The Week USA – December 9, 2016

The Week USA

CONTROVERSY HEALTH & SCIENCE PEOPLE IS TRUMP A FLIPFLOPPER? Pluto’s hidden ocean Thornton’s distaste for the high life p.6 p.22 p.10 THE BEST OF THE U.S AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA After Castro What the dictator’s death means for Cuba and the U.S Pages 15, 16, 39 DECEMBER 9, 2016 VOLUME 16 ISSUE 800 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS WWW.THEWEEK.COM Over 20 million kids in America lack access to healthy food So, a company called Revolution Foods came up with a solution: affordable, nutritious, kid-inspired meals, available in schools and stores To make an impact, they needed capital, financial advice and guidance With Citi’s support, they went from a small kitchen to employing more than 1,000 people, serving a million meals a week nationwide Now Citi is helping the company expand, as they continue their mission to make nourishing food accessible to all For over 200 years, Citi’s job has been to believe in people and to help make their ideas a reality citi.com/progressmakers © 2016 Citibank, N.A Member FDIC Equal Oppor.tunity Lender Citi, Citi and Arc Design and The World’s Citi are registered service marks of Citigroup Inc Contents Editor’s letter A friend of mine is an immigration attorney She personally abhors Donald Trump’s positions on deporting undocumented immigrants and building a border wall, but she’ll be the first to admit there’s been a silver lining to his victory: Her office phone has been ringing off the hook She’s not the only anti-Trumpist to encounter a startling business bump over the past few weeks Therapists in deep-blue enclaves can’t keep up with the demand for counseling from despondent Hillary voters Journalists openly fret about a coming assault on press freedoms, but publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post have reported a surge in subscriptions And Wall Street banks, which wanted nothing to with Trump during the campaign, have been delighted by an unexpected—and record-breaking—market rally Who else stands to profit mightily from a Trump presidency? Trump himself, of course He pledged this week to leave his businesses “in total” to focus on running the country But with his name emblazoned above the door and his children possibly steering the ship, some still worry that the Trump Organization will become a magnet for ill-gotten profits and corruption I, for one, think it would be not only proper but also savvy for Trump to distance himself now After all, it’s far from certain that the value of his businesses will soar while he’s in the Oval Office Brands depend on consistency for success, and Trump Inc., which has long stood for gilded luxury and decadence, is already struggling with the contradictions inherent in his populist run The inconsistencies will only grow as Trump begins to govern What happens to Trump the Brand when his name comes to be associated with, say, a trade war with China or bungled Medicare reform? Trump Inc.’s fortunes, of course, could grow without Trump at the helm And the president-elect could then enjoy his windfall while ducking suspicion; if its fortunes fell, he could dodge Carolyn O’Hara Managing editor blame How’s that for a silver lining? NEWS Main stories Donald Trump fills out his Cabinet; a recount push in the Rust Belt Newscom, Everett Collection Controversy of the week Is Trump flip-flopping on his promises, or just using his business savvy? The U.S at a glance ISIS claims a stabbing attack at Ohio State University; standoff at Standing Rock The world at a glance Crash wipes out Brazilian soccer team; India and Pakistan on the brink 10 People Billy Bob Thornton’s many wives; Carrie Fisher’s Star Wars fling 11 Briefing Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law, will play a major role in the White House Who is he? 12 Best U.S columns Why Trump needs to step back from his business; Putin moves on Aleppo 14 Best European columns A populist wave threatens Italy’s government 16 Talking points How Fidel Castro will be remembered; Melania Trump stays put in NYC; the Democrats’ new identity battle Editor-in-chief: William Falk Managing editors: Theunis Bates, Carolyn O’Hara Deputy editor/International: Susan Caskie Deputy editor/Arts: Chris Mitchell Senior editors: Harry Byford, Alex Dalenberg, Richard Jerome, Dale Obbie, Hallie Stiller, Frances Weaver Art director: Dan Josephs Photo editor: Loren Talbot Copy editors: Jane A Halsey, Jay Wilkins Chief researcher: Christina Colizza Special projects editor: Alexis Boncy Contributing editors: Ryan Devlin, Bruno Maddox VP, publisher: John Guehl Cubans in Havana read news of Castro’s death (pages 15, 16, 39) ARTS 24 Books A lurid history of Bellevue, America’s first public hospital 25 Author of the week Amos Oz on what it means to be a traitor 26 Art & Stage Francis Picabia’s constant reinventions 28 Film In Moana, Disney debuts a feisty seafaring princess; Loving’s quiet portrait of a barrier-breaking marriage Disney’s Moana (p 28) LEISURE 30 Food & Drink Three refreshing restaurant reinventions 31 Travel A skier’s paradise on Japan’s stunning slopes 32 Consumer The season’s best toys for kids of all ages BUSINESS 36 News at a glance Holiday shopping migrates to mobile; China’s social credit scores 37 Making money How to avoid busting your holiday gift budget 38 