Datasets:

jxm

/

trec-news__gtr_base__dpr

like 0

In ancient Rome, successful military commanders were honored with the Roman Triumph, a ceremonial celebration granted by the senate and involving elaborate animal sacrifice, the burning of incense and a procession in which the victor was showered with flowers tossed by adoring crowds. Rituals of victory are necessary rites in a society, as we feel compelled to note this week, the sanctified American Running of the Bowls. The rite by which we honor our heroes is dumping Ga­tor­ade on their heads. “It is cold,” says Dan Mullen, the head coach at Mississippi State and, after his 23-17 victory over Wake Forest at the Music City Bowl, a dumpee. “It is really, really cold, depending on how they hit you. If it ricochets off your jacket, you’re okay. But if you ever get it down the neck, it’s no good.” You can try to sidestep it. Some coaches try to sidestep it. See: the Ga­tor­ade Shower Fail recently launched by the Oklahoma Sooners on head coach Bob Stoops, who deftly shimmied out of its way. Their problem was that they came in from the side. You’ve got to come in from behind. “You just have to get a towel and manage the best you can,” says Florida State Coach Jimbo Fisher, whose team beat Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl. “What’s funny is that you forget about it. I have never seen it coming.” He sighs. “It’s a necessary evil.” Everybody must get dunked. Or dipped. Or showered. There are disputes on the correct vernacular, but no disputes as to whether it must happen, for the nation that has declared the noogie an acceptable display of affection has also deemed the Ga­tor­ade Dump an appropriate sign of respect. Fathers and sons around the country watch the Ga­tor­ade Dump on television, slug each other in the arms and say, “Nice game,” and what they really mean is, “I love you.” Also: “Pass the dip.” “It’s really remarkable that people haven’t found anything else to do,” says Darren Rovell, Ga­tor­ade historian, who composed the definitive sports-drink history, “First in Thirst.” So many rituals of yore have disappeared. “The bullpen car is gone in baseball. Or how many people are really putting on eye black? Sports traditions don’t really last anymore. Players don’t stay in cities.” Trades happen. People move on. A sports fan must find something to give the experience continuity. That thing shall be called “electrolytes.” The most oft-cited original dumping — others might have come before, but this was the one to make it a “thing”­­ — apparently occurred in 1984, at the end of a matchup between the Redskins and the Giants. The perpetrator was defensive tackle Jim Burt. The victim was Bill Parcells. Parcells, now with ESPN, is e-mailed for his recollections on the momentous occasion. “The chief perpetrator was Jim Burt,” he responds. “I had kind of been on him a little bit during the week. That’s probably a little bit of an understatement. So he just dumped the bucket on me.” It spread to other teams. It spread to basketball (and then un-spread — too sticky on wooden floors). It spread to the White House, where Ronald Reagan’s aides presented him with a cartoon depicting a Ga­tor­ade Shower on the occasion of his birthday. From time to time, Rovell says, doctors have warned about the potential harm of pouring frigid liquid over the heads of old men in subfreezing temperatures. In 1990, Long Beach State’s coach, George Allen (formerly of the Redskins), received a dousing. Allen, then 72, died six weeks later. He had said he hadn’t felt healthy since the Ga­tor­ade shower — which, incidentally, was not Ga­tor­ade at all: His cash-strapped team had used ice water. And now for the numbers: Approximately 20,000 gallons of Ga­tor­ade are consumed by NCAA football teams each year. An additional 14,500 gallons are consumed by the NFL. That’s Gatorade’s word, “consumed.” It does not specify how many of those gallons are consumed by players and how many of them are consumed by the permeable fabric of the hypothermic coach’s sportswear. Teams are allowed to select any flavor of Ga­tor­ade they prefer, though Ga­tor­ade publicist Emily Lyons shares that lemon-lime and orange are the most popular flavors. Fruit punch is an infrequent selection, she says, “and that likely has more to do with fear of staining their uniforms.” Yes, what about that? ­­ “It’s a pain in the butt. My first thought when I see that happen is always, whew — who does the laundry?” That’s Heloise, Heloise of “Hints From” fame, the one-named Madonna of Borax, who has been called upon for color commentary. “Now. Sports drinks. They may have glucose in them. They may have sodium. They have artificial coloring and artificial flavoring.” These are difficult stains to remove, and combined with the warmth of body heat and the prolonged setting of the liquid, “it really is the perfect storm of stains,” Heloise confides. “It really boils down to who you can trust,” Purdue Coach Danny Hope says. “Up until the other day, one of my staff members has always kept an eye out for me.” Then, after the team’s Little Caesars Pizza Bowl victory, “he set me up. He put his arm around me like he was hugging me, and really he was just holding me in place.” “They’re pretty intent on getting it done,” sighs Ohio University’s Frank Solich. “But if you don’t get it, well, you start to wonder what’s going on.” Last month, the University of Toledo made Matt Campbell, 32, the youngest coach in the NCAA. A couple of weeks later, he won the Military Bowl in Washington, against the Air Force — final score 42-41. Great game. Great dunk. The first one of his career. “You’ve seen it happen. You’ve been a part of programs where it’s happened,” says Campbell, reached via telephone and still sounding genuinely touched by the whole experience. “To now have it happen to him? “It’s a privilege,” Campbell says. “It’s a privilege.” More from The Washington Post: Orange Bowl: W. Va. routs Clemson, 70-33 Twin births up due to older mothers, fertility drugs Police: Texas teen killed by officers had pellet gun Celebritology: 10 pop cultural comebacks to anticipate in 2012

PITTSBURGH — When everything fell into place Sunday night and the NFL’s playoff matchups were set, the Pittsburgh Steelers gathered their thoughts about what it would mean to play in Denver against the Broncos. There would be the Tim Tebow factor, and the questions about how to deal with the specter of the Broncos’ running quarterback. There were concerns about the Steelers themselves, because running back Rashard Mendenhall blew out his knee and is done for the year, and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered another tweak to his balky ankle in the regular season finale against Cleveland. Those are issues for which the Steelers could prepare. When Ryan Clark figured out the opponent and the site, his eyes welled up. “If I was going to be in any more danger than any other player on the field,” Clark said, “I knew there was a chance that I wouldn’t play.” The last time Clark played in Denver, in October 2007, it cost him two organs, because he has sickle cell trait, which causes a blood reaction when he exerts himself at high altitude. Denver, of course, sits a mile above sea level. Clark remained in Colorado following the game, and within a month, he had his spleen removed. His gallbladder followed after that. At one point, he said he was “scared, real scared,” enough that he wondered about greater consequences. He lost 30 pounds. Four years later — and six long years since the Washington Redskins decided to sign safety Adam Archuleta and let Clark walk — Clark faced the same situation. He was torn. He is, by now, an anchor for a Steelers’ defense ranked first in the NFL in both yards and points allowed. He is Pittsburgh’s leading tackler. He felt as if he were healthy enough to play, that the risks had been analyzed and assessed. Yet he also knew Coach Mike Tomlin and his care for his players. And he knew that, for all the analysis, he hadn’t heard one thing. “They couldn’t tell me 100 percent: Nothing’s going to happen to you,” Clark, 32, said. “You’re going to play and you’re going to be fine.” After Clark missed the remainder of the 2007 season following his operations, he and his doctors began a series of tests to determine whether he’d be able to play in Denver, should the situation arise again. On a preseason trip there in 2010, they ran him through drills prior to the game, though he didn’t actually play. They put together an elaborate plan for any Denver game that involved keeping Clark hydrated, giving him a variety of intravenous fluids during the game, using oxygen both on the plane and during the game, and taking more IVs at halftime. “I was comfortable with it,” Clark said. “. . . This is the postseason. If we lose this one, this is it.” But Monday, Tomlin spoke with Clark. It was, Clark said, a “super-short, one-sided” conversation. Tomlin’s answer: No. “We’ll keep it in perspective,” Tomlin told reporters Tuesday. “If he’s in any more increased danger than the other 21 men on the field, then we’re going to err on the side of caution.” The message, though, was more personal to Clark. Tomlin said if either of his two sons had Clark’s condition, he wouldn’t allow him to play. Therefore, he wouldn’t permit Clark to, either. “When a man tells you his reasoning for not letting you play is because if that was his son, he wouldn’t want him out there, it shows that he cares about you more than just as a football player, that you’re not just an asset to the football team,” Clark said. “He understands you have a family and people that depend on you.” Clark’s Washington past — the 2004 and 2005 seasons — is now long ago, in football terms. “No one cares about me there!” he said Wednesday. But he still carries a bit of the Redskins with him to practice every day. His uniform number on Sundays is 25. His uniform number in practice is 21, an homage to his former partner at safety, the late Sean Taylor. “If you truly loved somebody,” Clark said, “you never let it go.” Wednesday, as the Steelers began preparations for the Broncos, Clark wore No. 21 out to practice. His role was reduced to mimicking Denver safety Brian Dawkins. “He was rolling around, flying around,” said Ryan Mundy, the fourth-year player who will replace Clark on Sunday. “That’s my big brother.” It is, this week, the only time for Clark to have fun, the only role he can play. He said he will serve as an intermediary between the players, Tomlin and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau on Sunday. He is studying film. But if the Steelers don’t beat the Broncos, his season is over. “To not be able to play with your teammates is a tough situation,” Clark said. “But also to have to wonder after every play’s over if you’re going to be all right, that’s also a stressful situation.”

President Obama is scheduled to make a rare visit to the Pentagon on Thursday to unveil details of a strategic review for the U.S. military that will consolidate missions and downsize the ambitions of the armed forces as they adjust to a new era of austerity, officials said. Obama, who will be joined by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will place his personal imprint on a new military strategy that Pentagon officials have been preparing for months in anticipation of the largest cuts to the defense budget since the end of the Cold War. The document will call for a greater shift toward Asia in military planning and a move away from big, expensive wars like Iraq and Afghanistan, which have dominated U.S. operations for most of the past decade, said a senior military official. In particular, the plan calls on the military to invest in weaponry to overcome efforts by potential adversaries such as China to use long-range missiles and sophisticated radar to keep U.S. forces at bay. The strategy is different from past Pentagon reviews in that it establishes clear priorities for the military, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the plan had not been publicly released. The strategy review will not spell out potential $480 billion to $1 trillion in spending cuts that the Pentagon is facing over the next decade. Details of those reductions will begin to trickle out next month, when the Obama administration releases its proposed federal budget for 2013. The consequences of those anticipated cuts, however, are already being felt in the defense industry. On Wednesday, Boeing announced that it will shutter a factory in Wichita that produces military airplanes for refueling, an early casualty of what is expected to be a wave of closings among defense contractors. “In this time of defense budget reductions, as well as shifting customer priorities, Boeing has decided to close its operations in Wichita to reduce costs, increase efficiencies and drive competitiveness,” Mark Bass, vice president and general manager, said in a statement. Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Northrop Grumman and other major defense companies have warned that budget reductions could mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs. “There is a standard playbook the defense industry applies when military spending cuts loom: It starts with cutting workers and cutting facilities,” said Loren Thompson, a defense industry consultant at the Lexington Institute. “There will be substantial cuts in the size of defense companies going forward.” At least some of the 2,160 jobs at Boeing’s Wichita plant will be relocated. The refueling tanker operations will move to a Boeing facility in Washington’s Puget Sound, the company said. Other plant operations will be transferred to San Antonio and Oklahoma City. The first layoffs at the Wichita plant, once nicknamed “the air capital of the world,” are expected in the third quarter of this year. The Pentagon’s strategy review was initiated by former defense secretary Robert M. Gates last spring when Obama announced plans to essentially freeze military spending over the next decade — leaving the Defense Department with about $480 billion less than it had anticipated. The military’s fiscal outlook has grown more bleak since then. In August, Congress and the White House agreed to a deficit-reduction plan that could cut another $500 billion in projected defense spending over the same time period if lawmakers can’t agree on an alternative by the end of this year. As the Pentagon has contemplated a future with fewer troops and a reduced presence overseas, Obama has involved himself in the strategy review to an unusual degree, holding six meetings with senior Pentagon officials since September to forge the plan, according to administration officials. Obama has enjoyed high approval ratings in the polls for his handling of national security issues, particularly since May when Navy SEALS located and killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. But as November’s presidential election nears, he has faced heightened criticism from Republican contenders, some of whom have accused him of weakening the military and taking a soft line with foes such as Iran and North Korea. The move away from counterinsurgency probably will mean further reductions in the size of the Army and Marine Corps. The Pentagon announced a year ago that the Marine Corps would shed between 15,000 and 20,000 members and the Army 27,000 soldiers beginning in 2015 — the first time either service has faced reductions in troop levels since the mid-1990s. There are about 202,000 Marines on active duty, up from 175,000 in 2007. The Army has about 565,000 soldiers on active duty, including a temporary increase of 22,000 that is scheduled to lapse in 2013. With the war in Iraq over and troops starting to come home from Afghanistan, however, pressure is building on both services to downsize even more. The new strategy document explicitly states that the size of the Army and Marine Corps will no longer be governed by the need to conduct large-scale and long-term stability operations like those in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the Pentagon’s internal debates, Dempsey has insisted that any cuts to ground forces must be “gradual and reversible,” according to the senior military official. The Navy and Air Force are expected to fare better because they will play an instrumental role in the administration’s strategy for Asia, where the United States is seeking to counter China’s expanding military power. Staff writers Greg Jaffe and Scott Wilson contributed to this report. More on the world and national security: Iran strives to play spoiler in Afghanistan Did soldier at Ron Paul event break the rules? Was Petraeus the model for book’s drunk general? Taliban publicly expresses interest in talks with U.S.

Usually, the Occupy D.C. protesters battle corporate greed and taxes. This week, their biggest battle has been against hypothermia. As temperatures dipped into the teens, the city’s two Occupy encampments began to resemble ghost towns, with protesters fleeing to bunk on friends’ couches or in church shelters. Tent covers surrendered themselves to wind gusts, only to reveal no one snuggled underneath them. “I’m 62. I have arthritis in my knees. It got cold and uncomfortable,” said Crystal Zevon, a writer from Greenfield, Mass., who lent her tent to another protester. She said she is moving indoors to help plan the group’s big spring protests. “I feel I’m just as much a part of it as I ever was,” she added. “But I’m not a masochist.” ****She’s among about half of the protesters who will begin moving indoors in the coming days to expand their efforts. Even though she’s leaving Freedom Plaza, Zevon said, she and fellow protesters are not leaving the occupation. The dwindling number of residents who stayed behind zipped up their tents, swallowed vitamins and swaddled themselves in clothing to battle the elements. Medics in both camps said Wednesday that they were passing out vitamin C tablets and Theraflu but had no official cases of hypothermia — yet. Good Samaritans streamed by to drop off blankets, and a collection was started to raise money to buy propane for heaters. Meantime, there were increased sightings of rats nestling under pallets strewn with sleeping bags, and occupiers in McPherson Square voluntarily shuttered their kitchen for 48 hours for what they said was a monthly cleaning. Protesters were eating donated food brought in by supporters. Mahlori Isaacs, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Department of Health, said health officers had been closely monitoring the camps for health and safety violations throughout the week, passing out literature on hypothermia and tips to avoid the flu and other illnesses. “Our main concern is the public health and safety of District residents and visitors . . . making sure that people don’t get sick,” Isaacs said. D.C. health inspectors will be visiting again early next week, she said, but they have little power to correct any problems they observe because the camps are on federal land. The final call on whether to close the camps over health and sanitation concerns must come from the National Park Service, Isaacs said. The Park Service has said that the protesters have a First Amendment right to continue their “24-hour vigil” at the two encampments but that the agency will move in to evict protesters if sanitation conditions warrant. This week, occupiers at Freedom Plaza — whose permit was extended by the Park Service last month through the end of February — began to erect three large canvas tents for the winter, which will be warmed with kerosene heaters and serve as a kitchen and communal gathering space. Organizer Kevin Zeese said half of the 70 protesters in Freedom Plaza will move to homes owned by supporters in Northwest Washington and Mount Rainier in Prince George’s County to expand their operations and make plans for spring marches and other events. “Don’t think it is just about the cold — the real purpose is to use indoor space to work more effectively to build the movement,” Zeese wrote in an e-mail. The group had debated its future for several weeks last month, and a small group was adamant that some protesters remain on the plaza despite the chilly weather. At Freedom Plaza during a wintry night this week, the wind gusted, and tempers began to fray. “People get a little bit more irritated,” protester Kyle Szolsek said as he jumped up and down in the frigid air. “I’m from Maine, so it’s not so bad. I think I might go inside our warming center and teach an aerobics class.” Blair Rush, a 41-year-old homeless woman in her tent on Tuesday night, knows cold. She said she has been without a permanent home for four years, since she stopped being able to make her mortgage payments. She doesn’t stay in shelters because she has a dog, she said. “Thank God I have blankets,” she said, her body warmed by at least three layers of clothing. “I don’t do cold.” Her tent, big enough to hold nine, was covered in blankets that sat atop more blankets. She sat on a blanket-covered milk crate in front of her hot plate, huddling over a pot of steaming water. Watching the camp empty out as winter arrived reaffirmed to Rush that there were class divisions among the 99 percent: those who can’t go home again and those who choose not to. When the mercury began to sink, Rush noticed there were fewer occupiers occupying. Some went home for the holidays, and many spend hours out of the wind in nearby restaurants and coffee shops. Not that Rush faults those who spend the cold nights in a heated place with a roof over their heads. She’d do the same if she could. Jerry Jackson, another occupier, said he wondered whether the temperature will do what the police and politicians haven’t: Shut the place down. “I’m here as long as we need to be here to make our point,” he said. “The people that are going to stay are the people who truly believe they are making a difference. The other people will just blow away.”

An experimental vaccine protects some monkeys against getting infected with that species’ version of the virus that causes AIDS and appears to make the disease more manageable in those that aren’t protected, researchers reported Wednesday. Those findings, in a study published in the journal Nature, are further evidence that after decades of disappointment, scientists are making slow progress toward an AIDS vaccine. “We think this is both a theoretical advance as well as a practical one,” said Dan A. Barouch of Harvard Medical School, who led the research. “As far as animal trials go, this is a solid step in trying to track down the [biological markers] of immunity,” said Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, which provided partial funding of the study. A two-vaccine combination tested in Thailand three years ago protected people against HIV infection about 30 percent of the time — a hopeful, although not useful, outcome. More recently, researchers have been looking for ways to engineer the production of rare protective antibodies that some people make after exposure to HIV. The new research points to another candidate vaccine and sheds some light on how a successful one might work. Barouch and his collaborators at 10 institutions tried out four real and one sham vaccine on rhesus monkeys. The vaccines used modified cold or herpes viruses to either carry the immunogens or boost the immune response, and sometimes for both purposes. Previous vaccine studies in monkeys used weak versions of the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) that were identical to the components of the vaccine being tested — an arrangement that stacks the deck in favor of the vaccine. These researchers exposed the animals to a highly virulent strain somewhat different from the vaccine, which is a more real-world test. The best-performing vaccine — which used two different strains of adenovirus that normally causes colds — reduced an animal’s chance of becoming infected by 80 percent (although with enough exposure, infection was inevitable). Furthermore, once a vaccinated monkey became infected, there was less virus replicating and circulating in the bloodstream than was the case in unvaccinated animals. That is evidence of a more robust immune response fighting the infection. “This type of protection, and the extent of protection, in non-human primates has not been previously seen,” Barouch said. When a piece of the SIV’s envelope, or outer shell, was removed from the vaccine, the animals had no protection — confirming previous suggestions that envelope proteins will be an essential component of any AIDS vaccine likely to work. The researchers also tested the animals that were best able to suppress the growth of SIV after infection. They identified nine components of the immune response (of about 35 measured) that correlated with control of the virus — information that will also be useful in future studies. The study was partially funded by the Ragon Institute, a Boston charity that has committed $10 million to further testing of the vaccine, Barouch said. More from The Washington Post: Physicists’ new creation: A ‘time cloak’ Police: Texas teen killed by officers had pellet gun The Ga­tor­ade shower: A victory ritual that makes a splash Celebritology: 10 anticipated pop cultural comebacks for 2012

In the way of readers everywhere, I simply picked up “After the Apocalypse” and idly turned to the first page, without any particular expectations. Mainly, I just wondered what these stories were about, what Maureen F. McHugh’s voice sounded like. I did know that she had written “China Mountain Zhang,” a novel that had won the James Tiptree Jr. Award, and that Small Beer Press specialized in literary fantasy and science fiction. This is how the first story, “The Naturalist,” begins: “Cahill lived in the Flats with about twenty other guys in a place that used to be an Irish bar called Fado. At the back of the bar was the Cuyahoga River, good for protection since zombies didn’t cross the river.” Zombies? In Cleveland? At some point in the future, something happens — McHugh doesn’t quite say what — and cities suddenly begin to be plagued by zombies, so much so that it “seemed like the end of the world,” until the government got them “under control.” Cleveland, however, has been left a “zombie preserve” — and a dumping ground for hard-core inmates from prisons around the country. Inside the city, Cahill and various felons survive as well as they can, scavenging from deserted buildings, dodging the flesh-eaters, checking each other for telltale scratches after any encounter. Still, “life in the zombie preserve really wasn’t as bad as Cahill had expected. He’d been dumped off the bus and then spent a day skulking around expecting zombies to come boiling out of the floor like rats and eat him alive. He’d heard that the life expectancy of a guy in a preserve was something like two and a half days.” Luckily, Cahill joins a group that has fortified part of the Flats, once home to neon-lit bars and restaurants, with a perimeter of junked cars and rubbish, creating the kind of urban compound one associates with “Escape from New York” or “The Road Warrior.” Now zombies are mainly encountered only during scavenging forays into downtown. McHugh’s story really kicks in when a foraging party chances upon a zombie: “She was black and her hair had once been in cornrows, though now half of it was loose and tangled. They all stopped and stood stock still. No one knew how zombies ‘saw’ people. Maybe infrared, like pit vipers. Maybe smell. Cahill could not tell from this far if she was sniffing. Or listening. Or maybe even tasting the air. Taste was one of the most primitive senses. Primitive as smell. Smelling with the tongue. “She went from standing there to loping towards them. That was one of the things about zombies. They didn’t lean. They didn’t anticipate. One minute they were standing there, the next minute they were running towards you. They didn’t lead with their eyes or their chins. They were never surprised. They just were. As inexorable as rain. She didn’t look as she ran, even though she was running through debris and rubble, placing her feet and sometimes barely leaping.” And then she is on them, and the men start to swing their heavy metal pipes. McHugh’s narrative pace never lets up, though “The Naturalist” soon morphs into something far more than just a zombie horror story. Cahill wants to understand the creatures, and he’s willing to go to inhuman lengths to do so. I read “The Naturalist” straight through and then, ignoring the usual advice to wait a while before starting the next story in a collection, kept right on going to “Special Economics.” It focuses on a young girl making a little money by performing hip-hop in a Chinese market, one that overflows with second-hand stuff: “When over a quarter of a billion people died in four years, there was a lot of second-hand stuff.” The cause, it turns out, was a massive bird flu epidemic. However, Jieling eventually finds a job working in a biotech factory, helping to make “bacterial computers,” largely for the American market. Before long, “Special Economics” segues into a study of friendship and survival. Well, after that I couldn’t stop reading. In “Useless Things” an unnamed woman fabricates “reborns,” dolls that look like newborn infants. “The point is to make them look almost, but not quite, real. People prefer them a little cuter, a little more perfect than the real thing.” Living alone, the narrator depends on her dogs for protection and on a well that is going dry. Global warming has escalated dramatically, and people regularly head north, toward the Great Lakes. There are hints that the Southwest is reverting to tribalism. Every story in “After the Apocalypse” takes place in the near future, and usually in the aftermath of some global disaster. In “The Kingdom of the Blind,” two programmers for a medical facility realize that their giant software system has achieved “awareness.” In “The Lost Boy: A Reporter at Large,” a pair of dirty bombs explode in Baltimore, one at the Inner Harbor, the other near BWI. In “Going to France,” certain people gain the ability to fly. And in the last story, “After the Apocalypse,” a young mother and her junior-high-school-age daughter join the refugees heading toward Canada. In the wake of “the big Disney World attack where a kazillion people died,” the United States’s economy simply falls apart, and not even the natural bonds of family survive it. McHugh possesses a wonderfully easygoing narrative voice, one that sucks you right into her stories, whether she’s focusing on convicts, computer nerds, Chinese teenagers, fat girls desperate for love or an amnesiac young man suffering from dissociative identity disorder. Think of “After the Apocalypse” as a series of Phildickian futures, as seen through the eyes of working-class characters out of Jayne Anne Phillips. The nightmarish surroundings quicken each story’s sense of threat and danger, but the real interest remains in depicting ordinary people trying to get on with their ordinary lives as best they can, despite diminished expectations or radically altered circumstances. One last thing: If, for some reason, you are one of those people who still regard all science fiction as cowboy adventures in space, just try any of the stories in “After the Apocalypse.” I’m willing to bet that you won’t be able to read just one. Stories By Maureen F. McHugh Small Beer. 264 pp. $16

MANCHESTER, N.H. — If this is Mitt Romney’s idea of a victory rally, one shudders to think what would have happened if he had lost the Iowa caucuses. The day after his impossibly thin eight-vote victory, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination flew here for a town hall meeting at Manchester Central High School, where he was to bask in the endorsement of his 2008 arch rival, John McCain. But the senator grimaced when he was introduced, and as Romney delivered his own stump speech, an increasingly impatient McCain pulled up his sleeve and fidgeted with his bracelet. McCain gave his endorsement address without mentioning Romney’s Iowa win until the end. “By the way, we forgot to congratulate him on his landslide victory last night,” he said, laughing. Romney ignored him. Then came the questions: First, one from an Occupy Wall Street infiltrator needling the candidate about his belief that “corporations are people.” A second questioner wanted to know why Romney flip-flopped on universal health care when he was governor of Massachusetts and why he would not increase health-care costs. Later, a Chinese American woman accused Romney of saying “degrading” things about China, and she complained that “after 20 years of Reagan trickle-down economics, it didn’t help me. My tin can is still empty.” Romney sat through most of the ambush with a tight grin and raised eyebrows. At length he attempted to challenge the woman to name a place where income is higher than it is in the United States. The Occupy Wall Street guy began heckling. “The U.S. has the highest income inequality in the entire developed world!” Romney tried to regain control. “Excuse me,” he said. “You’ve had your chance.” McCain walked toward the Occupy guy. “Be quiet,” he said, menacingly. The woman, no longer in possession of a working microphone, began hollering. “For those who didn’t hear,” Romney offered, “she says she loves this country and don’t put any Asians down. I hope I haven’t put any Asians down.” The woman’s muffled shouting continued. Romney tried to answer. A baby started to cry. When the end mercifully came, the candidate gave a final rallying call to “get the White House back.” All but a few rose and put on their coats without applauding. This undoubtedly was not the victory lap the campaign had in mind. Everything about Romney is controlled, precise and disciplined. Flying from Des Moines to Manchester on Wednesday, he went to his seat right when the pilot turned on the seat-belt sign; many other politicians on charters have been known to remain standing right through landing. His staff applauded dutifully when he got on his plane (a Miami Air 737 named “Diane” on the fuselage but labeled Hair Force One by others), and he went up and down the row congratulating each staff member with a “nice work” and a “thank you.” The grin he wore when he boarded remained throughout the flight — even when he entered and exited the lavatory. When he went to the back of the plane to visit the press corps, he made a labored attempt to demonstrate that he was at ease. He noticed an aide’s manifest for the media and pretended that was funny. “Is that right? A seating chart? Ha, ha, ha.” “What do you think of your eight-vote landslide?” the Associated Press’s Glenn Johnson asked. “No interviews yet,” the candidate said. “We’ll be back later,” he said, repeating this three times. (He did not come back later.) In need of a new subject, Romney looked at the staffer sitting in the row ahead of the press corps. “Is this the referee?” he asked. It wasn’t clear why he regarded this staffer as a referee, but he continued to joke about the demarcation between staff seats and media seats. “The line? The DMZ? Is that it? No, I know what it is: It’s the emergency exit! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Yeah. Ahh.” The candidate fielded a couple of questions about his activities on caucus night, and then tried to answer a question about his margin of victory. “Ha, ha. Uh. I think landslides are terrific,” he said. “I just didn’t, uh, see that in last night’s figures. I’m not sure about you. Ha, ha, ha, ha.” Maybe he should have gotten more sleep. Driven to Manchester on a bus he dubbed “Landslide Lounge,” Romney continued to wrestle with words when he took the stage at the high school. “What a, uh, big night we had last night, or what a big morning we had, uh, last morning, this morning, in, uh, Iowa,” he began. Not long after that, he vowed that he would help to promote “businesses big and large.” McCain, finally granted the microphone, told many of the same jokes he used on the campaign trail in 2008. Romney smiled politely. It was then time for the disastrous question-and-answer session, beginning with the Occupy activists hectoring Romney about corporations-as-people. “Hold on!” the candidate volleyed. “You had your turn. Now it’s my turn.” After Romney’s win in Iowa, it _is_ his turn. But he doesn’t seem to be enjoying it. **More from PostOpinions** Dionne: Will the GOP go with a true believer or Romney? Will: In Iowa, Republicans discover a fun candidate Robinson: Romney still up against a 25 percent ceiling Petri: Why is that man in the sweater vest smiling? Sargent: Democrats’ plan to attack Romney

CAIRO — The dominant showing by the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt’s first post-revolution elections puts the country on a collision course, analysts say, with emboldened Islamists and the entrenched military set to vie for power. The Brotherhood, which was the leading opposition force under now-deposed leader Hosni Mubarak, has emerged as the country’s most viable political power. While votes are still being counted in the last of three stages of elections for parliament’s lower house, the Brotherhood expects to take more than 40 percent of seats and could claim an outright majority on Jan. 23, when the new parliament is scheduled to convene. Until now, the relatively moderate Islamist group had an uneasy alliance with the council of generals who took control of the country after Mubarak’s ouster on Feb. 11. But with the military leaders intent on protecting their political and economic interests as Egypt lurches toward democracy, some analysts say a clash between the two centers of power is inevitable. The long-term interests of the military leaders and the Brotherhood “do not converge,” said Shadi Hamid, an Egypt expert at the Brookings Doha Center. “The military wants to effectively stay in power behind the scenes. That certainly is not what the Brotherhood wants.” The powers of the incoming parliament remain unclear and are to be laid out in the as-yet-unwritten constitution, a document that the ruling generals have said they want military-appointed bodies to influence. But the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party is calling for real powers for the parliament, including the authority to appoint a prime minister and full control over the writing of the constitution. Under Mubarak, the Brotherhood was allowed to exist on a tight leash. Thousands of its members were arrested and tortured. Mubarak also pointed to the organization as the possible alternative to his autocratic rule and used that scenario to scare Western allies, who feared Islamist domination in the region and the unraveling of Egypt’s longtime peace treaty with Israel. A senior legal adviser to the Freedom and Justice Party has said that elected officials from his party would reassess the $1.3 billion in annual U.S. aid to the Egyptian military. In an interview on Egyptian television, the adviser, Ahmed Abu Bakar, said U.S. aid to Egypt, including to the military, does not help the economy or Egyptians and would be subject to debate by the new parliament. The statements come at a tense moment in U.S.-Egyptian relations, after security forces stormed the offices of 10 civil society organizations, including three American pro-democracy groups, over accusations of illicit foreign funding. “Anything that affects Egyptian political decisions and anything that constitutes as intervention in internal Egyptian affairs is something we blatantly refuse,” Bakar said. In recent months, U.S. diplomats and other officials have met with members of the Freedom and Justice Party. Those meetings mark a shift in policy for the United States, which has long regarded the Brotherhood as a threat to regional stability. But the willingness of Americans to engage the group is a nod to the reality that the Brotherhood will be a decision-maker in Egypt and a major player on the international stage. As part of a continuum of official U.S. visits, Jeffrey D. Feltman, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with military and political leaders. “We are going to judge these parties not by the names on their doors, the T-shirts they wear, but on their commitment to upholding universal democratic standards” and human rights, including for women and minorities, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “Some of these parties have had quite moderate rhetoric,” she said, “but that rhetoric now has to be matched in the way they proceed.” The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has inspired Islamist militant movements throughout the region, most notably the Palestinian group Hamas, which the United States and Israel consider a terrorist organization. Mohamed Beltagy, a leading member of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party and a candidate for parliament, agreed with other members of his party that the peace treaty with Israel will be respected, at least during this rocky transitional period. But, he added, “the parliament has the right to revise whatever happened without the public’s consent.” In the bloody run-up to the elections, which began in November, the Brotherhood faced a storm of criticism from more centrist and liberal revolutionary parties, which alleged that the group was too close to the ruling generals. The Brotherhood’s non-Islamist rivals have accused it of turning a blind eye to Mubarak-style human rights abuses at the hands of the military rulers and betraying the cause of the revolution for seats of power. Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan only stoked the tension with a recent proposal to consider granting immunity to military leaders for crimes committed during the transition, which he said would prevent Egypt from further destabilizing. As many as 100 people have been killed in clashes in the past three months; in some cases, brute force was used against unarmed protesters in the capital and other urban centers. But that reluctance to challenge the military rulers will change, analysts said, noting that the convergence of interest between the Brotherhood and the generals is only short-term. Analysts say the Brotherhood is waiting to be part of a strong elected body, which the group sees as the only legitimate tool to push the generals out of power and to guarantee its own. “They are purely political animals,” said Marc Lynch, a Middle East expert at George Washington University. “They think that the only way to unseat the [generals] is to create an alternative institution, a strong parliament with electoral legitimacy.” Staff writer Karen DeYoung in Washington contributed to this report. **More world news coverage:** \- Iranian bill would bar warships from gulf \- China pushes for North Korean stability \- 2 men sentenced for murder in Britain \- Read more headlines from around the world

In a stark reminder of how dangerous working for Uncle Sam can be, 13 federal law enforcement officers died in 2011. Then the new year began with the murder of an officer in an otherwise peaceful park. Margaret Anderson, a ranger with the National Park Service, was gunned down in Washington state’s Mount Rainier National Park on New Year’s Day. The day before, John Capano, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent, was killed in Seaford, N.Y., as he tried to stop a pharmacy thief. Capano, 51, who was off-duty at the time, apparently was mistakenly shot by another law enforcement officer, according to the Associated Press and New York media reports. Last Thursday, Daniel Knapp, a 43-year-old FBI agent, drowned in Puerto Rico while trying to assist a distressed swimmer. A day earlier, U.S. Park Police Sgt. Mike Boehm was buried. Boehm suffered a heart attack while on duty Dec. 16, trying to assist a man who plummeted from the Key Bridge in Georgetown. Kevin Bacher, a ranger who served with Anderson at Mount Rainier, said she “always had a smile and always had a kind word and would bend over backward if you needed something.” Anderson, a 34-year-old mother of two girls who was married to another ranger, probably would have been more than willing to assist even the likes of Benjamin Colton Barnes. But the 24-year-old Iraq war veteran allegedly shot her before she could even get out of her car. He then fled into the woods, where he developed hypothermia and drowned in a creek. Before transferring to Mount Rainier in 2008, Anderson was assigned to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park in Hagerstown. “When I think of Margaret’s tenure here, I think of her big smile. But she also was a no-nonsense law enforcement officer,” said Kevin Brandt, the park’s superintendent. Unlike many officers, she became an emergency medical technician “to provide that important service to visitors,” he added. “She had a real love of nature. . . . She was a consummate ranger. She was everything that you’d want a ranger to be.” Anderson’s death points to the perils that rangers face. “This tragedy serves as a reminder of the risks undertaken by the men and women of the National Park Service and law enforcement officers across the Department every day,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. Rangers are far more than park tour guides in peculiar hats. Particularly in remote parks, they carry out a variety of critical duties, including fighting fires, saving lives and being the cops many of them are authorized to be. There are two types of rangers, those with law enforcement powers such as Anderson, and interpretive rangers who have some of the same responsibilities but don’t carry guns, wear body armor or confront killers. Generally, guns and bulletproof vests are not necessary, because national parks are safe places. “Margaret Anderson’s case was incredibly tragic for us, but it was very rare at the same time,” said National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis. Like Anderson, many park service employees have a strong sense of mission and devote their careers to protecting America’s natural resources. “The Park Service . . . is a big family,” said Jarvis, himself a 35-year Park Service veteran. “To lose one of the family is devastating to us.” While its people are devastated, he said, the Park Service “also will evaluate the situation in extraordinary detail to see if there is anything we can do to prevent this from happening in the future.” The 13 officers who died in the line of duty, including deaths from job- related illness and accidents, compares with just four in 2000 and 17 in 2007, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit organization. “These officers selflessly put themselves in harm’s way to protect their fellow Americans,” said Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry. “All Americans are saddened by their loss, and grateful for the courage every Federal law enforcement officer shows daily as they keep our nation safe.” For all of the sadness the deaths bring, the killings of officers also generate understandable anger. When Jaime J. Zapata, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, was killed in Mexico in February, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano did not mince words: “Let me be clear: Any act of violence against our ICE personnel — or any DHS personnel — is an attack against all those who serve our nation and put their lives at risk for our safety.”

US Airways will offer direct service from Reagan National Airport to 11 new destinations as the result of a slot swap arranged last year with Delta Air Lines. Under a deal that received federal approval in October, US Airways traded 132 slots at New York’s La Guardia Airport in return for 42 slots at National. A slot means one arrival and departure each day. “When our expansion is completed, US Airways will offer more than 230 daily flights and directly support more than 1,500 aviation jobs at Washington National,” US Airways chief Doug Parker said in a statement announcing details of the plan. Beginning March 25, US Airways will offer new nonstop flights to and from Birmingham, Ala.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Islip, N.Y.; Little Rock; Jacksonville, N.C.; Pensacola, Fla.; Tallahassee; and Fort Walton Beach, Fla. No other airline offers direct flights between National and those cities. US Airways will compete with other airlines in launching service to Memphis, Omaha and Ottawa. Two airports that already had weekend US Airways flights — Bangor, Maine, and Savannah, Ga. — will now have weekday service. A daily direct flight to Hartford, Conn., will also be scheduled. The airline said it plans to add more routes from National next month.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday endorsed direct U.S.-Taliban talks and the establishment of a Taliban office in Qatar to facilitate negotiations. A statement issued by Karzai’s office couched his blessing in the government’s desire to “eliminate the foreigner’s excuses for and actions to continue war and bloodshed in Afghanistan.” The implied criticism of U.S. military forces, which Karzai has accused of killing innocents in air attacks and night raids on Afghan villages by Special Operations troops, was something “he had to issue for internal reasons,” an Obama administration official said. “We get that.” In the past, Karzai has also complained that the United States was working behind his back in informal talks with the Taliban that began in the spring. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the sensitive relationship, said the Obama administration was prepared to ignore Karzai’s “digs” in exchange for the statement’s positive elements. “The best way to deal with this is to pocket the good stuff and ignore the other stuff,” the official said. “He said yes, and we’re going to take yes for an answer.” U.S. officials hope to see the Qatar office opened within the next several weeks and full-fledged negotiations established, with Afghan participation, by a NATO summit in May. In November, U.S. and Taliban representatives agreed in principle on a deal that included the office as well as the transfer of five Afghans held at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to house arrest in Qatar. The tentative deal, which also included a public Taliban denunciation of international terrorism, collapsed when Karzai refused to go along with it. Although the office now appears set to go forward, the rest of the terms of the agreement remain uncertain. The administration official said that the prisoner transfer, which would require congressional consultation and a waiver by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, has not come up for discussion again. The five detainees were originally requested by the Taliban early last year, according to a former administration official. They are among the most prominent remaining Afghans at Guantanamo Bay, and all held senior positions before their capture, according to military documents released by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. Mohammad Fazl, a former deputy minister of defense in the Taliban government that ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, and Noorullah Nori, a former interior minister and governor, surrendered to the Northern Alliance. They were among the first detainees to arrive at Guantanamo Bay 10 years ago this month, and both have declined legal representation or to file cases in U.S. district court challenging their detention. The two have been implicated in the slaughter of thousands of noncombatants, principally Shiite Muslims, during Taliban rule. When asked about the killing, Fazl and Nori “did not express any regret and stated that they did what they needed to do in their struggle to establish their ideal state,” according to documents. The three other detainees are Khairullah Khairkhwa, a former governor and a friend of Karzai; Abdul Haq Wasiq, a former Taliban intelligence official; and Muhammad Nabi, who was described in military documents as a senior Taliban official who served in multiple leadership roles. All of the men were recommended for continued detention by the military because they were judged to be of high intelligence value and likely to return to the fight. But the military documents described four of the five, with the exception of Nabi, as “compliant and rarely hostile to the guard force.” Read more coverage of news from around the world: Iran working to fuel anti-American sentiment in Afghanistan Two men sentenced in race-based 1993 murder that shook Britain France eases tightening of foreign student visas Iran prepares bill to bar foreign warships from Persian Gulf

LACONIA, N.H. — Superficially, something’s not right. It’s the snow. There isn’t any. The fields are brown and raw; the mountains have no life to them. Ponds have frozen, and rafts of ice navigate the smaller rivers, but the political placards that are supposed to be stuck in snowbanks are instead planted in dirt or attached to guardrails. It doesn’t look like a New Hampshire primary. The scale of the phenomenon has also been downsized from four years ago. There’s only the one contest. The field is relatively small, and the news media this time will have just a handful of candidates to chase around. But this is still the big stage for presidential primaries. In this last week before the vote, the Republican candidates have to connect, close the deal and finesse unscripted encounters with ordinary folks while the national media observe and document every syllable. New Hampshire’s primary has a way of creating history in an eyeblink, of taking spontaneous moments and off-the-cuff remarks and chiseling them into legend. You can’t take your eyes off a candidate lest he break into tears or threaten to hoist someone on a pitchfork. The biggest question Wednesday was whether Newt Gingrich, wounded after seeing his lead in Iowa obliterated by negative ads, would go after Mitt Romney with fangs bared. He essentially promised as much Tuesday night, when, seething after his fourth-place finish in the caucuses, he congratulated Rick Santorum but did not mention Romney by name. “We’re not going to go out and run nasty ads,” Gingrich said. “But I do reserve the right to tell the truth. And if the truth seems negative, that may be more a comment on his record.” But the man who appeared Wednesday morning at the Holiday Inn in Concord, N.H., seemed mellow and uncaffeinated. Speaking to a room packed with students, he put on his Professor Gingrich persona and meandered through a primer on the origins of our political system. The students may have wondered if, after the talk, there would be a test. Gingrich spoke about the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. He talked of Lexington and “the other” Concord. He mentioned George Washington at Valley Forge. He annotated the backstory of the Declaration of Independence, with a reference to the Scottish Enlightenment. Just as the assembled media corps expected him to pivot to an attack on Romney, Gingrich began discussing Captain John Smith’s activities at Jamestown. Later in the day, at an old textile mill here, he retailed some more history: “Societies which accelerate the rate of change are dramatically wealthier and better off than the societies that slow down the rate of change. The founding fathers knew this.” He added: “Washington, for example, imported a new breed of sheep from Spain.” But sandwiched between the two events, Gingrich held a news conference in which he went straight at Romney, the “Massachusetts moderate,” questioning his tactics and honesty. In an icy, all-business tone, he skewered Romney for ideological inconsistencies over the years and for kowtowing to Democrats and liberals as governor. Talking to reporters at the end of the textile mill visit, he vowed to press ahead: “In this campaign so far, I’ve been dead once, resurrected, limping along, the front-runner, drowned in a tidal wave of Romney and Ron Paul negative ads, recovered and survived.” Another survivor, at least for one more week, is Jon Huntsman Jr., a former two-term Utah governor who spent the days before the Iowa vote stumping here in the Granite State. He gambled that he couldn’t lose in Iowa if he didn’t compete. Nationally, Huntsman barely fogs a mirror. In New Hampshire, though, his Santorumesque diligence — he said at a crowded Tuesday night town hall that he was holding his 150th public event in the state — has earned him third place in the latest statewide poll. Huntsman is certainly attractive on the surface: trim, with hair graying diplomatically. He’s got a gorgeous, sprawling family, including a trio of prepossessing 20-something daughters who have their own Web site and parody YouTube video, and who showed up in Peterborough to help work the crowd. Huntsman opened his stump speech by handing the microphone to his wife, Mary Kaye, who gushed about her husband’s virtues. The former governor then made his pitch. “I am the underdog in this race. I need your help. You know what else? New Hampshire loves an underdog!” There’s an old-fashioned quality to his vocabulary — he says “darn,” and you expect any second that he’ll lob a “gee willikers” or a “golly.” On Tuesday night, he said: “We’re passing down this thing called humanity to the next generation — who we are, our values, our standing in the world, our economic performance — in this kind of shape? Give me a break!” And: “I am who I am. I’ve got a record I’m proud of. You might not like 100 percent of it, but look at it! It’s pretty darn good!” When the gathering was over, Huntsman and his family stayed, working voters one by one, until the place was almost empty but for the volunteers removing the folding chairs.

