Coat Factory Since then, 14 other tenants have signed leases and will open this year, Fitzpatrick said at the Laurel City Council meeting Monday night. An artist’s rendering of the Towne Centre at Laurel. Seen here is view of the main street area. (Greenberg Gibbons) Among the new tenants is BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, a California-based chain known for its deep-dish pizza and handcrafted beer. BJ’s will open its first restaurant in Prince George’s at the center this summer, Fitzgerald said. Other dining options to open this year are Outback Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Subway, Blaze Pizza, BurgerFi, Noodles & Company and Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt. Also coming to the town center are Old Navy, Party City, DTLR, Kay Jewelers, a spa and an urgent-care facility. “Is it everything everyone wants? Probably not,” Mayor Craig A. Moe said. “It is development that will only enhance the rest of the city of Laurel and especially the commercial area. You are seeing other stores and shopping centers doing facelifts, some of them are bringing in new stores. I think it is generating a lot of excitement.” For some city leaders and residents, the excitement is centered around having the county’s first Harris Teeter. The North Carolina-based grocer has opened stores in a number of emerging D.C. neighborhoods, and it is set to open the Laurel store in September, Fitzpatrick said. “Oh, for goodness sake, we love Harris Teeter!” Laurel resident Stacey Robinson, 43, said as she heard the news of the opening this year. “It is one of my favorite places to shop. It is a great grocery store. Everybody is excited about the Harris


Loudoun considers musical theater magnet

The Loudoun County School Board is considering a musical theater magnet program that could start as soon as next school year. The proposal, which will be presented to the board Tuesday night, was developed by a Leesburg mother who was frustrated that the county has advanced programs for budding chemists, builders or mathematicians, but not for aspiring actors and dancers, like her high-school aged daughter. “There is all this emphasis on science and technology, and there is absolutely nothing for student artists in the community,” said the mother, Wendy Marco, who found that Loudoun County was the only large school district in the state without an arts magnet program. In just three months, Marco put together a proposal for a pilot program that she says would have minimal fiscal impact and potentially provide a blueprint for developing a more diverse array of magnet programs in the future. Her proposal has earned a fast and so-far positive response. An on-line petition has nearly 500 signatures, and a school board subcommittee asked staff to develop a feasibility study for the plan. The program would be housed at an under-capacity high school, potentially Heritage High School in Leesburg, and 24 to 30 juniors and seniors would attend every other day for instruction in dance, music, acting and English with a focus on plays and playwriting. Parents would be responsible for dropping off their children, and a bus would take them to C.S. Monroe Technology School in the afternoon where they can catch buses back to their home schools in time for sports or other after-school activities. Marco is a skating coach for hockey players, and some of her students have gone on to play professionally. After 21 years of coaching, she said she has seen how pivotal the teenage years are in determining how successful her students become. “If they train with kids who are as dedicated and as skilled as they are; if they have more opportunities available to them, it really can make or break their futures,” she said.


Microsoft joins Facebook’s Open Compute Project

Microsoft is contributing its designs for Internet cloud servers to the Open Compute Project, an initiative to make computing infrastructure more efficient. Founded by Facebook engineers, the Open Compute Project aims to reduce costs and the environmental impact of data centers by sharing designs and determining efficient practices. Other tech companies including AMD, computer manufacturer Quanta Computer and data storage firm Seagate have also contributed designs. Microsoft made the announcement in a blog post on Monday, a day before the Open Compute Summit convened tech, finance and government representatives to discuss the project in San Jose, Calif. Microsoft is contributing designs for server hardware in its data centers, which deliver services such as Windows Azure, Office 365, Bing and others. The Open Compute Project is consistent with Microsoft’s cloud strategy, Bill Laing, vice president of cloud and enterprise, wrote in a blog post; it could “help drive hardware innovation for cloud computing, which strengthens the Cloud [operating system] vision to give customers a consistent platform for better IT efficiency and economics.” The company recently reported revenue of $24.52 billion in the fiscal quarter ending Dec. 31 , with net income of $6.56 billion. Revenue from commercial cloud services more than doubled since the last quarter.


Chocolate flavor, without the sugar

designate the raw, unprocessed version of the bean. These beans are a powerhouse of nutrition, as described by David Wolfe in his book “Superfoods.” According to Wolfe, raw cacao beans are: ● Higher in antioxidants than blueberries, pomegranates, goji berries, acai berries and red wine. Antioxidants help protect us from the free radicals in our environment that cause cellular damage and age-related health problems. Dietitian Ellie Krieger, Nourish Schools co-founder Casey Seidenberg and certified health education specialist Elaine Gordon offer picks for meals from breakfast to dessert. ● A formidable source of magnesium. Magnesium is needed for a healthy heart and brain, and for healthy muscles, bones and blood. Up to half of Americans are deficient in magnesium. ● A solid source of iron, which is essential for healthy blood. ● High in Vitamin C. ● Mood-boosting. The amino acid tryptophan found in the beans supports the production of serotonin, contributing to positive moods. Cacao nibs, which can be found at Whole Foods, in the natural-foods section of some mainstream grocery stores and at Amazon.com. are not as creamy as milk chocolate or sweet like sweetened chocolate; they are crunchier than chocolate chips, almost like a nut, yet they still impart that flavor we all hunger for. And they need no recipe; simply substitute them for chocolate chips in cookies, brownies and chocolate chip waffles; include them in smoothies and homemade granola; sprinkle them over oatmeal or ice cream, grind them and add them to coffee; use them in a chicken mole recipe; or eat them plain as a snack. Life with cacao nibs suddenly becomes a box of chocolates, except in this case, you know all the goodness you are getting. All about cacao Your kids might enjoy knowing a few fun facts about the chocolate or cacao bean: ● The Mayans and Aztecs used cacao beans as money. ● After Don Hernán Cortés brought the cacao bean to Europe, the Europeans added sugar to make the chocolate we know. ● Unlike many plants, cacao has no growing season. The beans grow all year long in Central and South America. That means no shortage of chocolate! ● Cacao flowers are pollinated by insects called midges. ● You can buy a cacao tree and grow it in your house. Seidenberg is co-founder of Nourish Schools, a D.C.-based nutrition education company. Recipe Finder Read Seidenberg’s recipe for a Chocolate Milkshake Smoothie


