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| Grim AirAsia search for bodies hampered by storms |
| BEIJING — Indonesian search crews battled storms and high waves Wednesday as they tried to recover more bodies and find the underwater wreckage of a missing AirAsia jet carrying 162 passengers and crew. Read full article » |
| In Colombia, a palm oil boom with roots in conflict |
| MAPIRIPAN, Colombia — Long before the massacre, when Mapiripan was just a faraway little place not worth fighting for, Aida Gordilla and her family came to the wide-open grasslands outside town and fenced off a homestead. They called it Macondo, like the enchanted village in the Colombian novel popular at the time, “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Read full article » |
| Pentagon, moving to close Guantanamo, sends five prisoners to Kazakhstan |
| The U.S. military has sent five detainees from the prison at Guantanamo Bay to Kazakhstan, the Pentagon announced late Tuesday, capping a year of intensified efforts by the Obama administration to shut down the detention center. Read full article » |
| In education-crazy South Korea, top teachers become multimillionaires |
| SEOUL — Clasping his headphones and closing his eyes as he sang into the studio microphone while performing a peppy duet with one of South Korea’s hottest actresses, spiky-haired Cha Kil-yong looked every bit the K-pop star. Read full article » |
| Air Force captain dissents from military sex assault policy, and commanders take notice |
| With just a few weeks left in her Air Force career, Capt. Maribel Jarzabek decided to vent a little. She posted a few messages on a U.S. senator’s Facebook page, supporting the lawmaker’s push to overhaul the military justice system for sexual-assault cases. Read full article » |
| Nine Va. children died in unregulated day care in 2014, the deadliest year in a decade |
| Nine children died in unregulated day-care homes in Virginia in 2014, making it the deadliest year for such homes in the past decade, according to a Washington Post analysis. Six children died in sleep-related incidents, and three died in fires at two homes that had no working smoke detectors and were over capacity. Read full article » |
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| POLITICS |
| Steve Scalise distances himself from racially charged politics of the Deep South |
| Steve Scalise was a budding Louisiana state lawmaker eager to ascend the Republican ranks when he quickly accepted an offer to address a white-supremacist organization 12 years ago.The invitation came from a neighbor in his New Orleans suburb who was the longtime political strategist for former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard David Duke, and it gave Scalise the chance to appear before a politically active constituency that could prove helpful in future campaigns. Read full article » |
| Postal Service poised to begin controversial plant closures next week |
| The U.S. Postal Service next week plans to begin a new round of plant closings and consolidations that will affect dozens of mail-processing centers, despite calls from more than half the members of the outgoing Senate to postpone the changes. Read full article » |
| State prison populations down to lowest point in a decade |
| The number of Americans under supervision of state adult correctional systems has fallen to the lowest level in a decade, the federal government said Tuesday, while the number of people serving time in federal prison fell for the first time in more than three decades. Read full article » |
| Claims regarding Obama’s use of executive orders and presidential memoranda |
| “The truth is, even with all the actions I’ve taken this year, I’m issuing executive orders at the lowest rate in more than 100 years. So it’s not clear how it is that Republicans didn’t seem to mind when President Bush took more executive actions than I did.” Read full article » |
| OPINIONS |
| Dana Milbank: How can America inspire the Slacktivist Generation to action? |
| Iwanted to do something for my country during the holidays, so I went to the movies.I watched the Christmas Day opening of “The Interview,” to show North Korea that I wasn’t afraid of its threats to blow up theaters that screen the parody of Kim Jong Un. The $9.50 I paid in the name of patriotic pride bought me stadium seating, a preview of the coming feature “Hot Tub Time Machine 2,” and a feature film full of jokes about rectums, sex organs, ricin and the Supreme Leader defecating in his pants. Except for the Asian stereotypes, it was just my speed. Still, I wondered if there isn’t a better way to sacrifice for my country than paying to hear dong jokes. Read full article » |
| Warlords and armed groups threaten Ukraine’s rebuilding |
| Kiev is abuzz with creative reforms in governance, major anti-corruption initiatives and budgetary clawbacks against rent-seeking oligarchs. Civic activism is on the upsurge, and a new government team — populated with many foreign-born and Western-educated ministers — is largely free from the control of the country’s super-rich, who dictated policy in the past. Read full article » |
| Stark disparities in wealth are key in discussions on race in the United States |
| It’s hard for anyone who lives in St. Louis to not reflect on the issues underlying the situation in nearby Ferguson, Mo. The challenges are many and complex. As researchers, we wrestle with the question: Is the current state of household wealth in the United States positioning enough young people, families and communities to thrive? Read full article » |
| Ann Telnaes’s 2014: An animated year in review |
| New Jersey Governor Chris Christie started the year off by being a massive bully…Russian president Vladimir Putin went from hosting the Winter Olympics in Sochi to invading Ukraine… Read full article » |
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| LOCAL |
| Metro investigates videos on porn site of female riders |