Best columns New overtime rules in limbo; why iPhones won’t be Made in the USA VP, marketing: Tara Mitchell Account directors: Samuel Homburger, Steve Mumford Account manager: Shelley Adler Detroit director: Lisa Budnick Midwest director: Lauren Ross Northwest director: Steve Thompson Southeast director: Jana Robinson Southwest directors: James Horan, Rebecca Treadwell Integrated marketing director: Nikki Ettore Integrated associate marketing director: Betsy Connors Integrated marketing managers: Matthew Flynn, Caila Litman Research and insights manager: Joan Cheung Marketing designer: Triona Moynihan Marketing coordinator: Reisa Feigenbaum Digital director: Garrett Markley Senior digital account manager: Yuliya Spektorsky Digital planner: Jennifer Riddell Chief operating & financial officer: Kevin E Morgan Director of financial reporting: Arielle Starkman EVP, consumer marketing & products: Sara O’Connor Consumer marketing director: Leslie Guarnieri Production manager: Kyle Christine Darnell HR/operations manager: Joy Hart Adviser: Ian Leggett Chairman: John M Lagana U.K founding editor: Jolyon Connell Company founder: Felix Dennis Visit us at TheWeek.com For customer service go to www TheWeek.com/service or phone us at 1-877-245-8151 Renew a subscription at www RenewTheWeek.com or give a gift at www.GiveTheWeek.com THE WEEK December 9, 2016 NEWS The main stories Trump fills out a conservative Cabinet “Trump just tapped two smart, tough women to help lead his administration,” said Donald Trump named a series of nominees the New York Post In selecting Haley, the for major Cabinet posts this week, stocking president-elect is helping a rising Republican his administration with a mix of hard-line star—“letting her gain crucial experience conservatives, Wall Street veterans, and en route, presumably, to yet higher office.” GOP establishment figures To head the DeVos, meanwhile, “has been fighting for edDepartment of Health and Human Services, ucation reform for decades.” Charter schools the president-elect chose Rep Tom Price, a will have “a potent friend in Washington.” Georgia doctor who has authored a 242-page plan to replace the Affordable Care Act and Price is “a radical choice for Health secrewho advocates overhauling Medicare and tary,” said The New York Times His plan other entitlement programs Trump tapped to replace the Affordable Care Act would, Hollywood financier and former Goldman among other things, roll back the federSachs executive Steven Mnuchin for Treasury Trump and DeVos, his pick for Education ally financed expansion of Medicaid in 31 secretary and selected billionaire Betsy DeVos, states, taking coverage away from 14 million poor people It would a major Republican donor, to lead the Department of Education slash subsidies that have helped millions of people afford coverage Mnuchin, who served as finance chair of Trump’s presidential campaign, says his chief priority is lowering corporate and personal since Obamacare went into effect And it “would no longer require tax rates DeVos is a longtime foe of teacher’s unions and a staunch insurers to cover addiction treatment, birth control, maternity care, prescription drugs, and other essential medical services.” proponent of school choice and voucher programs Praised by many conservatives, the nominations drew fire from leading DemoWhat the columnists said crats “This isn’t draining the swamp,” said Ohio Sen Sherrod “Get ready for an epic showdown over the fate of Medicare,” said Brown “It’s stocking it with alligators.” Greg Sargent in The Washington Post Trump promised to protect For his Commerce secretary, Trump nominated billionaire investor the entitlement on the campaign trail, but Price wants to gut the popular program and offer seniors a voucher toward private insurWilbur Ross—a 79-year-old “turnaround specialist” known for ance Critics say that would inevitably result in higher costs for buying troubled companies and restructuring them, often with elderly recipients, because their fixed benefit from the government substantial layoffs The president-elect also drew on Washington would fall behind rising health-care costs Price’s confirmation insiders His choice for Transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, hearing is sure to be explosive as progressives like Sens Bernie served as secretary of labor under President George W Bush and Sanders and Elizabeth Warren hammer home “the true radicalism” is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell; Trump of Trump’s agenda nominated Gov Nikki Haley of South Carolina as ambassador to the United Nations A Ted Cruz backer in the GOP presidential Trump’s secretary of state drama has overshadowed “a more primary, Haley once called Trump “everything a governor doesn’t important story,” said Jonathan Tobin in CommentaryMagazine want in a president.” com All the contenders for the post—Romney, Giuliani, Bolton, Petraeus—support the sort of internationalist foreign policy that Speculation swirled around Trump’s possible secretary of state Trump opposed as a candidate No matter who gets the nod, it Among the names under consideration were retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus, former New York City May- seems his administration “will have far more in common with his Republican predecessors’ on foreign policy than anyone might have or Rudy