Pentagon investigations point to military system that promotes abusive leaders

among other ethical lapses. Some current and former officers say those cases are symptomatic of a more damaging problem: a system that promotes and tolerates too many lousy leaders. “This is a larger issue of not only officer misconduct involving ethical issues, but let’s call these guys for what they are: toxic leaders,” said Christopher Walach, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and battalion commander who served two combat tours in Iraq. [Files detail misconduct dogging armed forces] Walach said he left the Army in 2008 largely because of what he described as a destructive command climate. “It destroys the message that draws many into the ranks of the military in the first place,” he said. Leaders at the Pentagon said they haven’t looked into whether the number of toxic or unethical leaders has increased. But they said they recognize there is a problem. Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has speculated that the military valued “competence over character” during wartime, and that it needs to place a higher priority on personal rectitude. “It’s very important that you have somebody who can lead you into a firefight who is not going to get you killed,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Michael S. Stough, a senior official on the Joint Staff whom Dempsey has assigned to oversee changes in how commanders are trained and evaluated. “But it’s also important that you trust they’re going to act ethically as well.” Stough said the Joint Staff is reemphasizing ethics in training. To help flag worrisome behavior, evaluations will now include feedback from subordinates as well as superiors. Command headquarters also are receiving extra help to help ensure that generals and admirals don’t run afoul of rules regarding travel and gifts. The armed forces are increasing the number of surveys and evaluations in which troops are asked to rate their commanders. But policies have varied about who gets to see the results. In many cases, the findings are shown only to the general or admiral under review, leaving it up to them to decide whether they need to change their ways. To increase accountability, Congress adopted a measure late last year requiring that the surveys be provided to a commander’s immediate superior. ‘Management by blowtorch’ A review of inspector-general investigations of senior officers shows that Army generals are sanctioned more often for toxic leadership than in the other armed forces.


D.C. police arrest second suspect in July 2012 fatal shooting

D.C. police said Tuesday they have arrested a second suspect in a July 2012 shooting that killed one man and wounded another in Northwest Washington. Bernard Fleming, 23, faces several charges, including first-degree murder, stemming from the incident on the night of July 7, 2012. Police said they responded to a report of a shooting at about 10:38 p.m. in the 1700 block of 7th Street Northwest and found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, one of whom was unconscious and unresponsive. One of the victims was pronounced dead on the scene, while the other was taken to a nearby hospital, treated and released, according to authorities. Police identified the victim who died as Michael Edward Jones, 30, of Northwest Washington. A Northeast D.C. man was arrested four days after the shooting and charged with second-degree murder while armed in Jones’ death, according to authorities. Police said they arrested Fleming while executing a warrant Monday. Fleming has also been charged with assault with the intent to kill while armed and tampering with evidence, according to police.


FULL TRANSCRIPT: Obama’s 2014 State of the Union address

we can take to help families make ends meet, and few are more effective at reducing inequality and helping families pull themselves up through hard work than the Earned Income Tax Credit. Right now, it helps about half of all parents at some point. Think about that. It helps about half of all parents in America at some point in their lives. But I agree with Republicans like Senator Rubio that it doesn't do enough for single workers who don't have kids. So let's work together to strengthen the credit, reward work, help more Americans get ahead. Let's do more to help Americans save for retirement. Today most workers don't have a pension. A Social Security check often isn't enough on its own. And while the stock market has doubled over the last five years, that doesn't help folks who don't have 401(k)s. That's why tomorrow I will direct the Treasury to create a new way for working Americans to start their own retirement savings: MyRA. It's a -- it's a new savings bond that encourages folks to build a nest egg. MyRA guarantees a decent return with no risk of losing what you put in. And if this Congress wants to help, work with me to fix an upside-down tax code that gives big tax breaks to help the wealthy save, but does little or nothing for middle-class Americans, offer every American access to an automatic IRA on the job, so they can save at work just like everybody in this chamber can. And since the most important investment many families make is their home, send me legislation that protects taxpayers from footing the bill for a housing crisis ever again, and keeps the dream of homeownership alive for future generations. (Applause.) One last point on financial security. For decades, few things exposed hard-working families to economic hardship more than a broken health care system. And in case you haven't heard, we're in the process of fixing that. (Scattered laughter, applause.) Now -- a pre-existing condition used to mean that someone like Amanda Shelley, a physician's assistant and single mom from Arizona, couldn't get health insurance. But on January 1st, she got covered. (Applause.) On January 3rd, she felt a sharp pain. On January 6th, she had emergency surgery. Just one week earlier, Amanda said, that surgery would've meant bankruptcy. That's what health insurance reform is all about, the


‘Walk of Shame:’ No flag for Indian athletes at Winter Olympics

Ceremonies, which will be watched by billions around the world, India’s “Walk of Shame.” “It’s quite sad,” Keshavan said, in a Skype interview from the French mountain town where he is training. “Rather than showcasing our country, it will be a shameful moment in the history of our country’s sport.” Not going to win, anyway Indian’s sports governing bodies have been dogged by allegations of mismanagement and corruption in recent years. After the IOC suspended the Indian Olympic Association in December 2012, the association defied the committee and chose Lalit Bhanot as its secretary general. Bhanot, who has since stepped aside, had spent more than 10 months in jail on charges of corruption stemming from India’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2010. That event was expected to showcase India as an emerging power but ended up tainted by graft and scandal, with athletes complaining about filthy rooms and the collapse of a pedestrian bridge. Last month, the association agreed to hold fresh elections to address the IOC’s concerns, but it scheduled them for Feb. 9 — two days after the Games open. The association could have solved the problem by calling new elections before the Games began, said sportswriter Boria Majumdar, co-author of “Olympics: The India Story.” “It’s clearly a case of placing self-interest and ego over the national interest,” Majumdar said. “And the Indian athletes are the sacrificial lambs.” Association officials, who did not return telephone calls, appeared to be in no hurry to get back in the IOC’s good graces in time for Sochi. “Yes, it is sad that this is the first time ever that the Indian contingent will not be carrying the national flag during the Winter Olympics,” acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra told the Outdoor Journal this month. “However, the Indian Winter Olympics athletes don’t stand a chance of winning any medals, either.” For a country of more than 1 billion people, India has a woefully low Olympic medal count, with just 26 in all and none from the Winter Olympics. Of the countries that have won Olympic bronze, silver or gold, it ranks at the bottom in medals per capita, analysts say. The national obsession is cricket — not an Olympic sport. Critics say the country has long failed to support its athletes with infrastructure and training, particularly in winter sports. In recent years, however, that has begun to change, and India bagged