| Metro Transit Police said they are investigating a report of women being secretly videotaped on the rail system after videos turned up on a pornographic Web site.The videos show women, typically wearing shorts or skirts, who don’t appear to be aware that they’re being filmed. Read full article » |
| Man killed by gunshot in Capitol Heights |
| Prince George’s County Police said Wednesday it is investigating the death of a man from an apparent gunshot wound.Few details were available on the incident in Capitol Heights.In several Twitter messages, police said the incident occurred around 1 a.m. in the 800 block of Balsamtree Drive. Police said the man was found “suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.” He was pronounced dead soon after, police said. Read full article » |
| Bishop accused in bicylist death raises question: Who’s qualified to be clergy? |
| The awful death Saturday in Baltimore of a biker who was hit by an Episcopal bishop has set off questions around the country: How long after she hit the man did she return to the scene? Could dividers bordering the bike lane have helped? Read full article » |
| D.C. area forecast: Bright, breezy and chilly to close out 2014; cold rain may dampen first weekend of 2015 |
| No rain or snow are expected to mess up our holiday plans. But it will be cold. Read full article » |
| SPORTS |
| Jim Harbaugh’s contract with Michigan escalates coaches’ salaries scale, college football arms race |
| Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Michigan will introduce the richest college football coach in history, a title Jim Harbaugh will not hold for long. The exorbitant salaries universities pay football coaches have resulted in an arms race without end, at a cost to the structure of the sport that remains to be seen. Read full article » |
| It might have taken a week of rest, but Kobe Bryant got a triple-double |
| Kobe Bryant never seemed older than when he took off three games recently for no major reason other than general soreness, especially in his legs. On Tuesday, in his second game back from that hiatus, Bryant showed fresh legs, indeed, posting a triple-double as the Lakers beat the Nuggets, 111-103. Read full article » |
| Maryland’s quest for national respect crumbles in 45-21 loss to Stanford in Foster Farms Bowl |
| SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Before the Foster Farms Bowl could begin, before eager Maryland could start swinging at powerful Stanford for national respect, before the Terrapins had even one play to show they belonged, a blustering wind twice blew the ball off their tee. Read full article » |
| Ravens security chief reportedly charged with sex crime |
| The Ravens’ senior director of security was charged Tuesday with a sex crime, according to the Baltimore Sun. Darren I. Sanders is a former Baltimore homicide detective who recently figured into the Ray Rice case. Read full article » |
| FEDERAL GOVERNMENT |
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| GAO to fed workers: No, taxpayers can’t pay for your plastic forks |
| (This post has been updated.)Federal workers who pack their lunches should also remember to pack their own utensils.A Government Accountability Office decision released last week determined that federal agencies cannot supply “disposable cups, plates, and cutlery” for employee use because they are for personal benefit and not a specific government purpose. Read full article » |
| GSA loses appeal in firings of top officials; appeals board orders them reinstated |
| A federal appeals panel this week upheld two rulings that the General Services Administration wrongly fired two senior executives whose staffs attended a conference in Las Vegas that turned out to be an extravagant junket for 300 employees. Read full article » |
| How long does it take to investigate an inspector general? A long time |
| Relatively speaking, federal inspectors general are not accused of wrongdoing that often, and a small number of complaints against them results in full-blown investigations. But since these public servants are high-ranking watchdogs over spending, mismanagement and corruption in government, a swift resolution in a case against them is viewed by many as a good thing. Read full article » |
| NATIONAL |
| This year, I resolve to ban laptops from my classroom |
| I settled on my New Year’s resolution while giving a lecture to 85 masters students. It was one kid who unintentionally suggested the idea. He was sitting in the back row, silently pecking away at his laptop the entire class. At times, he smiled at his screen. But he rarely looked up at me. I had a choice. I could disrupt the class to single him out. Or I could do what most teachers in higher education do: just ignore it. After all, these students are adults, and they have to take a final exam. Do I have to be the disciplinarian? When I was a student myself — not that long ago — no one brought laptops to class. I took notes on legal pads, and the remains of those legal pads are still filed away in my office. Today, few students take notes by hand. Read full article » |
| John Kerry won’t call the Islamic State by its name anymore. Why that’s not a good idea. |
| “Daesh claims to be fighting for Islam but its actions are an insult to Islam,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said recently, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State.It was a strange rhetorical choice. American officials have been referring to the Islamic State as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or ISIL, since the group came out in April 2013. Read full article » |
| We’re way too obsessed with pushing science and math on our kids. |
| When I was a child, I wanted to be a scientist. For a school project, I grew my own bread mold and dressed up as Alexander Fleming. I read about Marie Curie’s travails with the enthusiastic fandom that most girls dedicate to movie stars or singers. Microbiology, entomology, neuroscience, medicine—all beckoned with promises of discoveries to be made, fundamental truth hiding behind a microscope or a tricky equation. Read full article » |
| WORLD |
| Kabul was eerie and dangerous under the Taliban. It feels that way again. |