Giuliani, and former U.N ambassador John Bolton But imagined.” That he’s even considering Petraeus is shocking, said the most intense debate was over former Massachusetts governor Bryan Bender in Politico.com Trump insisted Hillary Clinton’s use and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, a posof a private server for State Department emails “made her unfit for sibility that divided the president-elect’s own team Senior adviser high office.” Yet Petraeus pleaded guilty to leaking reams of clasKellyanne Conway said the president-elect’s supporters would feel sified information to his biographer“betrayed” if he chose Romney, who mistress and was sentenced to two attacked Trump as “a phony” and “a What next? years of probation and fined $100,000 fraud” during the campaign After the Trump is still mulling his options for two crucial two men dined together in Manhattan national security posts He tweeted that retired “Let’s not jinx it, but this incoming this week, Romney said he had “increas- Marine Gen James Mattis, a favorite to head the Cabinet looks pretty darn good so far,” ing hope” that Trump would lead the Defense Department, is “a true general’s gensaid Jim Geraghty in NationalReview nation to “a better future.” eral.” But Mattis’ appointment “would require a com Considering the “limited circle congressional waiver from the requirement that What the editorials said of connections and talent” that surthe Pentagon chief be out of uniform for at least rounded Trump during the campaign, Trump is confounding naysayers who as- seven years,” said Susan Page in USAToday.com this group is solidly conservative, sumed he’d bear grudges “all the way to Trump also met this week with hard-line Milwau“sufficiently experienced, professional, the crack of doom,” said the Washington kee Sheriff David Clarke, a potential secretary knowledgeable, and prepared.” They Examiner Instead of exacting revenge, of the Department of Homeland Security Clarke could be stunningly effective, quietly rethe president-elect is choosing “from called anti-Trump protests after the election pealing regulations and executive orders among the ranks of his fiercest critics and “temper tantrums” that needed to be “quelled,” and pushing through legislation, while most stalwart opponents.” It’s heartening and has predicted that Black Lives Matter “will “the political world froths at the mouth to see Trump “displaying such equanimjoin forces with ISIS.” about the president’s latest tweet.” ity and broad-mindedness.” THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Illustration by Howard McWilliam Cover photos from AP, NASA, Newscom Getty What happened and how they were covered NEWS .and rages as recounts advance in three states What happened “incendiary charge” that millions of noncitizens voted is even more Wisconsin officials this week began a worrisome The U.S already makes it recount of the state’s nearly million “too difficult for citizens to cast their presidential election votes, following votes,” with restrictive registration, a last-minute filing by Green Party limited early voting, and long lines nominee Jill Stein, who is also seeking “If Trump’s preoccupation with phanrecounts in the closely contested states tom voting fraud is any indication,” of Michigan and Pennsylvania Stein he may well seek to decrease ballot has alleged that there were unspecified access even further voting irregularities on Election Day and that Russian hackers may have What the columnists said interfered with voting machines, but Casting ballots in Wisconsin on Election Day Trump didn’t win the election “by she has not provided any evidence for means that most people would consider fair and square,” said the claims President-elect Donald Trump won the three states by Amanda Marcotte in Salon.com He lost the popular vote; there is a combined margin of 100,000 votes; if all three flipped to Hillary “compelling evidence” that Moscow interfered by releasing hacked Clinton—a highly unlikely scenario, given that past statewide reemails from senior Democrats; and strict voting laws crafted by counts have tended to shift only a few hundred votes—the defeated Democratic nominee, who currently leads the popular vote by nearly Republican state lawmakers almost certainly depressed Democratic turnout That being said, the rules are the rules—and Stein 2.4 million votes, would claim an Electoral College victory After Stein raised $6.6 million to pay for the recounts, Clinton’s campaign won’t find anything “lurking in the data of some Wisconsin voting machine.” Liberals need to abandon their “wishful thinking,” said agreed to join the process The recount deadline is Dec 13, six days Bruce Shapiro in TheNation.com Disputing clear results will simbefore the Electoral College votes are formally certified ply “escalate the dangerously paranoid post-election atmosphere” and “distract from addressing systemic issues like voter disenfranIn a series of angry tweets, Trump called the recounts a Green Party chisement and the Electoral College.” “scam,” and accused Clinton of hypocrisy for questioning the election’s integrity In an unprecedented move for a president-elect, I’m actually in favor of the recounts, said Nate Silver in FiveThirty Trump asserted without evidence that there had been “serious voter Eight.com The chances of uncovering “deliberate