Lawmakers, scientists are focused on the growing threat to crops from stink bugs

Although this month’s frigid temperatures might make spring seem very far off, Virginia lawmakers, scientists and farmers are already focusing on the upcoming growing season and the potential effects of the dreaded brown marmorated stink bug on crops. This week, Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) announced that Congress has again directed the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency to ramp up efforts to combat the mounting threat of stink bugs, which have devastated apples, peaches, corn, grapes and other local crops in recent years. In a statement, Wolf’s office said the House’s recently approved 2014 omnibus spending bill would continue to prioritize stink bug control research at the USDA, as part of a five-year plan to solve the problem. The bill requires USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to help states implement biological control technology — once it is developed — to blunt the damage done by the bugs. The legislation also directs the EPA to quickly approve any research recommendations so that pest-control products can be sold on the open market, Wolf said in the statement. There is currently only a limited number of products that growers and homeowners can use against the bug, with varying degrees of success. “Whether you have a home herb garden or acres of farmland, we can all agree that the pervasive problem of stink bug infestation needs to be tackled head-on,” Wolf said in the statement. “These pests are an annoyance that not only affect everyday life in people’s homes, but also vital American industries that have a broader impact on the economy.” Last year, experts cautioned that the shield-shaped bugs, known for emitting an unpleasant smell when they are threatened or crushed, were likely to make a strong reappearance in the Washington area in the spring. The population that was observed at the end of last year’s harvest season appeared far more robust than it had in previous months, according to entomologists, who predicted there could be a 60 percent jump in population this year. About $21 billion worth of crops could be at risk from the bugs across the country, according to USDA estimates. The insects, which are known to feed on hundreds of varieties of host plants, caused about $37 million in losses from damage to apple crops alone in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania in 2010, officials said. As lawmakers focus on funding for research,


Ailing cheetah euthanized at National Zoo

Draco, a three-year-old male cheetah, at the National Zoo in 2008. (Joe Elbert/The Washington Post) The National Zoo on Wednesday euthanized an 8-year-old male cheetah that had been suffering from a diseased gastrointestinal tract. Draco, who came to the zoo in 2007 from the White Oak Conservation Center in Florida, had not been eating well lately. The zoo said it had tried feeding him meat at the end of a special tool, which required multiple feedings during the day. Last month, zoo veterinarians found a constricted, ulcerated area in his gastrointestinal tract. Draco had been on exhibit in the zoo’s Cheetah Conservation Station with his brothers, Granger and Zabini. Male cheetahs usually live about 10 years in captivity, the zoo said. There are believed to be between 7,500 and 10,000 in the wild. Tumai, the cheetah who gave birth in 2004 to the first litter of cheetah cubs born at the zoo, died of a tumor last July. She was 13.


North American monarch butterfly migration falls to record lows, report says

beards. In the 20 years since environmentalists began keeping detailed records of the monarch’s winter habitats, the butterflies have covered as much as 45 acres of forest in the Mexican state of Michoacan. But the most recent winter count showed how far the migrating monarch population has fallen: As of December, they blanketed just 1.6 acres of forest, the smallest area yet. “I am deeply saddened by the terrible news,” Karen Oberhauser, a professor at the University of Minnesota who studies the monarchs, said by telephone at a news conference here marking the release of a report by the World Wildlife Fund, Mexico’s Environment Department and the National Commission for Protected Areas. “To preserve the monarch migration, we need a groundswell of conservation.” The butterflies face numerous threats across North America. In Michoacan, illegal logging has cut into their winter habitat in the oyamel fir trees, although government conservation efforts have slowed the rate of deforestation. In the United States and Canada, herbicides used in industrial-scale farming have destroyed the milkweed plants where they lay their eggs. “I think it’s past time for Canada and the United States to enact measures to protect the breeding range of the monarchs, or I fear the spiral of decline will continue,” said Phil Schappert, a monarch expert in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The butterflies’ numbers have been down before. In the drought years of the 1930s, monarch populations “were probably as low [as] or lower than they are right now, and they recovered,” Oberhauser said, attributing the rebound in part to the butterflies’ remarkable fertility. One female monarch can lay between 500 and 1,000 eggs in her lifetime. But, she said, “the problem is that now a lot of the habitat that they had in the past is gone, due to increasing use of this land for agriculture.” Next month, President Obama is scheduled to visit the Mexican city of Toluca, not far from the monarch preserve, to meet with his Mexican and Canadian counterparts. Omar Vidal, the director of the World Wildlife Fund’s Mexico office, said he wants North American leaders to agree on a plan to protect the monarch, saying the migration “symbolically unites our three countries.” “The butterfly as a species isn’t in danger of extinction,” Vidal said. “What is in danger of disappearing . . . is the migration of the monarch from Canada through the United States to Mexico.”


China forces New York Times reporter to leave country

BEIJING — Austin Ramzy Ramzy’s forced departure will result in the first full-time Times correspondent in memory being stationed on Taiwan, an island China considers a rebellious province to be reunified with the mainland, by force if necessary. Journalists with the Times and Bloomberg News have encountered visa problems since those organizations published articles about wealth and corruption among Communist Party leaders. The huge wealth acquired by “princelings” — relatives of elite government figures — is considered a particularly sensitive issue by the government. Last month, as visas were due to expire for journalists at the Times, Bloomberg News and other media organizations, the government refused to process their applications until the last moment. The government relented after a personal appeal by Vice President Biden to China’s president. Ramzy will continue to apply for a visa while reporting in Taiwan, Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said. In Washington, White House press secretary Jay Carney said the administration is “deeply concerned” about the restrictions journalists face in China. “These restrictions and treatment are not consistent with freedom of the press — and stand in stark contrast with U.S. treatment of Chinese and other foreign journalists,” Carney said in a statement. At a news conference Monday, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Qin Gang, said Ramzy was not being expelled or forced to leave. He characterized the departure as bureaucratic in nature and accused Ramzy of violating Chinese regulations because he had continued to travel to China on his unexpired Time magazine visa while waiting for a new one. The Times said the government had not canceled Ramzy’s old visa or raised its use as an issue until recently. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China issued a statement condemning Qin’s accusations. “Suggestions by Chinese officials that Mr. Ramzy did not correctly comply with Chinese visa regulations are disingenuous; the regulations are unclear and have not been applied to other journalists in similar situations to that of Ramzy,” the organization said. “It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that the authorities are punishing the New York Times for articles it published concerning [former] Premier Wen Jiabao and his family. Such behavior falls well short of international standards.” The Times and Bloomberg News have not been able to obtain visas for journalists hired for positions in China during the past two years. Both companies have only been able to renew visas for employees already in China.