| KABUL — Many winters ago, I stood in a vast, empty intersection of central Kabul. The only sounds were the jingle of passing horse carts and the ticking spokes of old bicycles. There were no other Westerners on the streets, and all eyes were upon me. Despite being wrapped in many layers of modest clothing, I felt naked. Read full article » |
| Throw your furniture out the window, and other ways to ring in 2015 |
| New Year's Eve is upon us and, yes, many of us will explode fireworks and perhaps down some booze. But why not celebrate the New Year with some of these other traditions from around the world.Eat a grape (12 of them) Read full article » |
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| BUSINESS |
| At least 7.1M signed up for 2015 Obamacare plans so far |
| At least 7.1 million people so far have enrolled in 2015 health plans through Obamacare's insurance marketplaces, according to a pair of federal reports issued Tuesday.As of Dec. 26, 6.5 million people signed up for coverage in federally run exchanges — that includes new enrollments, people actively re-enrolling and existing customers who allowed their coverage to automatically renew, according to the Department of Health and Human Services' weekly enrollment update. Read full article » |
| The odds of Greece leaving the euro have never been higher |
| Beware Greeks bearing the same political crisis over and over again. Because eventually this will be how the euro crisis ends: not with a bailout, but a ballot.It's a tale as old as Homer, or at least it seems that way. The Greek government, you see, has once again collapsed under the weight of the country's austerity program, and anti-bailout parties are leading the polls ahead of new elections. This time, not that it really matters, the ruling coalition led by the right-of-center party New Democracy fell apart after it couldn't get its presidential nominee, a largely ceremonial role, confirmed in three tries. What does matter, though, is whether New Democracy, which is still running a close second, can hold on to power in the snap elections scheduled for Jan. 25. If it can't, then the far-left party Syriza will get its chance to lead Greece in a high-stakes game of chicken with Germany. Read full article » |
| Tax filing season is on. (Thanks, Congress.) |
| Disaster averted. Despite concerns that late action from Congress could push back the start of the filing season, tax returns — and tax refunds — should be collected on time next year.The Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting tax returns on Jan. 20 as scheduled, the agency said Monday. Read full article » |
| TECHNOLOGY |
| 2014: The year we entered a cyberpunk present |
| Fifty years ago, Isaac Asimov wrote about a wondrous science fiction world that would await in 2014: A world of constant convenience with instant coffee, video phones and robot vacuums, much of which is already a reality. Read full article » |
| Why fingerprints scans may not be the future of digital verification |
| Fingerprint scanners are becoming increasingly mainstream -- they even come built-in many Apple devices.But researchers are finding ways to spoof biometric ID methods, and they come with their own set of privacy and security drawbacks. Read full article » |
| Not satisfied with Gmail, China seems to be blocking Google Search, too |
| It isn't just Gmail. The government of China, which this weekend launched a tweak to its Great Firewall filtering regime that blocked much of mainland China's access to Google's e-mail service, has on Monday cut off access nationwide to Google Search as well, reports one Internet intelligence expert. Read full article » |
| The Word of the Year is not actually a word. It’s this emoji: ❤ |
| Step aside words with letters, because for the first time an emoji is the the word of the year.The heart-shaped emoji (or , if you want to get more technical), is the top word in Global Language Monitor’s annual survey of English words, phrases and names. The Texas-based media company develops the lists by analyzing the frequency and usage of English words across the Internet, including sources such as Twitter, as well as the top 250,000 print and electronic new media sources. Read full article » |
| LIFESTYLE |
| When you were at the movies this year, reality wasn’t too far away |
| If 2014 will be remembered for anything in Hollywood, it will be as the year that reality came knocking.A glance at the signal movie moments of the past 12 months reveals a startling number of instances when the real world intersected, and sometimes collided head-on, with cinema in new and confounding ways. To an unusual degree, in form, content and effect, the movies of 2014 merged with the very reality they so often allow us to escape. Read full article » |
| What the Internet watched illegally in 2014 |
| The year in pirating has been an interesting one, but the illegal downloading of TV shows and films continued to flourish despite protestations. “Game of Thrones” is still the most pirated TV show in 2014, to no one’s surprise. Drake’s 2013 album “Nothing Was the Same” is apparently the most pirated album of all time. Put that in your thinkhole. Read full article » |
| My child is out of control. Here’s what I’ll do in 2015 to change that |
| My daughter is 5 and a half years old going on 15. I get eye rolls from her on a daily basis, impatient ‘Duhs’ when I say something that is apparently just so obvious, and the insistence on having it her way, whether it’s a minor event (“I want 10 more minutes of cuddle time before bed, mommy”), or more major (“I want to wear open-toed sandals to school tomorrow, mommy”). Read full article » |
| Carolyn Hax: Readers’ advice on charity, venting and kids |
| While I’m away, readers give the advice.On not waiting for wealth before becoming philanthropists:Several years ago my cousins and I were drinking wine and talking about what we would do if we won the lottery. We all agreed we would start a charity to provide college scholarships at the high school that has been so much a part of our family history. Read full article » |
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