The Food and Drug Administration plans to restrict a family of antibiotics commonly used to treat livestock, citing concerns that overuse might promote the development of drug-resistant bacteria that can infect people. On Wednesday, the FDA said it would limit the use of cephalosporin in cattle, swine, chicken and turkey. The antibiotics can no longer be used to prevent diseases in livestock starting April 5, though they can still be used to treat illnesses, the FDA said. Consumer advocates support the FDA’s decision. But they say the move is long overdue and deals with only one small part of a much larger public health issue tied to the overuse of antibiotics in animals. They want the FDA to also curtail the use of antibiotics in animal feed, an issue the agency has been grappling with since 1977. The problem, public health advocates say, is that some antibiotics given to treat illnesses in people are widely used on animals to promote disease prevention and weight gain, as well as compensate for crowded conditions on ranches and farms. The prevalence of those antibiotics in livestock has been linked in several studies to the creation of drug-resistant “superbugs” that can spread to humans who work with or eat the animals. Resistance to cephalosporin can be especially devastating because the antibiotics are regularly prescribed to humans. The antibiotics, which include brands such as Keflex and the generic cephalexin, are used to treat many illnesses, including pneumonia and salmonella infections in children. “It’s one of the big guns,” said David Wallinga, a physician with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy who also works with the Keep Antibiotics Working coalition. “When someone comes into an emergency room and you don’t know what they’re sick with, you try to treat them with one of the big guns. When your big guns start being ineffective, . . . you’re really in trouble.” In 2008, the FDA issued an outright ban of cephalosporin for livestock. But the agency withdrew the plan after strong opposition from industry groups that wanted to preserve some uses of the antibiotics. On Wednesday, the FDA responded by carving out some exceptions. For example, veterinarians will still be able to use or prescribe cephalosporins for limited use in livestock, if they follow approved doses. The industry has long said the FDA does not have the science to back the ban. But Wednesday, the National Pork Producers Council said the agency’s more narrowly focused ban makes better sense. “We don’t support the need for [a ban], but we do believe that our pigs will not suffer endlessly because of it” because disease-treatment will be permitted, said Liz Wagstrom, the group’s chief veterinarian. Others who have been tracking the issue are less pleased with the FDA. Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-N.Y.) described the FDA’s actions as a “modest” step in the fight to avert a massive public health threat. “We’re really just looking at the tip of the iceberg,” said Slaughter, who has written legislation since 2007 that would restrict the use of certain antibiotics. She also criticized the FDA for not taking action sooner. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that nearly 3 percent of salmonella tested was cephalosporin-resistant. “How many Americans have needlessly been sickened in the meantime?” she said. In 2010, the FDA issued voluntarily guidelines urging the judicious use of these drugs. But those have yet to be finalized. Last year, several environmental and public health groups sued the FDA to force it to stop the industry from adding certain antibiotics to the feed of healthy animals. “We don’t believe the voluntary guidelines will make a dent in this problem,” said Avinash Kar, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the plaintiffs. “For the last 30 years or so, we’ve been working on a voluntary system and that hasn’t done much.” More business coverage: Obama bucks GOP, appoints Cordray to watchdog post Report: Kodak might file for bankruptcy Yahoo names PayPal's Scott Thompson as CEO U.S. stocks erase early losses Detroit revs up auto sales in 2011

Thirteen federal law enforcement officers died in the line of duty in 2011, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit organization. In addition to officers who were killed by gunfire, as National Park Service Ranger Margaret Anderson was on Sunday, the list includes officers who died because of job-related illnesses, such as heart attacks, or in vehicle and other accidents. **Senior Special Agent John Capano** , Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Dec. 31, New York. **Special Agent Daniel “Danny” Lee Knapp** , FBI, Dec. 29, Puerto Rico. **Sgt. Michael Andrew Boehm** , U.S. Park Police, Dec. 16, District of Columbia. **Officer Bart Child** , Fort Huachuca Police Department, Aug. 18, Arizona. **Special Agent Timothy S. Briggs** , FBI, May 31, Kentucky. **Border Patrol Agent Eduardo Rojas Jr.** , Customs and Border Protection, May 12, Arizona. **Border Patrol Agent Hector R. Clark** , Customs and Border Protection, May 12, Arizona. **Senior Officer Specialist Christopher Cooper** , Bureau of Prisons, April 7, Kansas. **Deputy Marshal John Perry** , U.S. Marshals Service, March 8, Missouri. **Park Ranger Julie Weir** , National Park Service, Feb. 24, Nebraska. **Deputy Marshal Derek Hotsinpiller** , U.S. Marshals Service, Feb. 16, West Virginia. **Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata** , Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Feb. 15, Mexico. **Park Ranger Chris Nickel** , National Park Service, Jan. 29, Utah.

Sub-freezing temperatures caused rush-hour delays on four of Metro’s five lines Wednesday morning, cracking sections of rail along two stretches of track and turning an already cold commute into a frigid marathon for some riders. Temperatures in the Washington region went from a balmy 60 degrees on Sunday to the 40s on Monday and then dropped to 17 degrees at Reagan National Airport by Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service. That caused a shock to the steel rails on Metro’s tracks, said Metro’s chief spokesman, Dan Stessel. “When you go from mild temperatures [to] a sharp and sudden drop in temperatures, the metal rails contract, and cracks can develop,” he said. On the Yellow Line, a four-inch gap opened in a rail along the bridge across the Potomac River, Stessel said, and a quarter-inch gap was found in a rail on the Red Line near the Takoma station. The Yellow Line crack was detected about 6:30 a.m., Stessel said, when a light signaled that there was a problem. The crack on the Red Line was detected about 7:30 a.m. in a similar way, he said. It can be unsafe to run trains over cracked rail lines, so rail service had to be suspended, and inbound and outbound trains shared a single track on both the Yellow and Red lines, Stessel said. Riders on the Blue and Green lines experienced delays because of congestion near the Potomac River bridge. Because the Yellow Line shares track with the Blue and Green lines, Yellow Line trains were “stacking up to go over the bridge” as trains were single-tracking through the area, said Stessel. That left Blue Line trains waiting with “nowhere to go,” he said. Stessel said delays ran 20 to 30 minutes, but some commuters said their trips to work were lengthened even more when they factored in their waits. A nearly 40-foot piece of rail was replaced on the Yellow Line after rush hour, Stessel said. The Red Line crack was temporarily bridged with a “splice bar” that held the pieces together so trains could use that section of track. By 1 p.m., a piece of 40-foot rail went into place on the Red Line to permanently replace the cracked rail, Stessel said. Subways and railroads say it is not uncommon for the cold to cause issues. In Long Island on Wednesday morning, broken rail lines due to the cold weather caused 30-minute delays, said Salvatore Arena, a spokesman for the Long Island Rail Road. But the Virginia Railway Express, which operates on rail tracks owned by CSX and Norfolk-Southern, said heavier gauge steel means they don’t have to deal frequently with cracked rails. Like Metro, though, VRE and Maryland Area Regional Commuter trains can face delays in the heat of summer when rails expand and kinks develop. Richard Maloney, spokesman for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, said that his transit system has not had cracked-rail problems but that sudden changes in temperatures can cause other issues. “Any big system, like WMATA or New York, when you have a sudden change in temperature, you’re going to have mechanical problems. It is the nature of the business,” he said. The change in weather this week caused problems with the rail car doors in Philadelphia, which tend to stick when the temperature swings, he said.

Despite the sluggish economy, the nation’s major health insurers have prospered in large part by expanding their role in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, according to a study released Thursday. The share of large insurers’ revenues contributed by their Medicare and Medicaid business has jumped from 36 to 42 percent over the past three years. And the report by Bloomberg Government, a research division of Bloomberg LP, suggests that insurers will further increase their reliance on federal dollars with full implementation of the health-care law in 2014 — when Medicaid will expand to cover an eventual 16 million additional low-income Americans and the federal government will begin subsidizing private-insurance policies for an estimated 19 million more. The study found that since 2009, carriers have enjoyed substantial growth to their operating margin, the share of a company’s revenue left over after accounting for operating expenses. During last year’s first three quarters, the combined operating margin of the five largest publicly traded insurance companies averaged 8.65 percent — the best three-quarter performance of the past three years. This occurred even as revenues from traditional private-insurance business have remained virtually flat since the end of 2008. The five insurers combined — UnitedHealth Group, Wellpoint, Aetna, Humana and Cigna — cover 42.3 million people, or about 17 percent of Americans with health insurance. The report is mostly based on an analysis of their filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The study also found evidence that nonprofit Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, which cover a comparable share of the insured, likely performed similarly well. The insurers’ government business involves taking over components of the Medicare and Medicaid programs that government policymakers are increasingly outsourcing in hopes of cutting expenditures. Essentially, the private companies are hired to run managed-care plans as an alternative to the traditional fee-for-service plans provided by the two programs. Under the arrangement, the insurer receives a fixed amount from the state or federal authority ultimately responsible for a given Medicaid or Medicare population. In many cases, the insurer can then keep part of any savings it generates by managing the care of the covered population more cost-effectively. The practice is attractive to states seeking to curb spending on Medicaid, which is funded with a combination of state and federal dollars. Privately run Medicare managed-care plans — called Medicare Advantage Plans — have also long been common. The health-care law will actually reduce federal payments to Medicare Advantage Plans by $136 billion. Nonetheless, the study’s author, Peter Gosselin, posits that insurers still expect the plans to prove profitable, because the current national focus on debt reduction will give them political cover to manage beneficiaries’ care more tightly than was considered palatable in years past. That same logic might explain why insurance companies and their investors appear unruffled by the possibility that the health-care law could be overturned by the Supreme Court or drastically altered by the next Congress. In the absence of the law, Medicaid might not be expanded. But the political imperative will still be to reduce spending on both Medicaid and Medicare — and this would probably be done through further outsourcing to private companies. “It seems as if insurers have figured out a way to win whether the law is fully implemented or not,” Gosselin said. More business coverage: Greece’s survival in euro zone linked to upcoming talks Obama bucks GOP, appoints Cordray to watchdog post FDA to limit livestock antibiotics Report: Kodak might file for bankruptcy Yahoo names PayPal's Scott Thompson as CEO U.S. stocks erase early losses Detroit revs up auto sales in 2011

D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. is nearing a deal with federal prosecutors in which he would plead guilty to fraud and tax-related charges, probably serve time in prison and agree to give up his seat, according to people familiar with the talks. As of late Wednesday, no agreement had been signed, and there were still obstacles to a deal, according to those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks and because they were not authorized to discuss them. But Thomas and prosecutors had agreed in principle to the parameters of a plea. Thomas is alleged to have steered $300,000 in city funds for youth sports programs to pay for personal expenses that included an Audi sport-utility vehicle. He has not been charged with a crime. But agents from the FBI and IRS raided his home last month and seized several personal items. The city’s attorney general outlined the allegations in a civil suit last year and referred the case to U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. If a deal is finalized, prosecutors could file charges in a criminal information as soon as Thursday, and Thomas could appear in court Friday, officials said. Thomas, his attorney, Frederick D. Cooke Jr., and prosecutors declined to comment on the status of the case, although Cooke confirmed that the two sides were talking. People familiar with the talks said there are still sharp disagreements over what charges Thomas would plead guilty to. He does not want to plead guilty to stealing city funds, and pleading to a fraud charge might necessitate that. Last week, Thomas began meeting with friends to apologize for the allegations hanging over his head. He told them that he expected to enter a guilty plea this week and to get a three-year prison sentence, according to friends of his. He told them that the charges would be tax-related, such as failing to report the funds as income. If a deal is reached, however, any sentence would be up to a judge and be subject to federal sentencing guidelines based on the charges. A three-year sentence would be within federal guidelines for certain fraud and tax charges, but people with knowledge of the talks said the deal would allow Cooke to argue for less time. There is no city law barring someone from running for office even after a felony conviction. On Tuesday, Thomas missed a deadline for a $50,000 payment to the city as part of a settlement agreement with the attorney general’s office. Attorney General Irvin B. Nathan alleged in a civil lawsuit that Thomas had steered the funds through groups he controlled to a variety of personal expenditures, including golf trips and a luxury SUV. He did not admit wrongdoing, but the settlement agreement required Thomas (D-Ward 5) to deliver a $50,000 cashier’s check to Nathan’s office “on or before” Dec. 31. Because that day fell on a long holiday weekend, the deadline was extended until the close of business Tuesday. Under the agreement, Thomas is required to make twice-yearly payments of $50,000 through 2013 and cannot start or operate a charity through 2016. The missed payment and the chatter about an imminent plea deal come a month after the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raided Thomas’s home. Agents seized a Chevy Tahoe SUV and a motorcycle, along with personal papers and other items. Several council members declined to speak about Thomas, saying they had no information to share. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown (D) said he has received no indication that Thomas may be leaving as part of a plea agreement. “I have not heard anything at all. Nothing has changed,” Brown said, adding that he last spoke to Thomas last week. In an interview, Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) said he hasn’t spoken to Thomas since before Christmas and has received no indication that the council member plans to resign. But Gray, who has known the Thomas family for decades, said he hopes that Thomas and federal prosecutors come to a quick resolution of the case for the sake of Ward 5 residents. “This whole thing is an enigma to me. Just an absolute puzzle,” Gray said. “That is why I want to see the criminal justice system come to a conclusion.” Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) said Thomas should ignore the media chatter and keep fighting the allegations. “I strongly believe you are innocent until proven guilty,” Barry said. “Mr. Thomas has not been charged or convicted of anything.” Staff writers Tim Craig and Mike DeBonis contributed to this report. **Read more onPostLocal.com:** Occupy’s new battle? Cold. Scissors-wielding killer charged again Labor leaders lobby for same-sex marriage in Md. A bright new D.C. casa for older Latinos

Prince George’s County is bracing for a $125.7 million budget shortfall that will force officials to make tough programming cuts and consider controversial proposals to increase revenue. Balancing the county’s nearly $2.7 billion budget in the coming months will “not be a pleasant” process, said Thomas Himler, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer for budget, finance and administration. But it should be familiar. County Executive Rushern L. Baker III contended with a nearly $77 million spending gap soon after he took office in late 2010. Then, the projection for the fiscal 2013 deficit was a slightly bleaker $133 million, prompting Baker (D) to vow to take a closer look at frivolous expenditures and to maintain a hiring freeze, among other austerity measures. This year’s budget will require even more trimming, although how, and from where, remains uncertain. “We’re a little better than where we thought we would be at this time last year,” Himler said. “But for the second year in a row, we’re going to be looking at some difficult decisions ahead.” The lagging real estate market continues to hurt the county’s coffers. Limited by the voter-imposed cap on property tax increases, Prince George’s faced a third-straight year of negative reassessments in 2011. The projections are worse for 2013. “We’re expecting things on the real estate side to be tight for a while, with a little optimism in the last six months,” Himler said. Although the foreclosure rate in the county declined slightly at the end of last year, Himler said, there are about 3,700 foreclosures pending in the courts — enough to cause “real concern” about a decreasing taxable property base. Another lingering worry is the possibility that Maryland will shift responsibility for teacher retirement costs to the counties, which is not accounted for in the projected deficit for Prince George’s. The state faces budget woes of its own, with a forecasted $1 billion shortfall on the horizon. Still, Prince George’s is banking on state aid to the county not declining, Himler said. This year’s report estimates that the school system will receive an additional $8 million from the state. Baker, a former state delegate, will spend time lobbying in Annapolis to make sure the county gets the aid it needs, Himler said. And as the county seeks to begin school construction and replace the flagging Prince George’s Hospital Center in ­Cheverly with a teaching hospital, Baker has said he will look at “everything” to generate more revenue. “Generally, in terms of revenue, we don’t have a lot of options,” Himler said. Additional red light cameras throughout the county are expected to improve the bottom line. Less certain, albeit more controversial, is the potential of slots. Baker has said that in light of budget woes, he will have to at least consider the possibility of slots parlors in the county. Slots are opposed by many leaders of the county’s faith community, but even if they were approved, they would not have an effect on the deficit outlined Wednesday. Amid talk of installing slots as Rosecroft Raceway, County Council Vice Chairman Eric Olson (D-College Park) proposed a bill late last year that would ban slots. Although Baker and other council members have traditionally shared Olson’s view, the proposal was tabled. Baker has had a couple of encouraging developments on the economic front. After several months of debate, the council in November approved his request for a $50 million fund to draw businesses to the area. Also this fall, Prince George’s AAA bond rating, which enables the county to borrow money at lower rates and is a mark of Wall Street’s confidence in its finances, was renewed. “We will continue to look for areas of improvement,” Himler said. “It’s always tough, but I’m optimistic about our general financial situation.”

A game after being limited to a season-low point total, Hollis Thompson found himself with the ball in his hands and the game on the line Wednesday. And, without a second thought, the junior swingman delivered for the Georgetown men’s basketball team. Thompson scored eight of his 16 points in the final 3 minutes 21 seconds, including a three-pointer with 24 seconds remaining. The shot completed the ninth-ranked Hoyas’ scintillating rally from a 17-point second-half deficit to a 73-70 victory over No. 20 Marquette at Verizon Center. “We say this in jest, but Hollis’s confidence is always flowing,” Coach John Thompson III said. “And our confidence in him is always going. We did a very good job as a group of saying, ‘Let’s go back to him, let’s get him the ball.’ ” Georgetown (13-1, 3-0 Big East) extended its winning streak to 11 games, matching its longest run since 2007, and has defeated four ranked opponents this season. (Memphis, Alabama and Louisville are the others.) The Hoyas are the only team in the nation to have beaten four ranked teams. As clutch as Hollis Thompson was, he didn’t do it alone. Marquette (12-3, 1-1) opened a 14-point lead at halftime, then extended its edge to 56-39 on a three-pointer by Todd Mayo with 13:13 left to play. But the Golden Eagles weren’t able to grow that advantage thanks, in large part, to the defensive efforts of a curious combination of players, given the stakes: senior Jason Clark (game-high 26 points) and freshmen Jabril Trawick, Greg Whittington, Otto Porter and Mikael Hopkins. “That’s the group that got us jump-started,” John Thompson said. “We just guarded. That’s what’s going to win games in this conference. You have to get stops.” Marquette was held to 35.3 percent shooting from the field in the second half after shooting 48.6 percent in the first. Clark, Trawick and Whittington combined to shut down Darius Johnson-Odom, who was limited to five points in the final 20 minutes after he scored 13 in the first half. The Hoyas also started making big shots: They went 16 of 21 in the second half (76.2 percent). Thompson, who spent a significant portion of the second half on the bench, re-entered the game and promptly made a three-pointer that cut Marquette’s lead to 66-64 and ignited the crowd of 11,213. After Johnson-Odom was whistled for an offensive foul, Thompson knocked down a jumper at the other end tie the game at 66, the game’s first deadlock since 21-21. Whittington made a steal on Marquette’s next possession and Henry Sims (13 points, five assists) converted a smooth finger roll moments later to put the Hoyas ahead, 68-66. But it almost wasn’t enough. After the teams traded baskets, the Golden Eagles’ Junior Cadougan made a jumper with 47 seconds remaining to knot the score at 70. Enter Thompson. On the game’s decisive possession, Sims drove the lane and then kicked the ball out to Thompson, who calmly drained a three-pointer. Sims recorded assists on the Hoyas’ last two baskets. “I was open, so I took the shots,” said Thompson, who scored only four points in Saturday’s win over Providence. Clark, who scored 18 points in the second half, said the Hoyas’ commitment to playing team defense led to the turnaround after a first half that they would just as soon forget. In the opening 20 minutes, they committed 12 turnovers to the Golden Eagles’ five and went into the locker room down 14 points. “We just felt like we were getting embarrassed,” Clark said. “So in the second half, we wanted to turn it up defensively, and our defense turned into our offense.”

A man has pleaded guilty to killing Carl Diener, a popular community fixture in Arlington County. Roger K. Clark III, 20, of Severn pleaded guilty to first-degree murder Tuesday in Arlington County Circuit Court, several days before his trial was to start. Diener, 57, was attacked and stabbed in 2009 as he walked from his home to the nearby Sport & Health Club in Clarendon at 2:50 a.m., according to his sister, Patti Diener Lough. It was an unusual killing in Arlington, which recorded no homicides last year. Clark was arrested in connection with a robbery and assault in Annapolis about three months before Diener was killed, according to online court records. Investigators matched his DNA, found in the pockets of Diener’s sweatpants, to DNA captured by police in Maryland, Lough said she was told by investigators. Lough said police told her that Clark did not serve prison time in the Annapolis robbery. If he had, she said, her brother would not have been killed. “I have to relive that every day,” Lough said. “This could have been avoided.” Still, Lough said she was pleased. “From the first minutes of this terrible event, we have had an amazing team of police and prosecutors working tirelessly to answer the question of what happened to Carl that morning,” she said. Another man, Javon Martin of the District, was arrested in the case with Clark, but he was released from custody. Police declined to offer any details about Martin. “We can’t comment on the case,” said Arlington County police spokeswoman Crystal Nosal. Clark is scheduled to be sentenced in April. His plea relieved Diener’s family, said Lough, because relatives did not want to experience the emotional difficulty of the trial and be forced to hear details of the killing. “We hoped it would happen this way,” Lough said. “Nothing — not even this guilty plea — can ever bring Carl back,” she said. “But we are immensely comforted to know that a murderer is in custody and will not be able to hurt another person or family like he shattered ours.” Diener, who was popular in his Lyon Village neighborhood, was known for his commitment to athletics and health. “It was a terrible incident, but it led to a lot of positive things,” said H.K. Park, president of the Lyon Village Citizens Association. “It raised people’s awareness and was a good way to spur people to talk more broadly about safety in general.” Since Diener was killed, the association identified and fixed more than 90 broken streetlights and distributed 1,000 fluorescent bulbs so residents could keep their porches lighted at night. Lyon Village Park also has a bench and a tennis backboard that are inscribed in Diener’s memory. The tennis backboard was paid for with funds raised by Girl Scout Addison Snidle, who lived two blocks from where Diener was killed.

Luz Onofre has lived in the District since 1963, but she struggles to pay the below-market rent of $900 a month for her Mount Pleasant apartment. “Rent is so expensive nowadays, and the pension I get is not enough,” the retired teacher said. Born in Peru, Onofre, 72, hopes to land one of 36 furnished studio apartments at the new Vida Senior Residences at Brightwood on Missouri Avenue NW, where officials are holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. The complex, for residents 55 and older, is an effort to address the demand for affordable housing among the District’s Latino senior population, said officials with Vida Senior Centers in Adams Morgan, which is developing the project. The apartments are open to everyone, however, and rents will range from $286 to $851 a month, based on income. Applicants also have to meet other criteria, such as no criminal record, officials said. Vida, formerly the Educational Organization for United Latin Americans, has worked with Hispanics in the District since 1969. In its Calvert Street location, Vida serves more than 700 senior citizens annually, 95 percent of them Hispanic, official said. Onofre said she found a family in the center after being treated for cancer six years ago. “I am alone. I don’t have children or a husband,” she said. “I would really love to live there.” Onofre said an apartment in the new building would also mean a safe and active place to grow old. “I love to dance, and at Vida we have dance classes three times a week,” said Onofre, who suffers from high blood pressure and has lymphoma checkups every six months. “That keeps me going despite some of my health issues.” The apartments will also offer a senior center and a community garden. “With the housing boom in Washington, a lot of the seniors were being priced out of the market,” said Robert Solorzano, a consultant who serves as president of Vida’s board of directors. “Of course [the problem] is a lot bigger than our current housing project, but at least we were starting to address the issue.” The five-story building in Ward 4 is an expansion for Vida to an area that has drawn many Hispanic residents. Many Latinos in the past decade moved out of gentrifying Columbia Heights and Adams Morgan to the suburbs or more affordable places in the upper Georgia Avenue area, said Angel Luis Irene, Vida’s executive director. That transition can be a challenge for the elderly who might be more dependent on public transportation, he said. The portion of the District’s population that is 60 and older reached nearly 100,000 in the 2010 Census, according to the D.C. Office on Aging. A small portion, 4,365 or 4.3 percent, are Hispanic, according to their statistics based on the census. Irene said many Hispanic seniors are in the country alone, live in poverty and have health problems such as diabetes. Vida is the only senior center in the area that specializes in services to this population, Irene said. He said one of the biggest challenges Vida sees in its clients is the need for affordable housing. He said he hopes the $8.7 million project, which was financed with federal stimulus funding through programs through the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development and a $1.3 million bank loan, will be the first of similar projects to help this population find low-income housing. The organization’s strategic plan envisions building one more residential community in the District, one in Maryland and one in Virginia, Irene said. As the Hispanic population grows (it now numbers more than 1 million people in the District, Maryland and Virginia, according to the 2010 Census), the need for affordable housing for Hispanic seniors will continue to grow, he said. Casilda Luna, a native of the Dominican Republic who came to the District more than 40 years ago and worked to establish the first Vida center in the ’70s, said she hopes the complex will help alleviate overcrowding at the Adams Morgan center. “We don’t fit here anymore. The place is too small,” said Luna, 85. She said the center provides a cozy environment for elderly Latinos where they can socialize, receive health and nutrition information and dance lessons in their native Spanish. A private management company is processing applications this month on a first- come, first-served basis. About 300 people havealready applied. The apartments are expected to be leased within six months, and the programs in the community center will start after the building is occupied in the summer, Irene said. While Luna is happy about the expansion, she said she is also sad because it means the group will be split between the two sites. “We are like a family. Sometimes many of us don’t want to come to Vida because we feel sick or are in pain, but we come because we feel at home here.” **Read more onPostLocal.com:** Occupy’s new battle? Cold. Scissors-wielding killer charged again Labor leaders lobby for same-sex marriage in Md. Thomas may be giving up D.C. Council seat

ORLANDO — Andray Blatche pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, placed a pair of oversize headphones on his ears, and scrolled to a Sam Cooke song on his iPod. As he grabbed his belongings to leave the visitor’s locker room at Amway Center after the Washington Wizards’ 103-85 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, Blatche started singing off-key: “A change gon’ come . . . oh, yes it will.” The Wizards will have to do something different, because their first six games have produced some miserable performances that have left the players zapped of enthusiasm. And there are still 60 games remaining. At 0-6, the team is off to the worst start in the history of a franchise that has had far too many dreadful campaigns since it last reached the NBA Finals nearly 33 years ago. “It’s kind of dead around here as you can see, feels like we been playing for two or three months already,” reserve guard Jordan Crawford said. “It’s sad right now. It’s bad.” Coming off a seemingly encouraging loss two nights before in Boston — where they shared the ball, helped on defense and were competitive from start to finish — the Wizards appeared disorganized, dysfunctional and discombobulated on both ends of the floor. “One step forward, two steps back,” Coach Flip Saunders said after the Wizards suffered their third loss by at least 18 points this season. “Looked like we took five steps back,” Rashard Lewis said after the Wizards were thrashed in nearly every category, shot an abysmal 36.6 percent and for the fifth time this season failed to score at least 90 points. “Seemed like we took nine steps back, go all the way back to the beginning of training camp, with everybody just playing for themselves,” John Wall said after the Wizards missed their first 12 shots from the field, allowed Orlando to score the first nine points and trailed by double digits for the final 39 minutes 59 seconds of the game. Lewis had been anticipating playing in Orlando for the first time since he was dealt to the Wizards in exchange for Gilbert Arenas 13 months ago. Lewis received a nice ovation from Magic fans, who remembered his contributions to a team that reached the NBA Finals in 2009. But it probably didn’t take long before Lewis was pining for an opportunity to swap jerseys with his opponent and wear pinstripes once again, at least for one night. The collection of players in Wizards uniforms looked nothing like a team. While the Magic (5-2) had 27 assists on 39 field goals, the Wizards had 12 assists, with Wall and Crawford combining for nine of them. “I thought nobody came to compete. Makes it even tough for me to come out there and play hard,” Lewis said after scoring a season-low six points. “A lot of guys had attitude. I’m not saying no names, but they had bad body language. And when you’re trying to motivate the guys on the bench, telling them to keep playing, just play hard, and it seemed like nobody was listening. They was in their own little world.” Saunders was able to inspire his team in Boston by getting ejected after coming to the defense of Lewis. But there was nothing he could do Wednesday night to get his team fired up during a game that was basically over the moment Magic all-star center Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee jumped the opening tip. Howard continued to single-handedly dominate the Wizards, finishing with a game-high 28 points, 20 rebounds and three blocked shots. Howard and Magic forward Ryan Anderson combined for 35 rebounds, while the Wizards’ front line of Lewis, McGee and Blatche totaled just 14. McGee was coming off two impressive performances against the Celtics, as he combined for 33 points, 28 rebounds and eight blocked shots in the two games. But going up against an aging Jermaine O’Neal and Greg Steimsma is much different than trying to contend with Howard. McGee scored on two solid low-post moves against Howard but was limited to six points, four rebounds and five blocked shots. Saunders pulled McGee early since he was dealing with a cold that bothered him during the morning shootaround. When asked afterward how he was feeling, McGee replied: “We lost. I’m sick about that.” Nick Young led the Wizards with 17 points and Wall had 14, but the starting back court combined to shoot 11 for 31 from the field. Blatche had 10 points and spent the final seconds of the game covering his face with his hands and shaking his head from the bench. “We got to go back to the drawing board and get some things right,” Young said. “I’m tired of losing. Been losing for four seasons straight. I’ve been a part of mostly every losing record we had. It’s tough. I never want to get used to losing. I know we all frustrated. It’s time for a change.”

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Fresh off the slimmest of victories in the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney landed here Wednesday and immediately faced intense attacks from Republican presidential rivals who vowed to challenge him more aggressively. Newt Gingrich held a news conference in Concord to say that Romney is a liberal and a political chameleon, willing to change positions to suit his needs. Jon Huntsman Jr. dismissed Romney’s newfound support from Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), saying that “nobody cares” about his backing or any of the other high-level endorsements the former Massachusetts governor has received. And Rick Santorum, who fell just eight votes short of beating Romney in Iowa, said in an e-mail to supporters that Romney is a “bland, boring career politician who will lose to Barack Obama.” Romney, considered a heavy favorite to win Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire, sought to dominate the kickoff news coverage and further solidify his standing with GOP voters. He appeared at a midday town hall meeting with McCain to accept his endorsement. “New Hampshire is the state that will catapult him to victory in a very short period of time,” said McCain, whose win in this state’s primary four years ago had that effect on him. The focus on Romney came as one of the Republican field’s most vocal conservatives, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), announced that she was dropping out after her sixth-place finish in Iowa — further narrowing the group seeking to challenge Romney for the party mantle. Another onetime challenger, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who finished fifth in Iowa despite spending more than any other candidate, appeared to have decided to soldier on. After returning home Wednesday night to reassess his candidacy, Perry tweeted his intention to head to South Carolina to campaign ahead of that state’s Jan. 21 primary. After the all-consuming Iowa caucuses, the candidates began to focus on a broader and more complex playing field, with a competitive primary ahead in Florida, on Jan. 31, as well as South Carolina. And although attacking Romney’s history of centrist positions may not hurt him much in New Hampshire, which is home to many middle-of-the-road Republicans and where independents can vote in the primary, the attacks could resonate in other states where the electorates are more conservative. More than any rival besides Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), who finished third in Iowa and has built a network of enthusiastic backers, Romney has the organization and resources to wage an extended national campaign. He has begun airing TV ads in Florida and South Carolina. McCain, a former fighter pilot and prisoner of war, is scheduled to campaign with Romney on Thursday in South Carolina, a military-heavy state where the senator can help boost the candidate’s stature. Still, a closer-than-expected contest in New Hampshire could damage Romney’s ability to continue making the case to donors and GOP leaders that he is the inevitable nominee. And he must contend here with challenges from all directions, including Paul’s effort to court independents and the presence of Huntsman, who skipped Iowa and has been focusing solely on presenting himself to New Hampshire voters as an alternative to Romney. “What a squeaker,” Romney conceded Wednesday in a high-school gym here, eliciting chuckles about his razor-thin victory in Iowa. “But it sure is nice to have a win, I’ll tell you. And the question I have for you is: Can we do better here in New Hampshire? Do we think I can get more than an eight-vote margin here?” Yet even as Romney hoped to squeeze momentum from his Iowa win, an examination of the results revealed his persistent weaknesses among key segments of his party. Media polling of Iowa caucus-goers found that Romney performed far worse among the most conservative participants — winning 14 percent of them — than he did among those who described themselves as “somewhat conservative” (32 percent) or moderate (38 percent). There was no such ideological divide in his 2008 Iowa tally. Romney has a related weakness among fervent tea party members, whom he lost to Santorum by a 2-to-1 margin. Santorum quickly capitalized on his success with staunch conservatives, raising $1 million in the day after his near-victory in Iowa, according to his campaign manager, Mike Biundo. Rivals on Wednesday seized on the apparent gap between Romney and the conservative base of the party. Gingrich, a former Georgia congressman who has taken in recent days to describing himself as a “Southern conservative,” delivered the hardest blows to Romney. The night before, a visibly angry Gingrich declined to congratulate Romney on his Iowa win — seething over the slew of attacks from the former governor and a super PAC backing him that swiftly knocked Gingrich off his front-runner perch. “Part of the key will be a distinction between what I’ve actually done as a conservative leader for the last generation and the degree to which in that same time period, Governor Romney was first an independent, then repudiated Reagan-Bush, then voted for Paul Tsongas, the most liberal candidate in the ’92 campaign, then ran to the left of Teddy Kennedy in 1994,” Gingrich said. He went on to list Romney’s shifts when he ran for Massachusetts governor in 2002, saying that he allowed for “state-funded abortions” in his health-care plan — an assertion that Romney aides deny, saying the policy was created by court precedent and an independent state agency — and appointed liberal judges “to placate Democrats.” A fundraising appeal from Huntsman’s campaign said Wednesday that the Iowa results showed “the field is completely unsettled and voters are looking for an alternative to Mitt Romney.” At an evening event, Santorum appeared to take a shot at Romney, although he didn’t mention him by name. Referring to reports that one candidate was considered the most electable, he said: “Don’t buy the media hype. Don’t buy the line that you have to be a moderate to be able to win the election.” Democrats, too, who have long considered Romney their most formidable general-election foe, sought to take advantage of his standing within the GOP. Referring to his nearly 25 percent take in the Iowa caucuses, which matched his losing performance there in 2008, Obama adviser David Axelrod dubbed Romney “the 25 percent man.” Romney’s campaign signaled its intention to answer the criticism of his conservatism. Former New Hampshire governor John Sununu took the stage here with Romney and repeatedly called him a “true conservative.” He highlighted Romney’s Massachusetts record of cutting spending and taxes, standing “shoulder to shoulder” with antiabortion groups, fighting same-sex marriage and opposing his state’s involvement in a regional effort to limit greenhouse gas emissions. McCain, in two appearances Wednesday, sought to shore up Romney’s credibility as a leader. The senator called the candidate “an honest, straight-talking person of experience, knowledge and vision.” Through the fall and winter, Romney survived a series of debates relatively unscathed, with his opponents aiming much of their fire on whichever candidate was experiencing a momentary surge in the polls. But by Wednesday, his team was readying for the battles ahead. “Let the attacks come,” Romney said on CBS’s “Early Show.” “I’ve got broad shoulders. I know that when you get in a campaign, there’s a big target on you.”

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libya risks sliding into civil war unless it cracks down on the rival militias that filled the vacuum left by Moammar Gaddafi’s downfall, the head of the interim administration said after an outbreak of violence in the capital. Mustafa Abdel Jalil, chairman of the Transitional National Council, issued the stark warning in response to a gun battle between militias in one of Tripoli’s busiest streets Tuesday that killed four fighters. More than two months after anti-Gaddafi forces captured and killed the former leader, Libya’s new rulers are still struggling to exert their authority as rival militia leaders refuse to cede control of their fighters and hand in their arms. “We are now between two bitter options,” Abdel Jalil told a gathering in the eastern city of Benghazi late Tuesday. Either “we deal with these violations strictly and put the Libyans in a military confrontation that we don’t accept,” he said, “or we split, and there will be a civil war.” The militias, drawn from dozens of towns and ideological camps, led the nine-month uprising, backed by NATO airstrikes, to end Gaddafi’s 42-year rule. Now, though, they appear to believe they must keep an armed presence in the capital to ensure they receive their share of political power. The transitional council has begun to form a fully functioning army and police force to take over the task of providing security, although Abdel Jalil has acknowledged that progress has been too slow. Tripoli is now an unruly patchwork of fiefdoms, each controlled by a different militia. Police are rarely seen, except when directing traffic, and there is no sign of the newly created national army. The city has two main homegrown militias. One is led by Abdel Hakim Belhadj, an Islamist who spent time in Taliban camps in Afghanistan and now runs his militia from a luxury Tripoli hotel. The other is headed by Abdullah Naker, a former electronics engineer who is openly disdainful of Belhadj. There are also the militias from outside town. Fighters from Zintan, an anti-Gaddafi bastion southwest of the capital, control the international airport. Militias from the city of Misurata, east of Tripoli, have mostly withdrawn from central Tripoli but keep a presence in the eastern outskirts. Fighters from the Berber, or Amazigh, ethnic minority mark out their territory with their blue, green and yellow flags. Another set of fighters from the east of Libya, the original heartland of the anti-Gaddafi revolt, add to the mix. ** — Reuters **

DALLAS — After his nowhere showing in the Iowa caucuses, our governor announced that he would reassess his campaign. But whether he quits the race now or later, back home in Texas, the consensus is that Rick Perry is no George W. Bush. And as if that isn’t insult enough, the Bush-Perry comparison is a red herring. Perry’s real failure is his inability to channel another Texan, Ross Perot, the guy who successfully ran as an outsider to politics-as-usual. Bush, who’d already learned his way around the White House as first son during his father’s presidency, didn’t even try to claim to be an outsider because it wouldn’t have worked. As the longest-serving governor in the nation, Perry also has little authentic claim to the outsider mantle, which worked for Perot because the Dallas billionaire hadn’t served in elected office. But Perot had the charisma of a true zealot when it came to economic issues. He railed about controlling the federal deficit long before it became de rigueur. And Perot had a salesman’s sense of how to reel in an audience. Who can forget the “giant sucking sound’’ he predicted as jobs were drained away to Mexico? Can anyone imagine Perot drawing a blank when trying to name one of three federal departments he would cut? The problem was getting him to stop talking. Perry, who looks likely to fail at his presidential campaign, has also fouled the nest back home. The January issue of Texas Monthly magazine hands him the annual “Bum Steer’’ award — a major poke in the eye for the state’s top officeholder. The magazine’s “dishonor’’ has been given to a sitting governor only once before, in 1976. The editors wrote a long note explaining their decision: “Because this is not an award we relished bestowing, we are moved to offer an account of our decision to do so.’’ They chronicled all the Perry campaign missteps. “We didn’t want to, but we had to’’ label him Bum Steer of the Year, the editors said. Oops. **— Lori Stahl** Stahl is a Dallas-based journalist who covers politics.