Five myths about the Winter Olympics

Russia is getting ready to showcase the resort town of Sochi, host of the next Winter Olympics. Appearances notwithstanding, most of the Olympic venues have been declared ready. Edward Goldstein, a former member of the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Education Committee, is a contributor to the “Encyclopedia of the Modern Olympic Movement.” For 17 days starting Friday, the world’s eyes will be on the Black Sea resort town of Sochi, Russia, host of the 22nd Winter Olympics. U.S. interest in the Winter Games has blossomed, largely because of the spectacular scenery and the American success in many of the sports added to the winter program. Before the Games begin, let’s examine myths worth piercing with a biathlete’s rifle. 1. World politics has intruded on the Summer Olympics but not on the tranquil Winter Games. Terrorist attacks haven’t struck the Winter Olympics, unlike the Summer Games in Munich in 1972 and in Atlanta in 1996. Nor have there been major boycotts such as those of the Summer Olympics due to disputes over South African apartheid (Montreal 1976) and the Soviet Union’s invasions of Hungary (Melbourne 1956) and Afghanistan (Moscow 1980). But the Winter Games have seen their share of political strife. Japan’s invasion of China caused the withdrawal of Sapporo as the host city for 1940, and the site of the 1936 Winter Games, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was dropped as a replacement after Germany invaded Poland. The Summer and Winter Games that year were canceled. Four years later, the ongoing war led to the cancellation of the Winter Games planned for Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The 1944 Summer Olympics were also scrapped. And although the 1984 Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, were not marred by conflict, the Balkan Wars of the 1990s turned Olympic sites such as the ski jump into killing zones. This didn’t bolster the later campaign of International Olympic Committee President Juan Antonio Samaranch for the Olympics to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. 2. Today’s female figure skaters can skate rings around the ice queens of yesteryear. Without a doubt, reigning Olympic gold medalist Kim Yu-na of South Korea spins and flies like a whirling dervish. Her athleticism, and that of her competitors, is light years ahead of where figure skating was decades ago. But when it comes to skating rings — actual figure eights — no modern skater comes close to Peggy Fleming, the 1968 gold medalist in Grenoble, France. At that


Man, woman found dead in Southeast D.C. appear to have been targeted, police say

A man and woman found dead Thursday in a Washington apartment were shot in a double homicide, a D.C. police spokesman said Friday. Officer Araz Alali, the spokesman, named the two as Ervin Phillip Ingraham and Ronnetta Hurley-Brown, both 21. Two children, ages 2 and 1, were also in the apartment in the 1600 block of 17th Street SE. They were unharmed. At a Friday news conference Lt. Anthony Haythe said police remain “deeply involved” in investigating, seeking witnesses and surveillance video. He said it appears the victims were targeted, but declined to comment on a motive. He also said no information would be given about the victims’ relationship to the children. Authorities confirmed that a caretaker made the discovery shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, on a routine visit to the apartment. Police said that when no one answered the door, she peered in through a window. saw one body and then used a key to go inside. Police said a weapon was not recovered. As police investigated Thursday night, family members arrived, sobbing in grief. Officers cordoned off a one-block stretch in the neighborhood of brick apartment buildings and rowhouses. About a block south of the Anacostia Freeway, the neighborhood is between Kramer Middle School and Anacostia High School. Haythe assured residents that it remain safe. “I don’t think they should be afraid to continue on,” Haythe told reporters. “Just be cautious, as I would urge anyone.” The killings are the District’s 13th and 14th homicides of the year; there were four at this time in 2013. They are also the second double homicide this year. A 36-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman were found shot to death in a Northwest Washington apartment Jan. 20. No arrests have been made in that case. “There’s always concern about the number of homicides,” Haythe told reporters. “I can assure you that the men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department and Homicide Branch are working diligently on each and every case.” Clarence Williams contributed to this report.


Spring arts preview galleries: Art on a whole other wavelength led by Artisphere’s aural “Fermata.”

What if an art gallery offered nothing to see? How might visitors visualize the sounds they hear? "Fermata," an exhibition at Artisphere, answers those questions with new ways to experience sound. The most exciting gallery show this spring is one you can take in with your eyes closed. But leave your ears (and your mind) open. “Fermata” — the title is musical terminology for a sustained note — will showcase approximately 25 sound artists, each of whom will use an array of speakers to present his or her work. Aside from a seating area across from a bank of 40-some speakers, Artisphere’s Terrace Gallery — a space that in the past has hosted photography, painting, printmaking, sculpture, industrial design, video and an installation of silver balloons designed by Andy Warhol — will otherwise be empty. The show is largely the brainchild of Artisphere’s new-media curator, Ryan Holladay, who is organizing “Fermata” in collaboration with his visual-art counterpart, Cynthia Connolly, and his brother Hays Holladay. (Outside Artisphere, the Holladay brothers work under the name Bluebrain. The musical duo has produced site-specific sound experiments and interactive concerts featuring boomboxes.) According to Holladay, the range of artists will include such pioneers of electronic music as Ryuichi Sakamoto, local sound artist Alberto Gaitan, whose self-described “data-aware” compositions have been known to vacuum up sound files from around the Internet, and astrophysicist Lucianne Walkowicz. Walkowicz, who Holladay says wouldn’t even necessarily consider herself an artist, will contribute a sonic star-mapping piece made from light data gathered by NASA’s Kepler space telescope. Promotional art work for the audio-based show “Fermata” at Artisphere. The image depicts a mock-up of what Artisphere’s Terrace Gallery will look like covered in audio speakers for the exhibit. (Courtesy Artisphere) “Fermata” will be presented in three consecutive sections, or what Holladay calls “movements,” spread out over its three-month run. He hopes that visitors will not just pop into the gallery once — each movement runs about an hour or less — but return to experience the entire program. So why an art gallery and not a downloadable podcast? Holladay strongly believes that by situating “Fermata” in a physical space — one traditionally set aside for stuff that you look at, not listen to — he’s inviting visitors to reevaluate their preconceptions about how sound — and its synesthetic evocation of the visual — fits into the world of fine art. He notes


Gray seal born at National Zoo; pup is its first in 23 years

A baby seal is the National Zoo’s latest addition, hot on the heels of giant panda cub Bao Bao. There may be panda-mania in Washington, but zoos all over the world have their own bundles of joy to celebrate. Take a look at these zoo cuties. For the first time in 23 years, a gray seal pup has been born at the National Zoo. The zoo said Friday that the female pup was born Jan. 21 and is healthy, but is being hand-fed because her mother, Kara, is not producing enough milk. “In the first days of this pup’s life, we did not see her gain as much weight as we would have expected,” said Ed Bronikowski, a senior curator, according to a statement issued by the zoo. “It is still a tenuous time, but the pup’s weight is now heading in the right direction.” he said. “We celebrate every pound that she gains.” The pup weighs 44 pounds, up from the 35 pounds she weighed at birth.