and widespread fraud” in Virginia, New Hampshire, and California, all of which fraud” are infinitesimally small—swinging a national ballot through Clinton won He also claimed he would have won the popular vote nefarious means would require a conspiracy of unimaginably large “if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” proportions But a thorough audit may at least put to bed any linWhat the editorials said gering doubts people have over the integrity of this divisive election Trump is right to call these recounts a farce, said the New York Post “More information is better.” There is virtually zero chance even one of the states will flip to Clinton, let alone all three Stein is simply pandering to “liberal hysteria Not always, said Megan McArdle in BloombergView.com Both sides—those backing the recount as well as those defending Trump’s over Trump’s win” to raise funds and build up a huge database of baseless allegations about illegal voters—see themselves engaged in “suckers” for future donation appeals The hypocrisy of the Left “a vitally important fight for the future of the country.” Their pasis astonishing, said The Wall Street Journal Before the election, Democrats slammed Trump for claiming the election was “rigged”; sion is admirable, but they need to consider the “pit of doom that awaits any country that cannot figure out how to settle its disputes now, “the same crowd” is echoing his exact words by politics.” All that’s between us and that pit is “the safety net of civic institutions, like the legitimacy of election results.” Tearing Stein definitely shouldn’t be sowing “unfounded doubts” over the that net apart is a sure path to “lawlessness” and “autocracy.” integrity of the election, said The Washington Post But Trump’s It wasn’t all bad Wisconsin State Journal/AP, AP QWhen Illinois repo man Jim Ford went to repossess a 1998 Buick belonging to Patty Kipping, 70, and her 82-year-old husband, Stanford, he was distraught to learn that the couple was mired in debt from medical expenses and had only $30 to last until their next Social Security check Taking the car broke Ford’s heart, so he set up an online fundraiser to help the Kippings out In a single night, he raised $3,500: enough to pay off the car, which he also repaired, and put $1,000 toward the couple’s bills “It was a miracle come true,” said Patty QPray Eat raw eggs Stay single Those are the keys to a long life, according to Emma Morano, who celebrated her 117th birthday this week As the world’s oldest person—and the only person alive to have been born in the 1800s—Morano is a national treasure in her native Italy, where her birthday celebration was broadcast live on state TV Journalists, relatives, and well-wishers crowded into her cozy apartment in the northern town of Pallanza, where Morano received plenty of gifts and cheek kisses She only interrupted the festivities once, to ask, “Is there anything to eat here?” After the party, Morano took a well-deserved nap Morano, still kicking at 117 QAt nine months pregnant, Ariel Boggs really should be avoiding stressful situations But last week the Kentucky mom of three was stopped in her car, waiting for a work crew to move a new trailer home out of the road, when one of the workers accidentally touched a power line—sparking a fire that engulfed him in flames Without a moment’s hesitation, Boggs jumped out of her car, climbed up the ladder to the trailer’s roof, and began to administer CPR that saved the workman’s life “Feeling his heartbeat and knowing I helped give him that back,” said Boggs, “that means a lot to me.” THE WEEK December 9, 2016 NEWS Controversy of the week Trump: Flip-flopping on campaign promises dent manages to follow through on every campaign promise, of Is Donald Trump a hypocrite? asked Michael Gerson in course, but it does look as if Trump is “prepping to take a real The Washington Post “For the nation’s sake, let’s hope shot at doing what he can.” so.” Only days after winning the election, Trump elicited howls of protest from his more rabid supporters when he Trying to determine Trump’s actual beliefs or agenda “is walked back his chilling campaign pledge to prosecute like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall,” said Harry Enten in Hillary Clinton He then went on to praise President FiveThirtyEight.com His transition picks may indicate Obama (formerly “the worst president in history”) “an instinct to go hard right,” but Trump’s own and say that he was open to preserving some elewords really have been much more moderate since ments of the Affordable Care Act Last week, in the election He has barely mentioned immigration, an interview with The New York Times, Trump the centerpiece of his campaign The only policy retreated even further toward “realism and good outlined in his victory speech was a New Deal–ish sense.” On climate change, the president-elect What does he actually believe? program of infrastructure spending And in a now claims to have “an open mind” about the YouTube video outlining the agenda for his first 100 days, Trump Paris agreement to slash emissions, which he once “threatened to almost sounded like “a Bernie Sanders–style Democrat,” with a tear up,” and is apparently no longer convinced of the need to focus on jobs, worker-friendly trade deals, and lobbying reform So bring back torture for terrorist