In 1990, when Rick Santorum was a political novice running a long-shot bid for Congress, he would drive around western Pennsylvania listening to the political preachings and teachings of a leader he barely knew, a congressman from Georgia named Newt Gingrich. That fall, in an otherwise dispiriting midterm election for the GOP, Santorum shocked a seven-term Democratic incumbent in a campaign that became a model for Republicans over the next two cycles. Four years later, Gingrich used the same strategy to engineer a 54-seat pickup in the House and give Republicans their first House majority in 40 years. For movement conservatives anxious about Mitt Romney’s conservative credentials and still hoping to put one of their own in the Oval Office, the choice is an increasingly simple one: Rick Santorum or Newt Gingrich, two close friends from the original Republican revolution. Gingrich and Santorum were central players in what has come to be known as the Gingrich revolution, and both are using the same confrontational tactics in the current campaign for president, hoping to appeal to conservatives hungry for an alternative to Romney. A few weeks ago, Gingrich was viewed as the greatest threat on Romney’s right flank, but his standing wilted under a barrage of negative advertising. Santorum came from nowhere in Iowa to finish in a virtual tie with Romney on Tuesday, setting himself up as the latest option for the anti-Romney bloc. As attention shifts to New Hampshire, the question is whether Santorum and Gingrich’s long friendship will help or harm each of them going forward. Will they train their fire on each other or combine their attacks on Romney? Their fortunes have already been closely linked. One key factor in Santorum’s rise in Iowa was Gingrich’s implosion amid the flurry of negative ads from allies of front-runner Romney. Many of the most conservative voters fled the former speaker into the arms of Santorum, leaving Gingrich in a disappointing fourth place in Tuesday’s caucuses. Still, their combined totals outpaced the number of votes Romney received. As the campaign heads into more complicated terrain, the teacher-pupil relationship could be tested and fray. Or they may decide, as in the past, to join forces to make an ideological point. The fading Gingrich this week branded Romney “a liar.” If Gingrich chooses to play the role of conservative pit bull, that could allow San­torum to stay above the fray and consolidate conservative voters while appearing to be the most positive of the candidates. Perhaps foreshadowing such an effort, Gingrich’s concession speech Tuesday night offered laurels for Santorum while casting a thinly veiled jab at Romney. “I want to take just a minute and congratulate a good friend of ours, Rick Santorum,” Gingrich said. “He waged a great, positive campaign. And I admire the courage and the way he focused, and I admire how positive he was. I wish I could say that for all candidates.” For both men, this campaign has been a political revival. Both were left for dead politically long ago because their aggressive styles eventually wore thin. Both were ousted from Congress. Santorum, now 53, first met Gingrich, now 68, in Santorum’s first race ever, the 1990 campaign. A lawyer at a white-shoe firm in Pittsburgh, Santorum jumped into the race with little support from local party leaders or those in Washington. Gingrich, the House minority whip, had built an aggressive political operation outside the main establishment structure, called GOPAC. The group sent its tapes to Santorum and offered other support, propelling him to a key victory. Gingrich steered Santorum onto the prestigious House Ways and Means Committee, which gave Santorum the opportunity to draft the GOP’s proposal for welfare reform. Always most comfortable as an agitator, Santorum joined with six other young Republicans to expose a scandal in the House bank, in which lawmakers were allowed to overdraw from their accounts without penalty. Along with another key Gingrich disciple — Rep. John A. Boehner (R-Ohio), almost two decades before he became speaker — San­torum and the rest of the “Gang of Seven” pushed the scandal into the political spotlight. As Gingrich and Boehner drew up the 1994 “Contract With America,” Santorum challenged Sen. Harris Wofford (D). Defying critics who said he was too young, too brash and too conservative for a centrist state like Pennsylvania, Santorum narrowly won. “If you took ‘no’ out of the English language, he would be speechless,” Wofford said of his opponent during a debate. While Gingrich became the face of the hard-charging House, Santorum epitomized a new guard in the Senate. He was both more conservative and more partisan than his peers, part of the first wave of former House members from both parties who would bring their sharper tongues and elbows to a relatively staid Senate that has now become a bickering legislative wasteland. “He practiced the politics of passion,” said Eric Ueland, a former Senate leadership aide in the 1990s and early 2000s. “He was part of a generational change in the Senate Republican Conference. The heart of the party moved to a more reflective set of interests.” The Pennsylvanian “made colleagues uncomfortable in the Senate when he first got there,” Ueland said, but the conference moved in his direction and eventually awarded him with the No. 3 leadership post. Santorum repeatedly clashed with the legendary West Virginia Democrat Robert C. Byrd, who won his Senate seat the year Santorum was born and went on to be the longest-serving senator in history. “In my 37 years in this Senate, I do not recall such insolence, and it is very sad that debate and discourse on the Senate floor have sunk to such a low level,” Byrd said in December 1995, lecturing the chamber about Santorum’s speeches. Gingrich was ousted after the 1998 midterm elections. In political exile, he oversaw a group of nonprofit organizations and think tanks. Santorum kept up the charge and, after winning reelection in 2000, raised his profile even further. By the time he ran again in 2006, Santorum’s staunchly conservative views placed him in a political bind in moderate Pennsylvania. Poised to move up in the Senate leadership to the No. 2 post if he could pull off a come-from- behind victory, Santorum did not waver on his conservative stances. He was defeated in one of the worst showings by an incumbent senator in recent decades, getting just 41 percent of the vote. Five years later, again ignoring calls toward moderation, he told Iowans on Monday nightnot to waver from conservative principles. “You can do what Iowans tend to do,” he said. “You can ignore the pundit class. You can ignore the moderate Republicans, who say, ‘Oh, we need a moderate. We’ve got to win, we’ve got to win.’ And Iowa will stand up and say, ‘No. We need to be principled to win.’ ”

BEIRUT — Throughout a nine-month-long uprising, Syrian authorities have exerted ever-tighter control over the media, routinely censoring and detaining reporters, bloggers and photojournalists. But despite the risks, a flurry of new outlets has emerged to tell stories suppressed by President Bashar al- Assad’s government. The magazines and journals — mostly produced abroad and published online — offer an alternative to established newspapers and news channels in Syria, where journalists are careful not to cross “red lines” such as criticizing the president. And, analysts say, these new media outlets represent a huge shift in the country. “Syrian society, which had long been apathetic and sterile, has awoken through this crisis,” said Peter Harling, a project director in Damascus, the Syrian capital, for the International Crisis Group. “It is proving amazingly creative, producing its own literature, displaying a powerful sense of humor and finding 1,001 ways to report events despite the media clampdown.” Nazir Jandali’s two-month-old online publication, Syria Wants Freedom, has articles in Arabic about the government’s security presence in cities, the work of human rights monitors from the Arab League, as well as satirical cartoons and discussions of literature. His readers are both inside and outside the country, he says. “We started this project mainly to establish the free press in our country,” said Jandali, a 28-year-old Syrian living in Saudi Arabia, “and to build awareness in Syria about what is going on during our revolution.” Like many of those who work in the new publications, Jandali was an activist before he started editing. A network of people who worked as journalists before the uprising submit their work anony­mously and for free inside Syria, e-mailing it to his colleague in Damascus, he said. Some Syrian journalists contributed anonymously to international publications before the uprising began, but after more than four decades of censorship and repression of political life under Assad and his father, Hafez, their numbers were few. Now, the outlets have multiplied. Another publication, Hurriyat, or Freedoms, is produced by people who have designated themselves journalists since the protest movement gathered momentum and send stories to an editor abroad. The Hurriyat editor, who gives his name as Kareem Lailah and says he lives in Europe, is also an activist. The publication includes analysis of the chaotic political opposition and poetic reflections on life since the protests began. “The Revolution was ignited, and the earth aches in it with the free spirits,” reads one of several articles translated into English on one section of the Web site. The names of the writers are not known — sometimes even by their editors — and the tone of many of the new publications is of revolutionary fervor rather than dispassionate reportage. Along with the magazines have come new blogs and Web sites that post protest footage and death toll updates. The Syrian government’s restrictions on foreign journalists’ access to the country make it difficult to verify claims made in the new publications, as well as the identities of the reporters and editors. Few foreign journalists were granted visas last year, even after an agreement brokered by the Arab League late last year under which the government was to allow international media into the country. “We still have some way to go before reaching the professionalism that’s needed,” said Shakeeb al-Jabri, a Syrian activist based in Beirut. “But it’s changed the Syrian landscape.” This, Jabri added, is an impressive achievement given the environment in which reporters on the ground operate. Syria ranked 173 out of 178 in the Reporters Without Borders group’s most recent index of press freedom, even before the government crackdown on protesters began. Now, journalists documenting the uprising are prime targets of the security forces, said Mohamed Abdel Dayem of the Committee to Protect Journalists in New York. “They are snatched from their homes, off the street or place of employment and held incommunicado,” he said. Although the contributors to Syria Wants Freedom and Hurriyat have not been arrested, he said, all kinds of media workers have been detained, including those who worked as reporters before the revolution, bloggers such as the activist Razan Ghazzawi, and people who are not journalists in the traditional sense but have documented protests on mobile phones and uploaded the footage online. “We have documented 28 cases of this happening,” Abdel Dayem said. “They are held for days or weeks or months, more often than not subjected to abuse, more often than not released without being charged.” In more sinister cases, media figures have been kidnapped and been beaten or killed. Ali Ferzat, a veteran political cartoonist, was reportedly seized in August by masked men, who beat him and broke his hands. Ferzat Jarban, a dissident who filmed protests and uploaded the footage online, was reportedly arrested in November near the restive city of Homs and found dead the next day, his eyes gouged out. Because many Syrians have limited or tightly controlled access to the Internet, the editors of Syria Wants Freedom and Hurriyat say that their colleagues inside Syria are secretly printing a few hundred copies of their publications and leaving them around the major cities of Damascus, Aleppo and Homs. A video uploaded by Lailah, the editor of Hurriyat, shows masked men stuffing copies of the publication in mailboxes in Damascus and running away. It was not possible to independently confirm Lailah’s assertion that the newspaper had been distributed. But Abir Saksouk-Sasso, an architect in neighboring Lebanon who supports the anti-government movement in Syria, said she contacted Lailah after reading his Twitter feed and distributed copies of the newspaper at a sit-in in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. “The Syrian revolution is about the conflict between the discourses,” she said. “The regime has presented one scenario . . . in newspapers, state media and TV,” supporting the view, widely held among Assad supporters, that if Assad falls, the country will be engulfed in civil war and that the unrest is the result of a foreign conspiracy. “So it is important that the revolutionaries articulate their version of events,” she said. **More world news coverage:** \- Iranian bill would bar warships from gulf \- China pushes for North Korean stability \- 2 men sentenced for murder in Britain \- Read more headlines from around the world

BAGHDAD — At least 72 people were killed Thursday in a series of attacks on Shiites in Iraq, marking the deadliest day since U.S. troops withdrew last month and raising new worries about the country’s sharp sectarian divisions. Analysts warned that the bombings, in what appeared to be the worst day of violence in the country in more than a year, could unleash more danger. One local security official blamed the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq, but no militant organization asserted responsibility for the blasts. The attacks, which wounded at least 147 people, included explosions in two Shiite neighborhoods in the capital and a suicide bombing next to a large group of Shiites on a pilgrimage in southern Iraq. The violence occurred against the backdrop of a deepening political standoff between the country’s Shiite and Sunni leaders. A majority of the Sunni-supported Iraqiya political bloc boycotted parliamentary proceedings Thursday. Members of the group accuse Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, of trying to dissolve a political framework established under U.S. guidance to ensure power-sharing among Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. “Rather than sharing power, he wishes to create turbulence between political parties of Iraq for the purpose of maintaining and consolidating his own power,” Haider al-Mulla, a spokesman for Iraqiya, said this week. In an e-mailed statement, Ali Hadi al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Maliki, said terrorists are trying to ignite a war between Shiites and Sunnis. “That is why you see them attack such religious symbols like the Shiite practice of pilgrimage,” Moussawi said. He also said Iraqiya leaders are aggravating sectarian tensions. Just a day after the U.S. military’s Dec. 18 departure, Maliki’s security forces accused Tariq al-Hashimi, the Sunni vice president, of running a hit squad, prompting him to flee the capital and igniting the political crisis. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland condemned the latest “acts of terror.” “They are desperate attempts by the same kind of folk who’ve been active in Iraq trying to turn back the clock,” she said. Nuland said Vice President Biden and other administration officials are continuing to press Iraqi leaders to hold formal talks aimed at ending the political conflict. “We are quite encouraged that a number of Iraqi politicians are also calling for such a meeting, which we hope takes place soon.” Lt. Col. Joel Rayburn, an Iraq analyst at the National Defense University who earlier served as a U.S. intelligence officer in the country, said the attack on the Shiite pilgrims could embarrass Maliki’s government, which has staked its reputation on protecting such pilgrimages. If the attacks continue, they could spark a reemergence of the Shiite Mahdi Army, a militia that was created by firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to protect Shiites when the government appeared unable to do so. “And there won’t be anything Maliki can say or do against it,” said Rayburn, stressing that he was expressing his opinions and not those of the university. The suicide bombing about 200 miles southeast of the capital, near Nasiriyah, targeted Shiites who were on the road to the holy city of Karbala to honor a venerated Shiite martyr, Imam Hussein. At least 48 people were killed and 81 were wounded in the attack, a provincial security chief said. Just before the bombing, an Iraqi army officer spotted the assailant and tried to intervene, said the security chief, Sajad al-Asadi. The officer attempted to wrap his arms around the bomber and tackle him before he could detonate his explosives. The officer was killed in the bombing, Asadi said. The security chief said that many of the injured are in serious or critical condition and that the death toll is likely to rise. He blamed al-Qaeda in Iraq for the attacks. “This is al-Qaeda’s tactic to target Shiite pilgrims.” On Dec. 22, more than a dozen bombs were set off within two hours, killing at least 65 people. The Islamic State of Iraq, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda in Iraq, later asserted responsibility. The Thursday bombing of the pilgrims followed blasts earlier in the day in two Shiite neighborhoods in Baghdad. An explosives-laden motorcycle blew up near a group of day laborers in Sadr City, a sprawling Shiite slum named for Sadr’s father, a senior cleric who was assassinated during the rule of Saddam Hussein. Two more bombs were detonated simultaneously near a hospital in the same area, said Interior Ministry officials, who discussed the attacks on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Nine people were killed and 35 were injured in the blasts, the officials said. Ninety minutes later, two car bombs exploded near Aruba Square in the Kadhimiyah district of northern Baghdad, killing 15 and injuring 31, according to initial reports. Kenneth Pollack, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said it is impossible to know for certain at this point who is responsible for the attacks. It could be an al-Qaeda group or other terrorists seeking to prove that the government is powerless to stop them, he said, or Sunni insurgents who do not like Maliki’s quest for power. The real danger, Pollack said, is how armed Shiite groups interpret the bombings. If they see them as evidence of Sunnis trying to hurt Maliki’s government, they might attack Sunni civilians. “That becomes a very dangerous situation,” he said. But Reidar Visser, an Iraq expert at the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, noted one positive sign: There was “immediate and robust” condemnation of the attacks across Iraq’s political spectrum, including from prominent Sunnis. Maliki’s spokesman said the attacks did not expose major failures in security because the pilgrims were out in the open, traveling by the thousands. But the attacks may indicate a need for better intelligence gathering, Moussawi said. Others, however, said the country’s leadership was at fault. “They’re busy doing the wrong things,” said parliament member Mahmoud Othman, an independent Kurd who said he was including all parties and sects in his critique. “They’re busy with conflict, day and night, and don’t have time for security.” Terrorists are taking advantage of the vacuum, Othman said, and are willing to attack both Shiite and Sunni civilians to incite militias sympathetic to either side. “They want to create an armed, sectarian conflict.” Staff writer Joby Warrick in Washington and special correspondents Aziz Alwan and Asaad Majeed in Baghdad contributed to this report. **More world news coverage:** \- Iran mounts aggressive push in Afghanistan \- Syrian media awaken despite risks \- Egypt’s Islamists to vie for power \- Read more headlines from around the world

JERUSALEM — Israel temporarily banished a dozen suspected Jewish extremists from the West Bank on Thursday as part of a crackdown ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after a series of attacks on Palestinians and the military. An army statement said that the top military commander in the West Bank had signed “administrative removal orders” for 12 Jewish activists for periods ranging from three to nine months. The statement added that the group had been involved in “leading, directing and carrying out widespread violent and clandestine activities” against Palestinians and Israeli forces in the West Bank. Militant Jewish settlers have recently stepped up what they call “price tag” attacks in response to moves by the Israeli authorities to demolish unauthorized settlement outposts in the West Bank. Several Palestinian mosques have been torched and desecrated, stones have been thrown at Palestinian cars, and last month Jewish militants attacked army officers and rampaged in a military base in the West Bank. The violence against the military outraged Israelis and drew condemnations across the political spectrum, prompting the government to announce a crackdown that it said would include jailing suspected extremists without charges and trying rioters in military courts, measures routinely used against Palestinians. **More world news coverage:** \- Iran mounts aggressive push in Afghanistan \- Syrian media awaken despite risks \- Egypt’s Islamists to vie for power \- Read more headlines from around the world

If you haven’t Googled a flight itinerary recently, you should try it. Google’s Flight Search, the fledgling search engine that lets you find a ticket and book it directly through an airline, is getting better. Much better. In recent weeks, the new service has quietly expanded the number of U.S. cities it covers. (It won’t say how many destinations are being served, except that the number has doubled.) Google has also integrated flight searches into its authoritative search results, making them easier to find and use. When I wrote about Flight Search in the fall, it was widely regarded as a work in progress. But that work is progressing at a speedy clip. You might even say that it’s flying. “Our goal here is to develop the best possible user experience,” says Sean Carlson, a spokesman for Google. But for whom is the upgraded Flight Search better? For customers like you and me? In the short term, yes. We get to find cheap flights through its slick and blazing-fast search engine, which is powered by recently acquired ITA Software. For Google? Of course. A more functional site means more bookings, although the company declines to say how many tickets it has sold through this new flights interface. For the rest of the travel industry, and particularly online travel agencies such as Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity? Maybe not. Those online agencies want to sell their tickets through Flight Search, and although Google says that discussions about including the big three agencies are “ongoing,” no agreement has been reached. Google describes these discussions as a good-faith dialogue, but some think that the online agencies aren’t a part of Google’s business plan and will never be included. Buy a ticket through Flight Search, and you’re taken straight to an airline Web site, although Google says that it’s displaying search results from online agencies on a “test” basis under some results. Think this has no bearing on how you travel? If only. This little squabble is a sign of a much bigger challenge down the road — one that led Google’s farsighted rivals to fight hard, but unsuccessfully, to block Google’s ITA purchase. The problem isn’t the Flight Search of today, an emerging competitor to the big three online agencies. It’s what Flight Search could be in a year or two. Look around at other Google products. If you need to find something online, your first choice is Google’s dominant search engine. Often, it’s your only choice. If you’re looking for a sleek, intuitive e-mail service, it’s Gmail. A place for online video? Google’s YouTube. For easy online ads? AdSense by Google. We live in a Google world. Google holds more than a 70 percent market share among online search engines. Gmail is one of the most popular e-mail services and certainly the easiest to use. Sites such as YouTube and AdSense don’t have any meaningful competition. To suggest that Google is in travel to do anything less than dominate in the same way would be naive. So what’s the problem? Isn’t the current system — with travel agents facilitating the purchase — inefficient and in need of a smarter approach? Possibly. But there may be such a thing as _too_ smart. It isn’t difficult to imagine Google controlling most online travel purchases in the not-too-distant future. And until recently, I didn’t have an issue with that; after all, if Google can offer cheaper tickets or better flight options by cutting out the middleman, who cares? And then, one recent Sunday afternoon, I posted a trailer for my new book, “Scammed,” on YouTube. Within a few minutes, the video was deleted — erroneously tagged as spam by Google. (With a title like “Scammed,” that’s an easy mistake to make.) But then YouTube pulled my entire channel down without notice. And then my Gmail account went dark. Within a few minutes, my entire digital life had been suspended. I managed to restore my e-mail account the same day, but my YouTube channel remained offline for three days, even though I made repeated attempts to persuade Google to review the arbitrary takedown. Google eventually restored my account, but only after I contacted it in an official capacity. The company apologized for the deletion but would not offer an explanation for its actions on the record, citing its policy of not discussing individual cases. I learned an important lesson about how important Google is to my everyday life. I can’t function without it. There’s no viable alternative to many of its services. I can’t imagine this breathtaking dominance escaping the attention of regulators much longer. But if it does — if Google takes over travel — there could be serious and long-lasting consequences that could harm consumers and businesses. Imagine what might happen to an airline or hotel company that disagrees with the way Google prices its products when it holds a commanding market share in travel? It could be cut off from millions of customers with a single keystroke. What if Google knocks off one or two online travel agencies, or a company such as Kayak, which searches multiple sites for flights? Where do we go when our only viable option is Google? What would happen to innovation when one company controls so much? “Consumers would pay higher prices for airfares and other products and services as a result of Google coming to dominate the online travel market,” predicts Ben Hammer, a spokesman for FairSearch, a coalition of travel companies that compete with Google. Do we really want to live in that world? Elliott is National Geographic Traveler magazine’s reader advocate and the author of “Scammed: How to Save Your Money and Find Better Service in a World of Schemes, Swindles, and Shady Deals.” E-mail him at chris@elliott.org.

American drivers once again have identified their enemy as themselves. When quizzed in an annual survey, they have admitted that they often are guilty of the very same behaviors they view as a menace on the road. Almost everyone said that drunken driving was unacceptable, and three-quarters described drunk drivers as a serious threat. Yet 14 percent of them said that within the year they had driven with an alcohol level probably near or above the legal limit, AAA’s Foundation for Traffic Safety reported. The survey of 3,147 people, taken in June, used online technology said to create a representative cross section of the U.S. population. People were asked about their driving habits in the month, or year in some instances, preceding that. Cellphone use and sending text messages were dangerous, 94 percent said, but more than a third of them said they had read texts or e-mails while driving. A quarter of them also said they had sent messages. Two-thirds said they had talked on their cellphones, and a third said they do so regularly. “This ‘Do as I say, not as I do’ attitude that persists among drivers needs to change before we can experience a traffic safety culture where safe driving is the norm,” Peter Kissinger, head of the foundation, said in a statement. The foundation said that 74 percent of drivers thought it was unacceptable to go more than 15 mph above the speed limit on a freeway, but more than half admitted doing that. Although 94 percent said the same excessive speeding was unacceptable on a residential street, a quarter of them admitted that they had gone more than 15 mph above the limit. Nearly all drivers said that when a traffic light turns red, people should stop if they can do so safely, but 37 percent said they have run a red light. Falling asleep behind the wheel was identified as a serious problem by 96 percent of drivers, but a third of drivers said that they have nodded off at least once. The safety value of a seat belt has been long established, and 86 percent of drivers agreed that they should be used, but almost a quarter of drivers said they had not used one at least once in the month before they were surveyed. Nineteen percent said they had failed to do so more than once. Recent federal data showed that 32,885 people were killed in vehicle crashes in 2010, the lowest number in 60 years. The drop has been attributed to better safety features in vehicles — seat belt improvements, safer air bags, better vehicle stabilization, advancements in highway design and high-profile campaigns against drunken and distracted driving. “We are moving in the right direction when it comes to safety on our roads, but we need to do much more,” Kissinger said. “Changing driver behaviors is not rocket science. It’s harder.” **More news fromPostLocal:** Scissors-wielding killer is charged in another slaying Police: Man left kids alone in car while shopping It’s not your imagination: Yes, your gym is crowded A second treehouse controversy pops up in Fairfax Forget kickball: Karaoke is D.C.’s newest competitive sport

These were among sales data provided to The Washington Post by Lender Processing Services. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Prince William and elsewhere in the Washington area, visit washingtonpost.com/homesales. **Aycliffe Lane,** 8750-Tom III and Kimberly D. Tetlow to Douglas R. and Marcia R. Caldwell, $425,000. **Cairn Mountain Way,** 10057-James J. Nesbit to Benjamin and Kimberly Williams, $347,500. **Darnaway Ct.,** 10050-Richard and A. Spencer to Darren J. and Kelly A. Mott, $415,000. **Drum Salute Pl.,** 12153-Wesley A. Ward to Lana J. Baldwin, $257,000. **Fintry St.,** 9537-Daniel and Vickie Higgins to Federal National Mortgage Association, $384,827. **Gentle Shade Dr.,** 12824-Donna Y. Hickman to Jason and Stephanie Fye, $300,000. **Lake Dorian Dr.,** 12009-Miller and Smith at Pembrooke to Brian F. Canty, $333,050. **Maitland Loop,** 9776-Rahul Gupta to Lauren Elizabeth Nachtman, $217,900. **Pentland Hills Way,** 10033-George N. and Vicki S. Monken to Sonja Sobol, $305,000. **Roaring Spring Loop,** 9013-Wells Fargo Bank and U.S. Bank National Association to Jessica Meghan and Erik Joel Zepeda, $430,000. **Shenvale Cir.,** 13060-Nicholas Minion to Leslie Minion, $275,000. **Tygart Lake Dr.,** 11970-Miller and Smith at Pembrooke to Sergio A. Padilla, Anabel N. Antezana and Shannon E. Brown, $318,740. **Weathersfield Dr.,** 9290-Laura Ann Bain to Shane Elro Felux and Dawn Kim Coings, $375,000. **Anderson Ct.,** 14810-Federal Home Loan Mortgage to Mehrdad Haghshenas and Mahzad Mahmoudi, $130,250. **Barnabas Trail,** 15261-Bank of America to Alonso L. Grant, $193,000. **Beau Ridge Dr.,** 15708-Saranjeet S. Gohtra to Meherun Nahar, $250,000. **Benbow Ct.,** 3381-Brenda C. Marshall to HHNZA Properties and Isa Investments, $120,200. **Brook Dr.,** 14715-EAS Real Estate to Naun Santos, $217,000. **Cardinal Crest Dr.,** 4029-Long Enterprises to Marciano V. Flores, $286,400. **Charles Ewell Lane,** 5150-Richmond American Homes to Christopher L. and Deborah Avvisato, $489,990. **Darbydale Ave.,** 14774-Matthew and Shelly Strout to Lafayette and Danielle M. Gray, $227,000. **Dixon Ct.,** 14809-Larry Lamar and Isobel H. Moats to Isaac B. and Ivette M. Terry, $212,500. **Ensor Ct.,** 14829-Patricia Lynn Lassinger to Ebony Spann, $158,000. **Felmore Ct.,** 3606-Luis A. Guaradado to Abhishek Guruprasad, $150,000. **Fontaine Ct.,** 14408-Nelson L. Hernandez and Licelda Del Cid to New Spring, $125,000. **Greenmount Dr.,** 15063-Willie Edward Spivey to Cristopolis A. and Heather R. Dieguez, $425,000. **Hedrick Lane,** 4731-Firozer Rahman Patwary to Sabir Hussain, $140,000. **Jeans Ct.,** 15222-Michael S. Adams to Ronald E. Jr. and Jennifer A. Mendoza, $385,000. **Kilburn Pl.,** 4700-Marion Lynn and Peggy Ann Caldwell to Anthony P. Fucci, $198,500. **Lehigh Ct.,** 4716-Stephen C. and Denise L. Exley to Travis D. and Shellie M. Smith, $324,000. **Madrigal Dr.,** 14094-Jose Manuel Zelaya Portillo to Daniel Z. Gohn and Amber T. Davis, $205,000. **Osprey Ct.,** 6418-Kidaro Inc. to Amath Soulamany and Noi Ienemanyvong, $350,000. **Queen Chapel Rd.,** 13017-Ridgefield Woods Corp. to David Jr. and Patricia Irene Bradford, $629,585. **Rapid Lane,** 3550-Lillie Loreen Downs to George Holau, $260,000. **St. Charles Dr.,** 5623-Department of Housing and Urban Development to Andrew Besore, $165,160. **Sudberry Lane,** 5276-Jayne Stewart to Joshua M. and Kelly Hanks, $245,000. **Ticket Way,** 6046-Department of Veterans Affairs to Kirsten M. Dalton and James Swift, $201,050. **Whitaker Pl.,** 4666-David A. Rivera to Federal National Mortgage Association, $267,711. **Cahill Lane,** 3019-Charles W. Davis Jr. to Sheina M. Jenkins, $195,000. **Fort Pickens Ct.,** 2248-Federal National Mortgage Association to 3425 Tuckahoe Corp., $85,000. **Point Pleasant Lane,** 16964-Dustin and Staci Huffman to Susan Kabia, $158,500. **Telescope Lane,** 16606-Meana Tahmas to Brian and Kelly Mulligan, $312,000. **Arcadian Shore Ct.,** 8056-Jim S. and Nancy L. Hagen to Jerry W. and Kathryn A. Evans, $515,000. **Bluff Point Ct.,** 14481-NVR to Stephen Jr. and Lorrie A. Gulick, $611,315. **Clearview Ave.,** 14322-Paul R. Jr. and Rebecca R. Pendell to Barry J. Jr. and Geralyn L. Leboeuf, $440,000. **Ellis Mill Dr.,** 8749-K. Hovnanian Homes of Virginia to Andrew M. and Jennifer E. Pirozzolo, $409,400. **Fox Hunt Way,** 13916-R.S. Wong Corp. to Elias Cardenas, Angelica Cardenas and Mariana Herrera Avila, $432,000. **Hollow Glen Ct.,** 6878-Aurora Loan Services to James Watkins, $265,000. **Legend Glen Ct.,** 14366-Darya Mironova to Ragavendiran Thiagarajan and Surekha Balasubramaniyan, $201,000. **Manahoac Pl.,** 6966-Department of Housing and Urban Development to Tesyl Kiersten and Alberto Molina, $232,000. **Ontario Rd.,** 7814-Federal Home Loan Mortgage to Mamohan K. Pushkarna and Bhupinder K. Sharma, $302,000. **Roxborough Loop,** 8353-David S. and Lisa L. Hudson to James T. and Lisa Romano Kirby, $599,900. **Snickersville Dr.,** 14200-Acacia Federal Savings Bank to Jay and Katharina Christina Bitterman, $480,000. **Triple Crown Loop,** 13155-Rowena Jane Mason to Thomas A. and Marianne McQuillan, $377,500. **Ashby Grove Loop,** 6457-Charles F. McGinn to Matthew L. and Katie G. Shoaf, $399,500. **Carlton Oaks Pl.,** 5571-Christopher and Christina Covington to Michael J. and Laurin M. Deese, $465,000. **Gilesburg Dr.,** 5794-Douglas and Annalea Hall to Demarcus L. and Tameka N. Henry, $745,500. **Grigsby Pl.,** 15212-Dominion Country Club Partnership to Andrew and Rebecka Hartsog, $518,533. **Londons Bridge Rd.,** 15194-Dominion Country Club Partnership to Robert M. and Susan R. Ruiz, $546,173. **Noyes Ave.,** 6827-M/I Homes of D.C. to Mark William and Erin Marie Gorham, $483,310. **Rothschild Ct.,** 15720-Michael and Chieh Hwa Chiang to Dennis and Kristen M. Acheson, $459,000. **Tory Gate Ct.,** 12989-Daniel D. and Kristi L. Goerl to George M. III and Mary L. Landis, $625,000. **Wheelwright Way,** 5725-Annabelle Johnson to Theodore Eckert III, $375,000. **Barbados Lane,** 7416-Federal National Mortgage Association to Ashraf E. Rashed, $202,900. **Brewer Creek Pl.,** 8928-Sjontelle Crocker to Erin Drake, $263,000. **Coleman St.,** 11681-Federal National Mortgage Association to Kevin and Abigail Casalenuovo, $130,000. **Covington Pl.,** 9517-John L. Conrad to Coskum K. Andolsun, $115,500. **Emerald Dr.,** 7430-Tabitha Strickland to Edwin C. Nogales, $155,000. **Fincastle Dr.,** 5869-Richard W. and Kathleen M. Caruso to Jesen Q. and Karla P. Somera, $415,000. **Hickory Hollow Ct.,** 8389-Sharon A. Briandi and Bonnie L. Herrick to John R. and Maria L. Fischer, $756,000. **Irongate Way,** 8317-IM Investment to Teresa D. Larios, $140,000. **Kemps Landing Cir.,** 12007-Stephen J. Dutton to Federal National Mortgage Association, $270,955. **Marie Dr.,** 13358-Juan F. Delgado to Jacob S. and Rebekah J. Kushner, $350,000. **Pershing Dr.,** 13069-Christian D. and Laurie Ann Castillo to Victoria L. and Michael A. Deguzman, $329,900. **Short St.,** 8585-Ethel Finley to William B. Austin II and Manda L. Waggy, $215,000. **Trumpet Vine Ct.,** 10114-Kuldip and Sapna Bhogal to Brian Carlton and Rene D. Jacobs, $345,000. **Woodbury Dr.,** 10142-John F. Vogelmeier Jr. to Michael P. and Kelly A. Goodwin, $330,000. **Chadds Landing Way,** 7728-Rebecca Palmer Browne to Masood Noori, $190,000. **Mace Cir.,** 8024-Elenilson Castillo to Lien Nguyen, $142,000. **Peninsula Ct.,** 10830-William V. Cowan to Mark and Kristen York, $560,000. **Shelley Lane,** 7618-ANG Enterprise to Solaiman Aman, $116,221. **Walcott Ct.,** 8622-Javier A. and Claudia R. Zapata to Susan J. Soberanis, $175,000. **Benson Ct.,** 3799-James G. and Ellen R. Coolman to Thomas C. Stark, $375,000. **Edgewood Dr.,** 15795-Jeffrey C. Hottenstein and Leslie C. Reed to Mark D. McLusky, $355,000. **Palton Dr.,** 4394-Solomon Zegeye to Rebecca Comfort, $235,000. **Streamside Ct.,** 15243-Robert M. and Julia M. Lack to Sherene L. Sumner, $204,000. **Oxford Ct.,** 10105-Daniel A. and Margaret A. Tice to Robert J. and Rebecca J. Morrow, $364,500. **Logstone Dr.,** 3454-Selvin and Veronica Hibbert to Mervin and Kim Smith Hyndman, $417,000. **Stonewall Manor Dr.,** 3755-Marquel and Robert L. Patton Jr. to Copper Village Investments and Tichi Property, $349,535. **Arkansas Ct.,** 1477-Sara L. and John A. Rollison III to Mignon Erixon Stanford, $169,500. **Battery Hill Cir.,** 2349-Department of Housing and Urban Development to Mannah Lahai and Salamatu Kamara, $295,000. **Belfry Lane,** 3526-Ernesto and Danilo A. Albino to Deborah D. Piland, $120,000. **Carolyn Forest Dr.,** 13029-Santos Noel Alvarado Bolanos to Ferdous Hakim, $160,000. **Cinnamon St.,** 12225-Steven J. and Sarah C. Fort to Maria D. Vargas Arenas and Rafael Lanzo Guilbe, $239,900. **Cressida Pl.,** 4091-Prince William Realty to Rasha A. Harris, $195,000. **Cumberland Dr.,** 2022-Federal National Mortgage Association to Xiao Jun Li, $219,000. **Derriford Ct.,** 12175-Thomas and Oretta Bradshaw to Federal National Mortgage Association, $315,222. **Drew Hunt Ct.,** 13150-Ibrahim J. and Vera H. Homsi to Giancarlo A. Furgiuele, $389,900. **Eagle Ridge Dr.,** 3221-K. Hovnanian Homes of Virginia to Patrice Michelle Bell, $360,000. **Fort Craig Dr.,** 12125-Steve B. Austin to Shawn and Jody Watson, $352,000. **Grayson Rd.,** 14107-Earl and Kathryn Thompson to William Mairena, $250,000. **Headway Dr.,** 2805-Jubilation Properties to Candice Grams, $435,000. **Knoll Top Lane,** 1965-Evelyn Leon and Max Oliva to Federal National Mortgage Association, $177,573. **Lockleven Lane,** 12802-John E. and Virginia Ruth Campbell to Shaun A. Grigsby, $230,000. **Louisa St.,** 14313-Nathan Carter to James Shiao, $108,000. **Marblestone Dr.,** 12834-Darrell McCarthy and Randy Hostetter to Elmer C. III and Jessica Maria Duffy, $287,000. **Nellings Pl.,** 11579-James P. and Jebren Zakar to Lauren Regucci, $287,500. **Occoquan Overlook,** 4775-Alexis E. Miller to James Aubrey and Marion Jean Hooks, $475,000. **Powells Landing Cir.,** 2115-Timothy M. and Deana M. Petit to Stephen R. and Alisha A. Conkling, $479,000. **Radburn St.,** 16147-Jules R. Jr. and Felicity Thomas to William J. and Janice Lynn Stephens, $430,000. **Rush Dr.,** 13612-Prudential Relocation to Farhana Akter, $231,000. **Salemtown Dr.,** 12136-Bank of America to Sandhya G. Reddy and Prem S. Somu, $131,000. **Silent Tree Pl.,** 15761-Dorothy D. Claiborne Carr to Cartus Corp., $237,650. **Smoketown Rd.,** 12988-Rose A. Walker and the Walker Family Trust to Michael and Darlene Shenier, $408,000. **Stone Lined Cir.,** 12598-Ryland Group to Mark E. and Gina D. Lewis, $435,425. **Sweeney Lane,** 16758-Ophelia A. and Albert A. Owusu Jr. to Federal National Mortgage Association, $342,230. **Tidewater Ct.,** 16825-Prudential Relocation to Ricky L. and Emily D. House, $390,000. **Valleywood Dr.,** 12841-Marianne Quigley to Gregory F. and Kimberly R. Battistone, $505,000. **Wigglesworth Way,** 1817-Bank of America to Mandeep and Manmeet Sarang, $143,000. **Wolf Run Shoals Rd.,** 4913-Michael and Leslee Williams to Donald W. and Mary A. Hershberger, $490,000. These were among homes sold in Manassas. **Braxted Lane,** 8649-Jose V. Jr. and Lourdes M. Salvosa to Barbara England Smith, $110,000. **Fawnlily Ct.,** 9263-John Andrew Byrd to David E. and Laura L. Lavarnway, $207,000. **Lamont Ct.,** 8607-Christopher T. Owens to Federal National Mortgage Association, $170,441. **River Crest Rd.,** 9371-Scott B. Flanary to Lawrence S. and Carrie L. Beeson, $399,900. **Teaberry Ct.,** 9416-Duane S. Mason to Allpro Properties, $155,000. These were among homes sold in Manassas Park. **Matthew Dr.,** 9190-All Star Investments to Michael R. Weinstein, $373,500. **White Pine Dr.,** 8524-Dinora C. Magana to HAF Real Estate, $153,000. These were among sales data provided to The Washington Post by Lender Processing Services. To find sale and assessment records for homes in Stafford and elsewhere in the Washington area, visit washingtonpost.com/homesales. **Aquia Dr.,** 2110-H.W. Ishmael Jr. to Michael D. McFarlane, $251,000. **Berea Church Rd.,** 169-Daryl W. Ragan to Richard L. Irwin, $200,000. **Brant Ct.,** 7-Pulte Home Corp. to Calvin E. Smith, trustee, and Smith Living Trust, $322,754. **Cannon Knolls Dr.,** 7-Thomas O. Price to Waterview Enterprises, $194,000. **Charter Gate Dr.,** 27-BC Stafford Corp. to Edward L. Talley Jr., $355,420. **Choptank Rd.,** 124-Julia B. Jones to Ashley C. Baer, $199,900. **Crown Manor Dr.,** 72-Wells Fargo Bank to Michael K. Chynoweth, $272,525. **Denison St.,** 34-Pulte Home to Edward J. Mohs, $356,450. **Dolphin Cove,** 102-Lisa G. Schumacher to William M. Culbreth, $201,000. **Fallsway Lane,** 209-Department of Housing and Urban Development to Packanack Corp., $152,000. **Greenhaven Ct.,** 12-William L. Mullins Jr. to Roger K. Baker, $349,900. **Halterman Lane,** 22-Debra A. Bradman and estate of William L. Halterman to Jeffrey N. Coble, $127,500. **Hidden Lake Dr.,** 15-Deutsche Bank to Douglas Rogers, $142,000. **Hunton Dr.,** 91-Michael J. Stanfill to Kevin J. Henry, $399,950. **John Paul Jones Dr.,** 1109-Federal National Mortgage Association to Tiffani M. Blomster, $272,500. **Lakeview Dr.,** 1138-Michael B. Law to Kyle J. Sins, $169,900. **Lendall Lane,** 609-John R. Crigler, trustee, and Martha L. Crigler trust to Larry Wilkerson, $429,900. **Little Brook Cir.,** 9-Churchill Corp. to Matthew R. McNulty, $295,000. **Mediterranean Dr.,** 3004-Katherine E. Boyd to Edward J. Connelly, $300,000. **Orchard Lane,** 88-Drees Co. to Michael G. Nichols, $498,005. **Plumosa Dr.,** 36-Jeffrey S. Mccleskey to Angelique F. Ruiz, $178,500. **Presidential Lane,** 16-Timothy J. Delaney to Prudential Relocation, $635,000. **Quarry Rd.,** 102-Kenneth L. Moyer Jr. to Kirby Rock Ellis, $265,000. **Regal Ct.,** 7-Antonio Robinson to Darrel W. Shaw, $350,000. **St. Roberts Dr.,** 102-Beneficial Financial to Joseph R. Szewczyk, $290,000. **Sequester Dr.,** 221-John W. Gatlin to Frank Del Castillo, $415,000. **Short Branch Rd.,** 110-NVR to Jeffrey Marshall, $249,515. **Table Bluff Dr.,** 39-Pulte Home to Richard P. Bohacik, $244,995. **Thomas Jefferson Pl.,** 1233-Extreme Housebuyers to Emma N. Marin and Cesilia Y. Roldan Marin, $92,000. **West Park Dr.,** 100-Celerity Ventures to Matthew R. Johnston, $205,000. **Wood Landing Rd.,** 442-Carlton P. Musselman to Jeffrey R. Scott, $250,000.