Beverage of champions: Chocolate milk gets an Olympic-style makeover

benefits of chocolate milk. (PR NewswireE) “Love chocolate milk,” Brian Danza, president of the running group DC Road Runners, wrote in an e-mail when asked where he stood on the chocolate-milk fad. The industry is counting on chocolate milk for growth because some unexpected factors have been driving down broader milk sales. There’s rising competition from other beverages, such as protein shakes and soy and almond milks. And there’s been a decade-long decline in the popularity of breakfast cereal; the industry estimates that nearly one-fifth of all milk is used on cereal. In addition, the recession has resulted in a drop in the birth rate, leaving fewer children in their prime years for milk consumption. Since 2012, MilkPEP has poured $15 million a year into its new chocolate-milk campaign, enlisting the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey and women’s ski-jump teams to help promote the drink. One ad shows a sweaty Olympic hockey star, Zach Parise, downing a bottle of chocolate milk while sitting in a locker room. And chocolate milk is now served at the end of Ironman races and marathons across the country. In terms of sales, the results have been promising, industry executives say: In the first half of 2013, the number of adults who said they drank chocolate milk in the past day ticked up from 10 to 12 percent among 18- to 24-year-olds, and from 6 to 8 percent among those 25 to 49. The roots of the trend stretch back to 2006, after studies emerged showing that serious athletes could reduce muscle pain and stiffness by consuming a certain ratio of carbohydrates and protein within 60 minutes of working out. Nutritionists say the ideal ratio is roughly two to four parts carbohydrates to one part protein. Then an article appeared in the Journal for Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism called “Chocolate Milk as a Post-Recovery Aid.” The study, supported in part by the Dairy and Nutrition Council, tested nine male endurance cyclists. Immediately after a high-energy interval workout, the cyclists drank chocolate milk. A four-hour recovery followed, and then a more intense workout. (The Washington Post) The researchers found that, by some measures, the cyclists who drank chocolate milk outperformed those who had specifically formulated carbohydrate replacement drinks. Word spread among running groups, as well as high school and college teams. Soon, running and fitness magazines picked up on the trend, publishing articles with headlines such as


Bao Bao is the big ticket, but what about the salamander next door?

A couple of weekends ago, I stood in line for two hours to see Bao Bao, the panda cub whose aura has transformed the National Zoo into a can’t-miss destination for tourists, locals and breathless, mitten-clad 6-year-olds. People thronged. No piece of panda paraphernalia was too obscure — panda plushies, panda shirts, stationery made from processed panda scat. Yet the main attraction herself evidently prefers subtlety. After finally reaching the front of the queue, other zoo-goers and I learned from a nonchalant employee that Bao Bao “wasn’t seeing anyone.” Apparently, she sleeps for 20 hours a day. Celebrities. There’s no denying the financial benefits that charismatic animals — babies especially — bring to zoos. An elaborate elephant display or orangutan enclosure reels in visitors. In the next year alone, the National Zoo expects to have 300,000 more visitors thanks to Bao Bao. Mere gravitational pull makes such showstoppers seem like a godsend for conservation efforts. Most major zoos include some reference to conservation in their mission statements, and part of their approach emphasizes breeding and research initiatives — success stories include the reintroduction of the Arabian oryx and black-footed ferret to the wild. But what separates zoos from other research facilities is their role in public education. Get a child to care about an elephant, and as an adult, he’ll want to protect that elephant. In the process, he’ll learn to care about other animals, too: If he values a panda, he’ll also want to protect the Yangtze giant softshell turtle. Or so the thinking goes. But conservation based on aesthetics frames protection in the wrong way, directly relating the necessity of a species’ continuity to its charm. The celebration of certain animals over others reinforces prejudices to which we’re already prone: Informational zoo signs inform us that a lion is special because of its mane and a cheetah because of its speed. As a result, we learn to appreciate animals because of traits we find appealing, not because of their roles in an ecosystem. Adorable panda: one; Orlov’s viper: zero. Reframing conservation need not mean the end of headliner animals for zoos. In fact, many charismatic megafauna play critical roles in their ecosystems. Such “keystone” species serve an especially important role in maintaining a biological community’s balance. If there are too few wolves, for example, overabundant elk decimate willow populations, leaving beavers no material with which to build dams.


facilities is their role in public education. Get a child to care about an elephant, and as an adult, he’ll want to protect that elephant. In the process, he’ll learn to care about other animals, too: If he values a panda, he’ll also want to protect the Yangtze giant softshell turtle. Or so the thinking goes. But conservation based on aesthetics frames protection in the wrong way, directly relating the necessity of a species’ continuity to its charm. The celebration of certain animals over others reinforces prejudices to which we’re already prone: Informational zoo signs inform us that a lion is special because of its mane and a cheetah because of its speed. As a result, we learn to appreciate animals because of traits we find appealing, not because of their roles in an ecosystem. Adorable panda: one; Orlov’s viper: zero. Reframing conservation need not mean the end of headliner animals for zoos. In fact, many charismatic megafauna play critical roles in their ecosystems. Such “keystone” species serve an especially important role in maintaining a biological community’s balance. If there are too few wolves, for example, overabundant elk decimate willow populations, leaving beavers no material with which to build dams. Because keystone species are often large and demand wide ranges, they are highly vulnerable to habitat destruction and are perhaps especially in need of supplementation from zoo breeding efforts. But if zoos truly aim to further conservation through visitor education, it is not enough to exhibit these animals; they must also present the animals in the context of an ecosystem. In short, zoos must transition their emphasis from conservation for the sake of human enjoyment to preservation for the sake of a species community. The options zoos face range from minor tweaks to large-scale redesign. Zoos could simply alter signs to highlight the co-dependence of various animals on display. Or they could follow the route of many museums and include more interactive tools: Let visitors observe the effects of ecological change through population simulators (such tools exist for free online). Finally, they could arrange exhibits by ecosystem. Currently, a zoo’s “Asia Trail” or “Northwest Passage” might feature a few heavy hitters that represent only the surface of a region’s species web. Why not aim to include a representative from every level of the food chain? If an exhibit houses an anteater, why not include an adjacent ant colony exhibit? Some


Army looks to replenish its Catholic chaplain ranks

For decades, the Catholic Church has struggled with a shortage of priests. But the problem is particularly acute in the U.S. military, which has trouble finding enough priests to serve as Catholic chaplains. Catholics make up 20 percent of all Army troops but only 6 percent of the chaplain corps. Now, the Army is stepping up its efforts to recruit Catholic chaplains. The Army has increased its outreach to Catholic seminary students and clergy, while also sending representatives to major Catholic conferences. Two Army chaplains, Col. Gary Studniewski, command chaplain of U.S. Army North (Fifth Army), and Lt. Col. Jose Herrera, who is stationed at Fort Carson, Colo., talked about the effort to add to their ranks of chaplains. Col. Gary Studneieski (Courtesy of US Army) Tell us a little about some of the problems that the Army is facing regarding the shortage of Catholic chaplains. Studniewski: We are stretched pretty thin, especially when you are talking about a deployed setting. [Chaplains] are being shuffled around because there is a shortage on each base. Many times, priests become a circuit rider, and it doesn’t allow them to form the relationships that you would like to have if they were in a more stable setting. The fun side is you get to lead many lay men and women who not only love their country, but love their church. What is the impact for the rank-and-file troop Studniewski: One time, I went somewhere and the soldier said: “I have served for 20 years, and I have never had a Catholic chaplain. We are just glad that you are here. Take a load off.” What are some of the concrete steps that are being taken to deal with the problem? Studniewski: Every year a large percentage of the men ordained have prior military service or come from a military family. If we have more Catholic priests they can be recruits for the future. We have a co-sponsorship program where the priest serves three years in the diocese and then three years they can [serve in the military]. We also have lay leaders. The fun thing is you get lay men and women to serve. These are men and women who not only love their church, they want to volunteer. People are so eager to do whatever. How much pressure is on the military to recruit priests? Herrera: There are many Catholic priests who


Animal Watch: A flap about geese in front of a Laurel home

LAUREL, Among cases received by the Prince George’s County Animal Management Division.