suspects It’s been a “breathtaking far, President-elect Trump is a vast improvement over Trump the fortnight of flip-flopping” from Trump, said David Ignatius, also in the Post Ordinarily we look for consistency and principle in our candidate, said Fareed Zakaria in WashingtonPost.com If this is politicians But given the “reckless and damaging” pledges he made flip-flopping, “we should all hope that he flip-flops some more.” on the campaign trail, “perhaps we should be thankful this week Trump’s not a “flip-flopper,” said Salena Zito in NYPost.com He’s for Donald Trump’s insincerity.” a businessman, and business people change their minds a lot Why? Don’t be fooled, said Robinson Meyer in TheAtlantic.com The Not because they lack courage or conviction, but because they care president-elect may sound like a moderate when he’s wooing liberal more about real-world results than about ideological purity To a Times editors, but his Cabinet nominations and staffing choices lifelong deal maker like Donald Trump, “everything is negotiable,” so far have been those of an “extremist Republican.” If Trump and the flexible, freewheeling pragmatism he displayed throughout were softening his positions, would he have picked Myron Ebell, a the campaign was evidently a quality that voters found attractive professional climate-change denier, to lead his transition team for Maybe so, said Kathleen Parker in The Washington Post, but they the Environmental Protection Agency? Or immigration hard-liner were also attracted by Trump’s unambiguous promises to bring Sen Jeff Sessions to be Attorney General? To his credit, Trump was back jobs, defeat ISIS, fix the U.S health-care system, and so fairly blunt on the campaign trail about what he hoped to achieve much else If he doesn’t start delivering, and quickly, his supportin office, said Matthew Yglesias in Vox.com He vowed to crack ers may soon join the rest of us in wondering just “who is the real down on illegal immigration and slash corporate taxes No presiDonald Trump, and what does he stand for?” QA transgender police officer in San Diego was barred from an LGBT event that she helped organize over concerns that her uniform would upset other attendees Officer Christine Garcia provided security for the annual march honoring victims of anti-transgender violence But when she tried to enter a post-march event, she was turned away A spokesperson blamed the incident on a “misunderstanding.” QA conservative organization has compiled a watch list of 200 college professors it claims hold “radical” liberal beliefs The Professor Watchlist, created by Turning Point USA, identifies one faculty member as a “prominent Marxist economist,” and another as a leader of anti– campus carry efforts The site encourages students to send in tips about professors advancing “leftist propaganda.” THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Good week for: Crowdsourcing, after NASA announced that it would pay a $30,000 award to anyone who could help devise a hygienic way for astronauts to poop and pee inside their space suits, without having to use an uncomfortable diaper Going gonzo, after Hunter S Thompson’s widow, Anita, announced plans to sell strains of marijuana cultivated from the remnants of the writer’s personal stash “I’m looking forward to being a drug lord,” she said Feeling the spirit, after scientists at the University of Utah discovered that engaging in prayer has the same effect on religious people’s brains as having sex “We’re just beginning to understand how the brain participates in experiences that believers interpret as spiritual, divine, or transcendent,” said lead researcher Jeffrey Anderson Bad week for: Helicopter parenting, after a court in Switzerland ruled that a 7-year-old boy must attend a specialized school because his doting parents spoiled him so much that he can’t cope with the challenges of a regular school environment Kind words, after Dictionary.com announced that “xenophobia” was its word of the year for 2016 The site saw a huge spike in searches for the term, which is defined as “fear and hatred of foreigners,” in the wake of the Brexit vote and as Donald Trump moved closer to securing the GOP nomination Love potions, after North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un ordered his country’s scientists to develop a cure for male sexual dysfunction using snake extracts, sea urchins, and mushrooms soaked in alcohol Boring but important Immigrant detention challenge The Supreme Court heard arguments this week on whether immigrants can be detained indefinitely while a court decides whether to deport them The case concerns legal permanent residents who have committed a crime, as well as people seeking asylum in the U.S Forty percent of legal immigrants facing deportation ultimately win their cases, as 70 percent of asylum seekers—but they spend an average of 13 months in harsh detention conditions awaiting a court’s decision Two federal appeals courts have ruled that immigrants should be granted a bond hearing after six months of detention The Obama administration challenged those rulings, arguing that immigration matters are the domain of the executive and legislative branches Getty Only in America The U.S at a glance Newscom, AP (3) Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, N.D Deadline approaching: A face-off was looming