**“Off the Wall” student exhibit,** art by county high school students. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays, 1-5 p.m. Saturdays, through Feb. 1. Student reception, 3-5 p.m. this Saturday, Center for the Arts, Caton Merchant Family Art Gallery, 9419 Battle St., Manassas. Free. 703-330-2787 or www.center-for-the- arts.org. **Spanish chat,** bring lunch and practice speaking Spanish. Noon-2 p.m., Central Community Library, 8601 Mathis Ave., Manassas. Free. 703-361-8211. **Chamber of Commerce legislative reception,** members of the Government Affairs Committee present the chamber’s 2012 list of legislative priorities, and Virginia delegates discuss issues affecting the business community. Cash bar, and appetizers served. 5-7 p.m., Stonewall Golf Club, 15601 Turtle Point Dr., Gainesville. $45; members, $30. 703-368-6600 or www.pwchamber.org. **Haymarket Quilters Unlimited meeting,** Lisa Ellis discusses “healing quilts,” art quilts placed in hospitals. New members welcome. 6:30 p.m., Evergreen Fire Department, 3510 James Madison Hwy., Haymarket. Free. 703-593-7648. **Martin Luther King Jr. Choir,** a performance by the children’s choir. 3 p.m., Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge. Free. 703-792-4800. **Monday Afternoon Book Club,** discussion of “Saving CeeCee Honeycutt,” by Beth Hoffman. 1 p.m., Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge. Free. 703-792-4800. **Mystery Book Club,** discussion of “Murder 101,” by Maggie Barbieri. 7 p.m., Central Community Library, 8601 Mathis Ave., Manassas. Free. 703-361-8211. **** **Social Security benefits information,** Julio Alvarado of the Social Security Administration discusses benefits and program resources. 1 p.m., Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge. Free. 703-792-4800. **Writers of children’s literature,** new group members welcome to share their writings and offer encouragement and constructive criticism. 7 p.m., Bull Run Regional Library, 8051 Ashton Ave., Manassas. Free. 703-792-4530. **English Conversation Club,** new speakers of English practice their skills. 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge. Free. 703-792-4800. **African American Book Group,** discussion of “Life on the Color Line: The True Story of a White Boy Who Discovered He Was Black,” by Gregory Howard Williams. 7 p.m., Potomac Community Library, 2201 Opitz Blvd., Woodbridge. Free. 703-494-8126. **Thomas Jefferson Toastmasters Club,** regular meeting. 7:30 p.m., Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, 14999 Birchdale Ave., Dale City. $66 annual dues. 703-590-2926. **Toastmasters International,** Woodbridge club. 7:30 p.m., Ebenezer Baptist Church, 13020 Telegraph Rd., Woodbridge. $39 membership fee. 703-731-2120. ** — Compiled by Sarah Lane ** **E-mail:** pwliving@washpost.com **Fax:** 703-392-1406 **Mail:** Community Events, Prince William Local Living, The Washington Post, 9420 Battle St., Manassas, Va. 20110. **Details:** Announcements are accepted on a space-available basis from public and nonprofit organizations only and must be received at least two weeks before the Thursday publication date. Include event name, dates, times, exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number.

The following incidents were reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245. **Streamside Ct.,** 15200 block, 12:51 a.m. Dec. 21. A man kicked a front door of a residence, then assaulted a female resident and a female juvenile. A 19-year-old Triangle man was arrested. **Dominion Dr.,** 4000 block, 10:15 a.m. Dec. 16 to 12:15 p.m. Dec. 18. A video game system and shoes were stolen from a residence entered through an unlocked bedroom window. **Arthur Hills Dr.,** 6900 block, 7:46 p.m. Dec. 17. A man sent a text with a bomb threat to an acquaintance attending a party at a clubhouse. The building was evacuated. No bomb was found. A 21-year-old Haymarket man was arrested. **Lee Hwy.,** 14600 block, 1:05 to 3:45 a.m. Dec. 21. Three people stole cash, a safe and cigarettes from a gas station. The station was entered by forcing open a door lock. **Myradale Way,** 6100 block, 1 a.m. Dec. 20. Two men entered an acquaintance’s residence, taped a female resident’s feet and hands and assaulted a male resident. The two fled with a safe containing cash and jewelry. A Manassas Park man and a 22-year-old Bristow man were arrested. **Royal Crest Dr.,** 15200 block, 3 p.m. Nov. 25 to 11 a.m. Nov. 29. A hunting jacket containing two knives and ammunition was stolen from a residence. **Khans Rd.,** 12600 block, 5:16 p.m. Dec. 14. While a man acted as a lookout, a gunman in a residence assaulted a woman when she returned home. The woman was treated for injuries. Two men, 19 and 21, and a Manassas woman, 20, were arrested. **Lucasville Rd.,** 10900 block, 7 p.m. Dec. 16. During an argument between two male acquaintances in the front yard of a residence, one male fired a weapon several times. No injuries were reported. A 26-year-old Manassas man was arrested. **Centerton Lane,** 8600 block, 3:43 a.m. Dec. 21. Cash, cellphones and other property were stolen from vehicles. A 31-year-old man was arrested. **Charnwood Ct.,** 8500 block, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Someone entered a residence by breaking a rear window. Nothing was reported stolen. **Emerald Dr.,** 7400 block, 1 to 1:45 p.m. Dec. 17. A laptop, a tablet PC and a video game system were stolen from a residence. **Fincastle Dr.,** 5800 block, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 20. A laptop was stolen from a residence entered by forcing open a rear door. **Granite Lane,** 8400 block, 10:49 p.m. Dec. 21. Someone attempted to enter a residence by breaking a rear door. **Industrial Dr.,** 11000 block, 8 a.m. Dec. 20 to 10:45 a.m. Dec. 21. Tools were stolen from a business entered by cutting a fence. **Nathaniel Harris Ct.,** 9200 block, 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Dec. 15. Cash, jewelry and other property were stolen from a residence entered by forcing open a front door. **Oak St.,** 8000 block, 1 a.m. Nov. 15 to 8 a.m. Dec. 11. Two handguns were stolen from a residence. **Plant Pl.,** 8500 block, 9 a.m. Dec. 9 to 4:49 p.m. Dec. 19. Copper piping was stolen from a vacant residence entered by forcing open a rear door. **Old Triangle Rd.,** 18500 block, 12:30 p.m. Dec. 14. A man entered a female acquaintance’s residence and fired paint ball pellets, breaking windows. When the two began to argue, the man hit the woman several times in the face. She was treated for injuries. An 18-year-old Dumfries man was arrested. **Old Triangle Rd. and Soundview Cir.,** Dec. 19. A gunman robbed two men at a bus stop of cash and an MP3 player. **Potomac Club Pkwy.,** 5:46 p.m. Dec. 22. A man sexually assaulted a female acquaintance. A 22-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested. **Island House Loop,** 12800 block, 11:56 p.m. Dec. 15. During an argument, a man threatened a female acquaintance with a knife. No injuries were reported. A 29-year-old Woodbridge man was arrested. **Gordon Blvd.,** 12500 block, 3:30 a.m. Dec. 17. Two gunmen robbed a convenience store of cash. **Jefferson Davis Hwy.,** 13600 block, 4:16 a.m. Dec. 17. A gunman robbed a pharmacy of prescription medicine. **Seminole Rd.,** 2900 block, 8:55 p.m. Dec. 20. A male armed with a handgun grabbed a male pedestrian and robbed him of cash and a cellphone. **Wood Hollow Dr.,** 12700 block, 8:39 p.m. Dec. 15. Two men robbed a pizza deliveryman of cash at knifepoint. **Jefferson Davis Hwy.,** 13900 block, 10:30 p.m. Dec. 12. A male motorist asked a female juvenile pedestrian for directions, then exposed himself. **Bluefin Dr.,** 13700 block, 11:40 to 11:46 a.m. Dec. 20. Jewelry was stolen from a residence entered by kicking a front door. **Colebrook Lane,** 2900 block, 2:34 p.m. Dec. 12. Someone entered a residence. A resident heard a front door close. Nothing was reported stolen. **Covered Bridge Lane,** 3500 block, noon to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 20. Cash was stolen from a residence entered through an unlocked rear door. **Danbury Ct.,** 3800 block, 1 p.m. Dec. 16 to 12:59 p.m. Dec. 21. Copper piping was stolen from a vacant residence entered by breaking a rear door. **Derby Ct.,** 3800 block, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 8 to 12:22 p.m. Dec. 15. Copper piping was stolen from a vacant residence entered by prying open a rear window. **Forge Dr.,** 4000 block, 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 21. Property was stolen from a residence entered by breaking a rear window. **Gableridge Turn,** 1900 block, 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 12. Jewelry and clothes were stolen from a residence entered through an unlocked front door. **Horner Rd.,** 1400 block, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 16. Two cameras and jewelry were stolen from a residence entered by removing an air conditioner from a window. **Indiana Ave.,** 1500 block, 11:47 a.m. Dec. 21. During an investigation of an armed burglary, police found a vehicle about 1:39 p.m. in the 18200 block of Old Triangle Road in Triangle. A male passenger fled. The male driver was arrested. Police located the passenger in a wooded area. When the armed man refused officers’ commands and began to move toward the officers, the man was shot and killed. **Jefferson Davis Hwy.,** 13600 block, 12:35 a.m. Dec. 21. Someone entered a business by forcing open a door. Nothing was reported stolen. **Keelingwood Cir.,** 13700 block, 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Dec. 20. A TV and a laptop were stolen from a residence. **Lindendale Rd.,** 14000 block, 1:10 p.m. Dec. 13. Someone entered a residence by breaking a rear window with a rock. Nothing was reported stolen. **Minnieville Rd.,** 13200 block, 5 p.m. Dec. 20 to 8:15 a.m. Dec. 21. Power tools were stolen from storage trailers entered by cutting locks. **Oxbridge Inn Ct.,** 14000 block, noon to 2:15 p.m. Dec. 13. Electronics and jewelry were stolen from a residence entered by forcing open a rear door. **Powder Horn Terr.,** 1800 block, midnight June 1 to 1:48 p.m. Dec. 15. Someone entered a vacant residence by breaking a door. Nothing was reported stolen. **Queen Chapel Rd.,** 12900 block, 5:20 to 8:45 p.m. Dec. 20. Two laptops, a video game system, other electronics and jewelry were stolen from a residence entered by breaking a rear window. **Queen Chapel Rd.,** 13000 block, 3 p.m. Dec. 16 to 7:30 a.m. Dec. 19. Copper piping and wire were stolen from a vacant residence entered by forcing open a rear door. **Tapestry Dr.,** 5900 block, 12:13 a.m. Dec. 18. A man entered a residence by breaking a rear window. A female resident returned home, found the man, then fled. Nothing was reported stolen. **Tecumseh Ct.,** 3000 block, 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. Dec. 15. Someone entered a residence by forcing open a front door. Nothing was reported stolen. **Woodmark Dr.,** 2800 block, 10:46 a.m. Dec. 20. Three males took a bag of shoes from a residence. When they attempted to steal a video game system, a male resident confronted them and grabbed the system. The following incidents were reported by Manassas police. For information, call 703-257-8000. **Candy Ct.,** 10100 block, 7:40 p.m. Dec. 21. A man assaulted a relative and vandalized her vehicle. A 39-year-old Manassas man was arrested. **Corey Dr.,** 9400 block, 1:50 a.m. Dec. 26. During an argument, a man assaulted a female acquaintance. A 32-year-old Manassas man was arrested. **Old Hickory Ct.,** 9000 block, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 25. During an argument, a man hit a female acquaintance in the face with a cellphone. The man attempted to leave in the woman’s vehicle. When she attempted to stop him, he hit her with the vehicle. A 34-year-old Manassas man was arrested. **Patterson Pl.,** 9000 block, 10 p.m. Dec. 25. During an argument, a man hit a female acquaintance. A 36-year-old Manassas man was arrested. **Taney Rd.,** 9400 block, 7:30 a.m. Dec. 14. Two males wearing ski masks hit a male pedestrian in the legs with a baseball bat. The pedestrian was treated for injuries. **Wax Myrtle Way,** 9300 block, 12:40 a.m. Dec. 14. A man assaulted a relative. A 48-year-old Manassas man was arrested. **Main St.,** 9400 block, 2 a.m. Dec. 27. A gunman and a man armed with a knife forcibly entered a hotel room and robbed a male occupant of cash, a cellphone and clothes. **Battlefield Dr.,** 10200 block, Dec. 18. A handgun was stolen from a vehicle. **Brackets Ford Cir.,** 10400 block, noon Dec. 16 to 11:15 a.m. Dec. 18. Property was stolen from a vehicle entered by breaking a window. **Center St.,** 9300 block, 1 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 15. A purse and a backpack were stolen from a business. **Centreville Rd.,** 9000 block, 10 a.m. Dec. 16 to 6 p.m. Dec. 18. A coin collection and other cash were stolen from a shed. **Massie St.,** 10300 block, 8 p.m. Dec. 18 to 9 a.m. Dec. 19. An MP3 player was stolen from a vehicle. **Traveller St.,** 8900 block, 10 p.m. Dec. 27 to 9 a.m. Dec. 28. A generator was stolen from a vehicle. **Jerry’s Cir.,** 9000 block, Dec. 18 to Dec. 26. A vehicle was stolen from a repair shop. **Burlington Ct.,** 8500 block, midnight to 4 a.m. Dec. 14. Someone broke a window of a taxi. **Kirby St.,** 8400 block, midnight to 2 p.m. Dec. 18. A rear window of a vehicle was broken. **Tapok Dr.,** 8500 block, midnight Dec. 16 to 6:30 a.m. Dec. 20. A window of a vehicle was broken. The following incident was reported by Manassas Park police. For information, call 703-361-1136. **Walden St.,** 100 block, 9 p.m. Dec. 17 to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 18. Someone scratched a vehicle. ** — Compiled by Sarah Lane **

Prince William Little Theatre is looking for directors for its 2012-13 season. Those interested should submit an application, a resume and a one- to two-page proposal by Jan. 15 to Pam Cribbs at jmemom@comcast.net. The company, which plans to produce three shows during its 28th season, will begin interviewing directors in March. For information, visit www.pwlt.org. Several locations in Prince William County are accepting live Christmas trees for recycling. Ornaments, lights and tinsel must be removed before drop off. →The Prince William County Landfill, 14811 Dumfries Rd., Manassas, is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. →The Balls Ford Road Compost Facility, 13000 Balls Ford Rd., Manassas, is open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. → Leesylvania State Park, Shelter 2, 2001 Daniel K. Ludwig Dr., Woodbridge, is accepting Christmas trees, which will be used for habitat. → Northern Virginia Electric (NOVEC), 5399 Wellington Rd., Gainesville, will accept cut trees through Jan. 11. The drop-off area is in the parking lot outlined by safety cones, to the right of the building. Call 703-335-0500, Ext. 1633 or 1661. For information, call 703-792-4670 or visit www.pwcgov.org/recycling. The Potomac Health Foundation will hold a Letter of Intent workshop for nonprofit organizations interested in the foundation’s large-grant process from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at Sentara Potomac Hospital, Hylton Education Center, 2300 Opitz Blvd., Woodbridge. The foundation is accepting applications for its spring 2012 grant cycle from nonprofit organizations that provide health services in eastern Prince William County, southeast Fairfax County and north Stafford County. The first step in applying is to submit a Letter of Intent, which is a brief concept paper describing the project. Letters are due by Jan. 31. The foundation will then invite a limited number of applicants to submit a full proposal. The board of directors will announce the large grant awards June 8. For information or to make a reservation for the workshop, call 703-730-4445. Mary Helen Dellinger has been named curator of the Manassas Museum System. Dellinger, who begins Monday, was most recently senior vice president of collections and exhibitions at the Fredericksburg Area Museum and Cultural Center. She was selected after a national search to replace retired curator Roxana Adams. In addition to her work with exhibits, collections and programs, Dellinger will oversee Manassas City’s historic resources, including Liberia Plantation, Civil War-era Cannon Branch and Mayfield Earthwork Forts, the Manassas Industrial School/Jennie Dean Memorial, the Speiden Carper House, the Center for the Arts and the Manassas Railroad Depot. **— Compiled by Sarah Lane**

**District 13** **Richard H. “Dick” Black (R)*** **District 29** **Charles J. Colgan (D)** 804-698-7529 703-368-0300 district29@senate.virginia.gov **District 36** **Linda T. “Toddy” Puller (D)** 804-698-7536 703-765-1150 district36@senate.virginia.gov **District 39** **George L. Barker (D)** 804-698-7539 703-303-1426 district39@senate.virginia.gov **District 2** **L. Mark Dudenhefer (R)*** **District 13** **Robert G. Marshall (R)** 804-698-1013 703-853-4213 delbmarshall@house.virginia.gov **District 31** **L. Scott Lingamfelter (R)** 804-698-1031 703-580-1294 delslingamfelter@house.virginia.gov **District 40** **Timothy D. Hugo (R)** 804-698-1040 703-968-4101 delthugo@house.virginia.gov **District 51** **Richard L. Anderson (R)** 804-698-1051 571-264-9983 delranderson@house.virginia.gov **District 52** **Luke Torian (D)** 804-698-1052 703-785-2224 delltorian@house.virginia.gov **District 87** ****David I. Ramadan (R)*** ** * Denotes new member elected in November

Prince William County officials are asking the General Assembly to not slash funds for roads, to adequately finance local schools and to support higher education centers, among other issues. When lawmakers convene in Richmond on Wednesday, Prince William officials are asking its state delegation to keep the county’s priorities in mind. Among those outlined in a November report: Along with other Northern Virginia areas, Prince William is asking for an increase in funding of roads. As state funding dwindles, a long-range transportation study estimated that the area will need $700 million per year to address transportation issues. The county has funded 23 Virginia road projects over the past 22 years but opposes state efforts to push maintenance costs to localities. If the county were to assume the responsibility, it would mean a “significant tax increase” in homeowner taxes, according to the report. About 21,000 new jobs were relocated to the Marine Corps base at Quantico. The relocation is expected to bring more traffic and strain to roads. The county is asking for state and federal dollars to support expanding nearby Route 1, among other improvements. The county also seeks state funding to build a road that would allow better access to Dulles International Airport. The county’s 81,000-student school system has struggled to keep pace with an increasing student population. County officials anticipate that the schools will need to hire 8,000 teachers over the next 10 years and plans to add 12 schools at a cost of more than $1 billion. County officials are asking, among other requests, that the state allocate funds to build schools, keep pace with state benchmarks for test scores and continue to fund annual teacher salary increases. For a second year, the county is asking the General Assembly to adopt statewide its illegal immigration policies. The policy, which prompted widespread protest in Prince William and elsewhere when adopted in 2007, directs local police to check the immigration status of anyone arrested and to work with federal law enforcement about whether deportation is warranted. The county would like state lawmakers to support its economic development strategy involving universities. George Mason University wants the state to partially fund a new life sciences building on its Prince William campus, and the county supports the university’s request for $3.2 million. Similarly, the county supports Northern Virginia Community College’s request for $35 million in state funds to establish a Workforce Development Center in Woodbridge. The county and other localities statewide said they need a significant amount of money to meet federal requirements for cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay. In 2009, President Obama signed an executive order mandating a quicker cleanup of the long-polluted waterway by 2017. Among other requests, Prince William would like to receive more funding for state-funded psychiatric beds, to increase the penalty for illegally placed signs and to offer legislation that helps residents cancel subscriptions to free publications that can accumulate on doorsteps.

Shares of Barnes and Noble plummeted Thursday following the company’s announcement that it will explore options to spin-off its Nook digital unit. Company stock had fallen over 20 percent in morning trading, a response to a company release that also disclosed that Barnes and Noble has lowered its yearly revenue guidance. The release also reported “record” Nook sales, divulging that sales of the Nook Tablet eclipsed expectations. The Nook Tablet is a solid device, with a screen and overall layout more suited to reading than the cheaper Kindle Fire, though it still falls behind the Fire when it comes to the diversity of video available on the device. Sales of its Nook Simple Touch, however, fell short of projections. The company has made an effort to make a deeper commitment to the line in recent months and has decided to ”pursue strategic exploratory work to separate the Nook business,” the release said. The Nook line has drawn i n around $1.5 billion in sales in the past fiscal year and the company has its eyes on overseas expansion. The Associated Press reported that Barnes and Noble Chief Executive William Lynch hopes to increase visibility of the Nook, which has often been overshadowed by other e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle line. “We want to unlock value and shine a bright light on that business,” he told the news organization. The company was quick to caution that it’s still in the research stages of its plan and that it has no current timetable for review and no guarantees that its exploration will actually result in a spin-off. Related stories: Nook Tablet goes head-to-head with Kindle Fire Amazon’s bottom line may be suffering despite blockbuster sales of Kindle Fire Kindle Fire update: smooth but not snappy

There are plenty of Android tablets on the market, but none have captured a portion of market share that can come close to rivaling the iPad. Right now, it looks like the most successful of all of them will be the Kindle Fire, which Amazon has modified so much that it’s hardly recognizable as an Android tablet at all. So it might make sense for Google to jump into the tablet game, particularly after the launch of its unified tablet and smartphone platform, Ice Cream Sandwich. Last month, Google chairman Eric Schmidt was quoted by an Italian paper Corriere Della Sera as saying that Google would soon market its own tablet. Since then, there’s been a flurry of speculation around what that tablet would look like. Schmidt’s quote promised, in part, a tablet of a very high quality. Many have interpreted that to mean that Google will try to make a top-of-the-line device to rival the iPad. But a new report from the Taiwanese tech site Digitimes has sparked the idea that, perhaps, Google will try for its own super-cheap tablet priced to compete with the $199 fire. And while Digitimes — it’s worth remembering — has a spotty-at-best record with these kinds of rumors, the debate over whether Google will give chase to the iPad or the Kindle Fire says something interesting about the tablet market. Right now, there are basically two models for tablet success: Apple’s and Amazon’s. And it’s not all about the company’s respective devices. Spec for spec, there’s no comparing the iPad and the Kindle Fire. If the Fire was priced even remotely near Apple’s tablet, it’d be laughed off the market. (Just take a look at what’s happened to the BlackBerry Playbook — a device that at least offers users both a camera and a hardware volume switch.) Apple has taken the same approach with the tablet as it has with all its other devices — build something right and the customers will follow. But if the technology industry learned anything from the sudden and unexpected TouchPad fire sale, it’s that customers can overlook a device’s shortcomings for a low price. Amazon knows that and built upon what it’s learned from the Kindle to offer up its own model for the tablet. The Kindle Fire really isn’t supposed to be an iPad killer, it’s supposed to be a neat device that just so happens to get people to buy a ton of things from Amazon. The question now is which path Google has chosen. It’s better situated to keep on with its fierce competition with Apple, especially with the Android Marketplace and its new Music store. Its previous co-branded smartphones from the Nexus line have hardly been bargain buys, but they’ve seen a lot of success. It’s a safe route. But if, as the report indicates,Google has chosen to take on the Kindle Fire, it will be interesting to see what happens. Google simply can’t follow exactly what Amazon’s done — while it has the Android app market and its own Google Music store, the company is far from being retail-focused. To make a cheap- enough tablet, as MG Siegler pointed out, the company would likely have to rely on advertising revenue to make up the difference. Related stories: BlackBerry PlayBook price dropped to $299 on sale iPad 3 release date speculation builds Five tech predictions for 2012 Dominic Basulto | Patent Wars 2012: What to expect

The U.S. military will steadily shrink the Army and Marine Corps, reduce forces in Europe and probably make further cuts to the nation’s nuclear arsenal, the Obama administration said Thursday in a preview of how it intends to reshape the armed forces after a decade of war. The downsizing of the Pentagon, prompted by the country’s dire fiscal problems, means that the military will depend more on coalitions with allies and avoid the large-scale counterinsurgency and nation-building operations that have marked the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, the Pentagon will invest more heavily in Special Operations forces, which have a smaller footprint and require less money than conventional units, as well as drone aircraft and cybersecurity, defense officials said. The military will also shift its focus to Asia to counter China’s rising influence and North Korea’s unpredictability. Despite the end of the Iraq war, administration officials said they would keep a large presence in the Middle East, where tensions with Iran are worsening. The strategy review was unveiled by President Obama in a rare visit to the Pentagon, where he was flanked by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, the Joint Chiefs and other officials who sought to project an image of undiminished military power even as they gird for an era of austerity that will necessitate a more restrained use of military force and more modest foreign policy goals. “Yes, our military will be leaner, but the world must know the United States is going to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies and threats,” Obama said. Obama and Pentagon leaders said their new military strategy, contained in an eight-page document, will guide wrenching decisions on defense cutbacks. Details will be made public in the next few weeks as the White House finalizes its proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year. In a deficit-reduction deal reached with Congress in August, the White House agreed to cut projected defense spending over the next 10 years by about $480 billion, or about 8 percent of what the Pentagon had planned on. Although Pentagon officials have portrayed those cuts as painful, Obama said the defense budget is still expected to increase slightly — at about the rate of inflation — each year for the next decade. “I firmly believe, and I think the American people understand, that we can keep our military strong and our nation secure with a defense budget that continues to be larger than roughly the next 10 countries combined,” he said. What really worries Pentagon leaders, however, is that their fiscal problems might well be about to get worse. Under a separate deal with Congress, an additional $500 billion in defense cutbacks will be triggered unless lawmakers can agree on an alternative plan to trim the deficit by the end of the year. Gordon Adams, a former national security budget official in the Clinton administration, predicted that lawmakers would find a way to avoid that trigger, which Panetta has called a “doomsday” scenario for the Defense Department. But Adams said other defense cutbacks are likely as Congress tries to find ways to improve the national balance sheet. “That’s inevitable,” he said. “Only one shoe has fallen here. There’s another shoe to fall.” Some Republican lawmakers ripped Obama’s military strategy, saying it would weaken America’s standing in the world. “This is a lead-from-behind strategy for a left-behind America,” said Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (Calif.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Republican contenders to run against Obama in November have also heightened their criticism of his national security record. But with the GOP reluctant to endorse higher taxes, some Republican candidates and legislators have said the defense budget should not be exempt from further cuts. In contrast to past Pentagon reviews, the new strategy offers some clear guidance to the military services about which missions to eliminate and which areas of the sprawling defense establishment to scale back. The approach recognizes that military and intelligence agencies will have to continue the battle against al-Qaeda and other global terrorist groups. But instead of using conventional Army and Marine Corps forces in long counterinsurgency wars, the Obama administration wants to focus more heavily on “tailored capabilities appropriate for counter-terrorism and irregular warfare.” The strategy does not formally reject the idea that U.S. military forces will be called on in the future to bring order to fractured societies in the developing world. But it suggests that any stability operations similar to those conducted during the past decade in Iraq and Afghanistan will be of short duration and have far more limited goals. “Nowhere in the document does it say we’re not going to fight land wars. It doesn’t say we’re never going to do stability operations,” said Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “It’s a matter of scope and scale, time, risk, reversibility.” Obama insisted that any cuts to the military will not come at the expense of an expanding U.S. presence in Asia, which he dubbed a “critical region.” To pay for those increases, the strategy suggests a need for significant cuts to the size of U.S. military ground forces in Europe, which has been a major Army operation for decades. European allies, many confronting even more austere times than the United States, have been bracing for a reduction in the 80,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Europe. British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond, who visited Washington on Thursday to meet with Panetta and other U.S. officials, said NATO countries will have to do more to pool their diminishing resources. “We Europeans need to reassure the U.S. that we are serious about defense,” Hammond said in a speech to the Atlantic Council, a transatlantic think tank. “The U.S. need to reassure Europe that you are not going away.” Top Obama administration officials revealed few details about which weapons programs will be cut and how many troops will be pared. In the past decade, the Army has grown to about 570,000 troops, up from 482,000 before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Current plans call for the Army to shrink to about 520,000 troops, although senior Army leaders said they expect their forces to be cut further. The strategy document also foreshadows cutbacks in the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, stating: “It is possible that our deterrence goals can be achieved with a smaller nuclear force.” Defense officials declined to elaborate, but they said they would offer more information when they release next year’s proposed Pentagon budget. The United States has about 5,000 nuclear warheads in its arsenal. The New START nuclear pact with Russia, ratified by the Senate in December 2010, mandates that each country reduce the number of nuclear weapons deployed on long-range missiles and bombers to 1,550. The Obama administration also signaled the scaling back of another Cold War strategic construct. For decades, the military has adhered to a policy of maintaining enough forces to fight two regional wars at once. The new strategy commits the Pentagon to being able to fight a single large-scale war while retaining enough forces to deter or impose “unacceptable costs on an opportunistic aggressor in a second region.” The strategy also cites the need for the Pentagon to trim personnel costs by reducing the amount of money the department spends on pay, health care and other benefits. Cutting those costs has been a major goal of the Pentagon for most of the past decade. But the effort has consistently run into a buzz saw on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers have resisted even small reductions to military pay and benefits. **More world news coverage:** \- Bombs targeting Iraqi Shiites kill 72 \- Syrian media awaken despite risks \- Settlers temporarily banned from West Bank \- Read more headlines from around the world

As recently as the 1990s, Clarksburg was a rural crossroads featuring acres of open fields. It has since been transformed into one of the Washington area’s fastest-growing communities: a development of single-family homes, townhouses and condominiums along the I-270 corridor between Germantown and Frederick. Montgomery County planners envisioned Clarksburg as an urban village where people could walk to stores, schools and libraries, a community dense enough for transit yet with natural features such as parks and greenways. Many residents have been lured by that vision. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 13,766 people called Clarksburg home, most living in three primary neighborhoods with active homeowners associations that provide amenities and activities. New schools have opened, and more are coming. There are parks aplenty, and the ballfields and bike paths are busy. “We know a lot of people in the neighborhood: one big extended family,” said Barry Fantle, president of the Clarksburg Civic Association. But Clarksburg is unfinished, as evidenced by the streets that dead-end in the middle of the community at land designated to be the retail core of Clarksburg Town Center. Other than a small shopping center and some pre-existing businesses on Route 355, there’s no retail yet in Clarksburg. Even some public amenities, such as a library and an amphitheater, are still on paper. “That’s where the disappointment is: People were expecting to walk to things sooner,” Fantle said. There are larger stores not far away, to the south in Germantown and north in Urbana. But shopping options in Clarksburg have been curtailed, in part because the area master plan had prohibited retail development outside the town center area until 90,000 square feet of retail had been approved in the town center. The county recently relaxed that provision, and residents hope a grocery store will be forthcoming. County planners want to see a little more for the central area. “Town Center has to be different than a typical neighborhood retail center,” said John Carter, the county planning chief for Area 3, which includes Clarksburg. “We’ve set the bar pretty high, but that’s okay,” he said, adding that it would be better to wait for quality. Clarksburg’s residential development has had some setbacks. In 2005, a group of residents called attention to building violations in the community, including homes that were too tall and too close to the street. The resulting controversy involving residents, county planners and developers was followed a few years later by the economic recession. County planners announced in October that Elm Street Development, the primary developer of one of the neighborhoods, Clarksburg Village, would buy the rights to develop Town Center from the current owner. Elm Street will now be responsible for the retail portion of the project and 300 future residential units. John Clarke, regional partner for Elm Street Development, noted that his company had been working in the area for 27 years and was looking forward to the opportunity. “We know Clarksburg very well,” he said. But Clarke acknowledged challenges with the project, which includes road improvements and a parking structure, and he noted that today’s economy is less favorable for development. In the meantime, Clarksburg residents say the promise of the community is worth battling the commuter traffic on Interstate 270. Matt Bloye, who was visiting a neighborhood playground in Clarksburg Village with 2-year-old daughter Lily on a recent Saturday, said he and his wife, Su, like the idea of having a newly built home in Montgomery County. The Bloyes, who work in Northern Virginia, live near a park next to a planned elementary school site. “Hopefully, it will be ready in two to three years, just in time for her to start,” said Matt Bloye, 36, as Lily happily played on the sliding board. The new elementary school has been pushed back to 2014 for budgetary reasons, said Donna Pfeiffer, a former Clarksburg school cluster coordinator. A new middle school and an addition to Clarksburg High School are also coming to handle the influx of students. Betty Forrest, 71, moved from Long Island to be closer to her grandchildren, who attend local schools. She serves as president of her Clarksburg condominium association. “I guess I’m like the mother hen,” she said, noting that many of the condo residents are younger, with children. Forrest’s unit is one of the biggest: about 2,000 square feet, with three bedrooms and three baths. The housing market remains active in Clarksburg, said Melissa King of Re/Max Realty Services, who lives in the Arora Hills neighborhood with her husband and three children. There were more than 100 resales from November 2010 to November 2011, she said; in November 2011, the median asking price was $439,900. Because the neighborhoods are all new, “so many people all moved in at the same time,” King said. That has helped Clarksburg become popular with families who take advantage of three regional parks, neighborhood pools and sports leagues for children, she said. Longtime residents who were accustomed to rural Clarksburg had to adjust to the urbanization. The change occurred quickly for Joann Woodson, 82, whose family has lived in Clarksburg for generations. Snowden Farm Parkway, which connects the new neighborhoods, is named after her great-grandfather. Although change is good, Woodson said — “that’s progress” — it happened quickly. “It’s hard to get used to nothing but rooftops when you’re used to seeing nothing but treetops,” she said. Woodson, however, has reached out to the newcomers. She and others with the Clarksburg Historical Society have organized Clarksburg Day for the past 10 years to spotlight the community’s history, which dates to 1752. Pfeiffer, who with her husband, Neil, has lived in Clarksburg for 20 years, says the community has always been close-knit. “What I loved about Clarksburg before the growth is still the same. It’s not so large that I don’t run into people I know. It still has that hometown feeling.” **Jim Brocker** is a freelance writer.

Can someone explain why the torta has yet to fully capture the attention of D.C. diners? Washington is a pretty solid sandwich city. Consider the wonderful options at Taylor Gourmet, Horace and Dickie’s, Fast Gourmet, Sundevich, Earl’s and myriad Vietnamese delis, to name but a few. But while banh mi, Italian-style hoagies, meatball grinders and even the Uruguayan chivito have had their moment in the spotlight, the torta, a traditional Mexican sandwich and staple of West Coast taquerias and food trucks, toils here in relative obscurity. The torta _should_ be an instant favorite. It starts with the bread. Traditionally, either a round, thin-crusted and soft telera roll or a crusty, chewy and oblong bolillo roll is used. The two sides are buttered and lightly grilled. After that, the chef’s prerogative comes into play, but a torta typically is slathered with mayonnaise, filled with refried beans and guacamole or sliced avocado, and piled high with seasoned meat or grilled, roasted and pickled vegetables. If your first thought is that it sounds a bit like a taco sandwich, you aren’t entirely off-base, but at its best, a torta is more — big, hearty, indulgent and filling. Luckily, there are a few places in town where you can grab a good torta. Here are a few worth noting: Sergio Espana, a manager at the Gaithersburg restaurant that serves — you guessed it — tortas and tacos, doesn’t understand the lack of interest either. “I can’t explain the dearth of actual tortas in the area,” he says. “It should be such an obvious thing. And more so because people that are familiar with them really dig them.” Plenty of folks in Gaithersburg are starting to become familiar with them: At Tortacos, sales of tortas ($6.50) just about equal those of their better-known cousin. Tortacos’ options include marinated chicken, marinated or braised pork, char-broiled steak and beef tongue. The hearty sandwiches are served dressed with beans, onions, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise. “A torta is a very simple creature,” Espana explains. “It comes down to: Is the meat properly seasoned? Is the bread properly grilled with just a bit of butter? Is there avocado and beans?” _9629 Lost Knife Rd., Gaithersburg. 240-632-9423.www.eattortacos.com. _ Logan Circle residents have a new option for tortas. The second outpost of Tortilla Coast opened there last week with a selection of tortas on the lunch menu. One option, the Torta de Pollo ($8.95), keeps things traditional with adobo-marinated grilled chicken, black beans, avocado, chipotle mayonnaise and Jack cheese, but two others offer alternate takes. The Torta Ahogada ($8.95) brightens braised pork and black-bean-whipped mayo with pickled onions and a spicy arbol chili sauce that can be poured over the sandwich or used for dipping. The Torta de Vegetales ($7.95) is an option for the herbivores, filling the telera roll with roasted poblanos, shiitake mushrooms, carmelized onions, avocado, grilled zucchini and a sprinkling of Chihuahua cheese. _1460 P St. NW. 202-629-3280.tortillacoast.com._ In Adams Morgan, neighborhood favorite Taqueria Distrito Federal offers grilled steak, chicken and ham tortas, but the menu standouts are a pair that add an extra level of indulgence to the sandwich: the Milanesa de Pollo and Milanesa de Res (both $7). Chicken and beef, respectively, are pounded flat, breaded and pan-fried. The rest of the sandwich follows normal torta conventions with crunchy bread, avocado, beans and cheese. But the extra crunch and fatty richness from the herb-infused breading take these sandwiches over the edge. 3 _463 14th St. NW. 202-276-7331._ _805 Kennedy St. NW. 202-276-7331._

We might be seeing the finest coaching performance of John Thompson III’s career. It’s still January, of course, but not many folks would have had the Hoyas at 13-1, undefeated in three conference games and on an 11-game winning streak after Wednesday night’s comeback victory over No. 20 Marquette. JTIII obviously is no slouch on the bench; he took the Hoyas to the Final Four in 2007, but he had Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert and a strong supporting cast. Since then, Georgetown lost in the second round in 2008, missed the tournament entirely in 2009 and was upset in the first round each of the past two years. This year, Thompson and the Hoyas were not burdened by expectations. Last season’s seniors — Chris Wright, Austin Freeman and Julian Vaughn — are no longer around. This season’s roster has two seniors, one junior, four sophomores and five freshmen, which might explain why the Big East preseason coaches poll had Georgetown picked to finish 10th in the conference. Instead, the Hoyas are ranked ninth in the Associated Press poll, ahead of the only team to beat them (Kansas, early in the season in the Maui tournament). Thompson is getting the most out of his few veterans. Jason Clark leads the team in scoring (15.9 points per game), including a game-high 26 against Marquette, which led by 17 in the second half before the Hoyas stormed back. That rally was due in part to junior Hollis Thompson (13.9 ppg), who hit key three-pointers against the Golden Eagles, and senior Henry Sims, the team leader in assists who got the ball where it needed to be in the game’s crucial final minutes. But the group that shut down Marquette when it could have been building on that 17-point lead was, according to the coach, Clark and a quartet of freshmen: Jabril Trawick, Greg Whittington, Otto Porter and Mikael Hopkins. “That’s the group that got us jump-started,” he said. “We just guarded. That’s what’s going to win games in this conference. You have to get stops.” To play really stifling defense requires some bench depth with talent, something the Hoyas lacked last season, when there was a noticeable drop-off after the starting five (although that improved as the season progressed). This season, eight players are averaging double digits in minutes, and everyone on the roster has played some. Finding a way to blend his veteran leadership with a passel of freshmen is what makes Thompson’s coaching performance this year so impressive. Often, a team with the makeup of the Hoyas jells around the time of the NCAA tournament — or not at all. And then the process begins again the next season. But Thompson has melded his brood into a team in short order, and in time for the grueling conference season (the Hoyas are one of four Big East teams in the top 11 of the current Associated Press rankings). Can the Hoyas challenge the cream of the league, top-ranked Syracuse and Connecticut? The scheduling gods have been kind: Though four of their next six games are on the road, the Hoyas don’t face either the Orange or the Huskies until next month. The Georgetown-Connecticut game is on a Wednesday night (Feb. 1) at Verizon Center. If the Hoyas continue on their current run, surely more than 11,213 — the attendance for Wednesday’s victory over Marquette — will show up to see this team, and the coach who put it together.

For most bands, an album-release show follows a simple protocol: Book a show at a local rock club. Play the new songs. Stand at a table in the back after the show and hope people buy your CD. Pretty standard stuff. But Beauty Pill is not your standard band, and on Saturday it will be hosting a very different album-release show. The event won’t be at a nightclub but at Arlington’s progressive art hub, Artisphere. The band will be there but won’t be performing. And you won’t be able to buy the album, just listen to it as part of an interactive multimedia display. The event is the culmination of Beauty Pill’s “Immersive Ideal” project, in which the D.C. rock quintet transformed Artisphere’s Black Box Theatre into a recording studio over 21 / 2 weeks last summer. It was an interesting choice for a recording location, but what made the undertaking so different was that the whole thing was open to the public. Most bands cut themselves off from the world entirely when it’s time to make an album, but Beauty Pill literally put itself on display, with onlookers peering into the studio from a perch above. Depending on when you arrived, you might have seen guitar overdubs, drum takes or the band simply sitting around and mixing. Visitors could hear everything happening inside the enclosed space through speakers. It wasn’t always enthralling, but that was part of the point. “Can we cast a spell if everyone watches us make a spell, and argue about the spell and see all the mechanics behind the spell?” band frontman Chad Clark said about one of the motives behind the idea. It wasn’t one of Clark’s longtime dreams to make an album in public. Clark, an acclaimed producer and veteran of the D.C. punk scene, and Artisphere curator Ryan Holladay, who is one-half of envelope-pushing local duo Bluebrain, landed on the idea as a venture between the arts center and the band. Artisphere’s Black Box Theatre reminded Clark of the view into Abbey Road’s famous Studio Two, and he could see himself making music there. Fellow musicians seemed enthused if not exactly envious. “I was treated like, ‘That’s very admirable but foolish. . . . I wouldn’t do that!’ ” Clark says. Clark welcomed being on display, but it wasn’t as if there were hundreds of people pressed against the window. Usually there were no more than a handful, and sometimes it became more of an interactive than observational exercise. If Clark noticed people standing there for a long time, he would invite them in. Sometimes the band would figure out a certain part of a song, and the onlookers would break into applause. At the album-release party Saturday (and through Jan. 22) visitors to Artisphere will be able to hear Beauty Pill’s new album in the Black Box Theatre while browsing pictures taken by five photographers who were on hand for much of the recording, all part of an interactive slideshow that users can control. “What I think is sort of provocative at a philosophical level,” Clark says, “is the whole messing with time and space aspect of it, because you’re hearing the finished results while looking at photos of the process, which was available in real time over the summer, and maybe you came and saw that. And you’re also in the same room as the music was made. So I felt like maybe I’ll be totally wrong about this, but I thought there would be some dizzying meta resonance by doing it that way.” Of course, the experiment’s primary goal was simple — to record an album. And Clark is pleased with the results, uncategorizable as they may be. There is no simple microgenre label that can be applied to Beauty Pill’s music. If forced to invent one, you’d need a lot of dashes, something like art-tech-perfect-calm-core. The hallmarks of the band’s sound remain its lush arrangements, penetrating lyrics and a crystal-clear sonic sheen. “I think the music is really rich and unusual,” Clark says. “I want everything to be there by necessity and for every gesture to have a reason behind it. The results have a lot of life.” That choice of words is not insignificant for Clark. In 2008, a virus infected his heart, nearly killing him. “I’m very lucky to be alive,” he says matter of factly. “Most people who had what I had don’t survive.” The life-altering illness has affected Clark’s art, but more in the process than in the final product — only one song on the new album addresses his sickness directly. But the experience has inspired him to explore creative avenues ouside the rock realm. He composed the score to a play at Flashpoint and helped curate a series that brought authors and local musicians together on the same stage. The Artisphere project was yet another way to shake up the status quo. In a city known for its punk rock roots, this is the new punk. “If there’s a rep for D.C., I don’t want it to be ‘Oh, their guitars sound like this or certain chord changes,’ ” Clark says. “I love D.C., and if there’s anything I’d like D.C. to be known for it’s ‘Oh, that’s the place where they’re full of fresh ideas. And they’re not always about making money.’ To me it’s D.C. at its core. Don’t respect boundaries. Don’t wait for permission. Don’t subscribe to rules. Be free.”