Hudson calls for aerospace and defense industry to rethink how it hires

Last week, Linda Hudson didn’t sound like she was one day away from retirement. Instead, speaking at a Northern Virginia Technology Council event, the outgoing BAE Systems chief executive was concerned as ever about the future of the defense industry. She called on aerospace and defense companies to create a work environment that appeals to talented science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — students. The industry needs to better sell the interesting work it does and create a more welcoming workplace, Hudson said. “We may never be Google, but we need to find a way to attract the same talent,” she said. Hudson said she’s also advocating for immigration reform, because so many qualified foreign-born students cannot get the needed security clearances to work in the defense industry. “I cannot help but wonder if hobbling our ability to hire top scientists, mathematicians, programmers and engineers who happen to have been born on foreign soil doesn’t carry national security risks of its own,” she said. Hudson, who is moving to Charlotte to run her own consulting firm, said that this issue should become a national priority. Lawmakers propose new federal IT legislation Reps. Anna G. Eshoo (D-Calif.) and Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.) have introduced a bill that would create a White House office tasked with reviewing and guiding major IT projects. Eshoo’s district is home to Silicon Valley, while Connolly’s constituents include government contractors in Northern Virginia. The legislation follows the failed roll-out of HealthCare.gov, which drew attention to the problems associated with federal IT procurement. The bill is known as the Reforming Federal Procurement of Information Technology (RFP-IT) Act. SGI Global acquires AWTI Alexandria-based security and training contractor SGI Global said last month it has acquired Upper Marlboro-based Advanced Weapons Training International, which focuses on special operations training. The two have partnered on contracts since 2010, according to SGI’s announcement, and the deal is meant to expand SGI’s work in security risk management and personnel recovery. Michael Braun “We’re providing more and more intelligence analysis support to [the Defense Department] and to federal law enforcement,” Braun said. “Some of that support involves support to cybersecurity initiatives ... and we’re very interested in moving more fully into that environment.” The deal’s terms were not disclosed. GAO rejects Skyline protest The Government Accountability Office has denied a protest filed by Alexandria-based Skyline Ultd against a Department of Veterans Affairs request


At Hilton Worldwide, job interviews are going digital

interview. (Courtesy of Hilton WorldWide/Courtesy of Hilton WorldWide) Rodney Moses, Hilton’s vice president of global recruitment, said he believes this format has created a consistency across interviews that has improved his team’s ability to accurately compare candidates. “This way, everyone gets the same level of interview. It’s very objective,” Moses said. “Everyone gets the same questions, everyone gets a chance to tell their story.” For applicants to customer service positions, Hilton is experimenting with using the platform to simulate encounters with disgruntled guests. “If they see a guest screaming at someone because their coffee was cold, you can see [the applicant’s] reaction,” Moses said. Moses said it’s also become easier for a candidate to be considered for multiple job openings. Perhaps a recruiter watches a video interview for one position and determines the applicant might be a better fit for a different opening. Using HireVue, that recruiter can quickly share the video with another Hilton recruiter. The company is not using digital video technology only for hiring rank-and-file staffers: Hilton also uses a video-conferencing feature to conduct remote panel interviews, a format that is particularly useful when the company is looking to hire an executive. For example, if the company were trying to fill a leadership position in Singapore, Moses said recruiters would likely want the candidate to speak with Hilton leaders based in McLean and Britain. But it can be expensive to get those people in the same room. “Just a handful of those would create thousands of dollars in savings in airline fees,” Moses said. Hilton also hopes the option of doing a digital video interview will help the company in its efforts to reach and hire veterans. With this format, Moses said, military men and women can begin the interview process during a deployment. Since Hilton made this strategic shift, Moses said the company has accelerated its hiring process by about three to four weeks, a time savings that can boost productivity and might sometimes save the company from losing a good candidate to a more nimble competitor. While Moses would not share an exact figure for the company’s savings in interview-related travel costs, he said it is “well over six figures.” Hilton is not the only company that is exploring digital video interviewing. Mark Newman, chief executive of HireVue, said his company has attracted about 300 clients, including General Motors, Nike and Red Bull, and has


Five things to watch as another week gets underway in Annapolis

Sen. David Brinkley (R-Frederick) wears a necktie emblazoned with the Maryland state flag on the opening day of the 2014 legislative session. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) Many of the bills that Maryland lawmakers consider each year in Annapolis look familiar — and with good reason. It can take several sessions for some bills to pass, and some never will, despite the perennial efforts of their sponsors. This week features an unusual number of committee hearings on bills that are back for another round of consideration. And, of course, there will continue to be questions this week about the status of Maryland’s ailing online health insurance exchange. Here’s a look at some of the things to watch: Will legislation increasing penalties for smuggling cellphones into correctional institutions be viewed differently after the Baltimore jail scandal? Maryland lawmakers have repeatedly killed legislation sought by corrections officials to crack down on the smuggling of cellphones into prisons, a key element of the gang culture that thrived in the Baltimore jail at the center of two rounds of federal indictments last year. More than two dozen guards were alleged to have conspired with members of the Black Guerilla Family gang in drug and money-laundering schemes at the state-run Baltimore City Detention Center and an adjacent facility. The legislature will start hearing a handful of bills this week intended to reduce the likelihood of similar activity in the future. Among those: a bill backed by the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) that would make it a felony rather than a misdemeanor to smuggle in a cellphone. Opponents of similar legislation have argued in past years that branding cellphone violators as felons would have serious consequences for them, including a loss of voting rights and difficulty finding employment upon their release. And with the advent of cellphone-jamming technology, they question whether the legislation is necessary. But O’Malley officials are pushing for the legislation again, arguing that cellphones continue to be used by inmates to plot criminal activity inside and outside the institutions where they are confined. The bill is scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee, along with other legislation targeting cellphones that was drafted by a special committee formed in the wake of the Baltimore scandal and by Del. John W.E. Cluster Jr. (R-Baltimore County), a retired police officer. Will the General Assembly find a way forward on dog bites? Dogfights are