at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation this week, as North Dakota’s governor ordered a mandatory evacuation of the Pipeline protesters Dakota Access Pipeline protest site, citing the harsh weather State law enforcement also threatened to block any people or supplies from entering the camp Thousands of Native Americans and environmental activists have vowed to spend the winter at the site to protest the proposed 1,170mile pipeline stretching to Illinois, saying the project threatens the reservation’s water supply and sacred burial grounds The U.S Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the site, has set a Dec deadline for protesters to clear out, but said it would not remove demonstrators by force The corps said it had decided to close the camp when it became “apparent that more dangerous groups have joined this protest.” Austin New abortion rules: After several months of heated public debate, Texas health officials announced this week that they would begin implementing a controversial new rule requiring that fetal remains be buried or cremated by hospitals and abortion Texas Gov Greg Abbott clinics, starting Dec 19 Proposed by Republican Gov Greg Abbott in July and approved by the state health agency, the regulations ban hospitals and clinics from disposing of fetal remains alongside other medical tissue—which includes disposing of it in landfills or the sewer system The rules won’t apply to miscarriages or at-home abortions State Sen Don Huffines said the new requirement would stop “the most innocent among us” from being “thrown out with the daily waste.” But the rule has sparked an outcry among the medical community and abortion activists, who said cremation or burial could cost clinics thousands of dollars per case, and make it more difficult for women to obtain abortions Indianapolis Carrier deal: President-elect Donald Trump claimed another victory for U.S workers this week, announcing he had reached an agreement with airconditioning company Carrier to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in Indianapolis rather than having them shipped to Mexico Trump had made Carrier’s plan to shutter two Indiana plants, affecting about 2,100 jobs, a focal point of his campaign, frequently citing it as part of his promise to bring back Rust Belt manufacturing jobs Trump didn’t offer any immediate details about the Carrier agreement, which he says was negotiated by Vice President– elect Mike Pence, Indiana’s outgoing governor But Trump planned to travel to the state this week to unveil the specifics alongside Carrier officials “Great deal for workers!” tweeted Trump In exchange for Carrier staying in the country, Indiana and the Trump administration will likely offer tax and regulatory incentives Charleston, S.C Church shooter: A federal judge last week declared Dylann Roof mentally competent to stand trial for the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a Charleston church Roof, 22, allegedly sat through an hour of Bible study at the Emanuel AME Church in June 2015 before pulling out a gun and opening fire, killing six women and three men Authorities have said that Roof confessed that he kept three parishioners alive so that they could tell the world he hated black people Roof’s lawyers argued their client didn’t understand the 33 federal charges against him, which include hate crimes and murder But after a two-day hearing that including testimony from a psychologist, Judge Richard Gergel declared Roof fit for trial He also granted Roof permission to act as his own attorney—though Roof’s decision to represent himself was “strategically unwise,” said Gergel The decision cleared the way for jury selection to resume Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty NEWS Columbus, Ohio ISIS attack on campus? At least 11 people were hospitalized this week when an Ohio State student rammed his car into a campus crowd and began stabbing students with a butcher Campus on lockdown knife Abdul Razak Ali Artan, 18, a Somali refugee and permanent U.S resident who came to the U.S in 2014, allegedly posted a Facebook rant before his rampage saying he was “sick and tired” of seeing fellow Muslims “killed and tortured.” Authorities put the campus on lockdown shortly after the attack began, around 10 in the morning Artan was shot dead by a university police officer shortly thereafter The following day, ISIS claimed responsibility for the rampage, calling Artan its “soldier,” though authorities have said there is no evidence that the teen had contact with the terrorist group Last month, ISIS’s online magazine called for knife attacks in the West In a tweet, Donald Trump called the attack “terrible,” and said Artan “should not have been in our country.” Gatlinburg, Tenn Savage wildfire: At least seven people were killed in eastern Tennessee this week as A scorched vehicle wildfires tore through two resort towns in the Great Smoky Mountains, gutting hundreds of homes and forcing 14,000 tourists and residents to flee The blaze was “humancaused,” investigators said, but it was intensified by a prolonged drought and wind gusts of nearly 90 mph—sending people in the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge scrambling to evacuate “It happened so fast, it was staggering,” said Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner “People were