One of the most important people in your life is your physician. His or her diagnosing and treating you properly can be a matter of life or death. So, it may be disconcerting to know that doctors are trained mainly, not by master clinical physicians, but by research-focused professors. So it’s not surprising that 100,000 patients a year die because of medical errors, while one in three patients are harmed during a hospital stay. Professors are better at teaching the cut-and-dried academic science--physics and chemistry, theoretical models, and diagnosis/treatment decision trees--than the messy but critical subjective parts of medicine: When is it worth subjecting a patient to additional testing or treatment? What would motivate a particular patient to eat broccoli instead of bacon cheeseburgers? Also, professors too often focus on what they like to teach than on what physicians need to know. For example, is requiring every pre-med student to take a year of physics, a year of organic chemistry, and a year of inorganic chemistry worth the student’s time and money? Does requiring such courses weed out students who could become better physicians than students that aced organic chemistry but couldn’t motivate an Olympic athlete? Each item in the curriculum should be subjected to this test: “If students are required to learn this, is there something more important that will go untaught?” The more prestigious the medical school, the more likely instruction focuses on academic and research-related material, not on need-to-know clinical practice. That is because universities acquire prestige far more from their research than from their quality of education. Because lesser-known colleges can’t compete with top-tier universities in research, they’re more likely to focus on education. Dr. Molly Cooke, co-author of the Carnegie Foundation’s Educating Physicians: A Call for Reform of Medical School and Residency points to the DeGroote School of Medicine at Canada’s McMaster University, which according to its Web site offers “a unique three-year (rather than the usual four) program based on small-group, problem-based study and an early introduction to the clinical experience.” Trim the curriculum so it focuses on what’s clinically important, and pre-med and medical education would be both improved and shortened, saving time and money--Currently, the taxpayer spends $9 billion dollars a year merely on residency training. Another weakness of medical education is that it encourages hubris, according to Cooke. In de-emphasizing the ambiguity and guesswork still necessary in medicine, medical school makes new doctors feel more infallible than they are. Compounding the problem, the arduousness of pre-med programs, medical school, internships and residency create an exaggerated sense of mastery and entitlement. Aspiring physicians must learn mountains of difficult material. But too little of it has significant impact on patient outcomes. If physicians’ self-appraisal were more realistic, they’d work less condescendingly with other members of the health team. Nurses, social workers, and other allied health professionals often have as much to contribute to patient wellness as physicians do. A medical education that inculcates a measure of humility would help physicians understand the field’s current limitations, be more honest with patients and more motivated to contribute their clinical findings to the still adolescent field of medicine. This brings us to the medical school application and selection process. The selection criteria usually are: GPA (especially in chemistry, biology, and physics,) the Medical College Admission Test (a multiple-choice test of academic science and reasoning), an essay, and volunteer experience. Do those adequately assess a candidate’s potential to be a citizen physician, a good listener or someone who could develop enough of a relationship within 12-minute exams to motivate patients to take medication even though it has side effects? As part of its selection process, the DeGroote School of Medicine has each candidate proceed through six to eight mini interviews. At each one, the candidate is given a simulated problem. For example, the candidate may have to weigh privacy versus safety when the parents of an HIV-infected child say they don’t want the diagnosis disclosed to his school. Performance during the simulations is much more predictive of interpersonal and communication skills than the conventional interview is. Alas, the medical school establishment benefits from the status quo, and it has been able to resist change because it controls the oversight entities, for example, the powerful Liaison Committee on Medical Education. America’s current focus on reforming health care should include the reform of medical education. The innovations proposed here would both reduce cost and improve quality, a hard-to-beat combination, especially when it could save your life.

If it were a scene from one of Southwest Airlines’ ubiquitous TV commercials that poke fun at the carrier’s competition, a stripe-shirted referee would have rushed in to cry “Foul!” Another airline was guilty of hiding costs in the fine print, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Wednesday. AirTran Airways last fall advertised online $59 one-way fares. There were a couple of asterisks but not enough elaboration. The ads said that additional taxes, fees and exclusions would apply, the DOT said, but there was no explanation of what those taxes or fees amounted to until a would-be passenger clicked on the ad and then scrolled to the bottom of the page, where the information appeared in fine print. That wasn’t transparent enough to satisfy the DOT, which requires that advertisements state the full price, including all carrier-imposed surcharges. Taxes and government-imposed fees may be listed separately if there is a prominent link next to the advertised price that takes people to the details of those taxes and government fees. “Consumers have a right to know the full price they will be paying when they buy an airline ticket,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “We will continue to take enforcement action when our airline price advertising rules are violated.” Without admitting to or denying a violation, AirTran told the DOT that it thought the ads were in compliance and said they should have been “properly vetted before publication.” Though LaHood cried “foul,” the $60,000 fine probably amounted to less than AirTran pays for peanuts on a busy day. But AirTran’s transgression isn’t likely to become fodder for Southwest’s TV commercials. Southwest bought AirTran last May and is busy merging the two operations into one. AirTran told the DOT that Southwest now reviews all its ads and “subjects it to the same stringent compliance standards that apply to Southwest’s own advertising.”

Surging Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has gone from a man of modest income to millionaire since losing his U.S. Senate seat in 2006, earning much of it by working as a conservative commentator on Fox News and advising industry and lobby firms. Santorum earned $1.3 million in 2010 and the first half of 2011, according to his most recent financial disclosure form. The largest chunk of his employment earnings — $332,000 — came from his work as a consultant for groups advocating and lobbying for industry interests. That included $142,500 to help advise a Pennsylvania natural gas firm, Consol Energy, and $65,000 to consult with lobby firm American Continental Group, and its insurance services client. In his role as a social conservative commentator and speaker, Santorum received $239,000 as a news contributor on Fox News, and another $217,000 as a senior fellow at the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center. There he wrote numerous articles and worked on the center’s Program to Protect America’s Freedom, an effort to focus attention on violations on religious liberty in foreign countries. He also received $83,999 as a talk show host for Salem Radio, based in Camarillo, Calif. Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley said he planned to provide comment from the campaign shortly. Santorum also earned sizable amounts in director’s fees and stock options, a total of $395,414. That came from his service on the board of Universal Health Services, where he was appointed after his 2006 Senate loss to Democratic challenger Bob Casey. Santorum formally announced his bid as a Republican candidate for president in June and remained for months in the bottom rankings in the wide field of contenders. But the conservative former member of House Republican leadership surged ahead in the Iowa caucuses, winning second place just behind first- place finisher Mitt Romney. On Thursday morning, Bloomberg News posted an online article about his financial disclosure form, filed in October, and the rise in Santorum’s income since his departure from office. The financial disclosure of Santorum’s current income marks a stark contrast from his life before leaving public office. Before his 2006 loss, Santorum made $162,000 from his congressional salary and just over $30,000 in royalties from his books, including the self-titled “Rick Santorum: A Senator Speaks Out on Life, Freedom and Responsibility” and “It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good.” **Read more on PostPolitics.com ** **A Kennedy will run for Congress ** **Mitt Romney calls Obama a ‘crony capitalist’ ** **Santorum experienced major jump in income after leaving Senate ** **New Hampshire has a way of making history **

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Independents are a finicky and fickle bunch. They are deeply dissatisfied with the direction of the country, with a majority saying things are badly off track. Social issues do not concern them. Many voted for President Obama. And now, this critical voting bloc — which makes up roughly 45 percent of the New Hampshire electorate — is about to take center stage. If the Iowa contest exposed the conflicted mood and sharp divisions within the GOP, then New Hampshire will offer a snapshot of a hard-to-pin-down sliver of the electorate that has an outsize impact on elections, particularly in this swing state. “I’m disappointed in the unemployment rate and the economy, so I’m open and I’m listening,” said Julie Gagne, 52, an independent who voted for Obama in 2008. Now, Gagne is planning to vote in Tuesday’s Republican primary. As part of her decision making, she went to see Mitt Romney last week at an event outside a chowder shop. A Republican-leaning voter who broke from the party only to back Obama, Gagne soured on the president last year after losing her job. She said she was upset to see Obama focus on health care instead of the economy. Gagne went to see Romney in hopes of connecting with the man she believes will probably be the Republican nominee. But to her dismay, Gagne found Romney “choreographed and deliberate and stiff and staged,” she said. She most likely will vote for Romney in the primary but reserve judgment about the general election. “I guess I’ll just keep an eye on the economy and just watch how the campaign plays out,” she said. That sentiment is reverberating across the country as independents express their dissatisfaction with both the president and the alternatives. Their unhappiness could not matter more: Nationally, the candidates will be competing for the roughly one-third of the electorate that is considered independent and remains up for grabs. It is not clear how Obama and his eventual Republican opponent will play with this exceptionally disgruntled group of voters. Independent voters — more than eight in 10 of whom are displeased with the country’s political system — are more deeply unhappy with Washington than are Democrats or Republicans, and they’re far more apt to blame both sides in Congress. Fully 39 percent of independent voters in Washington Post-ABC News polling said they’re “angry” about the way the federal government works, higher than the numbers among Democrats and Republicans. They are no less critical of the candidates. While Obama appears to have disappointed many independents who supported him in 2008, Romney has hardly locked them down. Even though Romney holds a double-digit lead in recent New Hampshire polls, his support is weaker among independents, who have also flocked to Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) and former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. “Romney’s efforts to reassure the right wing have made him suspect here” among independents, said Linda Fowler, a Dartmouth College government professor. Paul, she said, has flourished because of his libertarian bent and antiwar views. In part, independents are on display because of New Hampshire’s voting rules. Unlike in Iowa, where voters had to declare their allegiance to the Republican Party to participate in the caucuses, unaffiliated New Hampshire voters are permitted to vote in either party’s primary. Without a competitive Democratic primary, even Democratic-leaning independents might be inclined to cast ballots for Republicans, regardless of how they plan to vote in the general election. Most participants in the Republican primary will be true Republicans or Republican-leaning independents, said Andy Smith, a political science professor at the University of New Hampshire. But about 10 percent will be independents or Democratic-leaning independents, offering a glimpse of how an important swing group is shaping up. (Registered Democrats are not permitted to vote in the GOP primary in New Hampshire.) At a town hall meeting hosted by Huntsman last week, several independents who backed Obama in 2008 said they were exploring their options. Even Obama’s supporters expressed interest in the Republican primary, saying they were unsure that the president will be able to win this year. “I think it is probably 50-50 that the next president is a Republican, so I think it’s very important to get it right,” said John Nelson, 49, an Obama supporter. Karen Cahillane, a psychotherapist from Concord, said she voted for Obama in 2008 and plans to again. “But I’m listening,” Cahillane, 58, said. A cancer survivor, Cahillane said a top priority for her is health care. She said she has been disappointed in Obama’s ability to push his agenda. “I read his book ‘Audacity of Hope,’ and I thought, ‘He gets it,’ ” she said. “I think every president’s hands are tied more than they think they are when they are up here stumping.” Her weariness extends beyond Obama, however, and although she is open to voting for a Republican, she says she probably will back Obama again. Ginny Tirrell, 53, a seamstress at Globe Manufacturing, where Huntsman made a campaign stop Wednesday, said that four years ago, she voted for Obama — “unfortunately.” This year, she is planning to vote in the Republican primary and is deciding between Huntsman and Paul. But Romney is not on her radar screen, she said. “Something about him just turns me off,” she said. The candidates have been attracting more politically mixed crowds than they did in Iowa. Among the voters at a Newt Gingrich town hall meeting Wednesday in the New Hampshire town of Laconia were a number of independents, as well as some registered Republicans who voted for Obama. Retiree Kim Trask, 57, is unaffiliated but has voted Republican since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. She is considering backing Gingrich or former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum — but not Romney. “I think he’s a little bit too moderate for me,” she said. A few rows back sat retirees Bob and Judy Chase. He’s a Republican; she’s a Democrat. In a show of their political independence, however, Judy wore an elephant in one ear and a donkey in the other. Both are intrigued by the Republican candidates now descending on their state, but both approve of Obama’s leadership. “He was a little naive, but I think he’s done a fairly good job,” Bob Chase said. Judy Chase described herself as supportive of same-sex marriage and abortion rights but said she is troubled by the tendency of some people to vote exclusively on those matters. So she and her husband have another candidate to check out: Santorum. Polling analysts Scott Clement and Peyton Craighill contributed to this report.

CAIRO — The top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East said Thursday he was “encouraged” about the prospects that three recently raided American organizations would be allowed to reopen, easing a source of tension between Washington and Egypt’s military rulers. Jeffrey D. Feltman, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, said he discussed the Dec. 29 raids with top Egyptian officials during a visit to Cairo in which he stressed the overall importance of the U.S.-Egypt relationship. “I am absolutely convinced — at least from the side of Washington — that we are committed to working through whatever issues may arise between our two countries because the mutual benefits of maintaining a strong partnership are so great,” Feltman said in a news conference Thursday. “We have no more important partner in the Arab World than Egypt,” he said. Feltman’s visit comes during a time of tension between the United States and its longtime Arab ally after at least 10 pro-democracy civil society organizations, including the three American groups, were raided by Egypt’s security forces as part of a crackdown on dissent ahead of a crucial transition to elected governance. The ruling military council promised U.S. officials that the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House — all Washington-based democracy-building groups that receive U.S. government funding — would be reopened and their confiscated equipment returned. But the offices remain closed, and Egyptian government officials have publicly defended the raids, vowing that investigations into what they believe is illicit foreign funding would continue. After meeting with Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamal Amr, Feltman said he was heartened by assurances that the civil society organizations were on the path to legalization. He said he discussed the organizations that “received funding from the United States through our assistance program, and I was encouraged by the process for bringing these nongovernmental organizations into proper registration in Egypt.” Feltman also met with members of the Arab League, which is headquartered in Cairo, to discuss the continued unrest in Syria and brutal crackdowns by Syrian security forces on protesters. “We all want to see the violence in Syria come to an end,” he said. “In terms of the United States, though, we are looking for ways that we can contribute to a regional and international effort in order to stop the violence, find ways to permit Syrian civilians to demonstrate peacefully [and] to put pressure on the regime to release prisoners.” However, he added, “that is separate from the Arab League initiative, which is for the Arabs to talk about.” He referred to an Arab League monitoring mission that was sent to Syria last month to monitor compliance with a plan to end the Syrian government’s crackdown on protests. Syria agreed to the plan Dec. 19, but the violence has continued.

President Obama has done what he should have done months ago. On Wednesday, he appointed Richard Cordray as the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Without missing a beat, Republicans, who have been holding up Cordray’s nomination to head this important consumer agency, criticized the president’s move, reports The Washington Post’s David Nakamura and Felicia Sonmez. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement that Obama “has arrogantly circumvented the American people” by using his executive power to make a recess appointment. But allowing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to continue to operate without a leader was an arrogant political ploy by Republicans, who seem to be protecting financial companies rather than consumers. In appointing Cordray as America’s consumer watchdog, Obama said that the former Ohio attorney general, “is going to be in charge of one thing: looking out for the best interests of American consumers.” As Obama pointed out, the CFPB was created as part of his financial reform act to protect families from the abuses of the financial industry, to make sure that you’ve got all the information you need to make important financial decisions and to ensure that millions of Americans are treated fairly by mortgage brokers, payday lenders and debt collectors. So what do you think? This week’s Color of Money question: What are your thoughts on Obama sidestepping the Senate to appoint Cordray to the CFPB? Send your responses to colorofmoney@washpost.com. Be sure to include your full name, city and state. Put “Consumers Finally Get Their Watchdog” in the subject line. **A 2012 Money Makeover** You’ve decided to make over your financial life for 2012. I get that. I congratulate you. But you may be wondering where to start. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants has listed the following ways to start getting your financial life in order: -- Plan. Savings don’t happen by accident. Figure out what you want or need for the year, and begin planning to save to get it. I know. The advice sounds super simple. And yet, so many people are in debt because they didn’t save and instead turned to credit to get what they wanted. --Track your spending. For 30 days, track every penny you spend. Write down everything. After the 30 days are up; then look back at your spending and start cutting. Once you know where you are wasting your money, you can develop a better budget. On the Web site for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants you will find a number of online tools to help you get started, such as an emergency savings calculator. \-- Start small. You aren’t going to be able to get rid of all your debt or save three months of living expenses for your emergency fund in just a few months. Don’t try to do too much, or you will quickly get discouraged. Here’s one of my recent columns in which I give one couple advice on how to pay off their credit card debt. **Moving Financially Forward** And since we are on the topic of new financial beginnings, there is one question I consistently get asked by people seeking financial freedom: “How do I get a handle on all my bills?” The short answer is you’ve got to get organized, or better yet, go electronic. Terry Savage, a personal finance columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, reviewed several free online Web sites that can help you organize your bill-paying. If you are looking for a system that helps you track your finances, go to Mint.com. Mint.com will notify you when regular bills should be paid, or when you are nearing the maximum that you have budgeted for your expense categories, Savage points out. Another free budgeting system is Manilla.com. To use this service, you will need to set up a Manilla.com account that allows companies to send your payment notices electronically to the secured account that is linked to your checking or savings account. You will be able to pay your bills online and still get all the information you would normally receive with a paper bill. I think it’s a great idea to use any one of the free sites to aid your mission to get your money straight. **Living for Free** Research by LPS Applied Analytics found that many homebuyers going through foreclosure are managing to remain in their homes for free long before they are forced out. Les Christie of CNNMoney reports that delinquent homeowners are prolonging their foreclosures by challenging the bank’s actions, waiting to file paperwork right up until the deadline or requesting that the lender dig up original paperwork. Nationwide, the average time it takes to process a foreclosure -- from the first missed payment to the final foreclosure auction -- has climbed to 674 days from 253 days just four years ago, according to the data. In Florida, it can take up to 1,027 days -- nearly three years. “Most people do everything in their power to maintain these homes,” said David Berenbaum of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), a community activism group, who refutes the claim that homeowners are taking advantage of the system. “They take in relatives, get second jobs and even rent out rooms,” Berenbaum said. “What really needs to be done is for lenders to work harder to find solutions that allow delinquent borrowers who can afford to make reasonable mortgage payments to keep their homes.” **Playing the Money Game** Join me Thursday, Jan. 12, at noon for my live text chat. My guest will Syble Solomon, creator of the card game Money Habitudes. Rather than pick a book for the December Color of Money Book Club, I wrote about Solomon’s cards. Be sure to send your questions early, or read the archives later. **Got Financial Issues?** Starting Jan. 16, I’ll be joining “The Revolution,” a new ABC daytime program premiering that day. I’m the show’s financial contributor, and we are looking for people who want to share their financial stories. This is your opportunity to meet me in person and let me help you with your financial issues. So, if you want help in resolving a money dilemma, send an e-mail to casting@the- revolution.com. The show is looking for couples who are always arguing about money. For example, do you fight about how much to spend on your child’s birthday party, if you can afford to take a vacation or whether you should buy a new car? If you and your honey are fighting over money, send your story to the casting e-mail address and put “Money Disputes” in the subject line. If you have any general financial questions about credit cards, your credit score, debt, savings, retirement planning, insurance or other financial issues that I may cover on the show, send an e-mail with your financial question to casting@the-revolution.com. _Tia Lewis contributed to this e-letter._ __ _You are welcome to e-mail comments and questions tosingletarym@washpost.com. Please include your name and hometown; your comments may be used in a future column or newsletter unless otherwise requested. _

CAIRO — Prosecutors in the historic trial of Hosni Mubarak on Thursday demanded that the former Egyptian president be executed for ordering the killing of pro-democracy protesters during the revolt that ultimately forced his ouster. The five-person prosecution team also called for the same sentence — death by hanging — for his security chief and six top police commanders. “Retribution is the solution. Any fair judge must issue a death sentence for these defendants," Mohammed Khater, one of the prosecutors, was quoted by the Associated Press. Mubarak’s two sons, Gamal and Alaa, face corruption charges in the same trial as their father, as does fugitive businessman Hussein Salem. The prosecution is seeking the maximum of 15 years in prison for the three men. Mubarak has pleaded not guilty, as have his fellow defendants. The trial of the ailing 83-year-old fallen autocrat resumed this week after a three-month hiatus during which lawyers for the victims unsuccessfully tried to get the head judge, Ahmed Refaat, thrown off the case for alleged bias. The trial, which began in August, was broadcast live until Refaat, saying he was worried the broadcasts could lead to violence, ordered all transmissions to stop. Critics say that decision weakened the transparency of the court proceedings. Activists and relatives of slain protesters are concerned that the man they hold responsible for the killing of nearly 1,000 people during last winter’s uprising will be acquitted. The prosecution has struggled with the case, and on Thursday it said state institutions, most notably the Ministry of Interior, have refused to cooperate. Prosecutors say it is not credible that Mubarak didn’t know about mass demonstrations in 12 provinces of the country or of the brute force used against demonstrators. The police could not have carried out such violence without the permission of the head of state, and Mubarak could have stopped the killings, the prosecution argued, according to the state’s Middle East News Agency. “The officers who killed protesters had no personal vendetta against them that made them assault protesters, except by being ordered to do so by their leaders,” said chief prosecutor Mustafa Soleiman, according to the news agency. Mubarak told investigators that he left the presidency after the military was deployed to the streets on Jan. 28, but refused to follow orders to put down the protests, Soleiman said. Lawyers involved in the case expect the trial to wrap up by the end of the month. Court proceedings will resume Monday. **More world news coverage:** \- Bombs targeting Iraqi Shiites kill 72 \- Obama unveils new military strategy \- Settlers temporarily banned from West Bank \- Read more headlines from around the world

A fundamental question that each start-up must face is when to shift focus from growth of the enterprise to turning a profit. For some companies, profit is priority one right from the start. For others, profit is of no concern for years, taking a backseat to aggressive scale. But for all start-ups, confronting this question and answering it well is fundamental to achieving long-term success. At Consero, the company that I co-founded in 2010, our business followed a fairly traditional path out of the gate. We began by hiring staff to execute our mission of building a successful events business. We then invested in office space, computers, and other resources to enable our work. Once we had all of those items in place, we proceeded to produce events and pursue sales. And throughout this period of laying critical groundwork, we were losing tons of money. After having run some events and developing a loyal base of event participants, it became clear that our event model had a place in the economy. At that point, it had become time to confront a critical question: Do we keep growing aggressively, or do we focus on profit? To build more scale at the same pace, we would need to plunge all of our revenues into additional hiring, which would ensure a continued net operating loss. To achieve profitability, we would need to scale back our hiring, which would necessarily inhibit our growth. Choosing between growth and profit requires a different analysis for every company. However, there are several common considerations that can help if you find yourself at this crossroads (which, if you’re an entrepreneur, you inevitably will): ●What is the length of your financial runway? A fundamental consideration is the extent of your financial means. In other words, how much cash do you have? If you need income in the short term and have limited capital for investment, a narrow focus on growth at the expense of profit and/or positive cash flow is likely the wrong call. Analyze your resources carefully and be sure that you build within your means. Many businesses fail because of a lack of resource awareness. ●Is there urgency to your business plan? For some businesses, rapid growth is essential to execution of the business plan. Consider as examples Amazon, Facebook and other companies that have relied heavily on a first-mover advantage. These businesses demanded rapid acquisition of market share; profit was not a critical early element of their business plans. If your business requires accelerated growth simply to compete, be sure that it is sufficiently financed for delayed profitability. ●Are there clear long-term benefits to early investment? For many businesses, investments in things like new machinery, higher-quality staff, or upgraded office space may cause a significant short-term loss, but they carve a path to higher future revenues and profits — not unlike a student’s investment in higher education. If it is clear that such additions to the business will provide benefits that outweigh the costs, then the investments may be worth it. At Consero, we created our business to change the face of live executive conferences. Our short-term goal was to build scale and capture market share, investing in administrative infrastructure and processes necessary for us to deliver our model quickly and efficiently to a variety of industries. This required that we sacrifice profitability for our first few years, but we were confident that the investment would yield long-term benefits. However, throughout this process, we have kept a very close eye on our cash position. And now that our financial runway has reached a sufficiently short length, it is time to focus on positive cash flow and profit. My advice to other entrepreneurs is to think through these common considerations early and often. As the economic landscape changes and your execution of the company’s business plan takes unexpected turns, the analysis of whether to shift focus from growth to profit may yield very different decisions. Paul Mandell is chief executive of Consero, an event development firm in Bethesda.

If you’re a growing small business largely operating under a set of unwritten rules, now might be a good time to consider developing an employee handbook. Having a set of clearly spelled-out guidelines could boost efficiency, make relations between your workers smoother and save you from getting into legal trouble in the future. This also might be a good time for businesses that have employee handbooks to review their guidelines and to update policies addressing new issues, such as the use of social media in the workplace. A properly designed and distributed employee handbook with an acknowledgement of receipt is primarily a business tool that will reduce the risk of liability for the company. A properly drafted and distributed employee handbook, with a clearly defined complaint procedure, will also minimize exposure to harassment and discrimination claims. Employee handbooks should contain language that preserves at-will employment and clearly detail all workplace based employee rules. The at-will employment language should maintain the ability of the employer to fire at will. The language of an employee handbook should be fashioned so that it will not be interpreted as an employment contract. All at-will employment disclaimers and any language regarding probationary employee status should be prominently identified. With reference to the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and anti-discrimination policies, employers should include each protected category. The complaint procedure should state that complaints of discrimination and harassment will be investigated. Key language should be included to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, gender, color, religion, national origin, disability and age. State or local law may require additional categories. Employers should also add language prohibiting discrimination based on genetic and carrier status to this list. Your handbook should have a carved out section covering your Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policy. Courts and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have taken varying views on when an individual is qualified for a job. Likewise, both are taking a critical look at whether existing qualification standards, like the requirement of a special license, is truly an essential function of the job. Wage and hour issues should take center stage. A review of the employee handbook for wage and hour purposes should include a Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Safe Harbor provision that preserves an employee’s exempt status in the event that any improper pay deductions are made. Overtime authorization requirements and specific requirements for meal breaks, donning and doffing and travel time are essential sections. Also reference your rules regarding the calculation of time and the method to accurately record time. The employee handbook may also address retaliation against whistleblowers. Whistleblower claims have been on the rise, and both the Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank Acts expand the rights of whistleblowers. Finally, technological advances of the Internet age introduce a myriad of legal issues. Your company may decide to adopt a social media policy. The policy should be comprehensive and clearly communicate the company’s expectations regarding the use of social media in the workplace. Issues involving the use of the company’s name and likeness should be covered and should be restricted without advance approval. New employment legislation is unlikely in an election year. Still, now would be an excellent time to review and update your company’s employee handbook or to establish one. Thomas A. Cox Jr. is a litigator specializing in labor and employment law at Epstein Becker Green’s Washington and Atlanta offices.

Perhaps for the first time ever, as a result of new Department of Labor disclosure requirements coming on April 1, many small businesses will get critical information on the true cost of their employee retirement plans — and the unnecessary fees that they are paying. The new rule is in response to numerous lawsuits filed by employees who learned after the fact that they were paying large hidden fees to investment firms managing their accounts. Under the new requirement, insurance companies, payroll services and to some extent mutual fund companies will no longer be able to hide their unconscionable fees to people participating in their retirement plans. This will be a big help to small business owners who don’t have the human resources or legal staff to investigate the true cost of the retirement plans. It isn’t unusual to find 401(k) plans with total costs paid by the participant exceeding 3 percent of account total annually, with investment choices limited to subpar proprietary funds, and with payments to the various providers not related to services rendered. Confusion about who provides what service, how much is their direct and indirect compensation, and whether the various parties are acting in a fiduciary capacity is the rule. The combined impact on participant accounts and retirement funding is devastating. For instance, a 1 percent unwarranted cost might impact final accumulations over an employee’s career by 30 to 50 percent. However, without critical information, comparisons and informed decision making are impossible. The new regulation — DOL Reg 408(b)(2) — aims to fix that. By April 1, plan sponsors must disclose their costs. By May 31, according to another new regulation, the same information must be shared with plan participants. The expectation is that better information will lead inevitably to selection of better plans provided to employees. If you are a plan sponsor each service provider must supply you with a revised service agreement that includes: ●A complete description of the services they provide. ●A full disclosure of the costs of each service. ●A disclosure of any direct or indirect compensation they receive from associated providers. ●Information on whether they assume fiduciary responsibility for each function (Hint: if the service agreement does not specifically assume fiduciary responsibility for a function, they are unable or unwilling to assume that liability.) ●Any potential conflicts of interest and how they are managed and mitigated. Red flags might include: ●A total cost for all services including investment advice, recordkeeping/administration, fund fees, transaction costs, custody or trustee fees and any mortality and expense charges that exceed 1.5 percent. ●Any single fee disproportionate to services rendered or economic value. ●Direct or indirect compensation between the parties which might cause conflicts of interest. ●Revenue sharing not fully accounted for and credited back to the plan. ●Failure to specifically assume fiduciary status by investment advisers, consultants and other plan providers. But the benefits of disclosure are conditional on the willingness to actually review the provided information and take appropriate action on it. Be aware that as a plan sponsor you are a fiduciary and reviewing the quality of your retirement plan is not optional. Failure to comply with the many detailed requirements of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) generates personal liability for the plan fiduciaries. The regulations should put small business owners in the driver’s seat. Given that your business is probably a service provider or builds, services or sells widgets, even armed with this new information, you may not feel qualified to perform a plan audit or make comparisons. Hiring a competent plan fiduciary adviser will relieve you of significant personal liability while bringing discipline to the process of providing quality benefits at reasonable costs to your work force. These new regulations will force insurance companies and investment firms to clean up their act. And it will give employees and small business owners necessary information to sue plan sponsors for excessive plan costs or to find other plans. Frank Armstrong III is president and founder of Investor Solutions Inc., based in Coconut Grove, Fla.

If you look beyond the crush of discouraging data, you’ll see a few bright spots for small business: As a whole, the enterprises that survived the downturn are hiring and extending more hours to their workers. Still, make no mistake: The Great Recession has been very tough on small businesses. While payroll employment is down about five percent from its peak at the end of 2007, self-employment is down 12 percent from its peak, with no recovery as yet. Did self-employment expand to absorb wage and salary workers who lost their jobs? Not in this recession. A look at industry reveals the details behind the drop in self-employment. The biggest decline is in retail; those little stores selling hardware, stationery or dresses are disappearing nationwide. Their decline began not with the recession, but in 2005, succumbing to competition from online merchants and big chain stores. Some small retailers will come back with full recovery, but many will not. The change is, as we say, structural. The next two industries suffering big declines are the likely suspects — construction and real estate services. Their falloff began in 2006, more than a year before the recession began in December 2007. These categories will bounce back. Between 1990 and 2006, builders constructed 1.2 million houses per year. In 2010, they built about half a million. That leaves the nation some 2 million units behind the trend for the shortfall from 2007. At some point, there will be a building boom. And that, in turn, will trigger an increase in real estate services. What about small employers calling it quits? One-third of those who are self-employed run a business with employees. Those with 20 to 100 employees took the bigger hit; 9 percent went out of business from peak to trough. Firms with more than 500 employees declined by less than 5 percent. The good news: Survivors are hiring. State unemployment insurance records reveal that small businesses hired throughout 2010 and into 2011. More detailed and timely information comes from the Intuit Small Business Employment Index, built with data from Intuit’s online payroll service, on which I consult. This real-time monthly series shows that small businesses began hiring before bigger businesses did — in the fall of 2009 — and are still hiring. There are other signs of recovery, too. Hours worked, the fraction of full-timers, and the hiring rate have all picked up from the trough. Based on our analysis of hiring trends, here are some tips from Intuit Payroll on how small business owners can make smart hiring decisions in 2012: ● _Hire people who can do things you can’t do_. Hiring a new employee gives you the opportunity to add a skill you need, without having to spend the time to learn it yourself. You can always work harder, work longer, add efficiency tools, outsource lots of your tasks and find other ways to increase your own personal contribution to your business. Use the hiring process to get something for your business that you don’t already have. Think of hiring as an opportunity to make your whole company smarter than it is now. That will mean more success down the road. ● _Add people who can help you accomplish your goals._ This should always be the case. Otherwise, why are you hiring them? But too often, once the interview process begins, there is a tendency to hire the people you like the most, not the people who can help you the most. It’s a better idea to hire the people who can help you the most, and find a way to like them, too. ● _Hire an intern or a young person for their first job_. You’ll get enthusiasm and an eager­ness to learn. And you’ll have a blank canvas upon which to por­tray what a great boss is like. They’ll never forget it. And they may have friends who would love to work for you, too. ● _Think about compensation_. Pay your employees as much as you can, even more than the going rate. When you do, you’ll get the best people, and they’ll more than pay you back with loyalty and performance. Add benefits if you can afford them; if you can’t afford them now, plan to add them in the near future. Paying your employees on time is an important facet of business, as many people live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. They’ve got regular bills to pay, and they count on their paycheck arriving on a predictable day. When they aren’t worrying about when they will be getting paid, they’ll pay more attention to your business. Susan E. Woodward is a financial economist and consultant at San Mateo, Calif.-based Intuit Inc., which provides financial management services to small and medium-sized businesses.

In recent years, employers have made great strides to introduce flexible hours and telecommuting options that respond to the needs of working women juggling their job and home responsibilities. It turns out men may need that same balance. Recent surveys have confirmed what we already know to be true: Everything related to work is changing at an accelerating pace — the workers, the workplace and work itself. Let’s start with the workers, since they are at the front lines of all this change. They are increasingly more diverse, especially the youngest of them entering the workplace. They have also become noticeably less healthy over the last five years, according to the Families and Work Institute’s National Study of the Changing Workforce. The health of working men is declining even faster than that of women, in part because, for the first time, they report more work-life conflict than women. Understandably, the need to maintain productivity and profitability in the midst of escalating stress levels and the deteriorating health of the American workforce is keeping many business owners awake at night. The workplace is also in a state of flux. On the one hand, workplace design has reached new levels of sophistication, providing more options and more individual control by featuring co-working spaces, huddle rooms, hoteling, mobile (plug-and-play) connections. But today fewer people commute on a daily basis to a physical workplace. Aided by technology, shrinking budgets, the popularity of telework and a radical shift in the tasks that people actually perform, work is no longer primarily defined as a place you go but something you do. Since we have done just about all we can to the worker and the workplace, let’s turn our attention to work itself. The way work is done in many organizations isn’t serving us very well in the global, highly technological, fast-changing conditions of the 21st century. Many policies, systems and practices look in the rear view mirror, rooted in antiquated attitudes about the nature of people (are they costs or assets; lazy or self-organizing?) and the nature of work (is it designed to be drudgery or endlessly fascinating?) Given this triple context, what, specifically, can companies do to increase productivity and its sidekick, profit? They can increase current levels of job autonomy. All of us like having choices and feel more comfortable when we have a sense of control over what’s happening to us. At work this is called “job autonomy” and it is the core task of leaders to optimize this comfort level for every contributor. Why? Research shows that workers who do achieve optimal levels of job autonomy work with significantly more focus than others and are therefore more productive. Autonomy is a fundamental component of drive and drive is what delivers measurable results. So, make sure everyone who manages people is providing adequate levels of individual control over how, when and where work gets done. A universal power tool for doing this is the implementation of workplace flexibility, which includes a host of work scheduling options and usually some aspects of creating more flexible careers (providing for people to enter and temporarily exit the workforce throughout the career life cycle, either at the request of the employer during economic downturns or at the request of the employee in response to predictable life events). Flexibility is a management philosophy, so it has no direct costs. Small businesses can change their flexibility quotient much faster than large ones because of the clear line of sight across the entire organization. And the best news is that workplace flexibility toolkits abound, the techniques are well-tested and, when properly implemented, lead to increases in productivity and employee engagement. Kathleen “Kathie” M. Lingle is a work-life certified professional who serves as executive director of the Alliance for Work-Life Progress at WorldatWork, a Washington-based professional membership organization for human resources directors.

We ask the wrong questions. We ask, “What do you want to do?” That’s so narrow. But narrow is easier. If someone asks you who you are, it’s much easier to say, “I’m a lawyer” than to say what you’re curious about, what excites you. And usually that person, especially in status-conscious Washington, just wants to put you in a box and move on. The right question is, “What do you want to learn about?” If you find something that lights your fire, then you’re going to keep finding ways to apply your skills to it. Jobs we had 10 years ago don’t exist. Training people for jobs of the future is tough when you don’t know what those jobs are going to be, so why not concentrate on those skills and passions that are transferable? I work with adult students who are coming back to college after being derailed — by life, by money, by illness, by families who didn’t value education as much as they do. Whatever it was, it kept them from getting a bachelor’s degree, and now they’re running into barriers. They’re coming to a community college, taking classes at night so they can still hold on to that job that’s paying the bills. They are all learning — not about how to fit into a box of a job but about what they’re good at and what they’re curious about. Learning is what you have to keep doing to keep moving. I was teaching a seminar, and this man came up afterwards [who had] taken my career and life planning class 20 years ago at NVCC. He says: “You changed my life. After that class, I quit my job, came to Charlottesville and started a farm. Now I’m back, going after my doctoral degree.” That is such a privilege to be allowed into such a critical moment in someone’s life. I don’t think my tires hit the ground on the drive home. I just floated.

_The West Virginia Mountaineers might not return to the Big East next year, but they certainly gave their conference a going-away present with a huge 70-33 win over the Clemson Tigers in the Orange Bowl. As Matt Brooksreported _:_ _ The first three BCS bowl games of 2012 were about as competitive as anyone could have hoped. Two overtime finishes. Three games decided by a total of 13 points. There was bound to be a blowout at some point and West Virginia proved it was more than willing to buck the trend in Wednesday’s Orange Bowl. Geno Smith tied a bowl game record with six touchdown passes to lead the Mountaineers to a runaway 70-33 victory over Clemson. West Virginia’s 70 points were the most ever scored in a bowl game. They scored five touchdowns in the second quarter alone, including three in the final 2:29 of the first half. It was just that kind of night in Miami. “Never could we image we’d put up 70 points,” Smith said. No one did. In Las Vegas, the over-under on total points for the game by both teams was set in the 60s. By halftime, the Mountaineers already led 49-20. Fresh off a 38-10 rout of Virginia Tech in the ACC title game, Clemson was left stunned by how quickly the game got out of hand. With the win, West Virginia improved to 3-0 in BCS bowl games. “It was like a virus,” Tigers coach Dabo Swinney said. __ _The Mountaineers offense powered by Geno Smith, and Tavon Austin scored seemingly at will against Clemson, which could not match the scoring pace of West Virginia. As APexplained:_ The West Virginia Mountaineers were tough to slow down, and only the Orange Bowl mascot could stop Darwin Cook. Geno Smith tied the record for any bowl game with six touchdown passes, and the No. 23-ranked Mountaineers set a bowl scoring record Wednesday night with their high-powered offense. But safety Cook made the pivotal play by returning a fumble 99 yards for a touchdown to break the game open and help rout No. 14 Clemson 70-33. Tavon Austin tied a record for any bowl game with four touchdown catches. Smith went 31 for 42, and had 401 yards passing to break Tom Brady’s Orange Bowl record. Smith also ran for a score, helping West Virginia break the bowl record for points established six nights earlier when Baylor beat Washington 67-56 in the Alamo Bowl. “Never could we imagine we’d put up 70 points,” Smith said. The Mountaineers (10-3) won in their first Orange Bowl appearance and improved to 3-0 in Bowl Championship Series games. The offensive showcase was the latest in a succession this bowl season, and perhaps the last. Defense is expected to dominate in the final BCS game Monday night when Louisiana State faces Alabama for the national title. Tacklers had their hands full — or rather, they didn’t — on a chilly night in Miami. Smith and Austin combined on scoring passes of 8, 27, 3 and 37 yards, and Shawne Alston scored on two short runs for West Virginia, which totaled 589 yards and 31 first downs. Smith was chosen the game’s outstanding player. Even when Clemson managed to corral the Mountaineers, the play wasn’t always over. Andrew Buie rolled over a defender but was never downed, so he got up and ran for an additional 18 yards. _The critical play of the game was a defensive one, with West Virginia safety Darwin Cook returning a fumble 99 yards for a TD and comically colliding with the game mascot behind the endzone. As APreported:_ As the West Virginia Mountaineers celebrated their first Orange Bowl victory, safety Darwin Cook shared a hug with the game’s mascot, Obie. They had run into each other earlier in the end zone when Cook scored the night’s pivotal touchdown, then leaped on the smiling orange. Only after the game did he learn a woman was wearing the Obie outfit. “I didn’t know you were a girl,” he told her. “I apologize.” Standing in the sideline, Geno Smith watched a video replay of Cook’s touchdown in disbelief. “Crazy, man,” Smith said. “When I saw that, I knew things were breaking our way.” Cook collided comically with mascot Obie after scoring one of the Mountaineers’ five TDs in the second quarter, including three in the final 2:29 for a 49-20 lead. It was the highest-scoring half by a team in a bowl game. “I always envisioned making great plays,” Cook said. “If you think it will happen, it will happen.” **More fromWashington Post Sports ** Boise State’s Petersen poised to join $2M club BCS Schedule Hokies reflect on dissapointing end

At a beautiful little church in a small Texas town in 1996, I celebrated my final Eucharist as an Anglican priest of the Episcopal Church. After the closing blessing, the choir and I processed out to the classic hymn, “Faith of Our Fathers.” A week later, I found myself in Washington, D.C., a layman sitting in a pew, anticipating my first Sunday Mass as a Catholic, and wondering what to expect. But when the opening hymn began, I knew that I was in the right place. The hymn? “Faith of Our Fathers.” It was as if God was reassuring me that my entrance into the Catholic Church was simply a continuation of the spiritual journey I had begun as an Episcopalian. I still cherish the memory of that day. Not only did it confirm for me that my future rested in the Catholic Church, it also made me grateful for my Episcopal past. I am a “cradle” Episcopalian. It was within the Episcopal Church that I met the Lord, grew in faith, and heard a call to ordained ministry. An Episcopal high school is my alma mater, and it was at an Episcopal altar that my wife Stephanie and I exchanged our vows. As an Episcopal priest, I ministered in God’s name, preached His Word, and served His people. My Anglican past is something I still treasure, even though I’ve been a Catholic for 15 years, and a Catholic priest for 11. In my mind, becoming Catholic wasn’t a rejection of my Anglican past; it was its completion. There were many good and wonderful things about my years as an Episcopalian. At the same time, I came to believe that something was missing. Namely, the authority that undergirds Catholic teaching; an authority I believe was given by God. It was for this reason that I “crossed the Tiber to Rome,” as is joked, and became Catholic. Many people had taken this same journey before me, and many have taken it since. For leaving Anglicanism, we are labeled as “malcontents” or described as “disaffected” by some. But for the most part, I’ve found that not to be true. We don’t look backwards in bitterness. Instead, we look forward in faith. Today, as Vicar General for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter, I find myself privileged to assist many Anglicans in their own swim across the Tiber. The Ordinariate is a new national structure for communities of Anglicans who wish to be Catholic, but retain elements of the Anglican heritage we treasure, and which has nourished us and our forebears for centuries. This Ordinariate is the fruit of _Anglicanorum coetibus_ (Latin for “Groups of Anglicans”), an Apostolic Constitution issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. For its part, the Constitution is the fruit of the petitions of many Anglicans, who for decades have hoped, longed, and prayed for a way to become Catholic, while retaining elements of their Anglican past. On Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter was established. Perhaps it’s only fitting that our “birth” happened on a day when Catholics honor Mary as the Mother of God! There’s indeed much work to be done, and all of us involved have rolled up our sleeves. But we do so with joy, grateful for all we’ve enjoyed in our Anglican past, and grateful for all we’ll receive in our Catholic future. _Reverend R. Scott Hurd is a priest of theArchdiocese of Washington. _ _He has recently been named as Vicar General for the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter. Fr._ _Hurd’s first book,_ “Forgiveness: A Catholic Approach,” _was published in September 2011_ _. He_ _and his wife, Stephanie, live in Virginia with their three children._

_This column originally ran in 2005._ My campaign to become a beloved National Treasure has hit a small snag, in that most people seem to hate me. I judge this from the letters I get, such as this one, which was written in Magic Marker across the top of a recent column of mine, and which I quote here verbatim: “You are an idot!!” I am not. A major hallmark of idots is that they don’t know when to seek professional help. But when I found out a local high school was going to host an adult-education seminar on “How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less,” I signed right up. The instructor was a cheerful woman named Nancy, who immediately assured us that this class would be not at all New Agey, but a pragmatic, hands-on, scientifically based guide to achieving likability by, and I quote, “adjusting your internal bodily energy circuits before you enter into another person’s energy field.” Nancy began by asking people to suggest the sorts of attitudes that might help a person bond with others. Someone said “openness and flexibility.” Someone else said “enthusiasm and cheerfulness.” I suggested “negativity and sarcasm,” on the theory that we often find ourselves at the mercy of morons, lunatics and incompetents, and that sometimes people can bond in recognition of, and joyful opposition to, this central, ghastly fact of life. Nancy gave me a look that suggested that her energy fields were about to open a can of whup-tuchas on my energy fields. Next came some exercises. In the first one, we were to practice establishing instant rapport with another person, which involved physically aligning our heart with the other person’s heart, and, most important, establishing eye contact. A good way to make sure you establish eye contact, Nancy said, is always to make note of the other person’s eye color. I found myself paired with Heather, the youngest, prettiest woman in the room. I admit I was a little nervous and flustered. I decided I would start right off by not only observing her eye color, but commenting cheerfully and enthusiastically about her eye color, to establish rapport. It didn’t go well. **Me:** Say, what color are your eyes? **Heather:** Actually, they’re different colors. **Me:** They are! One is sort of hazel and one is sort of brown! It’s just like those dogs! **Heather:** Those ... dogs? **Me:** You know, Siberian huskies? Some huskies have one brown eye and one blue. **Heather:** Oh. **Me:** (Uh-oh.) Wait, I’m not calling you a dog. **Heather:** **Me:** I mean, you look quite ... fetching. **Heather:** **Me:** I don’t mean like a dog! Next our job was to engage our partner in conversation. Nancy had rules for the kinds of questions to ask (nothing that could be answered just yes or no), and the proper way to tilt your head and hold your eyes, and special, secret, encouraging phrases to use as a listener (e.g., “Wow!” “Really?” “I see!”). Heather and I started talking this way, but after tilting and blinking and properly aligning our hearts for a few seconds, we quickly forgot about the rules and just got to chatting, which is when I learned that Heather is a smart, engaging, likable person. She is a social worker, but also an avid outdoorswoman who has volunteered on wilderness rescue teams, finding lost hikers. I asked her if there were any interesting things she had learned from this, and she said that the genders react differently to this crisis in one principal way: Women thank their rescuers, while men who are rescued almost invariably deny they were lost, even if they were, like, licking rainwater from tree stumps and eating slugs. Now, before I took this course, I might have laughed heartily at this observation. But, curiously, at no time during the five-hour-long lesson had the word “humor” even come up as a tactic for making people like you. So, instead, I said, “Wow! Really? I see!” _That’s_ when we laughed.