at the state-run Baltimore City Detention Center and an adjacent facility. The legislature will start hearing a handful of bills this week intended to reduce the likelihood of similar activity in the future. Among those: a bill backed by the administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) that would make it a felony rather than a misdemeanor to smuggle in a cellphone. Opponents of similar legislation have argued in past years that branding cellphone violators as felons would have serious consequences for them, including a loss of voting rights and difficulty finding employment upon their release. And with the advent of cellphone-jamming technology, they question whether the legislation is necessary. But O’Malley officials are pushing for the legislation again, arguing that cellphones continue to be used by inmates to plot criminal activity inside and outside the institutions where they are confined. The bill is scheduled to be heard Tuesday by the House Judiciary Committee, along with other legislation targeting cellphones that was drafted by a special committee formed in the wake of the Baltimore scandal and by Del. John W.E. Cluster Jr. (R-Baltimore County), a retired police officer. Will the General Assembly find a way forward on dog bites? Dogfights are coming to Annapolis again, as lawmakers continue a nearly two-year search for a way to deal with questions of liability in dog-bite cases. Until a 2012 ruling by the state’s highest court, Maryland operated on the “one bite” principle: The owner of a dog that bit someone could not be held liable so long as the dog had never shown a history of violence. In April 2012, however, the Maryland Court of Appeals singled out pit bulls as an inherently risky breed, making their owners and landlords almost automatically responsible when a dog bites someone. Since then, the legislature has been struggling to find a balance that would satisfy dog lovers who think their pets are under fire as well as people who have been harmed by dogs. This year, lawmakers have filed several bills, including a measure sponsored by Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D-Montgomery) that would create the presumption that the owner knew or should have known the dog was vicious. But the bill would also give the owner an opportunity to undercut that presumption by presenting evidence that the dog had no history of violence. On Thursday, the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee will hear testimony on bills submitted


Monarch butterflies skipping trip to Mexico

acres last year, said the report, released by the World Wildlife Fund and by Mexico’s Environment Department and Commission of Protected Natural Areas. The butterflies covered more than 44.5 acres at their recorded peak in 1996. Because the butterflies clump together by the thousands in trees, they are counted by the area they cover. The decline in the monarch population is a long-term trend, experts say. A monarch butterfly perches on a tree at the Sierra Chincua Sanctuary in the mountains west of Mexico City. (Marco Ugarte/Associated Press) Lincoln Brower, an entomologist (insect scientist) at Virginia’s Sweet Briar College, called the migration “an endangered biological phenomenon.” Karen Oberhauser, a University of Minnesota professor, said farmers in the Midwest are making more use of weedkillers because some crops aren’t harmed by the chemicals. But the chemicals kill milkweed, the monarchs’ food source. Severe cold snaps, unusually heavy rains and droughts also seem to have played a role in the decline. It’s unclear what would happen to the monarchs if they no longer made the trek to Mexico. There are monarchs in many parts of the world, so they would not become extinct. The butterflies apparently can survive year-round in warmer climates, but populations in the northern United States and Canada would have to find someplace to spend the bitter winters. The migration is an inherited trait. No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they know the route to the same patch of forest each year, a journey of thousands of miles to central Mexico. Some scientists think that the butterflies release chemicals that mark the migratory path and that if their numbers fall low enough, not enough chemical traces would remain, and the route-marking might no longer work. Butterfly guide Emilio Velazquez Moreno, 39, and other farmers in Macheros, a village inside an officially protected wintering ground, have planted small plots of milkweed, hoping to provide food for the monarchs if they stay in Mexico year-round. Velazquez Moreno, who has been visiting the butterflies since he was a boy, said: “We have to protect this. This comes first; this is our heritage.” — Associated Press For a look at the monarch butterfly migration, check out the movie “Flight of the Butterflies 3D” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, 10th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington. For showtimes, a parent can visit www.si.edu/Imax/Movie/71.


Too much sugar could be fatal, study finds

sugar. Previous studies have linked diets high in sugar with increased risks for non-fatal heart problems, and with obesity, which also can lead to heart trouble. But in the new study, obesity didn’t explain the link between sugary diets and death. That link was found even in normal-weight people who ate a lot of added sugar. Lead author Quanhe Yang of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s the first nationally representative study to examine the issue and called the results sobering. The study was published in Monday’s issue of JAMA Internal Medicine. — Associated Press INDIANA Killer who fled Mich. prison caught A convicted killer who peeled a hole in two fences with his hands to escape from a Michigan prison before abducting a woman and fleeing to Indiana was captured Monday evening after a chase, authorities said. Officials were stunned by the brazen escape Sunday night of Michael David Elliot, who had a record of good behavior during his 20 years in custody. He wore a white civilian kitchen uniform to evade security and blend in with snow at the Ionia Correctional Facility in western Michigan, a prisons spokesman said. Indiana State Police said Elliot was captured in LaPorte County after a police chase, which began after authorities there got a report of a car stolen from a factory in the city of LaPorte. How exactly Elliot was able to get out of the Michigan prison remains unclear. Fences were equipped with motion sensors to alert guards. The fences also carry electric current to shock anyone that touches them. Elliot was serving life in prison without parole for killing four people in 1993. — Associated Press WASHINGTON Man kills one, then self, at business park A gunman killed another person and himself at a Washington business park Monday in an attack that briefly prompted a lockdown at a nearby school. The suspect, described as a man in his 60s, was found dead in a car near the Benjamin Moore Paint distribution center in Vancouver, Wash., police said. Officers had said earlier that they were searching for the attacker, and locked down the elementary school as a precaution. Police have identified the shooter and the person he killed, but will not release their names or their relationship to each other until their families have been notified. — Associated Press Execution postponed over drug: — Associated Press


Army probes allegations of fraud by recruiters and others in enlistment referral program