basically running for their lives.” The fire prompted mandatory evacuations of the nearby tourist destination of Dollywood, though the Dolly Parton– owned amusement park escaped damage The center of Gatlinburg’s tourist district was also spared heavy damage, but either side of the downtown resembled “the apocalypse,” said Newmansville Fire Department Lt Bobby Balding THE WEEK December 9, 2016 NEWS The world at a glance Amsterdam Burqa ban: The Dutch House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to ban the burqa in certain public places, including schools, hospitals, and public transportation The new law, which is expected to be approved by the Dutch Senate, outlaws all face coverings, including ski masks and motorbike Covered faces not welcome helmets The centrist government said the ban was essential for security Those caught flouting the law would be fined $430 Very few Muslim women in the Netherlands wear the burqa—the full-body, full-face Islamic coverall—but the ban has been a major demand of the far-right Freedom Party Party founder Geert Wilders says that if his party wins elections next March, it will extend the ban to include public streets as well France and Belgium have completely banned the wearing of face veils in public Berlin Russians hack the vote: The head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency has warned that Russia could try to hack next year’s German election the same way it meddled with the U.S presidential contest Bruno Kahl said he had evidence that Moscow engaged in cyberattacks and spread fake news during the U.S election The Russians “are interested in delegitimizing the democratic process,” he said, “regardKahl: Worried less of whom that ends up helping.” Hans-Georg Maassen, head of Germany’s equivalent of the FBI, said Russian secret services had already targeted German computer systems in attacks “aimed at comprehensive strategic data gathering.” Some million Germans lost phone and internet access last week after a cyberattack that security experts blamed on Russian hackers Port-au-Prince, Haiti New president, at last: Haiti finally has an elected president again Banana farmer Jovenel Moïse easily won last week’s election, taking 55.7 percent of the vote against 26 rivals and avoiding the need for a runoff Moïse, the handpicked successor to former President Michel Martelly, had led in the first attempt Moïse: Winner at an election, last year, but because of widespread fraud the results were scrapped and the entire election held again A caretaker government has run the country since February, when Martelly’s term ended The election was held just a month after a major hurricane devastated the island, and turnout was only 21 percent Supporters of several other candidates are disputing the results Medellín, Colombia Crash wipes out soccer team: Almost every member of a beloved Brazilian soccer team was killed this week in a plane crash The Chapecoense club had charmed fans with its Cinderella-like rise from fourth-tier obscurity to Brazil’s top professional soccer league in 2014 Its players were flying to the biggest game in the team’s history—the Copa Sudamericana final in Colombia—when their plane went down near Medellín, killing 75 people There were just six survivors, including three players Striker Alejandro Martinuccio missed the flight because of an injury suffered in an earlier game “I was saved because I got injured,” he said “I feel profound sadness.” Rescuers at the wreckage THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Brasília Call to impeach Temer: Less than three months after Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and ousted, the oppoProtesting the president sition is calling for the impeachment of her successor, Michel Temer A former minister in Temer’s government, Marcelo Calero, told federal investigators that Temer had pressured him to override historic-preservation rules that were halting the construction of a luxury tower in the northeastern city of Salvador Calero claimed the president wanted to help a top political ally, Vieira Lima, who had invested in an apartment in the development Lima resigned as government secretary last week after news of the investigation broke; he is the fourth member of Temer’s cabinet to quit because of corruption allegations “The president evidently sponsored a private interest from his public office,” the Socialism and Liberty Party said in its impeachment request Getty, AP, Newscom, AP (2) Rabat, Morocco Covering for abusers: A Moroccan state TV channel has been forced to apologize after running a segment on how women can use makeup to cover up bruises and other signs of domestic abuse “After the beating, this part is still sensitive, so don’t press,” host Lilia Mouline told viewers of the popular lifestyle show Sabahiyat, as she applied makeup to a woman with what appeared to be a black eye and bruised cheeks “Use foundation with yellow in it If you use the white one, your red punch marks will always show.” After a public outcry and petition, channel 2M issued online and on-air apologies, calling the makeup tutorial “completely inappropriate.” More than half of Moroccan women report being beaten by their husbands The world at a glance Moscow Seagal is a Russian now: President Vladimir Putin personally handed a new Russian passport to American action movie