As we ponder the many ways we can improve ourselves in this new year, I thought I’d write out three resolutions that the government can carry out to overhaul the moribund real estate industry in 2012. First, let’s hope the Obama administration, Congress and the regulators resolve to consolidate all existing aid programs into one uniform mega-program with uniform eligibility requirements, application forms and documentation requirements. Such uniformity would provide some clarity where there is now chaos and would perhaps begin the long process of re-establishing a market equilibrium. The current and previous administration’s alphabet endeavors brought us the largely unsuccessful TARP, HARP, HAMP and HAFA programs. Despite their good intentions, these programs all focused on a carrot-and-stick approach. The “carrot” was that homeowners might be able to avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. The “stick” was that their credit would be damaged for many years and they might wind up owing the Internal Revenue Service thousands of dollars on phantom income reported by the lenders forgiving bad debt. These programs all essentially failed to accomplish their stated objectives because they relied on one flawed assumption: that by throwing taxpayer money at the existing lenders, bankers and quasi-governmental agencies that got us in the mess in the first place, they would voluntarily use their best efforts to extricate us from the real estate morass. This has proved to be a fatally flawed assumption. What we have now is a patchwork of inconsistent and largely theoretical governmental programs with precious few practical success stories. For example, under Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), borrowers are required to be current in their mortgage when they apply, with no late payments during the prior six months and no more than one late payment during the prior 12 months in order to be eligible for assistance. Conversely, under Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), a borrower must be delinquent in his mortgage payment or be in imminent danger of becoming delinquent in his payments. Further complicating these eligibility requirements is the largely arbitrary loan to value ratios (LTVs). LTVs are the amount owed versus the home’s fair market value. This is not to say that LTVs are not a critical factor in underwriting loans, refinances or modifications; it’s just that the fair market value can vary considerably during the refinance or modification process using government program. Borrowers seeking help from these programs are now waiting nine to 12 months or longer for the lender’s decision. Until recently, borrowers who owed more than 115 percent of their home’s fair market value were unable to obtain any benefit from these programs. Only recently were these loan to value ratios relaxed, which allowed many more real world borrowers to start to take advantage of the HAMP modification and HARP refinance programs. My second resolution would be for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the nation’s other holders of real estate owned (REO) to resolve to dispose of that vast real estate portfolio in a prompt, orderly and efficient manner. Adopting and rigorously following some simple guidelines would go a long way to resolving our real estate stalemate. For example, all lenders participating in HAFA should be required to provide definitive guidelines for what properties would be eligible for short sales or deeds in lieu of foreclosures. Short sale and deed in lieu applications should be deemed approved unless the lender provides a written denial that states the reason for such denial. Properties that are acquired either through foreclosure or deed in lieu of foreclosure should be returned to the marketplace either by sale or lease within 90 days of acquisition. Local taxing authorities could enforce this by taxing those REO properties at a much higher rate unless sold or leased within that 90-day window. Currently, the District of Columbia already taxes vacant properties at a tax rate more than five times the owner occupied rate. Blighted properties are taxed at more than 10 times the owner occupied rate. This change could provide local jurisdictions with much needed real property tax revenue while also providing the REO lenders with serious incentives to put their REO to productive use. Finally, Congress and the states should once and for all abolish affiliated business arrangements. Under current law, referral payments simply for referring real estate services are illegal violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). The logic for this prohibition, of course, is that the consumer will ultimately be paying inflated settlement charges to cover these referral fees. Unfortunately, when affiliated business arrangements became legal, those previously illegal “kickbacks” became legal so long as those “kickbacks” are spread among affiliated businesses and those affiliations are disclosed to the borrower. Affiliated businesses are also required to adhere to strict regulations regarding the splitting of those settlement service fees. For example, the fee splitting cannot be merely for referring the borrower. Actual services must be provided to the borrower and the fee splitting cannot be based on a per-transaction basis. The fee splitting can be based only on each party’s equity participation in the service provider. But frankly, regardless of the hyper technical rules relating to fee splitting, if a kickback “quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, it’s a duck” and the consumer is paying for that duck. Harvey S. Jacobs is a partner in the Rockville law firm of Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. He is an active real estate investor, developer, landlord, settlement lawyer and lender. This column is not legal advice and should not be acted upon until legal counsel has been consulted. Jacobs can be reached at hjacobs@jgllaw.com.

KABUL — President Hamid Karzai on Thursday called for the United States to hand over its biggest military prison in Afghanistan within a month, despite repeated warnings that Afghan institutions are woefully unprepared to detain or try suspected terrorists. Karzai said Afghan government investigators had found violations of the Afghan constitution and international human rights conventions at the prison, which houses about 2,600 inmates near Bagram Airfield. He did not provide details of the alleged violations, but he said in a statement that they constituted a “breach of Afghan sovereignty.” The transfer of the prison, called the Parwan Detention Center, and its burgeoning population of detainees is regarded by Afghans and Americans as a critical marker in the war’s endgame — a sign that Afghan officials are ready to inherit institutions essential to the nation’s future. U.S. officials said in a public memorandum two years ago that they expected the prison to be transferred in early 2012. Karzai interpreted that timeline as being firm, but U.S. officials point to the document’s caveat that the transfer is subject to “demonstrated capacity.” The country’s judicial system has remained weak, U.S. officials said, raising concerns that Afghans would be unable to prosecute or detain the many insurgents captured by NATO forces and would allow dangerous Taliban fighters to slip through the cracks. In July, officials told The Washington Post that the United States would be unable to relinquish authority at the prison until at least 2014, when the last foreign troops are scheduled to leave Afghanistan. “At this point, the Afghans don’t have the legal framework or the capacity to deal with violence being inflicted on the country by the insurgency,” a U.S. official said then. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity. On Thursday, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in response to Karzai’s comments: “We’re going to continue to work with the Afghan government to implement the transition that we have both agreed needs to happen of detention operations in Afghanistan. We need to do this in a manner that is maximally responsible.” She said she could not comment further on the timeline for the transfer. The existence of the U.S. military prison about 30 miles north of Kabul has long been seen by Afghans as a sign of imperial overreach, and for years Karzai has singled the prison out for criticism. The U.S. military has detained suspected insurgents at facilities in the area for about a decade. Most have been held without trial, and fewer than a third of the detainees have been handed over to an Afghan-run court for prosecution. Still, the number of Afghan judges and guards has risen steadily, and, as of July, the Afghan-run court at the prison was hearing about 50 cases a month. Karzai has made bold claims in the name of Afghan sovereignty, and his insistence on a rapid prison transfer ranks among the boldest. But although he craves a more active role for Afghan institutions, he has also made repeated appeals for international support for the country to continue beyond 2014. A transition at the Bagram prison is expected to hold special symbolic value. Afghan officials say the Taliban has successfully used the prison in propaganda to galvanize insurgents, drawing on reports of harsh interrogation methods. A U.S. Army investigation into the deaths of two detainees in 2002 uncovered evidence that prisoners had been chained to the ceiling by their wrists and severely beaten by guards. The Pentagon facility was rebuilt in 2009 and the inmate review process was overhauled to increase transparency, officials said. Staff writer Jason Ukman and staff researcher Julie Tate, both in Washington, contributed to this report. **More world news coverage:** \- Bombs targeting Iraqi Shiites kill 72 \- Obama unveils new military strategy \- Settlers temporarily banned from West Bank \- Read more headlines from around the world

The dark-oak farmhouse table where Page and Robert Melton spent many a dinner hour is now laden with vases and framed pictures, fragile pieces of their life together that have to be tucked into cardboard boxes. The movers are coming in the morning and, with much still to pack, Page thinks she could be looking at another all-nighter. She picks up a sepia-toned drawing of blackbirds. They gave each other art in the early years of their marriage, and this was the first thing Page had given Robert. Next, a photo of Robert standing in front of the Virginia statehouse, looking every inch the formidable journalist he was, a guy who could intimidate colleagues with a dipped chin and glance over wire-rimmed glasses. _(Page Melton and Susan Baer took questions from readers in a Live Q &A; on Monday, January 9. Read the transcript._) The next photo is one of her favorites: Robert with family members by the porch of their homey Dutch colonial in Richmond on the morning of their younger daughter’s christening, in September 2002. A brilliant fall day, it was exactly one year before the heart attack and collapse that left the 46-year-old father of two with a brain injury so severe he would eventually live in an assisted living facility. How often Page had stared at that photo. Was he ill then? she’d wonder. Was there something she could have seen? Should have seen? Page shakes off the thought and rolls bubble wrap around the photo, much as she has tried to cushion the hard edges of the part of their bifurcated life they refer to as “after the injury.” Robert had come a long way since 2003, when he looked at his wife sitting by his side in the hospital and said, “You seem like a nice lady. How come you’re not married?” She had gone home that day and put away the diamond and emerald ring he had given her when he proposed. Looking at it made her too sad. Seven years later Robert was still mentally impaired and his personality far different than before the accident, but he knew his family, knew he had had a brain injury that upended their lives, and asked lots of questions. He carried with him at all times a reporter’s notebook, in which he had written the information most important to him: his daughters’ ages — 9 and 11 — and that he has “known my honey” 18 years. He could remember snippets of his pre-injury life — the made-up song he and Page sang to their girls, his nicknames for colleagues, that he had been an Eagle Scout. And though he still broke Page’s heart every day with a sweet and childlike simple-mindedness — repeating his plans to “take meds, wash hands and brush teeth” like a mantra, or excitedly announcing that he’d won a candy bar at a penny toss “and didn’t cheat at all” — once in a while, he would say something insightful and completely on point. Just days earlier, at the Sunrise assisted-living facility where he lived for several years, Robert had looked at Page with earnest eyes and the relaxed demeanor he used to have and asked if it was hard for her to pack up the house: “Does that cause you distress, darlin’? Make you sad?” Page took his hand, and her eyes filled with tears. “We had the best days of our lives and the worst days of our lives in that house,” she said quietly. “So, it’s very bittersweet to leave it.” “It is bittersweet,” Robert echoed. The girls were so young when Robert fell ill — Hope was 3 and Nell 18 months — that Page was the only one of the four who remembered those days. Page alone knew that Robert loved to work in the yard and tend the azaleas. Or that he liked to write his weekly Virginia politics column in the garage. Or that he held Hope on his lap as he read the New Yorker, letting the quiet daughter who was so much like him point to letters she recognized. Page was the only one who remembered the day in September 2003 when, just home from the hospital after the heart attack, Robert hugged her in the kitchen and told her everything was going to be all right. Or the moment a day later when he collapsed and stopped breathing. Wrapping up the contents of their home on the eve of moving day — and the beginning of a new chapter in their lives — Page couldn’t help but reach back to those best and worst of times, and one other memorable day: On a Saturday morning in the spring of 2010, Page had arranged for Robert to come home from Sunrise for breakfast. She had asked Robert’s brother Will to drive down from Annandale to be with them and sent the girls out for the morning with Allan Ivie, a friend from childhood who had come back into her life. She had consulted with Robert’s doctors and her minister. She cooked up some eggs. She was nervous as she sat down at the big oak table next to her husband of 16 years. Then she had a conversation with Robert she had never imagined she could have. * * * During the eight weeks Robert Hamilton Melton spent at a rehabilitation hospital in Hanover, Va., after his brain injury, he would often pick up a notepad and pen, wander into another patient’s room and start talking. Before he remembered anything about his personal life, he remembered he had been a reporter. Writing under the byline R.H. Melton, Robert, 54, had built his career at The Washington Post, where he worked since 1982 as an editor and a reporter, primarily covering politics in Maryland, Virginia and the District. (He was a colleague of and became a close friend of my husband’s.) He was considered the institutional memory, a thoughtful editor and an elegant writer who was often the go-to guy on breaking stories. In Richmond, where he worked during the final years of his career, he broke stories that rattled the political landscape: One led to the resignation of the speaker of the House of Delegates in 2002, and another resulted in the federal conviction of a former executive director of the Virginia GOP. The Post nominated him for a Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting that year; in 2009, he was inducted into the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association Hall of Fame. At 6-foot-5, Robert was an imposing presence, both supremely self-contained and reserved. He listened more than he talked, and he didn’t mind that he intimidated people. “He could be very haughty and very snide,” Bob Lewis, a reporter for the Associated Press in Richmond, says affectionately. “He did that to new people, just to see if they could roll with it. If you let it get under your skin, you failed the Robert test.” But beyond the tough exterior was a wickedly funny and loyal colleague and friend. Growing up in Springfield, the second of five boys born to Mary Hope, a homemaker, and Eston Melton, a chemical engineer, Robert had a knack for language from an early age. At Annandale High, he worked on the school paper, as he did later at the University of Virginia, and, at 17, won a statewide oratorical contest with a defense of the First Amendment. Page Boinest, a Richmond native and fellow graduate of U-Va., had met Robert in the mid-’80s when she was a junior reporter with UPI helping cover a special session of the Virginia legislature. Through the years, the two crossed paths, and friends even set them up on a date, but they didn’t hit it off. Page found Robert private, hard to get to know. In 1990, Page left UPI to join the staff of then-Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer, first as his speechwriter, later as his press secretary. At a business dinner in Annapolis with Robert in 1992, something changed. “I don’t know how to describe it, but there was this chemistry between us — it had never been there before,” says Page, now 51. Married in 1995, their life together was a carefree mix of travel, work, politics. Their first daughter, Virginia Hope, was born in 2000, followed two years later by Nell Hamilton. On that day in April 2002, Robert handed their new baby girl to Page. “Now our family’s complete,” he told her. It was the happiest day of Page’s life. * * * On its destructive path up the East Coast in September 2003, Hurricane Isabel ripped through central Virginia, downing trees and leaving thousands, including the Meltons, without power for days. From his office near the Capitol, Robert was writing story after story about the devastation. He had spent days clearing out his own back yard and was surprised at how tired the work made him. He was working at his office on Saturday, Sept. 20, when his chest started to hurt. He thought perhaps he had eaten bad salami for lunch, but since he’d had a heart scare before — in 1997, he had been hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat — he walked across the street to the emergency room at the Medical College of Virginia, now Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. He was having a heart attack. On Monday, doctors implanted a stent in one of his coronary arteries. Two days later, on his 46th birthday, he was allowed to go home. A day later, the power finally came back on in their home. Robert and Page were in the kitchen when Robert pulled his wife into his arms and reassured her: “Everything’s going to be okay now. We got the power back, and I’m home.” But the next day, Friday, Sept. 26, at about 4 p.m., the life they had known ended. Page was making dinner. Nell was in a high chair at the dining room table. Robert bent over the chair to scoot it in and suddenly dropped to the floor. The children started screaming. Page called 911. Robert was barely breathing — then stopped. Page tried CPR. Neighbors came. Power crews in the area came in and tried to help. Page remembers a big burly man holding her 18-month-old. Still no ambulance. A sheriff’s deputy came in and tried to revive Robert. “He was gone,” Page says. Finally, after a half-hour, the volunteer rescue squad showed up. There had been so many cases of chest pains because people had been out clearing their yards that the emergency crew was stretched thin. Page jumped into the ambulance, and it headed to Henrico Doctors, the nearest hospital, about 20 minutes away. Henrico was overflowing and tried to divert the ambulance to MCV downtown. Page screamed at the driver: No, he’ll never make it if you go downtown — just go to Henrico Doctors. The driver did. But Robert had been down for about 45 minutes. When the cardiologist came to talk to Page, he told her, “I can revive him, but you’re not going to want me to.” She had to decide on the spot. “Bring him back to me,” she told the doctor. “Bring him back to us.” After about 20 minutes, the doctor came out. Robert was in a coma and on life support. The collapse was likely caused by a blood clot thrown off by the stent, doctors said, and Robert would either not make it, survive in a persistent vegetative state or, best-case scenario, come back but not resemble the man she knew. After three days, Robert woke up. He was talking, mumbling, whispering, but none of it made sense. He didn’t know who anyone was. Still, nurses told Page stories of miracles, people who came all the way back. She clung to those. Doctors told Page that most of whatever progress Robert would make would be in the first year; the lack of oxygen to his brain had caused hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, moderately severe. Robert spent several weeks at Henrico Doctors, where he had a defibrillator put in, then was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. He’d had little physical impairment, but his cognitive loss was profound. He had severe language problems, couldn’t sit still, was confused and frustrated to the point of violence. And he had no memory — short- or long-term. The therapists tried all sorts of tools for dealing with the memory loss. They made him a “memory book.” They made him lists. One gave him a PalmPilot. Nothing worked. Then one day, Page brought him stories he had written, newspapers, reporters’ notebooks, his tape recorder. He picked up one of the pads, started writing in it, and popped it into his back pocket. For the first time, he remembered something: “I was a reporter. I was a writer, wasn’t I?” After a month in rehab, Robert spent eight weeks at a residential facility for brain-injury patients in North Carolina. By January 2004, he had made enough progress to go home, but after about five months at home, the progress slowed. He could speak and read and write, but he couldn’t hold onto the meaning behind words. He had little judgment or control over his behavior and was increasingly frustrated. “He didn’t remember his former life,” says Page, “but he knew it was something more than he had at the time.” Doctors told Page that Robert would benefit from someplace with regular activities and a set schedule — a routine that was difficult at home with two small children — as well as caregivers to manage his medications and his own space to recover in. The only long-term choices were a nursing home or an assisted-living facility. “At that point, it was like the dream died,” Page recalls. “It was very hard, because when Robert came home, you have this not-even-rational thought that, ‘If I just love him enough, he’ll get better.’ ” There are not many brain-injury patients at assisted-living facilities, not many healthy 46-year-olds bounding around with lots of energy. So the Meltons had to make it up as they went along when Robert entered Brighton Gardens in Richmond. The first year was difficult. Robert’s presence unsettled the older, feebler residents. He would complain to Page that bingo was boring or that there wasn’t much to do. He struggled with his temper. But, over time, the routine began to ease Robert’s anxieties and help him function. A checklist on his medicine cabinet, “Robert’s Recipe for a Handsome Husband,” reminded him to shower, shampoo and shave, and caregivers — as well as a companion Page hired to provide stimulation — helped him accomplish those tasks. He ate meals at the same table with the same group of men, all decades older than he. Eventually, he started to embrace the activities — from beading to Bible studies, even bingo — and slowly his irritability evolved into a warm, jolly nature. “At some point, he just gave himself up to it,” Page says. “And that was huge to me, because I was beating myself up about the fact that he wasn’t at home anymore.” Page visited Robert every day at first and eventually every other day, and the girls came for lunch every Saturday. When Brighton Gardens was sold to another company, Robert moved to Sunrise along with much of the staff, which had grown to love him and his family. Today, he looks healthy and fit, and walks with confidence. Page makes sure he dresses well, and glasses at the end of his nose still give him a professorial look. But within seconds of meeting him, it’s clear his mind is impaired. It’s hard to know how much he comprehends, even when he answers a question. Conversations are limited and disjointed. He sometimes latches onto the sounds of words rather than their meaning — saying, “Give my regards to Broadway,” for instance, when he’s told a friend “sends his regards.” He often falls back on stock phrases or song lyrics. The most striking thing about Robert is his personality. Once reserved and a bit aloof, Robert today is talkative and exuberant. He seems to spill over with wide-eyed joy and gratitude. He calls everyone “darlin’ ” or “babe” or “bro.’” “Mabel, I cannot thank you enough for that toilet tissue,” he’d say to the short Colombian woman who cleaned his room at Sunrise. His outsize gregariousness — a reflection of an “organic personality disorder,” says Nathan Zasler, his brain injury medicine specialist — enlivened the quiet halls full of wheelchairs and walkers there. As did his family. Once, Page brought in leis and sunglasses, and grass skirts for the girls, so the four of them could lip-sync “Cheeseburger in Paradise” at the Sunrise talent show. “We brought the house down, didn’t we?” she says to Robert on a later visit. It sparks something else. “Do you know what I remember?” he asks Page. “I remember the Sailboat Song. Did you come up with that, darlin’?” It was the made-up song they sang to their daughters at night. Sitting together in the assisted-living home, Page starts to sing it softly, and Robert joins in, tapping time on the table and staring off into the distance: _All I want is a sailboat day. And we’ll head toward the Chesapeake Bay. And we’ll laugh all the way. Oh, won’t it just be wonderful._ “After my injury, did the girls ever join in the chorus, hon?” Robert asks. “I don’t know,” Page says. “But after you were in the hospital, I kept singing it, because it reminded them of you.” * * * As Hope and Nell got older, they seemed to miss the presence of a father more. But they were smart, well-adjusted kids, and Page believed that although they didn’t have the benefit of Robert’s intellect, they picked up something just as valuable — a sense of compassion — from the father who made them beaded bracelets and gave them the candy bar he had won as a prize. Page had made her peace with her life. She had lost her taste for politics — half the fun had been discussing it with Robert, she says — but she worked full time as a government-affairs consultant. On the side, she became an advocate for brain-injury and caregiver groups. She testified before the Virginia legislature — to lawmakers who had known Robert — seeking a Medicaid brain-injury waiver so there could be more resources and residential options for patients. Many such patients end up in mental institutions, she learned, because there are so few alternatives. The Meltons were lucky. With her salary, Robert’s disability and Social Security payments, and, if necessary, help from her parents, they could afford assisted living. The advocacy work helped her heal. “I had made up my mind: ‘This is what our life is going to be, and I’m okay with that,’ ” she says. “ ‘We’re okay, the children are doing well, Robert’s happy. We can survive this way.’ ” She didn’t go out much socially, but in June 2008 she attended her 25th college reunion in Charlottesville. At a cocktail party, she reconnected with Allan D. Ivie IV, a U-Va. classmate she’d known since kindergarten, who was now a banker and father of four sons living in St. Louis. They had been good friends as kids, co-editors of the high school newspaper, so it was easy to talk to Allan, tell him about the event that had defined her life for the past five years. Regretting that he’d been out of touch with Page, he vowed to contact her the next time he was in Richmond to visit his mother. Six months later, he did. And soon after, with Allan in the midst of a divorce, they began talking regularly. It was nice to have an adult to talk to, Page says, and she began to wrestle with feelings that they could be more than friends. “It had never occurred to me at that point to be in a relationship,” she says. “It felt disloyal to Robert.” Allan, too, was grappling with his feelings. He recalls that early on Page told him she was resigned to being alone with the girls for the rest of her life. “I said, ‘You can’t. Your heart is way too big for that.’ ” He realized that the only way their relationship could develop was if it included Robert. As he started falling in love with Page, he said to her: “I see this responsibility that you have, and I want to help you with it. I understand this is a package deal.” “That’s what triggered the relationship,” Page says. “He understood that Robert was central to our lives, that we needed to take care of him.” Page eventually introduced Allan to Robert, and Allan worked to forge his own relationship with Robert, writing him an e-mail every day and taking him to breakfast at IHOP, Robert’s favorite, whenever he was in town. Allan felt uneasy at first, guilty about befriending a man with limited cognition while starting up a romance with his wife. Page tiptoed into the subject of dating with Robert, telling him that she and Allan were beginning to be more than just friends, and asking if he understood and was comfortable with that. Robert told her it was fine. “He’s a really nice guy,” Page says he told her. Allan started visiting every other weekend. He and Page would cook together and go for runs. They would take the girls hiking or on day trips. Allan put up a swing in the back yard and played soccer with the girls. Page felt 30 again but was racked with guilt. “I believed my vows so strongly that they just kept ringing in my ears.” She consulted her minister, who told her that by continuing to take care of Robert, she was still honoring those vows. In March 2010, Allan and Page and the girls went skiing at the Homestead Resort in southwestern Virginia. Page watched from behind as Allan helped her daughters navigate the slopes, skiing with one girl on either side of him. “It hit me like a thunderbolt,” she says. “I’m watching him with these two girls, and I thought, here’s an unusual man, and a patient man, and a kind man, and a very loving man — and I felt my heart just lift.” They started having whimsical talks about marriage, but merging families seemed too complicated. Allan, now divorced, couldn’t leave St. Louis, where he had joint custody of his three youngest sons, and was about to become president of Reliance Bank. And Page’s support system — her parents, her sister and brother — were all in Richmond. And there was Robert. Marriage would require divorce. Page couldn’t imagine that. But another thought eased her mind: “I knew if something happened to me, Allan would take care of Robert, and the girls, of course.” In June, Allan proposed. Page said yes, though she still couldn’t wrap her head around how it would work. Eventually, they came up with a plan. Page and the girls would move to St. Louis. And Robert would come with them. “For all the good of Richmond and the support we’ve had, we’ve all been sort of defined by the injury,” Page said last spring. “So, we’ll go, and the girls will have the benefit of Robert’s relationship but also grow up in a house with Allan and all the things that you do as a family.” The girls had grown to love Allan, Page says. But their first question was, “What about Daddy?” Page told them that their father would be as much a part of their lives as he had always been. They had questions about school and leaving their relatives and friends, but they also had the same sense she did that this could be good, says Page, “that life doesn’t have to be this grim and tough.” Page discussed the plans with Robert’s brother Will, who had been a regular visitor through the years, and his father and stepmother. “We had anguished a lot about the fact that Page was trapped — trapped by her love for Robert and overwhelming sense of loyalty to him,” said Eston Melton, who had been divorced from Robert’s mother when she died in 2002. “She had no life whatsoever, and those two girls did not have any kind of father image in their upbringing. So, we were very comfortable with the new relationship. More than comfortable; we encouraged it.” Page talked to Zasler, the doctor, who thought Robert could deal with the new arrangement and counseled her to emphasize that she and the girls would still be there for him. The only thing left was to tell Robert. * * * Page says she was a nervous wreck on the June 2010 morning when Will brought Robert to the house. She’d gone over the conversation dozens of times in her head but still couldn’t imagine saying the words out loud. Finally, she started: “I’ll always love you, and we’ll always take care of you.” “I know that,” Robert said. She took a sip of coffee. “You know that Allan and I have been seeing each other, and we have a relationship and we love each other, and he’s asked me to marry him.” Robert responded immediately: “You should marry him. He’s a good guy.” Then he asked what would happen to him. Page explained that they would all move to St. Louis, where she’d already found a Sunrise facility close to their home. Their family would be the same, she told him, only bigger. A week later was Father’s Day, and Nell drew a picture, titled “my family,” with all nine of them, including her four stepbrothers-to-be: “Allan, Dad, Mom, Hopie, Me, Harrison, Peter, Chris, Charlie.” “If the youngest person in the family can grasp that this is what the picture looks like,” Page thought to herself, “then we’ll be okay.” Page never used the word “divorce” with Robert, but that would have to be the next step. She hired a lawyer for herself and another one for Robert, and asked Will to represent Robert along with a guardian ad litem appointed by the court. The divorce was final in early 2011. Page wanted to remain Robert’s legal guardian, as she had been since his injury, and no one objected. Will signed for Robert. On the morning of March 26 last year, Allan and his youngest son, Charles, took Robert to breakfast at IHOP. That evening, Page and Allan married in a small 19th-century chapel at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Richmond in front of about 100 people, including Robert’s father and stepmother, and his brother Will and his wife. But not Robert. “I just could not have done that,” Page says. “It broke my heart to not be married to Robert anymore, in spite of all the good that was going to happen.” As Allan held Page’s hands, he promised to always love her and her daughters. He turned to Hope and Nell, who were their mom’s attendants, and smiled. Then he looked back at Page: “And I promise to always help you provide compassionate care for Robert.” The words seemed to unleash the emotions of the day. Will Melton, an assistant director with the Marine Corps, said he and his father — and everyone in the church including the minister — were moved to tears. “Allan’s vows were so touching,” Will said. “It was very uplifting in that regard — but also kinda sad.” Page thinks Robert accepted the new expanded family. “On some level, it didn’t matter to him,” Page says. At an appointment to switch the battery in his defibrillator before he left Richmond, Robert, with Page by his side, was asked if he was married or single. “Single. ... My lady’s married to someone else now,” he said. Page looked at Robert. “Are you okay with that?” “I’m fine with that,” he said, cheerful as ever, Page says. Page says there have been a thousand moments like that, when she has felt almost apologetic and wanted to explain. “In a way, I feel married to Robert forever,” she said a few days before leaving for St. Louis. “It’s not a traditional marriage. It’s not the marriage we signed up for. But I feel like there’s a connection there that never ends.” In June of last year, Page and the girls moved into the five-bedroom ranch house she and Allan had bought in the St. Louis suburb of Creve Coeur. They outfitted Robert’s room at Sunrise to look exactly like his room in Richmond: same layout, same photos, same bulletin board with “No. 1 Dad” sign. Later that month, Page traveled back to Richmond to fly with Robert to his new home. The Richmond Sunrise staff showered him with tributes, a photo album and tearful good-byes. With Will at the wheel, Robert hopped into the car as well-wishers followed him out the door. “Peace on earth,” he sighed happily, settling back in his seat. “Peace on earth.” * * * Nell runs to Allan when he gets home from work, gives him a hug, and tells him about the scary tornado movie she and Hope saw that day at the St. Louis Science Center’s IMAX theater. The girls have had to give up “Cake Boss,” their favorite TV show, for “Deadliest Warrior” on the Spike channel, but they’re happy to make the concession to hang out with their new stepbrothers. Page is still working as a consultant, out of an office at home. She has had to learn to cook for more people, and for boys. She laughed when Harrison, a track star who started last fall at the University of Arizona, ate all the pork tenderloin leftovers for breakfast. Robert seems to be adapting best of all, Page and Allan both say. He takes part in everything from the walking club to the puzzle group at Sunrise. “I’ve got the calendar of today’s activities, and I have done the whole nine yards,” he tells Page one afternoon. “Aren’t you proud of me, darlin’?” Page still sees him several times a week, taking him out or to the house, bringing him iced tea for his refrigerator or books of word searches. Allan writes him e-mails every day and takes him to breakfast every Wednesday. “All right, Robert, my man, you going for the omelet again?” Allan asks as they settle into a booth at their regular breakfast place one Wednesday in August. Allan tells him about the St. Louis Arch; Robert asks if Allan’s son Peter is named after the singing trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Toward the end of breakfast, Robert asks, “Mama’s doing well, Allan?” “Yeah,” Allan says. “She’s doing okay.” Allan acknowledges that there’s some awkwardness in their unorthodox family. He wonders how much Robert truly comprehends, since he still sometimes refers to Page as his wife. Allan’s friends haven’t asked him directly, “Why are you doing this?” But he says they often look on with amazement at his embrace of Robert. It’s not an act of altruism, he says: “Truthfully, it came down to realizing that if I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Page . . . that was a pretty big incentive to do it.” Page, now Page Melton Ivie, walks gingerly between her former and current husband, trying not to hurt anyone’s feelings. She says that, in a way, Robert has grasped the essence of their relationship better than any of them. He understands, she says, “that it’s not the legal arrangement, it’s the emotional arrangement, that emotional commitment.” Robert’s father, who had worried that the blended family “could have easily tanked,” says he was heartened by how well it all seemed to be working when he and Will visited in September for Robert’s birthday. “It was almost like a miracle.” Zasler says Robert’s case has been unusual in that he has continued to improve years after his injury — a consequence, the doctor thinks, of Robert’s strength, medications and rehabilitation, and Page’s devotion. “A lot of times, family members pack up the bag and run the other way,” he says. “Page’s support for Robert kind of exemplifies what true love is all about.” For years after Robert’s injury, Page was sustained by the notion that she would see him again after she died, the man who turned her head in the press room and loved poetry and handed her their newborn babies. “We’d be able to talk through all this stuff, and I’d be able to say, ‘Well, I hope it worked out okay, that the decisions were the right ones, and that you were happy.’ ” She’s comforted that Robert seems content. That’s what has made her own happiness possible. Friends used to assume that the holidays were the hardest times for her. But it was really the motions of everyday life. Now that’s what brings her the greatest joy: making breakfast, setting the table — the long oak table from her dining room in Virginia that now sits in the sunny kitchen. There they all clasp hands to say grace before dinner. The table is big enough to accommodate all of them. _Susan Baer is a Washington writer. She can be reached at wpmagazine@washpost.com. Baer and Page Melton chatted live with readers on Monday, January 9.Read the transcript._

Often a bit more substantial than what one can pick up from the hustle and bustle of the showroom floor, the keynote speeches at the annual Consumer Electronics Show can set the tone for the year ahead. This year — apart from Microsoft’s usual (but final) keynote speech — the speakers list draws heavily from mobile carriers and manufacturers as well as automakers, though stalwarts such as Xerox and General Electric are represented as well. Here’s a breakdown of the keynote speakers by day. **Monday:** Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer will have the floor for the last time — Microsoft is ending its run at CES this year — and is expected to talk up Windows Mobile, tease Windows 8 and probably throw in a thought or two about the future of home entertainment as it relates to the Kinect. **Tuesday:** Consumer Electronics Association president and chief executive Gary Shapiro will share the stage with the chief executive of Qualcomm, Paul E. Jacobs. Shapiro recently told CNET that the main trends to watch are tablets, ultrabooks, green energy and smart cars. Later that morning, the chairman of Daimler AG and the chief executive of Merecedes-Benz Dieter Zetsche will take over the spotlight. The afternoon brings yet another keynote speech, this time from Intel president and chief executive Paul Otellini. **Wednesday:** Innovation will be the focus of Wednesday’s agenda, with keynote speeches from two panels. In the morning, Xerox, Verizon Communications and Ford will discuss innovation and its role in their companies’ success. In the afternoon, AT&T;, General Electric, Hyundai, Facebook, Wal-Mart and Unilever will dish on marketing and branding on a global scale. Hans Vestberg, the president and CEO of Ericsson will also give a keynote address in the afternoon. **Thursday:** Rounding out the keynote speakers’ schedule is YouTube’s head of Global Content Partnerships Robert Kyncl, who will deliver the “Entertainment Matters” keynote speech on how the Web can be used for content distribution and the shifting entertainment ecosystem. Related stories: CES 2012: Tablets, ultrabooks and smartphones take center stage CES 2012 preview: HP releases Omni All-in-one, Pavilion Phoenix h9 PCs The Verge: CES 2012: Debut of a waterproof tablet?

World War I rages and things are getting grim at that fictional, many-roomed North Yorkshire countryside castle known to us all as Downton Abbey: Dashing distant cousin Matthew, the heir apparent, is doing battle in the trenches of the Somme. At home, the Earl of Grantham, his wife, daughters and their loyal staff bravely agree to let the castle become a rehab hospital for wounded British officers. For all the stiff upper lips, bad news nevertheless abounds. People are always walking into rooms (those jaw-droppingly fabulous rooms) bearing just-opened letters and telegrams: _I have terrible news,_ they say. Or: _Bad news, I’m afraid._ Sorry to say that I must also chime in with a spot of bother: After such breathless anticipation, the second season of “Downton Abbey,” which begins Sunday night on PBS stations, fails in a few important ways to match its original charm. It instead becomes a cautionary example of what happens when we get precisely what we ask for. The first season, which aired a year ago to runaway praise and viewership, was a wonderfully kinetic juggling act of highbrow drama, historical sweep and character development. It was great fun to watch, not only for anglophiles (an easy get) but also, more surprisingly, for anglophobes. “Downton Abbey” struck an odd chord in an era of 21st-century economic dissonance and disgust. It was and still is the very definition of escapism, dialing back 100 years to celebrate the wealth gap rather than disparage it. It persists in the fantasy that a quaint and even tender co-dependence exists between the haves and the have-nots in their employ. To our lasting humiliation, we gobble it up. The first season was also only six hours long, which at the time seemed too brief. Viewers got a taste of “Downton Abbey’s” soothing opiate of corseted class stricture and meticulous manners and instantly craved more. Count your TV critic among its swoony fans; just last month I put the series at the top of my list of 2011’s best TV shows. So what goes awry this time? It’s quite possible that we just wanted it all too badly, a desire most sequels struggle to fulfill. “Downton Abbey” went back into production on a wave of demands: Make it richer, make it longer and give us more, more, more; now, now, now. Writer and creator Julian Fellowes hastily came back with a lot more. But that’s about all he’s come back with. At 10 sumptuous hours in total length, “Downton Abbey” lacks surprise and is stretched precariously thin, a house full of fascinating people with not nearly enough to do, all caught in a loop of weak storylines that circle round but never fully propel. Built on a recurring theme (and historical generality) that the war will change British life and dismantle its musty social barriers and norms, “Downton Abbey” seems unwilling to fully engage that transformation. In the first eight hours (parts 1-6; PBS provided all but the final two-hour episode in time for this review), the characters endure the war with a lot of minor drama but little in the way of profound loss or personal change, even though the script keeps promising full-on disaster. The foreshadowing is often quite thick, but the follow-through is often next to nil. Midway along, you’ll get the sneaking suspicion that Fellowes adores his characters far too much to let anything of real consequence happen to them. Affairs are pondered but unpursued. A disfigured stranger arrives in comically stagey facial bandages, claiming to be someone the family believes dead, and then disappears as quickly as he came. A member of the staff schemes to commit a crime of protest during the visit of a dignitary, but what happens instead is anticlimactic, to say the least. Momentum — the first season’s strongest quality — now eludes “Downton Abbey.” As before, no scene ever lasts longer than a few minutes at most, which allows the show to track 20 different characters trying to solve at least 20 different crises. This time, that can often feel like prolonged chaos, and it leaves little room for character development. Everyone just keeps updating one another on the same gossip. The writing is flat from the first. One by one, the characters return in the opening episode in a way that feels as if they’ll be greeted upon entry by Lenny-and-Squiggy-style applause. Plots unfold clumsily, and relationships are teased out past the point of believability. A few hours in, you’ll become able to say a character’s lines seconds before he or she says them. You’ll no sooner think of a question or historical point (what about the Spanish flu of 1918?) than it is suddenly addressed. And a couple of deathbed scenes would give soap-opera writers a fit of the giggles. It’s as if the United Kingdom has finally returned a gift America gave it years ago: “Knots Landing.” But now that I have the bad news out of the way, let’s focus on the new “Downton Abbey’s” strongest knack: beauty. Splashed across a high-def screen, the castle and grounds (Newbury’s Highclere, in real life) radiate a breathtaking prettiness. The clothes will leave you speechless — and not just the parade of gowns that Countess Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and her daughters wear to dinner each evening. At one point, I was transfixed by the lace pattern on the bib of a housemaid’s apron. The fact remains that if “Downton Abbey” showed a series of uneventful days and nights in the lives of these alabaster-skinned people, and concerned itself only with domestic details of meals and housekeeping, many of us would still be hooked. These are not just mere choices of costume and lighting. To enjoy “Downton Abbey” is to vicariously luxuriate in their luxuriating; to admire the show’s adherence to period specifics. The look and feel of “Downton Abbey” must carry the day now, since the story doesn’t really come along. Season 2 picks up where things left off. It’s 1916 and the war consumes every thought and worry. Robert Crawley, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville), suits up in his military garb each day, frustrated that it’s merely a symbolic gesture, while third cousin Matthew (Dan Stevens) survives the front lines. Downstairs, Mr. Carson (Jim Carter) and his staff make do with the fact that the war has taken all available footmen off the market. An independence-minded and petulant young maid (Amy Nuttall as Ethel Parks) joins the crew, as does a returning war vet with a bad case of shellshock named Mr. Lang (Cal Macaninch), who takes the place of the Iagoesque footman, Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier), the conniving footman who went off to fight the war. Fear not — Thomas hatches a scheme to get back to Downton, where he and his partner-in-crime Mrs. O’Brien (Siobhan Finneran), resume their acts of spiteful meddling. Upstairs, much is unchanged. Eldest daughter Mary Crawley (the drab Michelle Dockery) travels back from London, where she has been half-heartedly wooed by a newspaper publisher with aristocratic aspirations. Mary’s still pining away for Matthew after their ruined courtship, a marriage that would have conveniently secured Downton’s future, since none of the earl’s children are male. Everyone in the house, in fact, still rues the day Mary and Matthew split and hope the romance can be rekindled. It’s “Downton Abbey’s” will-they-or-won’t-they hinge upon which the whole world hangs. Renewing her efforts to that cause, the great Maggie Smith returns as Mary’s grandmother, the dowager countess Violet, “Downton Abbey’s” favorite character. This is another case of Fellowes giving viewers perhaps too much of a good thing; the cutting quips that made Violet so delightful in Season 1 — and, indeed, made her a symbolic bridge between the Victorian age and the progressive future — are tripled and quadrupled here. (“Don’t be defeatist, dear. It’s very middle class.”) Smith revels in every moment of it and her fans will, too. Early on, upon learning that Mary and Matthew will both be at Downton on the same night for a war-benefit concert (and that Matthew is bringing his new love), Countess Violet gets excited at the dramatic potential, because, she says, she’s not a fan of Greek tragedy, where “everything happens offstage.” But she could just as well be acknowledging that this iteration of “Downton Abbey” leans too much on telling rather than showing. People talk about what’s happened, what will happen, what _might_ happen — and yet, in almost all the storylines, we never get to see what _does_ happen, especially if it happens outside Downton. The war itself, for example, is depicted through glimpses here and there, with spotty computer-generated vistas. If it weren’t for the work of Smith and “Downton Abbey’s” other lead players — especially Joanne Froggatt and Brendan Coyle as the star-crossed housemaid and footman, Anna Smith and Mr. Bates — the show would verge on self-parody. And yet, watching “Downton Abbey” remains a treat worthy of blankets and biscuits and rapt adoration. Its shortcomings merely take away some of the polish. When Armistice Day arrives in November 1918, the grounds of Downton are still swathed in a lush and springlike green, rather than a gray British fall. It’s heartbreaking to notice (and get hung up on) a stray detail like that, to catch “Downton Abbey” doing it on the cheap, but there it is. (two hours) returns Sunday at 9 p.m. on WETA and MPT and continues weekly through Feb. 19.