“It is disappointing that people who wore the uniform saw a way to get one over on the government and they did,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), head of a contracting panel that will hold a hearing on the case Tuesday morning. (Julie Scheidegger/AP) Army criminal investigators are probing allegations that hundreds of National Guard recruiters and others with ties to the military abused an enlistment referral program established at the height of the Iraq war, officials disclosed Monday, describing a massive racket that appears to have gone undetected for years. While cases of wartime contracting fraud from Iraq and Afghanistan are legion, the recruitment bonus scandal appears to mark the first instance of systemic fraud by military personnel committed at home. Army criminal investigators are probing the actions of more than 1,200 individuals who collected suspect payouts totaling more than $29 million, according to officials who were briefed on the preliminary findings of the investigation and would discuss them only on the condition of anonymity. More than 200 officers are suspected of involvement, including two generals and dozens of colonels. The alleged fraud drew in recruiters, soldiers and civilians with ties to the military who submitted, or profited from, false referrals registered on a Web site run by a marketing firm the Army hired to run the program. Suspects often obtained the names of people who had enlisted from recruiters, claimed them as their referrals, and then kicked back some of the bonus money to the recruiters. The abuse is feared to be so widespread that Army investigators do not expect to conclude all audits and investigations before the fall of 2016. “It is disappointing that people who wore the uniform saw a way to get one over on the government and they did,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who chairs a contracting panel that will hold a hearing on the case Tuesday morning. “It does such a disservice to the majority of people who have served honorably.” The case stems from a recruitment incentive system called the Recruiting Assistance Program, which the Army National Guard launched in 2005 when the Pentagon was struggling to meet its recruitment goals amid two wars and a strong economy. Under the program, National Guard soldiers who signed up to be “recruiting assistants” could earn between $2,000 to $7,500 for each person they got to enlist. The program was open to guardsmen who


more control over their finances to teach money smarts. Whatever the reason, the report is in line with other studies that have scrutinized the pocket money of American adolescents. A study by the American Institute of CPAs in 2012 found that a family’s oldest children typically see a weekly allowance of $16.25. That adds up to $65 a month. — Los Angeles Times Also in Business ● A credit card data breach was detected at food and beverage outlets at 14 hotels, including Marriott, Holiday Inn and Sheraton properties, between March 20 and Dec. 16 of last year, hotel management firm White Lodging Services said. The company said information subject to potential theft included names and numbers on consumers’ debit or credit cards, security codes and card expiration dates. ● Sports fans bet a record $119.4 million at Nevada casinos on the Super Bowl. The Gaming Control Board said unaudited tallies show sports books made $19.7 million on the action. The Denver Broncos started out as a 2.5-point favorite, but the Seattle Seahawks won 43-8. The previous Nevada record was set last year, when gamblers wagered $98.9 million. ● Capital One Financial, the McLean-based credit card lender, gave chief executive Richard Fairbank a 2013 bonus that was 30 percent larger than the previous year’s. Fairbank was awarded $2.84 million in restricted stock units and $2.84 million in deferred cash, compared with $2.19 million of each for 2012, according to a filing from Capital One. Combined with stock and options awards, his total compensation for 2013 rose 7.5 percent to $18.8 million. ● Workers at Volkswagen’s only U.S. factory will decide next week whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers union. The German automaker said it has asked the National Labor Relations Board to conduct a vote at its Chattanooga, Tenn., plant Feb. 12 to 14. The plant, which makes the Passat sedan, has around 3,000 workers. ● KFC parent Yum Brands said a resurgent bird flu in China had not hurt national sales in its top market. Analysts had worried that the recent return of bird flu, which helped hammer demand for chicken in China last year, would hit Yum’s business hard. “We’re not seeing any impact on national sales from bird flu in China,” Yum spokesman Jonathan Blum told Reuters. — From news services Coming Today ● 10 a.m.: Factory orders for December released. ● Earnings: BP.


Fine Print: For Air Force officers, the long wait for a nuclear attack can be a bore

after training takes up his or her assignment as a launch control officer at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming, Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana or Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota. Each manages 150 Minuteman III ICBMs. Warren’s 150 missiles are in separate fenced-in silos spread over 9,600 square miles of the plains of Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming. Within that same area are 15 fenced and guarded above-ground missile alert facilities, each controlling 10 missiles. Alert facilities are like a miniature operating base with their own electrical and water supply, along with a facility manager, a security controller and usually a six-person security force. Because most alert facility personnel — other than the launch crews — work four days at a time, there is a kitchen and chef, beds, TVs and computers, plus reading materials and work-out equipment at each facility. Buried 60 to 100 feet beneath each alert facility — and connected by elevators — are the launch control centers where the two-officer launch crews control 10 ICBMs 24 hours a day. The launch crew officers go on alert eight times a month. At Warren, the 24-hour alert day begins early morning at squadron headquarters at the air base proper. A briefing covers expected maintenance for any of the 10 missiles, any potential security issues involving missile fields, weather and road conditions, and supplies needed at the alert facility, which can be three hours away by vehicle. At the alert facility, the crew goes through security checks and then descends to the capsule. There are more security checks before the crew being relieved opens the blast-resistant door. Then there’s nearly an hour of changeover work that includes accounting for all classified materials and signing for custody of the 10 missiles. The next 24 hours involve equipment inspections, readiness and status tests of the 10 missiles, which can be miles away. They monitor real-world and exercise action messages. They keep in touch with other launch centers and the security and maintenance teams working in their areas. During down times, one officer rests while the other monitors the systems. The capsule has a toilet, a television, a bed, a microwave and a refrigerator. When their 24 hours are over, they debrief their replacements and ride back to their home base. The alert, which starts on the morning of one day, usually ends 30 to 40 hours later


The real Philomena Lee finds Hollywood ending to adoption story

son. Once upon a time, before there was Guatemala, before there was Ethiopia, before there was China, before there was Romania, there was Ireland: a country to which Americans traveled when they wanted to adopt children. And before there was Angelina Jolie, before there was Madonna, there was Jane Russell, a star who went abroad to adopt in 1950 and brought 15-month-old Thomas home after reaching an agreement with his mother. The resulting scandal about baby-buying made headlines and shook up the Irish administration, but didn’t eradicate the draconian practices of the church, which had made itself responsible for the problem of unwed mothers and took it upon itself to treat these supposedly horrible sinners — in some cases teenage victims of rape or incest — with the strictness it felt they deserved. Steve Coogan adapted the true story and also stars in "Philomena" about a woman who tries to find the son she was forced to give up for adoption as a pregnant teenager in 1950s Ireland. Judi Dench earned her seventh Oscar nomination for acting and the film was also nominated for best picture. If the film takes liberties with the present-day Philomena, it sticks to the facts of her past. Pregnant after a chance encounter with a man she met at a fair, she was turned over to the nuns, in a dormitory where unwed mothers spent three years delivering their children and then working at manual labor — Philomena worked in the laundry room — for the church’s profit. The mothers did get to see their children every day, but they didn’t always fully realize that those children were offered for adoption, as orphans, to American couples. Thus it was that Anthony Lee, age 3, was whisked off to America, where he became Michael Hess and grew up in St. Louis. Philomena never saw him again. Like her son, Philomena’s story has made its way in the world in all kinds of ways she couldn’t have expected. Sixsmith’s book focuses largely on the biography of the son, Michael/Anthony, who became the chief legal counsel to the Republican National Committee in the 1980s before dying of AIDS-related complications at 43. The movie, adapted by Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan, goes a step farther into fiction and depicts Dench’s Philomena and Coogan’s Sixsmith going together on an oddball road trip to Washington in search of Philomena’s son —


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