**Very tough question:** Living where even the menial jobs have dried up, and last work reference asked to stop being used as a reference. What options are left? **Karla:** As I see it, you have two options: Stay or go. But first, I’m trying to get my head around why your one remaining reference has opted out of helping you. Referral fatigue? Inability to give a more-than-tepid endorsement? I can’t help thinking there’s an important nugget there. Back to your two meager options. They actually offer a wide range of possibilities, depending on how creative you can get without turning to a life of crime. If the jobs have dried up in your area, go where the wells are deeper — after careful online reconnaissance. Research locales that host the kinds of industries you want to work in. Apply online for jobs, making it clear that you’re looking to relocate. If you have family or friends in those locales, rent sofa space from them in exchange for housework or errands when you are in town to interview. If you don’t have those connections, seek short-term housing opportunities in local classifieds or on Craigslist. If you can’t leave your current area, you’ll have to get even more creative. Mine your social connections for informal leads on paid work. Even in a tight economy, there are people who will pay to have their houses cleaned, yards mowed, errands run, children tutored, pets watched. I assume you’ve already looked into temp agencies or headhunters; if not, do — they might be able to send a trickle of work your way, especially if you’re flexible about traveling to sites and working odd hours. And sometimes those trickles can widen into a steadier flow as you gain experience and a good reputation. Finally, consider volunteering with a group that does interesting or meaningful work, focusing on tasks that play to your strengths or that you’ve always wanted to master: editing, vehicle or computer maintenance, organizing. At the least, volunteering will get you out of your head for a few hours a week. If the leaders like your work, they might produce some leads — or at least some enthusiastic references for your files. Whether you stay or go, however, it is vital that you keep moving. If you let despair settle in, it will blind you to all other options. _Karla L. Miller won the Magazine’s@Work Advice Contest. Miller, 39, lives with her family in South Riding, Va. For 16 years, she has written for and edited tax publications, most recently for the Washington National Tax office of accounting firm KPMG LLP. E-mail us at wpmagazine@washpost.com with any questions for Karla about work angst. And keep letting us know what you think of her advice._

_Mitt Romney, who scraped out an eight-vote margin of victory in the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday, is looking to put the race for the GOP nomination to rest early in the calendar, but his rivals are piling on criticism in an effort to slow his momentum. As Peter Wallsten and Philip Ruckerreported:_ Fresh off the slimmest of victories in the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney landed here Wednesday and immediately faced intense attacks from Republican presidential rivals who vowed to challenge him more aggressively. Newt Gingrich held a news conference in Concord to say that Romney is a liberal and a political chameleon, willing to change positions to suit his needs. Jon Huntsman Jr. dismissed Romney’s newfound support from Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), saying that “nobody cares” about his backing or any of the other high-level endorsements the former Massachusetts governor has received. And Rick Santorum, who fell just eight votes short of beating Romney in Iowa, said in an e-mail to supporters that Romney is a “bland, boring career politician who will lose to Barack Obama.” Romney, considered a heavy favorite to win Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire, sought to dominate the kickoff news coverage and further solidify his standing with GOP voters. He appeared at a midday town hall meeting with McCain to accept his endorsement. “New Hampshire is the state that will catapult him to victory in a very short period of time,” said McCain, whose win in this state’s primary four years ago had that effect on him. The focus on Romney came as one of the Republican field’s most vocal conservatives, Rep. Michele Bachmann (Minn.), announced that she was dropping out after her sixth-place finish in Iowa — further narrowing the group seeking to challenge Romney for the party mantle. _Newt Gingrich, who has pledged to draw a sharp contrast with Romney, has released a new ad attacking Romney for being timid. As Rachel Weinerexplained _:_ _ No more Mr. Nice Guy (even if he was never all that nice). Former House speaker **Newt Gingrich** is out with his first ad attacking former Massachusetts governor **Mitt Romney** : The spot, “Timid vs. Bold,” will start airing in New Hampshire and South Carolina within 48 hours. The Gingrich campaign calls the ad buy “significant.” “Romney’s economic plan? Timid,” the narrator says. “Parts of it virtually identical to Obama’s failed policy. Timid won’t create jobs. And timid certainly won’t defeat Barack Obama.” The ad also praises Gingrich’s jobs plan as “a powerful plan for growing our economy and creating jobs.” It’s not nearly as harsh as some of the attacks on Gingrich from the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future. But Gingrich supporters have their own super PAC, Winning Our Future, which will go on the air in the coming days. After pledging to run a positive campaign, Gingrich pledged last night to draw a “direct and sharp contrast” with Romney. _Romney has reserved some of his harshest criticism for President Obama, and on Thursday morning he took up former candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann’s charge that Obama is a ‘crony capitalist’. As Philip Ruckerreported:_ Mitt Romney labeled President Obama a "crony capitalist” during a campaign event here Thursday morning, accusing the president of engaging in “political payback” to the labor unions that have supported his campaigns. Seizing on Obama’s decision to install three appointees to the National Labor Relations Board without Senate approval during the congressional recess, Romney ratcheted up his rhetoric on labor relations. The establishment front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination used the phrase “crony capitalism” – a rallying cry for tea party activists frequently invoked by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) – at least four times. “This is crony capitalism,” Romney said. “It scares away real entrepreneurs and investors. They go to other countries. It’s killing jobs. This president is a crony capitalist. He’s a job killer.” Responded Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt: “This is a bold statement from a governor whose state was 47th out of 50th in job creation during his tenure and a corporate buyout specialist who enriched himself by bankrupting companies and outsourcing jobs.” “While the president is fighting to ensure that hard work and responsibility are rewarded, and that everyone from Main Street to Wall Street plays by the same set of rules, Mitt Romney is willing to settle for an economy where fewer people succeed no matter how hard they work,” LaBolt said. **More fromPostPolitics ** 5 key questions for the GOP race Will Santorum and Gingrich’s friendship help or harm them? N.H. has a way of making history

_President Obama sidestepped the objections of congressional Republicans and gave Richard Cordray a recess appointment to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). As David Nakamura and Felicia Somnezreported:_ In a bold act of political defiance, President Obama installed Richard Cordray as head of a new consumer watchdog agency Wednesday, bypassing Republican opposition in the Senate that derailed his nomination last month. Obama cast the move as an effort to protect the interests of middle-class Americans who have suffered as a result of the Great Recession, which stemmed in part from abuses in the financial system. “I will not stand by while a minority in the Senate puts party ideology ahead of the people they were elected to serve,” Obama told an enthusiastic crowd at Shaker Heights High School here. “Not when so much is at stake. Not at this make-or-break moment for middle-class Americans.” Senate Republicans had successfully filibustered Cordray’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) last month, and Obama said he would use a recess appointment to overcome their objections and put Cordray, a former Ohio attorney general, in the job. Cordray, 52, has been leading the day-to-day functions of the bureau as an employee of the Treasury Department. In announcing the decision, Obama said he refused “to take no for an answer” and added that he has an obligation to act when Congress does not. The appointment marks both the escalation and the denouement of one of the most contentious fights in Washington since Obama, in July 2010, signed into law the legislation establishing the watchdog agency. _Many decried the President’s move as setting a dangerous precedent for such appointments, but others applauded his efforts to overcome a divided Congress. As Susan Brooks Thistlewaitewrote:_ Following his recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, President Obama also moved ahead to fill three vacancies on the National Labor Relations Board. While congressional Republicans have chosen to block these appointments through filibusters, they are necessary to enforce regulations on labor and regulations that protect consumers. There is a larger issue here than a president making appointments to fill vacancies. The issue is the deliberate and sustained obstructionism that has as its goal maintaining vacancies in key positions in government. One or another party may agree on disagree on what government should do, but keeping government dysfunctional is profoundly wrong. Good government is the first responsibility of those elected to public office. If Congress won’t provide good government, it is up to the President to do so. Conservatives are crying foul, but there is actually huge precedent for Republican presidents performing recess appointments. President Ronald Reagan made at least three times as many recess appointments each year as has President Obama. It was both legal and necessary for the president to make these recess appointments especially since Congress would not act. This is not just about politics. As American workers and consumers have become increasingly vulnerable to labor and consumer practices that are less than fair and equitable, they need their government to be on their side. It is becoming ever more clear that a positive moral case for government is needed. Government should not be operating with a “vacancy” sign out when its most important function is the very opposite: the positive duty to establish justice and provide order. The job of government is to assist citizens by helping to ensure the society in which they live is based on the principles of equality and the common good, to keep them and their communities safe and well-regulated, and to create and sustain a government that protects human rights and the dignity of every human being. _Cordray, the former Ohio attorney general who made a name for himself as a consumer advocate, will begin his tenure at the CFPB under the cloud of his recess appointment. What can be expected of him in his new post? As Suzy Khimmreported _:_ _ Cordray first entered public office as a Democratic politician, serving one term as a Ohio state representative in the early 1990s before being redistricted out of office. But he rebounded to serve as treasurer and then attorney general of Ohio — and that’s where he built his reputation as one of the nation’s leading consumer advocates. As attorney general, Cordray aggressively pursued lawsuits against some of the country’s biggest financial firms — including AIG, Bank of America and Fannie Mae — for misleading the state’s pension funds, ultimately securing a $700 million settlement from AIG over accounting fraud. He also led an early effort to go after so-called “foreclosure mills” that used falsified documents to speed up foreclosures on consumers, suing Ally Financial in 2010 and campaigning for big banks to slow down their own foreclosure proceedings. “We pursued many actions against foreclosure rescue scammers who were reaching into the pockets of desperate people in an effort to steal what little remained as they sought to keep their homes,” Cordray told the Senate banking committee in September. Cordray had previously expressed interest in running for Ohio governor in 2014, but since his CFPB appointment, he says that he’s abandoned these near-term political ambitions. Cordray’s pro-consumer, anti-Wall Street background seems well in line with the CFPB’s own mandate. Funded and located inside the Federal Reserve, the CFPB will consolidate oversight of consumer financial products and services that had previously been scattered across seven different agencies. Under Dodd-Frank, the CFPB has the mandate to review all the new rules that are part of Wall Street reform within five years of their implementation. The agency’s purpose is to “address unfair, deceptive, and abusive practices by payday lenders, private student loan providers, debt collectors, and other nonbank lenders, including certain mortgage originators and servicers,” according to Deputy Treasury Secretary Neil Wolin. And it has the responsibility of overseeing all banks with deposits over $10 billion in line with such a mandate. **More fromPostPolitics ** What is a recess appointment? Richard Corday appointment: Anatomy of a White House media blitz Is the Cordray appointment constitional?

Beverly Fletcher, 89, who did administrative work in the 1970s and 1980s for Waggaman-Brawner Realty in Washington, died Dec. 12 at her home in Nellysford, Va., of complications from a stroke. The death was confirmed by her son Richard Fletcher. Mrs. Fletcher was born Beverly Jean Murphy in Salt Lake City, and she attended what is now Washington State University. As a young woman, she was a stewardess in Alaska for the old Northern Pacific Airlines. She settled in the Washington area in 1957. She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Chevy Chase and a volunteer at its thrift shop. She also was a member of a bowling league in Bethesda. In 2001, she moved from Washington to Nellysford, southwest of Charlottesville. Her husband, George R. Fletcher, whom she married in 1948, died in 2005. Survivors include three children, Richard Fletcher of Oakland, Calif., Fred Fletcher of Nellysford and Joan Keefe of Asheville, N.C.; two sisters; and four grandchildren. **— Adam Bernstein**

Maryland women’s basketball Coach Brenda Frese was evaluating sophomore guard Laurin Mincy the other day when she referenced the Terrapins’ game at Florida State last year. The 72-66 loss dropped Maryland to 7-5 in ACC play in a season that ended far short of expectations. Mincy barely contributed, missing her lone field goal attempt in one minute on the court. In the rematch on Monday, Mincy produced 23 points in 35 minutes,and the fifth-ranked Terrapins left Tallahassee with a 91-70 victory that underscored how far one of Frese’s prized recruits has progressed from a knee injury, as well as her value to a team with designs on the Final Four. It was the second straight game in which Mincy led the Terrapins in scoring. She had 48 points combined in wins over Delaware and Florida State, the most for a Maryland player in consecutive games this season, and Mincy’s timely three-point shooting has been vital to a 14-0 start that’s the Terrapins’ best since 2006-07, when they began 18-0. Maryland will play its first ACC home game of the season on Friday night against Georgia Tech (11-3, 1-0). This season has included victories over two ranked teams, then-No. 11 Georgetown on Nov. 13 and then-No. 19 Delaware on Dec. 29, as well as a win against previously unbeaten Michigan on Nov. 30. Maryland, meantime, has moved up five spots in the top 25 poll since the preseason, using depth and balance to reassert itself as a national power. The Terrapins, who have nine players averaging at least 12 minutes per game, lead the country in rebounding margin (20.2), are second in field goal percentage (50.2) and are fourth in scoring margin (30.2). Aside from nine-point wins over Michigan and Delaware, the rest have been by double digits. It’s no coincidence Maryland’s resurgence has accompanied Mincy’s development. “When we recruited Laurin, we felt and knew she could play at this level,” Frese said of the team’s second-leading scorer (14.6 points per game). “She’s really shooting it well. Very confident on the offensive end and really our best lockdown defender. Some of the things she’s doing for us defensively right now are pretty special. You’re really seeing her full game come together.” There was a time in the not-too-distant past when the 6-foot Mincy wasn’t sure whether she would reach this point following a decorated high school career. During the summer between her junior and senior year, Mincy tore the anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee, derailing her final season at University High in Newark. When she arrived in College Park, Mincy not only was nursing effects from surgery but doing so while assimilating to the rugged ACC. But as Maryland’s season drew to a close, Mincy finally began thinking about shot-making rather than the stability of her knee. In the Terrapins’ final home game of the regular season, Mincy scored 12 points in a 61-48 win over Virginia Tech. All her points came from beyond the three-point line, where she shot 50 percent. Mincy also scored 12 pointsin the Terrapins’ 79-57 loss to Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA tournament at Comcast Center. “Coming into college is a big transition, and then on top of that you have an injury, and then your confidence is down,” Mincy said. “You’re trying to get used to schoolwork and everything. It’s just a lot to learn. The injury definitely set me back further. I think being that I’m healthy now has definitely played a big part in my confidence.” Her teammates have noticed too, especially senior point guard Anjale Barrett. As the player with the ball in her hands most often, Barrett frequently has distributed to Mincy, compelling opponents to decide whether to guard her or leading scorer Alyssa Thomas (16.4 points per game). Mincy’s emergence has alleviated much of the offensive burden from Thomas, the reigning ACC rookie of the year. Both Thomas and Mincy have led the Terrapins in scoring five times this season. Mincy is “able to get other people shots as well as draw attention from the defense to get her own shot,” Barrett said. “That gives us a big boost because now [opponents] have to play everybody, not just focus on A.T. Everybody has to be accounted for.” **Terrapins note:** Friday’s game against Georgia Tech is also Leukemia Awareness Night. Frese’s son, Tyler Thomas, was found to have the disease in September 2010 during a routine checkup, prompting four former Maryland players to start the Team Tyler Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to raise awareness and assist others, especially young people, dealing with leukemia. Thomas’s cancer is in remission, but he still undergoes treatment at Johns Hopkins once a month. Frese said her son’s treatments are on track to end in December 2013 if he continues receiving positive reports from doctors.

_This piece is part of a new series, “Leadership Reimagined”, which features columns forOn Leadership by students and fellows in programs across the country. This month we’ve invited these young writers to reimagine mentorship._ According to leadership guru Warren Bennis, “Leaders keep their eyes on the horizon, not just on the bottom line.” Yet academia has begun to feel the pressure of this bottom-line culture and it is pervading many aspects of college life, especially students’ relationships with their advisers and mentors. Buttressed by an increasingly competitive academic environment, students find themselves consumed by a system that focuses on tangible measures of success: GPA, number of internships, diversity of majors, and the number and clout of leadership positions. In our personal experience as fraternity presidents, we have found that advisory staff are most concerned with quantifiable gauges that, in their eyes, measure our leadership effectiveness. We are constantly barraged by questions like, “How many members did you recruit this year?” or “What was your total number of community-service hours?” Perhaps this type of short-term view makes sense when there’s an obsession with the bottom line. At the very least, the constant cycle of different students through college leadership positions makes it more challenging to think in terms of far-off horizons. Still, the sad consequence of advising students based on such concrete measures and selective questioning is that it seems to ascribe more importance to what one has _done_ rather thanwhat one has _learned_ throughout the journey. Great leaders are often defined by their ability to reason. Yet helping students develop into such leaders requires a different sort of mentorship than we often see on campuses. Mentors should not provide a specific direction, but rather guide the student into a process of self-reflection. After all, experience is what turns leadership potential into leadership skill. Although students may pursue leadership roles from a young age, the prospect of occupying those positions with relative autonomy often first arises when he or she gets to college. The path of a high-school student follows a more linear course, with all activities contributing directly towards gaining acceptance to a university. The college student, on the other hand, is afforded myriad channels through which to discover precisely what passage he or she wishes to forge. In the absence of a linear path, though, many students feel ill equipped to handle the unfamiliar contingencies of college life, and this often gives way to fear. When faced with an intimidating number of choices, students seek out mentors to help outline a comforting and explicitly defined trail such as they experienced in high school. And that is where mentorship at the university level often goes awry. Advisers should know better than to comply. Mentors, by virtue of having followers in the form of eager students, are leaders. Unfortunately, some of these influential leaders are directing their students rather than empowering them. Why? Here we return to the same problem as before: Today’s university culture places too much of a premium on accomplishments over true understanding. What fosters “true understanding”? To some extent, it requires awareness of oneself. But it also demands the ability to appreciate the ways in which one’s upbringing influenced and continues to contribute to the development of one’s identity. The mark of a true leader is the ability to employ a system of self- reflection, in order to learn from both successes and failures without feeling anchored by a sense of incompetence. As students in the modern sphere of academia, we are piloted by the necessity to _know_ rather than the invitation to _think_ and engage in introspective dialogue. As David Foster Wallace said in his commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005, we sometimes become so obsessed with the minutiae of our lives that we forget the larger environment that surrounds us; when trying to navigate the channels of these waters, we often lose sight of the water itself. Given students’ initial uncertainty about college life, and universities’ increased attention to the bottom line, what academia really needs in order to create successful future leaders are advisers who can help students stop and think about the water. _Naader “Naad” Banki and Steven Gagliano are seniors at the University of Southern California. Banki majors in biological anthropology and minors in organizational leadership and management; Gagliano majors in political science and music industry._ **LikeOn Leadership? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.** **Read more:** PHOTOS | The best new leadership books The role of empathy in leadership In the “spirit” of professional advice

N. William Cunningham, 87, a NASA program manager who worked on the Ranger lunar spacecraft missions and the Mariner missions that brought close-up looks of Mars and Venus, died Dec. 26 at Greenspring Village retirement community in Springfield. He had Parkinson’s disease. The death was confirmed by his daughter Katey Goehringer. Mr. Cunningham worked at NASA from 1959 to 1979 and then spent 10 years at Hughes Aircraft as a liaison to the space agency. Newton William Cunningham was born in Florence, Tex. He was 12 when his father died. At 17, he joined the Navy to help support his family. During World War II, he served in the Pacific and was a gunner in a dive-bombing squadron. On the G.I. Bill, he was a 1953 aeronautical engineering graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. In 1958, he received a master’s degree in meteorology and oceanography at Texas A&M University. He was a recipient of a 1974 Presidential Management Improvement Award for his work on the Mariner missions. He was on the board of the American Astronautical Society and a member of its executive committee. Two of his sons died, Christopher Cunningham in 1966 and Kim Cunningham in 2000. Survivors include his wife of 60 years, Gladys Ivey Cunningham of Springfield; two daughters, Coday Cunningham of Arlington County and Katey Goehringer of Wellesley, Mass.; two sisters; and four grandchildren. **— Adam Bernstein**

_Michael O’Hanlon is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and most recently the author of“The Wounded Giant: America’s Armed Forces in an Age of Austerity.” _ For six decades the United States has planned for the capacity to conduct two nearly simultaneous major ground-combat operations. During the Cold War, one of those campaigns was assumed to be an all-out struggle against the Warsaw Pact in Europe, the other a conflict in Asia. Since the Cold War, defense secretaries Dick Cheney, Les Aspin, William Perry, William Cohen, Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates have adopted some variant of this framework as well. It is time for a change. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta’s new strategic guidance, unveiled Thursday, moves in this direction, stating that the future U.S. military “will be capable of defeating a major act of aggression in one theater while denying the objectives of — or imposing unacceptable costs on — an opportunistic aggressor in a second theater.” Panetta and President Obama are right to reduce the requirements for a second possible war, which in this era would probably not be a ground war in any case. The case for scaling back is strong. Let’s consider the major concerns: Saddam Hussein is gone, and whatever threat Iraqis may one day pose to themselves and the region, they are unlikely to invade anyone. Farther from home, North Korea has acquired nuclear capabilities, but its conventional forces have weakened, and South Korea’s army is greatly strengthened. Russia remains problematic on multiple issues but not because of its military menace to NATO territory. Threats from Iran or China, at least in the short term, are much more likely to involve U.S. naval, air and special forces (which should retain a capacity for handling more than one major operation at a time). The uncertainty and instability from Syria to Yemen to South Asia, however potentially worrisome for American interests, are unlikely to again require large-scale U.S.-led action. All that said, budget hawks should beware of pushing this argument too far. The one-war paradigm is not a prescription for cutting the Army and Marine Corps by a third or more. Cuts in force structure and personnel should not exceed 15 to 20 percent, relative to current levels, and could be made only gradually, after the Afghanistan campaign winds down. Ten-year savings would reach perhaps $150 billion. That is much of the roughly $400 billion mandated by the August provisions of the Budget Control Act but hardly a dent in the (ill-advised) nearly trillion-dollar target required by sequestration. To carry out this approach responsibly, the United States would still need an active-duty Army and Marine Corps almost as large as those of the Clinton years. Then, we thought we had a two-war capability, a fallacy underscored by events in Iraq and Afghanistan. Within a one-war paradigm, we could no longer rely on the force package intended for a second war to compensate for any underestimations made in planning for a first war. Nor could we rely primarily on the National Guard, as rapid response would be even more critical to addressing problems before they could metastasize. The United States would still need capabilities for possibly simultaneous additional missions, which would probably be smaller in scale than full-fledged war but could be long in duration. Rather than a two-war paradigm, we would want a “1+2” framework for sizing ground forces — the “1” referring to a substantial regional war; the “2” being smaller, multinational but potentially long-lasting contingencies such as a stabilization effort in Afghanistan (or Syria or Yemen). Some critics will argue that capacity for even one war is too much, that the nation is tired and broke, that counterinsurgency is passe and ground combat obsolete. We convinced ourselves of a similar argument about counterinsurgency after Vietnam, only to be unready for Iraq and Afghanistan a quarter-century later. No new ground wars may be likely, but we must be ready for the unlikely. If, say, tensions between North and South Korea escalate or the North collapses, leading to large-scale mayhem, U.S. forces would have to move fast, along with South Korean units, to stem any bombardment of Seoul and to prevent nuclear materials from leaving the peninsula. U.S. forces should also retain a capability to remove Iran’s regime. We would consider such an operation only under the most grave circumstances — say, after a direct Iranian attack against the American homeland rivaling Sept. 11 in scale. We would not have enough ground forces to occupy Iran after a march on Tehran, but we should nonetheless have a conventional military counter to possible large-scale terrorism supported by the Iranian state. A robust one-war potential within the nation’s ground forces, plus some capabilities for lesser concurrent missions, is therefore necessary — but also enough for this moment in history. Critics will also argue that a one-war paradigm could weaken deterrence. We do not want to trigger aggression from those who believe that America is powerless to deal with more than one ground conflict at a time. Part of the answer to this valid concern, shared by Obama and Panetta, is to plan, should we become engaged in a major land war, to promptly activate part of the National Guard and start enlarging the active-duty Army and Marine Corps. The George W. Bush administration took such action belatedly a few years ago, resisting it even after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were underway; we need not repeat that mistake. Ultimately, strategy is about minimizing, not eliminating, risk. The threats from maritime contingencies in the Western Pacific and Persian Gulf, and from fiscal weakness, exceed those from simultaneous ground wars. The U.S. defense budget should be adjusted accordingly. **More stories on this subject** Obama plans a leaner, cheaper military The Pentagon document laying out the strategy Rubin: Obama cuts defense to bone, and then some Read more from PostOpinions

The Jan. 2 news article “In Iowa, GOP candidates make final push before vote” called attention to the amount of energy and resources put into caucuses in a state that is not representative of the rest of the country and that has a relatively small number of electoral votes. Clearly, a more cost-effective way of conducting presidential primaries would be to have three national primaries: on the first Tuesday of February, March and April. For each primary, one-third of registered voters would be randomly chosen to vote, and absentee ballots would be available. Thus, each primary would be representative of the U.S. voting population, and campaign strategists could better see where they stand as the year progresses. No state would have a greater weight than any other due to earlier voting. Isn’t our selection of a president important enough to consider this kind of primary system? ****Jay Herson,** Chevy Chase**

The headline on Mohamed El-Erian’s Jan. 1 op-ed asked, “Who will save the triple-A rating?” This makes for a good opportunity to remind everyone that the United States, and the Western world, did not become what they are by sticking to the super-safe. They did it by allowing their risk-takers to take risks. A triple-A credit rating is a result, not a precondition. If the United States is going to lose its triple-A rating because it is taking the kind of risks that are necessary to make the wheels of its development move forward, creating jobs for our grandchildren, that should be welcome. But if it is going to continue the current pattern, set out by loony bank regulators, of blindly avoiding perceived default risks and dangerously overcrowding the safe havens, then it is lost. The expert financiers worrying about a triple-A rating are also navel-gazing. Much more important than a triple-A for the United States is the fact that this country is, by far, the foremost military power in the world. Lose that supremacy and all hell breaks loose. Keep it and a BBB rating could do. ****Per Kurowski,** Rockville** The writer served as an executive director of the World Bank from 2002 to 2004.

Regarding the Dec. 21 news story “New realities after a revolution”: A month ago, the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) published its report on unrest in Bahrain and the government’s response to it. In an unprecedented act, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa shared the platform with the commission’s chairman, Mahmoud Cherif Bassiouni, as Mr. Bassiouni delivered a stinging criticism of the government. Immediately after the report’s release, King Hamad committed the government to pursue an aggressive path of reform and reconciliation. He established a national commission to study the report and propose actions the government should take in response. The commission must complete its work by the end of February. But one vocal political group, the al-Wefaq Islamic Society, continues to decline to participate in the commission. If al-Wefaq remains outside this process, it will lose another opportunity to play a constructive role in the reconciliation process. In one month, we can point to remarkable progress. Bahrain signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Committee of the Red Cross. This will permit the Red Cross to visit Bahraini prisons and empower it to hold training courses on human rights and international humanitarian law. All cases related to deaths, torture and inhumane treatment by members of the police have been referred to the public prosecutor. To ensure proper interrogations, video cameras have been ordered installed in all detention centers. The job of democracy is never finished, and our invitation to the world to watch us and help us as we meet the challenges of this era remains open. ****Houda Nonoo,** Washington** The writer is Bahrain’s ambassador to the United States.

Craig Steinberg [letters, Jan. 4] rightly called attention to an unintended consequence of Montgomery County’s ill-conceived tax on plastic and paper bags: the impact on dog walkers who use plastic bags to keep our lawns and streets clean. Has anyone calculated the effect the nickel-a-bag charge will have on the county’s highly effective paper-recycling program? In my high-rise condominium, we use paper grocery bags to collect newspapers, junk mail, office paper and just about every other kind of non-greasy paper. Once I use up the stack of bags in my pantry, am I going to have to pay for new bags to hold all this paper that used to go into the trash? I don’t think my conscience will let me regress to throwing the paper out, but I wonder how many others will just toss out unwanted paper. Has anyone started a drive to overturn this law? ****Adele C. Schwartz,** Silver Spring**

Patricia L. Mitchell, 74, a nurse who volunteered at military hospitals and for the Red Cross, died Dec. 8 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. She had complications from lymphoma, said her husband, Jarrell Mitchell. Mrs. Mitchell began her nursing career in the late 1950s as a member of the U.S. Public Health Service. She spent two years working at a hospital in Barrow, Alaska. Traveling with her husband, an Air Force officer, she used her nursing background as a volunteer with the Red Cross and military hospitals in Europe and Central America. In the 1990s, she worked as a nurse associated with Inova hospitals before retiring in 1996. Patricia Ruthanne Lowden was born in Findlay, Ohio, and in 1958 received a nursing degree from what is now Rush University in Chicago. Survivors include her husband of 50 years, Jarrell Mitchell of Alexandria; two sons, John Mitchell of Chicago and Douglas Mitchell of Dubai; a brother; and a sister. **— T. Rees Shapiro**

**Berwyn Heights bird walk,** hosted by the Prince George’s Audubon Society, habitats include open water, wetlands, forests and meadows, with sighting opportunities for woodland and field songbirds, waterfowl and raptors. 6 p.m., meet at the parking lot for the Luther Goldman Birding Trail, Lake Artemesia Natural Area, Ruatan Street and Berwyn Road, Berwyn Heights. Free. 301-459-3375. **Chesapeake Bay waterbirds course,** four weeks of classes about coastal waterfowl populations, followed by Jan. 28 and 29 field trips to Blackwater and Chincoteague wildlife refuges. 7-9 p.m. Thursday and Jan. 12, 19 and 26, Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary, 1361 Wrighton Rd., Lothian. $75, registration required. 410-741-9330. **College Park Needle Arts Society,** crafters meet to work on quilting, knitting, embroidery and counted cross-stitch projects. 9:30-11:30 a.m. Fridays, Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd., College Park. Free. 301-277-9630 or cpneedlearts@earthlink.net. **Temple Hills sleepover,** for girls ages 8 to 18, a night full of rap sessions, workshops, makeovers, music, food and more. 6:30 p.m. Friday to 7 a.m. Saturday, Temple Hills Community Center, 5300 Temple Hills Rd. $8, registration required. 301-894-6616. **Al-Anon,** for family and friends of alcoholics. 7 p.m. Fridays and Sundays, Laurel Regional Hospital, 7300 Van Dusen Rd. Free. 301-497-7914 or www.dimensionshealth.org. **Youth jazz cafe,** for ages 12 to 18, a celebration of musical history. 7:30 p.m., Kentland-Columbia Park Community Center, 2411 Pinebrook Ave., Landover. $3. 301-386-2278. **“Cinderella” ballet,** a performance by the Russian National Ballet. 8 p.m., Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. $20; $15, seniors, students and group rate. 301-277-1710. **“Elvis Returns!”** Jed Duvall portrays the King of Rock ’n’ Roll as he was in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Laurel Mill Playhouse, 508 Main St., Laurel. $15. 301-617-9906, Ext. 2, or www.laurelmillplayhouse.org. **Bowie bird walk,** Prince George’s Audubon Society members lead a walk in the Fran Uhler Natural Area, waterproof footwear and binoculars recommended. 7:30 a.m., meet at the end of Lemons Bridge Road, next to the Bowie State University campus, Fran Uhler Natural Area, 10300 Lemons Bridge Rd. Free. 410-765-6482. **“New You for the New Year,”** dental exams for the entire family, plus snacks and other refreshments. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., the Dental Group office, 6200 Baltimore Ave., Suite 200, Riverdale Park. Free, appointments required. 301-864-5200 or www.thedentalgroup.com. **Cabochon craft project,** for age 18 or older, learn the basics of gem cutting; use diamond saws, grinders and polishing equipment. 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Clearwater Nature Center, 11000 Thrift Rd., Clinton. $30, registration required. 301-297-4575. **“Three Kings Day” celebration,** for age 10 or younger, celebrate with music and refreshments, with an emphasis on Hispanic traditions. 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Bladensburg Community Center, 4500 57th Ave. Free. 301-277-2124. 301-445-4512. **French-English storytime,** for age 6 or younger, stories and songs in English and French; pick up a free ticket no more than 30 minutes prior to 10:30 a.m. show. Oxon Hill Library, 6200 Oxon Hill Rd. 301-839-2400. **“Zumba with Lee,”** an introductory exercise workshop. 11 a.m.-noon Saturdays. Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd., College Park. $30 for series of classes, registration required. 301-927-3013. **College readiness workshops,** for teens, staff from Prince George’s Community College lead a presentation including programs of study, available services and financial aid. Noon Saturday, 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Laurel Library, 507 Seventh St. 301-776-6790. **Wellness Day program,** presentations on reiki, yoga, acupuncture and more. Noon-4 p.m., Joe’s Movement Emporium, 3309 Bunker Hill Rd., Mount Rainier. Free. 301-699-1819. **Mandalas art workshop,** a focus on Buddhist and Hindu traditions. 1-4 p.m., Old Parish House, 4711 Knox Rd., College Park. $10, reservations required. 301-927-3013. **Art-exhibit reception,** for “Thirst,” an installation by J.J. McCracken. 5:30-8 p.m., 39th Street Gallery, 3901 Rhode Island Ave., Brentwood. Free. 301-864-3860 or www.gatewaycdc.org. **Xtreme Teens: 3-on-3 basketball,** a “shootout” for ages 13 to 17. 7-10 p.m., Glassmanor Community Center, 1101 Marcy Ave., Oxon Hill. Free with youth identification. 301-567-6033. **“Greenbelt Artful Afternoon,”** Bel Cantanti Opera performs a sneak preview of an upcoming show (music by Mozart) and a public art dedication of “Faces of Greenbelt,” a ceramic tile panel. With a mayoral presentation, crafts, drawing for prizes and more. 1-4 p.m., Greenbelt Community Center, Art Gallery, 15 Crescent Rd. Free. 301-397-2208 or www.greenbeltmd.gov/arts. **Fabric arts: Natural dyes demonstration,** for age 13 or older, members of the Clearwater Nature Center Natural Dye Group demonstrate the use of plants and other natural materials. 1-4 p.m., Clearwater Nature Center, 11000 Thrift Rd., Clinton. Free, registration recommended. 301-297-4575. **Art-exhibit opening,** for “All Hung,” a collection of works by artists in the metropolitan area. Reception, 2-4 p.m.; exhibit continues through Jan. 25. Montpelier Art Center, 9652 Muirkirk Rd., Laurel. Free. 301-377-7800. **Day school open house,** for preschoolers through eighth-graders. 9:30-11:30 a.m., Holy Trinity Episcopal Day School, 11902 Daisy Lane, Glenn Dale; lower school, 13106 Annapolis Rd., Bowie. 301-262-5355 or www.htrinity.org. **Performing arts program,** for ages 12 to 17, an eight-week course to help participants work out social issues through theater, art, dance and music. 6-8 p.m. Mondays, Oakcrest Community Center, 1300 Capitol Heights Blvd., Capitol Heights. $40. 301-736-5355. **Knitting and crocheting workshops,** work on projects in a group setting. 7 p.m., Surratts-Clinton Library, 9400 Piscataway Rd., Clinton. Free. 301-868-9200. **Film for seniors: “What If . . .,” **the 2010 Dallas Jenkins film about a man who leaves his ministry and girlfriend to pursue a big-business opportunity, starring Kevin Sorbo and John Ratzenberger. 11 a.m., Publick Playhouse, 5445 Landover Rd., Cheverly. $2, for age 60 or older. 301-277-1710. **Teen game night,** for ages 11 to 18, video and board games. 6:15 p.m., Glenarden Library, 8724 Glenarden Pkwy., Lanham. Free. 301-772-5477. **Crochet and knitting basics,** for age 13 or older, bring your own materials and learn how to knit. 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Laurel Library, 507 Seventh St. Free. 301-776-6790. **“All About Ospreys,”** hosted by the Prince George’s Audubon Society and the Patuxent Bird Club, naturalist Greg Kearns shares his photographs and a video about the Chesapeake Bay fish-hawk. 7:30 p.m., College Park Aviation Museum, 1985 Cpl. Frank Scott Dr. Free. 301-262-5148 or mblades@comcast.net. **Concert: College Park Youth Choir and Vocetti,** a reception follows. 7:30 p.m., Old Parish House, College Park Arts Exchange, 4711 Knox Rd., College Park. Free. 301-927-3013. **Job searching through the Internet,** set up a free e-mail account. 9 a.m., Oxon Hill Library, 6200 Oxon Hill Rd. 301-839-2400. **Double C duo pianists,** Rosanne Conway and Barbara Cackler perform classical works for two and four hands. 2 p.m., Harmony Hall Regional Center, 10701 Livingston Rd., Fort Washington. $15. 301-203-6070. **Nighttime playgroup,** for age 3 or younger with a caregiver, learn strategies that enhance a child’s skills in all areas of development. 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Bowie Library, 15210 Annapolis Rd. Free. 301-262-7000. **Purple Line development workshop,** a public meeting on the five proposed Metro stations, hosted by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. 6:30-8:30 p.m., Hyattsville Library, 6532 Adelphi Rd. 301-952-3166. **Stieg Larsson books discussion,** a talk about “The Girl Who Played With Fire” and “The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.” 7:15 p.m., Bowie Library, 15210 Annapolis Rd. Free. 301-262-7000. **NASA Goddard Space Center tour,** for age 50 or older. 9 a.m.-1 p.m., meet the bus at the Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center, 7120 Contee Rd., Laurel. $10. 301-206-3350. **Nature Tots: “Awesome Possum,”** a naturalist discusses hanging upside down, kangaroo-like pouches and more. 10:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-2 p.m., National Wildlife Visitor Center, 10901 Scarlet Tanager Loop, Laurel. Donations welcome, registration required. 301-497-5887. **Archives program,** “Finding Opportunities: The Negro Division of the National Youth Administration During the Great Depression,” a presentation by Jametta Davis on the work of the NYA and Mary McLeod Bethune. 10:45 a.m., National Archives, 8601 Adelphi Rd., College Park. Free. 202-357-5000. ** — Compiled by Gerri Marmer and Jillian S. Sowah ** **E-mail:** pgliving@washpost.com ** Fax: **301-618-1780 ** Mail: **Community Calendar, Local Living, The Washington Post, 9500 Arena Dr., Suite 400, Largo, Md. 20774. ** Details: **Announcements accepted from public and nonprofit organizations only. Include exact address, prices and a publishable contact phone number.

The Spanish government has recently passed a law with provisions that some have compared to the Stop Online Piracy Act legislation that’s currently making its way through the House Judiciary Committee. The Spanish law, as reported by the BBC, allows for the Spanish government to require Internet service providers to block sites that host infringing content. Unlike SOPA, however, the law deals with domestic sites and would set up a separate government agency to deal with anti-piracy cases. The law, nicknamed the Sinde law after minister of culture Ángeles González-Sinde, drew criticism in Spain from technology companies and free speech advocates who said that it would have a chilling effect on innovation and expression. The outgoing Spanish government declined to put the law into effect, but the incoming center-right government implemented the law quickly after coming into power. Spain has historically been viewed as a country with lenient online piracy laws, and has been highlighted in the past by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and is currently on a watch list of countries with intellectual property rules that are of concern to U.S. rights holders called the Special 301 report. Other countries on the list include Italy and Finland; China, Russia and Canada are on the “priority watch list.” At least one Spanish-language newspaper, El Pais, reported that leaked cables from Wikileaks show that the U.S. ambassador to Spain, Alan Solomont, wrote to the outgoing Spanish president to urge passage of the Sinde law, the Guardian reported. According to a letter obtained by the newspaper, Solomont reportedly wrote that, “The government of Spain made commitments to the rights owners and to the US government. Spain can not afford to see their credibility questioned on this issue.” The State Department declined to comment on the reportedly leaked cables. Spain has been debating the law for two years, and Internet freedom advocacy groups such as the Electronic Freedom Frontier have said that the United States used its Special 301 report to coerce other countries into enacting stricter penalties on intellectual property. The House Judiciary Committee had two markup hearings on SOPA last month, getting through about a third of the 60 proposed amendments to the measure. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), who introduced the measure, has since introduced a manager’s amendment that attempts to address concerns critics have raised about the way broad interpretations of the original bill could affect domestic firms, but Internet engineers have said that SOPA’s traffic-blocking measures could have serious implications for cybersecurity and Internet infrastructure. A Senate companion to the bill, the Protect IP Act, is expected to come up for a vote this month. The Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill last year, but Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) placed a hold on the legislation. He has said he will filibuster the measure and has worked with Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) on an alternative proposal that would not block Web sites. Related stories: Ezra Klein: How much does online piracy really cost the economy? SOPA hearings cast debate as old media vs. new media Fight against SOPA calls in star power

With the rise of abstract painting, landscapes went out of favor. But that doesn’t mean they went away. Whether intentionally or not, the compositions of many abstract canvases evoked landscapes, and some artists intentionally suggested that their work represented, however loosely, traditional views of land, water and sky. One example: The title of the best-known painting by color-field pioneer Helen Frankenthaler, who died Dec. 27, is “Mountains and Sea.” These days, many abstractionists are open about inspiration provided by natural vistas. Kitty Klaidman and Tati Kaupp, whose current shows are in galleries on the same Dupont Circle block, go so far as to identify the regions that informed their latest creations. Yet the paintings’ concerns are largely formal; like the first wave of Abstract Expressionists, Klaidman and Kaupp are constructing their own visual vocabularies, not simply executing cryptic variations on traditional landscapes. A Czech-born painter who made many European stops on her way to making the District her home, Klaidman has been refining her style since the Abstract Expressionism era; the first show listed on her résuméwas in 1966. She’s still exploring. The paintings in “Salt Spring Island: Beneath the Surface” were sparked by a visit to that isle, an artists’ haven off the coast of mainland British Columbia. The trip was probably in the fall, since these pictures emphasize autumnal reds and oranges over the green and blue usually associated with the Pacific Northwest. Klaidman writes that the paintings “abstract the richly textured surfaces and sub-surfaces that captured my imagination,” an approach that echoes her earlier series. All the works are mixed media on wood, and most feature multiple panels. Klaidman applied areas of pigment, then incised them to create patterns that generally complement, but occasionally contrast with, the painted forms. The wet-on-wet painting gives the image a liquid quality, which is amplified by glazes that provide a ceramic-like sheen. The scrapings are generally circular, adding to the sense of natural forms. But a few of the panels, all of which are identified only by number, are vigorously cross-hatched with roughly straight lines, and thus look more fierce. They’re “action paintings,” although with a more refined skin than the 1950s canvases once called that. Klaidman has made multi-panel works in the past, but the “Salt Spring Island” paintings are divided more dramatically, with a tension between the sections. While some of the two-, three- or four-part works merely segment a unified image, others create a focus exactly where the panels meet. These pictures don’t just gaze beneath the surface; they stare right into the gaps between things, using slices of nothingness to frame their vivid hues and movements. Like Klaidman’s new work, Tati Kaupp’s “Winter Series” doesn’t use bands of color or texture that might suggest horizon lines. With their teeming bubbles and intermittent spirals, the nine large oil paintings could be seen to depict a microscopic world. But they were actually inspired by Kaupp’s childhood in Mexico and the American Southwest, with their vast dry expanses. There’s no green, as might be expected, but also little tan and brown. Predominantly blue and purple, the canvases evoke the desert not only in winter but also at night. The numbered paintings are square or slightly rectangular, but not widescreen in the manner of a Western shot in Monument Valley. There is one diptych, whose twinned images make it the most arresting of the lot. Despite not emphasizing the vertical, the canvases have sweep, as well as a moodiness that comes from the midnight palate. The imagery is loosely painted yet detailed, combining a buzz of pictorial activity with broader compositional elements. In other words, the pictures look good both up close and from a distance. Alongside the “Winter Series,” Kaupp is also showing four smaller watercolors from her “Wedding Series.” These are brighter and more open, and include bubbles like those in the wintry suite. The daubed dots are not enigmatic in this context, though. The strategically placed champagne glasses clearly indicate where the buoyant circles originated. For a more traditional approach to landscape, among other subjects, the Watergate Gallery is presenting work from Port-au-Prince’s Rainbow Gallery. The owners of that business were killed in the 2010 earthquake, as was one of the artists represented in the show. Yet there are no depictions of catastrophe in “Haitian Art.” With a few exceptions, the paintings are sunny, sometimes in the manner of canvases meant for tourists who just want a colorful souvenir. More interesting are the canvases in the folk-art tradition and those that emulate early 20th-century modernism, mostly of the French persuasion. These are notable less for their images of pink flamingos and multi-hued fruits, vegetables and fabrics than for their assured simplicity; they reduce the subjects to blocks of Matisse-like color, often arranged in boldly vertical compositions. The idealized views can be politically charged. Jean Adrien Seide, who no longer lives in Haiti, paints visions of a verdant land he knows no longer exists. (Deforestation, not the earthquake, is his nemesis.) Pictures that portray voodoo gods and priestesses show a strong African influence and a less easygoing disposition. One piece by Stevenson Magloire — killed by Haitian paramilitary troops in 1994, when he was 31 — is closer to Keith Haring than tourist art. Its beauty is not pretty, but it lingers after the gentler works’ appeal has evaporated. Jenkins is a freelance writer. on view through Jan. 21 at Marsha Mateyka Gallery, 2012 R St. NW; 202-328-0088; www.marshamateykagallery.com. on view through Thursday at Cross MacKenzie Gallery, 2026 R St. NW; 202-333-7970; www.crossmackenzie.com. on view through Jan. 28 at Watergate Gallery, 2552 Virginia Ave. NW; 202-338-4488; www.watergategalleryframedesign.com.

Evelyn Grossman, 95, former chief of the U.S. Agriculture Department's human nutrition and home economics unit, died Dec. 14 at an assisted-living center in Somerset, N.J. She died after a heart attack, said her daughter, Beth Fredman. Mrs. Grossman retired in 1975 after a 35-year government career. During World War II, she worked for the Treasury Department, forecasting sales of war bonds. She joined the Agriculture Department after the war. Her specialties included research on food consumption. Evelyn Schlenger was born in New York City, and she graduated in 1937 from Brooklyn College. She received a master’s degree from Columbia University, where she focused on mathematics and statistics. She was a former Chevy Chase resident and had moved to New Jersey in 2004. She was an Audubon Society volunteer in Chevy Chase. Her husband of 32 years, Mordecai Grossman, died in 1973. Survivors include a daughter, Beth Fredman of Edison, N.J.; a brother; and a granddaughter. **— Bart Barnes**

_Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback who has become a national phenomenon due to his unconventional production and outspoken religious faith. As APreported:_ Having won the Denver Broncos’ starting job and the AFC West title by default, Tebow heads into his first playoff game mired in the worst slump of his life. “The three losses haven’t shaken my confidence,” Tebow said after the Broncos backed their way into the playoffs at 8-8. The results and his language on the football field suggest otherwise, After watching him pile up comeback after improbable comeback, opponents seem to have solved the unorthodox QB, hemming him in the pocket with disciplined defense and daring him to beat them with his erratic left arm. The result: back-to-back poor passing performances with a half-dozen turnovers and the first three-game losing streak of his career. After turning the ball over four times at Buffalo on Christmas Eve, Tebow looked tentative Sunday in losing 7-3 to Kansas City and Kyle Orton, whom he couldn’t beat out in camp but still supplanted after the Broncos benched and then released Orton earlier this season. Tebow held on to the ball, passing up wide open receivers or taking a sack. He completed just 6 of 22 passes for 60 yards and a career-worst 20.6 passer rating. On Wednesday, Tebow said he has to be more aggressive and acknowledged “there’s a few opportunities I should have tried to force it in there, especially later in the game.” _John Elway, the former Broncos quarterback and vice president of football operations in Denver, has said Tebow needs to be less cautious and “pull the trigger” to get the passing game going. As Cindy Borenexplained _:_ _ John Elway is getting the jump on his promise to share his quarterback knowledge with Tim Tebow in the offseason. Tebow enters the Denver Broncos’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on a three-game losing streak in which his play as been tentative. Elway’s advice? Pull the trigger. “That's human nature, especially when you're young, to become more cautious,” Elway, Hall of Fame quarterback and the Broncos’ vice president of football operations, said (via the Denver Post). “He had a tough week before [the Chiefs regular-season finale] against Buffalo. The key thing ... is to go out, put everything behind him, go through his progressions and pull the trigger. “When you get into these playoff situations, he's a good enough athlete, you know what, to pull the trigger. He's obviously upset with last week. He's already got an edge to him, so he's ready to go. I like seeing the edge. Oh, yeah. I actually love it. I have full confidence he'll bounce back and have a good week.” _Some analysts see Tebow’s poor performances in the past few weeks as a sign that NFL defenses have decoded the Broncos offensive scheme. As the Associated Presswrote:_ It was fun in a way the NFL often isn’t, a midseason diversion that sent fans into a frenzy in Denver and prompted people around the country to drop to a knee. Even if you didn’t believe in Tim Tebow, it was hard to take your eyes off him as he found ways to win despite passes that fluttered about like balloons on a windy day. That it wasn’t pretty hardly mattered. Somehow, some way, Tebow got the Denver Broncos an invitation to the playoffs for the first time in six years — something that seemed unimaginable after the team sputtered to a 1-4 start. Now he’s got to do something even more unimaginable. Find a way to regroup after finishing the season in a funk and beat the banged-up but still intimidating Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in Denver. Do it, and the cult of Tebow grows. Kids will be Tebowing at recess, while their fathers practice the art in their offices. Fall short, and maybe it’s time to start facing reality. Tebow is not just the worst quarterback in the playoffs, leader of a team that scored the least points of any team in the postseason. He may be the worst quarterback in the NFL. OK, maybe not worse than Curtis Painter, who had the unfortunate task of filling in for Peyton Manning in Indianapolis. And it’s true that Blaine Gabbert was atrocious this year in Jacksonville. But you get the picture. If not, the NFL Network is likely running a replay of the New Year’s Day debacle in Denver when the Broncos could manage only three points against Kansas City. **More fromWashington Post Sports ** Sally Jenkins: Why must Maher criticize Tebow? Bill Maher vs. Tim Tebow: The tweet that roared Pro Bowl: Champ Bailey makes his annual trip to Hawaii Jon Gruden ripped by Mike Pereira as a ‘blowhard’

Francis A. “Frank” McNeirney, 75, a writer, editor and publications-communications specialist who founded a nonprofit organization to oppose implementation of the death penalty, died Dec. 1 at his home in Bethesda. He died after a heart attack, said his wife, Ellen McNeirney. Mr. McNeirney was employed by trade magazines and associations in New York before moving to this area in 1982 to work for the National Beer Wholesalers Association. He later worked for the Central Station Alarm Association and, from 2004 until two years ago, part time as an editor and writer with the American Association of Blood Banks. Twenty years ago, with his wife, he founded the nonprofit organization Catholics Against Capital Punishment. The organization was later asked by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to help craft its policy on the death penalty. Francis Adrian McNeirney was born in the New York City borough of Queens. In 1957, he graduated from St. John’s University in New York. In 2001, he and his wife received the President’s Medal from St. John’s for their work in opposing implementation of the death penalty. Mr. McNeirney was a train enthusiast and an amateur pianist who often played at singalongs for informal gatherings of family and friends. Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Ellen Becher McNeirney of Bethesda; three children, Mary McNeirney of Hampton Bays, N.Y., Jennifer Lehnertz of Manassas and John McNeirney of Raleigh, N.C.; and four grandchildren. **— Bart Barnes**

C. Frederick Kleinknecht Jr., 87, a Masonic leader who retired in 2003 as grand commander of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, died Dec. 1 at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda. He was a Chevy Chase resident. He died of complications following a stroke and a fractured femur, said his daughter Joan Kleinknecht. Mr. Kleinknecht worked his entire professional career for the Scottish Rite, whose headquarters is at the Supreme Council Temple on 16th Street NW. He began his Masonic career in 1949, and he had been sovereign grand commander for 18 years when he retired. His jurisdiction covered 35 states with a membership of 350,000. Under his leadership, the Scottish Rite reestablished a regular presence in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Slovenia and Romania. Christian Frederick Kleinknecht Jr. was a native Washingtonian and a graduate of Coolidge High School. He was a Navy veteran of World War II. After the war, he studied accounting at Benjamin Franklin University. Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Gene Elizabeth Kamm of Chevy Chase; four children, Gene Ellen Kleinknecht of Glastonbury, Conn., Henry Kleinknecht of McLean, Scott Kleinknecht of Bethesda and Joan Kleinknecht of Kensington; and 11 grandchildren. **— Bart Barnes**

Washington Post NFL reporter Mark Maske took a closer look at each of the four wild-card weekend matchups in advance of the first week of the NFL playoffs. The first round features a pair of tantalizing matchups featuring the high- octane New Orleans Saints hosting the resurgent Detroit Lions and Tim Tebow leading the Denver Broncos against banged-up Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Here’s what each team must do to advance to the second round. **Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) at Houston Texans (10-6)** Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Reliant Stadium, NBC (WRC-4) **How the Bengals can win…** They went 5-3 on the road during the regular season and are facing the Texans at the right time, with Houston on a three- game losing streak. The Bengals were winless in four games against the Steelers and Ravens but went 9-3 against the rest of their schedule. They lost by a point to the Texans on Dec. 11. The Bengals ranked seventh in the league in total defense and ninth in scoring defense during the regular season. Rookie QB Andy Dalton faces his first playoff game but has been unusually poised all season. Dalton needs to get rookie WR A.J. Green re-involved in the offense after Green totaled only four catches in the final two regular season games. **How the Texans can win…** The Texans play the first postseason game in franchise history but limp into the playoffs after a 10-3 start became a 10-6 final regular season record. Rookie QB T.J. Yates suffered a bruised non- throwing shoulder during Sunday’s loss to the Titans but is on track to start. For the Texans to right themselves, they might need to rely on Arian Foster the league’s second-ranked running game and second-ranked defense. **More on this matchup:** Early Lead: Rookie quarterbacks Andy Dalton, T.J. Yates take center stage Early Lead: Bengals QB Andy Dalton returns to practice after intestinal virus Fifth-round pick T.J. Yates not feeling like a rookie as he guides Texans into first-ever playoff game Texans make playoff debut against Bengals, who last won in postseason in 1990 **Detroit Lions (10-6) at New Orleans Saints (13-3)** Saturday, 8 p.m., Superdome, NBC (WRC-4) **How the Lions can win…** Detroit has a chance because of its offensive firepower with QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson. Stafford joined the Saints’ Drew Brees and the Patriots’ Tom Brady in topping 5,000 passing yards during the regular season, getting there with a 520-yard performance in Sunday’s loss to the Packers. Johnson led the league in receiving yards. The Lions will be familiar with the environment, having lost at New Orleans in early December. But they certainly need their defense to play better than it did Sunday at Lambeau Field when the Lions lost to the Packers, 45-41. Detroit had no answers for Green Bay’s backup QB Matt Flynn, who threw for 480 yards and six TDs. The Lions will need a few stops against Brees and the Saints. **How the Saints can win…** The Saints enter the playoffs with an eight-game winning streak and a 13-3 record, and they were 8-0 at home during the regular season. They have the league’s top-ranked offense built around Brees, who set NFL single-season records for passing yards and completion percentage. The Saints’ plan is simple: turn Brees loose and let him outscore any opponent. Few teams can keep up. TE Jimmy Graham and RB Darren Sproles create major matchup problems for virtually any defense. The question is whether the Saints can continue to get by with a defense that ranked 30th against the pass and 24th overall during the regular season. New Orleans did fare better in scoring defense, ranking 13th in the league. **More on this matchup:** Saints, Packers and Patriots will test ‘defense wins Super Bowls’ approach this postseason Lions Ndamukong Suh on Saints: ‘I don’t plan on anybody shooting our defense out’ Saints welcome Lions to Superdome after going 8-0 at home this season Running by committee, Saints’ ground game has quietly been among NFL’s best **Atlanta Falcons (10-6) at New York Giants (9-7)** Sunday, 1 p.m., MetLife Stadium, FOX (WTTG-5) **How the Falcons can win** … The Falcons are a relatively balanced team, at least by the standards of some of this year’s top playoff contenders. They ranked 10th in the league in total offense and 12th in total defense during the regular season. The Atlanta defense ranked sixth against the run, and seems likely to shut down a Giants’ running game, which struggled all year. The Falcons rediscovered RB Michael Turner when he ran for 172 yards Sunday, and QB Matt Ryan has the receivers — in WRs Roddy White and Julio Jones and TE Tony Gonzalez — to exploit the Giants’ 29th-ranked pass defense. **How the Giants can win…** The Giants enter the playoffs feeling good about themselves after beating the Jets and Cowboys on the final two weekends of the regular season to win the NFC East. They get to play at MetLife Stadium again, and they’re talking about re-creating the magic of their postseason run to a Super Bowl title after the 2007 season. QB Eli Manning has been one of the league’s most dependable players all season, leading the Giants to five victories with fourth-quarter comebacks. The defense played well against the Cowboys, sacking QB Tony Romo six times. DE Jason Pierre-Paul has become the most disruptive of the Giants’ pass rushers; he had 16-1/2 sacks during the regular season. **More on this matchup:** Sally Jenkins: Eli Manning belongs among NFL’s elite quarterbacks Matt Ryan says he’s ‘more mature,’ better prepared for third chance to win in NFL playoffs Early Lead: Giants’ DE Justin Tuck calls out Atlanta’s offensive line for being ‘dirtbags’ Battle up front between Giants’ pass rush and Atlanta O-Line could decide playoff game Strong finish has Giants channeling 2007 Super Bowl run as they prepare to host Falcons **Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) at Denver Broncos (8-8)** Sunday, 4:30 p.m., Mile High Stadium, CBS (WUSA-9) **How the Steelers can win…** They won four more games than the Broncos during the regular season, and their defense probably will find a way to contain QB Tim Tebow and the Denver offense. But the Steelers managed only 13 points in Sunday’s win at Cleveland in the regular season finale, and they lost RB Rashard Mendenhall to a knee injury. The defense will be without S Ryan Clark, who has sickle cell trait and faces possible health risks if he plays in the high altitude at Denver. **How the Broncos can win…** The Broncos need Tebow to recapture the magic of the 7-1 run after he took over as starter following the team’s 1-4 start. The Broncos made the playoffs thanks to the Raiders’ defeat Sunday despite losing their final three regular season games to finish 8-8. Tebow threw only two interceptions and lost three fumbles during his eight-game run. He had four interceptions and lost three fumbles during the three-game losing streak at the end of the season. For the Broncos to have any chance, they’ll have to get back to playing mistake-free football and rely on their defense while running the ball effectively and mixing in a big play or two. **More on this matchup:** Steelers’ Ryan Clark accepts decision to keep him out against Broncos due to sickle cell trait Road Show: Steelers fans feel right at home in any NFL stadium Early Lead: John Elway to Tim Tebow: ‘Just pull the trigger’ Ben Roethlisberger limited in practice after experiencing ‘setback’ against Browns Defenses have decoded Tebow puzzle, taking away the run and forcing the Broncos to throw Photo Gallery: Tim Tebow and his faith

Robert Dickey, a guitarist and singer in the group that recorded the hit song “I’m Your Puppet,” died Dec. 29 in his home town of Tallahassee. He was 72. His death was confirmed by a Tallahassee funeral home. No cause was given. Mr. Dickey began his musical career during the 1960s and toured with soul and rhythm and blues singers such as Otis Redding. He eventually became part of the soul group James and Bobby Purify. The duo had its biggest hit in fall 1966, when “I’m Your Puppet” hit the Top 10. The group also had a hit with a rendition of “Shake Your Tail Feather.” Mr. Dickey told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2000 that he never liked “I’m Your Puppet,” which was written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn, who also authored other hits from the same period. “I hated it,” Mr. Dickey told the newspaper when he was honored as part of a rock-and-roll exhibition at the Museum of Florida History. “It was originally intended to be the B-side. But things got changed. . . . I sang it for 23 hours straight [in the studio], that’s why I hate it.” Mr. Dickey quit his professional music career and returned to Tallahassee in 1972. He became a city maintenance supervisor, but he also kept singing and playing guitar with his church and as a member of the Bethlehem Male Singers.

Vade Bolton, 72, who spent 32 years with the National Education Association before retiring in 2000 as manager of organization development and training, died Dec. 26 at Reston Hospital Center. He was a Reston resident. He had cardiopulmonary arrest, said his wife, Janet Bolton. In addition to his work at the NEA, where he created the women’s leadership development program, Mr. Bolton was a community volunteer. He was a past board chairman of Reston Interfaith, where he was an advocate for affordable housing and aiding the homeless. He was also a volunteer at the Embry Rucker Community Shelter in Reston. Through Reston Interfaith, he was a force in the effort to start a formal day-labor hiring site in Herndon. It opened in 2005 but closed two years later after it became a national flash point in the debate over illegal immigrants. He was a member of Congregation Beth Emeth, a Conservative synagogue in Herndon where he co-chaired the social action committee. He was national president of Volunteers for Israel, which sends volunteers to Israel to work in a civilian capacity on military bases. Vade Desmer Bolton was a native of Paducah, Ky. He was a 1962 graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Ky., where he also received a master’s degree in education in 1967. His first marriage, to Janet Howard, ended in divorce. Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Janet Berg Bolton of Reston; two children from his first marriage, Shannon Dingus of South Riding and Todd Bolton of Adelaide, Australia; two sons from his second marriage, Noah Bolton of Charlottesville and Joshua Bolton of Philadelphia; a brother; and six grandchildren. **— Adam Bernstein**

Cynthia Landau, 96, who was a personnel supervisor at Raleigh’s men’s clothing stores in Washington, died Dec. 22 at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. She was a Silver Spring resident. She died after a heart attack, said her son, Lee Landau. Cynthia Michaelson was born in Cincinnati and moved to the Washington area in 1929. She graduated from Central High School in 1933 and then from Strayer Business College. In the 1940s, she was a partner with her father in B. Michaelson Jewelers in Washington. She worked at Raleigh’s from 1956 until 1969 and was a former treasurer of the credit union there. She was a member of B’nai Shalom of Olney, a Conservative synagogue. Her husband of 55 years, Irwin S. Landau, died in 1998. Survivors include two children, Katherine Landau Cornell of Glen Ellyn, Ill., and Lee E. Landau of Olney; and four granddaughters. **— Bart Barnes**

David A. Holt, 67, who retired in 2006 as a computer specialist with the National Weather Service, died Dec. 23 at Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton. He was a Temple Hills resident. He had congestive heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, said his wife, Frances Holt. Mr. Holt served in the Army from 1967 to 1983 and attained the rank of sergeant first class. He was a helicopter repair instructor in Vietnam during the war there. His final active-duty assignment was at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., where he had a supervisory role during the testing of the Patriot missile. He then settled in the Washington area and worked for the Army and Navy departments before joining the Weather Service in 1992. David Alan Holt was born in Morenci, Ariz., and raised in Fort Stockton, Tex. He was a 1981 graduate of what is now Excelsior College in Albany, N.Y. His first marriage, to Laura Farnum, ended in divorce. A son from that marriage, Timothy Holt, died in 2010. Survivors include his wife of 31 years, Frances Opatka Holt of Temple Hills; two sons from his first marriage, Kenneth Holt of Magnolia, Tex., and Christopher Holt of Montgomery, Tex.; two brothers; and nine grandchildren. **— Adam Bernstein**

Robert L. Carter, a lawyer who was an integral member of the team led by Thurgood Marshall that turned to the courts to battle segregation, died Jan. 3 at a hospital in New York after a stroke. He was 94. The death was confirmed by his son John Carter, who is a judge on the New York state bench. The elder Carter spent decades on the federal judiciary in New York. Robert Carter joined Marshall at the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund after leaving military service in 1944. He worked on a number of anti-segregation cases, the most high-profile of which was _Brown v. Board of Education_. In that case, the plaintiffs represented by the NAACP team argued that the system of legal segregation was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed in a 1954 decision. Robert Lee Carter was born in Caryville, Fla., on March 17, 1917, and grew up in Newark. He was a graduate of Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and Howard University School of Law, then attended Columbia University in New York for an advanced legal degree, which he received in 1941. During World War II, he served in the Army, and his experiences with racial hostility in the military hardened his determination to fight for equality, his son said. President Richard M. Nixon nominated Carter to the federal bench in the Southern District of New York in 1972. His tenure on the bench also had some high-profile episodes. He oversaw the merger of the National Basketball Association and the American Basketball Association, and in 1979, found in favor of black and Hispanic officers challenging the hiring practices of the New York police. In 1946, he married Gloria Spencer. She died in 1971. Survivors include two sons; a sister; and a grandson. **— Associated Press** ****

Angelos W. Valis, 83, a food salesman who also ran a wholesale grocery in the 1960s, died Dec. 18 at the home of one of his sons in Silver Spring. The cause of death was cardiac arrest, said his son Thomas Valis. Mr. Valis, a Potomac resident, worked as a salesman for various food brokers in the Washington area and retired in 1993. In the 1960s, he owned and operated the grocery P.K. Chaconas and Co., which was first located in the District and later in Riverdale. A sports enthusiast, he ran a concession stand at the old Griffith Stadium in the 1940s and ’50s. Angelos William Valis was born in the District to Greek immigrants. He graduated in 1947 from Roosevelt High School, where he was a captain of the football team. He attended business college in Washington before serving in the Army during the Korean War. Mr. Valis was a member of the American Legion and St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in the District. Survivors include his wife of 56 years, Doris Boukis Valis of Potomac; three sons, William Valis of Silver Spring, Thomas Valis of North Potomac and Kenneth Valis of Gaithersburg; a sister, Ann Andrias of Bethesda; a brother, Louis Valis of Rockville; and four grandchildren. **— Emily Langer**

Who doesn’t love the adorable sea creatures in “ Finding Nemo ”? There are sea turtles Crush and Squirt; Dory, the Pacific regal blue tang; Bruce, the great white shark; and, of course, the clownfish Nemo. In the movie, the characters face danger from predator fish, stinging jellyfish and even razor-toothed angler fish. But if Nemo were real and the fish lived along Australia’s Great Barrier Reef instead of in a world created by the animators at Disney and Pixar, could these sea creatures survive? That’s what a group of Canadian and U.S. scientists decided to find out. It turns out that when trying to survive in a non-cartoon sea, being adorable isn’t enough. Sixteen percent of the 1,568 species associated with characters in “Finding Nemo” face the threat of extinction, according to the study, which was conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Canada’s Simon Fraser University. In some ways, the Oscar-winning 2003 movie, in which Marlin works endlessly to save his son, Nemo, from being trapped in an aquarium, has added to the real-life problems. Because so many kids wanted to get a bright orange fish with white stripes after they saw “Finding Nemo,” people started overfishing clownfish on coral reefs in Australia and elsewhere to supply the aquarium trade. While the report says that clownfish don’t face an immediate extinction risk, 18 percent of the species studied that are related to Nemo — a group that also includes damselfishes— are in danger of disappearing. Many of the animals are in jeopardy because of people and their activities. Many sharks are being targeted to make the Asian delicacy shark fin soup; seahorses are considered collectibles. Other species, such as sea turtles, are having their nesting areas threatened as humans spend more time on the animals’ beaches. A survey of the animals with speaking parts in “Finding Nemo” gives a decent sense of how these species are doing. More than half of all hammerhead sharks (in the movie, Anchor is a hammerhead) face a threat of extinction, according to the conservation report, along with all species of marine turtles. Neil Hammerschlag, an assistant professor at the University of Miami who studies sharks, said many people don’t know that sharks are in jeopardy. “They are truly the celebrities of the ocean,” Hammerschlag wrote in an e-mail. “Despite their legendary status, most people are unaware that sharks are literally being fished to extinction.” For the four authors of the Nemo paper, this study meant a lot of time in front of the TV: They each had to watch the movie four or five times to make sure they didn’t miss anything. But Nicholas K. Dulvy, who co-wrote the study, said he came away with a better opinion of the film than when he first saw it eight years ago, especially after watching Bruce the shark struggle with his pledge to stop eating fish. “They tried to portray sharks in a way more positive way than is usually done. But they showed them to be fallible, which makes them closer to reality,” he said. “I really enjoyed it.” ** — Juliet Eilperin **

_Dear Carolyn:_ _Approximately 10 years ago, my wife had an affair with our daughter’s soccer coach. Of the nearly 7 billion people on the planet, she was adamant that she had found her “soul mate.”_ _Not only has she never really apologized for the affair, but I also had to beg her not to leave, primarily to keep our two kids close to their friends and extended family, as we could not afford our neighborhood in a divorce and would have had to move away._ _Both kids eventually graduated from great colleges and grew up never knowing of their mother’s affair. We both sought counseling, but, oddly enough, the starting point was always having the blame leveled at me — after all, if I were the perfect husband, my wife would never have cheated!_ _I still harbor anger, and disappointment in my marriage, despite the fact that we both “get along.” While we have sex, I would no longer consider it “making love.”_ _I would like for someone in my shoes to tell me whether the hurt goes away, and what is the nature of forgiveness? It seems people who have never been in my shoes are quick to dispense the, “forgive and forget, get on with your life” advice._ **Still Hurting** Your shoes may be a pair I haven’t tried on, but I still believe “forgive and forget, get on with your life” is an insult to someone in footwear like yours. That’s because one of two things typically precedes forgiveness: the transgressor’s expression of remorse, or the victim’s embrace of life after damage. The first is self-explanatory, and the direct path to forgiveness: “I believe she’d undo this if she could, and we’re all capable of doing things we regret.” The second path is for when the apology doesn’t come and you’re left to your own forgiveness devices. For this, people usually need to feel they gained something — anything — from what happened. With an affair, that can range from ending the marriage and building a satisfying new life, alone or with someone new; to recognizing ways you weren’t the greatest spouse and improving yourself for your own reasons and benefit; to using the demolition of your world to deepen your compassion and update your priorities; to recognizing that your vision of your life and marriage weren’t accurate and appreciating the truth for its own sake; to taking satisfaction in finding the strength to advocate for your kids; to just summoning the willpower to choose peace over anger. None of these is a free trip to Santorini, but each has its own soul-expanding charm. Unfortunately, where your wife’s remorse should be, you have finger-pointing — and where your personal growth should be, you have your hollowed-out marriage. Which you preserved not out of love but economics. To keep another decade from circling the bowl, please recognize that you need to fill in one of these two blanks, remorse or renewal — and that you’re the one who gets to decide what you need to put this affair to rest. An apology, okay, or . . . what? If your wife again rebuffs your request for accountability — or if you decide not to bother asking — then what attainable outcome do you want most? Therein lies your peace. Write to Carolyn Hax , Style, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071, or tellme@washpost.com. Subscribe at www.facebook.com/carolynhax. **More fromLifestyle:** @Work Advice: Karla L. Miller looks at where to go when the well runs dry Meeting the boyfriend’s parents Ask Amy: Parent alarmed by drug-dealing teacher Miss Manners: Follow a stranger’s lead in introductions

Walter Dean Myers has come a long way from being a boy with a speech problem who got teased in school — and then got into fights. On Tuesday, Myers, the author of more than 100 books for kids and teenagers, will be sworn in as the third national ambassador for young people’s literature. In keeping with his tough, no-nonsense childhood, Myers’s theme as ambassador is “Reading is not optional.” Myers spoke to KidsPost in September 2005 when he was in town for the National Book Festival about how he came to be a writer. “I was in my last year of high school, and I wasn’t going to school a lot at the time. But there was one teacher who understood everything that was going on without me telling her. She told me, ‘The one thing you can do very well is write. Whatever you do, you should continue to write.’ . . . It was like a two-minute conversation in the hallway between classes, but it made all the difference.” The job of the ambassador is to make sure that people understand how important it is for kids to read. The two previous ambassadors were Jon Scieszka (author of the Time Warp Trio series) and Katherine Paterson (who wrote “Bridge to Terabithia”).

Something strange and wonderful has washed up on our shores for these long winter’s nights. “From the Mouth of the Whale,” by the Icelandic poet and novelist known as Sjon, is a kind of “Robinson Crusoe” of the northern climes, an entrancing novel about the wonders and cruelty of a changing world. Originally titled “Rokkurbysnir” (“Twilight Marvels”), this is the second of Sjon’s novels to be translated into English, following “The Blue Fox,” which received the 2005 Nordic Council’s Literary Prize. Sjon is the pen name of Sigurjon B. Sigurdsson, a writer of some renown in his native land whose work has been translated into two dozen languages and who has collaborated with the singer Bjork (earning an Oscar nomination for his lyrics in her movie “Dancer in the Dark”). His relative anonymity in the United States may well be remedied by this deft translation by Victoria Cribb, who manages to convey his complex shifts in tone and style. “From the Mouth of the Whale” is the tale of Jonas Palmason the Learned, a self-taught naturalist on barren Gullbjorn Island off the coast of Iceland in the autumn of 1635. The Reformation had reached Iceland in the previous century, slowly changing the long-held beliefs and folk customs of the people. Caught copying a book of old Catholic prayers and “exorcisms and similar invocations of white magic to aid in the battle against the wiles of demons and other horrid sprites,” Palmason is banished at the ripe age of 61. He unpacks his troubles to his sole companion, a sandpiper on the shore. His tale of wonder is based in part on the autobiographical writings of the real Jon Gudmundsson the Learned, a student of the writings of Paracelsus, the Swiss naturalist who believed that all parts of nature are alive and interconnected. As society changes from the mystical cosmology of the Middle Ages to the more rational worldview of the Renaissance, Palmason laments the loss of the old ways. Over the course of four years on the island, Palmason tells the story of his life. We learn of his youth as a folk healer of women’s maladies and his discovery of an annual pilgrimage to an underground church filled with forbidden icons. He later uses the white magic of the old religion and poetry to exorcise a particularly mischievous and horrid ghost, a wraith of epic scatological powers. Balanced against this Nordic magical realism, the historical massacre of a group of traveling Catholic Basque whalers is retold through Palmason’s eyes. Not all, however, is cruelty. The story of his marriage to the long-suffering Sigga and the birth (and short lives) of their children comes across as genuine and poignant. Interspersed among these adventures, short excerpts of observations of the natural world reveal the mixture of science and folklore characteristic of the age. For example, we are told that the Sea-Speckle bird hatches from seaweed, and that moonwort is efficacious in stimulating childbirth and treating whooping cough. Sjon writes like a madman. His novel is by turns wildly comic and incandescent, elegant and brittle with the harsh loneliness of a world turned to winter. During the long night of the solstice, Palmason barely leaves his hovel and has scarcely enough food to survive. “On the beach all life has been scorched by the cold,” he says. “The sand is as hard as stone, the seaweed withered. Haddock and cod lie under the furthest rim of the ice, if they have not frozen to death too, but I have neither the strength nor the nerve to go out there, lacking a boat. What would I do there anyway? Talk the fish up through the ice?” As with many things strange and wonderful, this novel presents challenges to the reader. It blithely mixes the historical with the surreal. The narrative mixes lyrical stream of consciousness with more conventional first-person and third-person narratives. An unnerving prelude about the creation of mankind makes sense only in retrospect, and the tail of the book turns to other islanders: Jon the Learned, Jonah and the whale from the Old Testament and John of Patmos from the New Testament. There is no other way to navigate such waters but to dive right in. Donohue has published three novels, most recently “Centuries of June.” **FROM THE MOUTH OF THE WHALE** By Sjón Translated from the Icelandic by Victoria Cribb Telegram. 271 pp. Paperback, $14.95

****_“Talk, Talk, Squawk! A Human’s Guide to Animal Communication” by Nicola Davies; illustrated by Neal Layton. Age 8 and older._ __ Humans communicate with one another through language, gestures, actions and sounds. Would it surprise you to know that animals communicate in very similar ways? This fun and fascinating book is written by Nicola Davies, a zoologist who has also written books about other subjects kids find fascinating:sharks and poop. Among the amazing facts you’ll discover about animal communication: ●Some animals have uniforms. Just as school uniforms can help you recognize your classmates, the bright coloring on fish allows them to recognize fish of their own species. ●Baby crocodiles start to call “umph, umph” when they’re still in their shells as a way to signal to their mom that they’re ready to be born. ●Pandas do handstands next to trees to mark their territory. Other animals see how far up the tree the panda claws scratch and say to themselves, “Oh, that’s a big one; we should stay away.” This book, with its playful illustrations, will truly have you wishing that you could talk to the animals. ** — Tracy Grant **

Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein’s “Portlandia” both lampoons and celebrates the Oregon city’s famous mix of high/low hipsterdom and excruciatingly correct lifestyles, with varying results. It skewers the unmistakable Portland vibe with a wisp of love in its heart, as Armisen (slumming from “Saturday Night Live”) and Brownstein (a veteran of the indie rock scene who knows of what she mocks when it comes to the Pacific Northwest) take on a stereotypical array of characters: demanding foodies, impossible enviro-warriors, arrogant bicyclists, zealous homeowners, feminist booksellers and deluded artisans. Easy targets, all. And yet, back for a second season on IFC Friday night, the show seems markedly improved from its earlier efforts and somehow more confident in its writing and sense of nuance. It’s also funnier. Everyone involved with “Portlandia” recognizes that this isn’t a TV show so much as an opportunity to produce a series of quick video clips on a recurring theme, any one of which might break loose and go marvelously viral online. “Portlandia’s” real goal, it seems, is to be shared and linked into meme-dom. My favorite sketch last season — which caught on — had Armisen and Brownstein playing twee arts-and-crafters determined to stencil or sew bird silhouettes on everything they see. “Put a Bird on It!” became an anti-hipster mantra and may well have helped snuff out a tired fashion trend of the late ’00s. If true, hooray for “Portlandia.” (A rejoinder this season could well be “We can pickle that!,” where the two play foodies obsessed with canning every object they see.) The sketches this time are smarter and less reliant on the elusive magic of improv, that comedic school of performance from which all our funnypersons now matriculate. “Portlandia,” which bears the imprimatur of Lorne Michaels, still suffers some of the same bad habits of improv comedy workshops and “SNL,” where sketches don’t end so much as they peter out or careen off a cliff, devolving into redundant babbling contests of the same catchphrase. But Armisen and Brownstein more than make up for their flops with exuberance to spare. As a pair of yuppie REI weekend warriors, they admonish beer-swilling inner-tubers about river rights-of-way. As an impossibly hip engaged couple (he sports those napkin-ring earlobe piercings), they try the patience of a wedding planner with their desire to break every known nuptial convention. As helicopter parents of an adult son, they tag along as he gathers signatures on a petition to ban plastic bags and strap him into his car seat when he’s done. As the television hosts of Portland’s “Allergy Pride Parade,” they speak with solemn reverence as the malevolent “pad thai” float rolls by. They also play a young couple who decide to delay their night out by watching the first episode of Season 1 of “Battlestar Galactica” and can’t stop watching — losing their sense of hygiene as well as their jobs as they ravage through the entire box set and days elapse and entropy settles in. “It’s so good!” Armisen’s character effuses. “How is it so good?” “I a little bit feel like I have a bladder infection,” Brownstein says, as they pop in another disc. By design, “Portlandia” feels like a giant inside joke — white people making fun of the most rarefied set of white-people problems — and though it’s all in fun, it’s also never far from a trenchant bit of social commentary. It targets the most virulent anti-consumers, who in fact become impossibly materialistic; it abhors urban hypocrites and dilettante trendsetters. But it’s also not out for blood. “Portlandia” is catch-and-release, hunting only for silly sport. (30 minutes) returns Friday at 10 p.m. on IFC. **RELATED** Portlandia, your 15 minutes are up Did you read about “Portlandia?” 'Portlandia' star, guitarist Carrie Brownstein finds outlet for all her interests

The 18 third-graders in Christine Calabro’s class at St. John the Evangelist School in Silver Spring are January’s “Class of KidsPost.” This group loves reading KidsPost (always important for a potential Class of KidsPost) and eating cheese pizza, but not talking on cellphones! If you’d like to see your class featured, ask your teacher to go to kidspost.com to download the questionnaire, fill it out and send it, along with a class picture, to kidspost@washpost.com. We’ll feature one class a month throughout the school year. **Who is your favorite author?** These kids go for some real classics. Their favorites include Judy Blume, Roald Dahl, Jack London and J.K. Rowling (a modern classic). **What’s your favorite game:** Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Boggle and Sorry Sliders all got mentioned. **How much time do you spend on the Internet each week?** Seventeen kids said, “Two to three hours,” and one said, “Less than two hours.” **What’s your favorite Web site?** CoolMath4Kids, FunSchool Kaboose and Not Doppler were among their favorites. **Do you have a cellphone?** One child in the class of 18 has a phone. **What’s your favorite pizza topping?** Seven kids voted for cheese, while pepperoni and “everything” got four votes each. Sausage and meatball also got votes. **How often do you read KidsPost?** Every day: 3 votes. Several times a week: 9 votes. Just on Sundays: 4 votes. Never or almost never: 2 votes. (We hope you’re reading today!) ****What’s the biggest problem in the world today?** ** **** Pollution, war, the economy, hunger and poverty are all on the minds of these socially aware third-graders.