star Steven Seagal last week at a televised ceremony at the Kremlin “I would like to congratulate you,” said Putin, “and I also Putin congratulates Seagal hope that this small step will mark the beginning of the gradual improvement in our interstate relations.” Seagal, 64, thanked the president in Russian The actor, whose martial-arts movie career peaked in the 1990s, is popular in Russia, where he says he has family roots He has called Putin, a martial arts fan and judo practitioner, “one of the world’s great leaders.” Unlike French actor Gérard Depardieu, who renounced French citizenship to become a Russian in 2013, Seagal is not giving up his U.S passport NEWS Neelum Valley, Pakistan Kashmir violence: Residents of Pakistaniadministered Kashmir are building bunkers and shelters as fears grow that another war with India will break out A 2003 cease-fire, long shaky, was shattered in September when Pakistani militants crossed the Line of Control that divides Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir and attacked an Indian army A makeshift bomb shelter base, killing 19 soldiers This week, Pakistani militants stormed another Indian army base, killing seven India has responded with shelling, and diplomatic relations between the two countries have been all but severed About 500,000 people on the Pakistani side live within range of Indian artillery “The voice of the guns is horrible,” said resident Chand Bibi “We are near to dying at the moment we hear the boom.” AP, Getty, Newscom (2), Reuters Seoul Park to resign: South Korea’s scandal-battered President Park Geun-hye has offered to resign before her term ends in 2018, in an attempt to head off a pending impeachment vote over corruption allegations “I will step down from my position according to the law once a way is formed to pass on the administration in a stable manner,” she said this week Park has seen her popularity plummet since her longtime friend and unofficial adviser, Choi Soon-sil, was charged with extorting more than $60 million from South Korean businesses Prosecutors allege that Park helped her to so Opposition politicians have dismissed Park’s request that the legislature decide how and when she should leave office, calling it a delaying Park tactic “She is handing the ball to parliament when she could simply step down,” said Park Kwang-on, a lawmaker with the opposition Democratic Party Harare, Zimbabwe New money rejected: Zimbabwean police used water cannons and tear gas this week against crowds of demonstrators protesting the introduction of new bond notes based on the U.S dollar Zimbabwe’s own currency collapsed in 2009 after hyperinflation reached more than 200 million percent, and the country has been using the South African rand and U.S dollar since then This week the government introduced new $2 notes and $1 coins, which it claims are not a new currency But Zimbabweans don’t trust the new bill and coin, and shopkeepers aren’t accepting them Instead, people thronged outside banks and ATMs for hours, waiting to withdraw their U.S dollars and hoard them at home Zimbabwe’s economy has all but disintegrated; at least 80 percent of Swapping new for old people there are out of work Aleppo, Syria Rebels in retreat: Syrian government forces stormed rebel-held eastern Aleppo this week and retook more than a third of the territory, causing thousands of civilians to flee the devastated city as opposition defenses collapsed Reclaiming all of Aleppo, once Syria’s commercial capital, would be President Bashar al-Assad’s biggest victory of the five-and-a-half-year civil war The ground offensive by government troops and their Hezbollah allies was accompanied by a massive aerial bombardment from Russian and Syrian government warplanes Assad’s aircraft also dropped leaflets on rebel-held neighborhoods reading, “If you don’t leave these areas quickly, you will be annihilated.” About 10,000 people left the city this week, said United Nations humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien, but thousands more are “trapped, terrified, and running out of time.” Ramallah, West Bank Abbas consolidates power: The Palestinians’ main political party, Fatah, has re-elected Mahmoud Abbas, 81, to another five-year term as party leader Some 1,300 Fatah delegates, many of them elderly and nearly all men, came to the convention at Abbas’ presidential compound in Ramallah The last party congress, in 2009, had 2,500 delegates, but since then Abbas has purged those loyal to his rival, Mohammed Dahlan, who now lives in exile in Abu Dhabi Abbas holds all three top Palestinian leadership positions: head of Fatah, president of the Palestinian Authority, and chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization Abbas: Not going anywhere THE WEEK December 9, 2016 10 NEWS People Han Solo’s secret lover It has taken Carrie Fisher 40 years to admit what fans have long suspected, said Simon Hattenstone in The Guardian (U.K.) In her new memoir, Fisher reveals that she did have an affair with Harrison Ford on the set of the first Star Wars film At the time, Fisher—who played Princess Leia—was just 19 and racked with teenage insecurity Ford, who played her love interest, Han Solo, was 14 years older and a married father of two She was totally infatuated with her handsome, taciturn co-star, but though he was very willing to have a fling, it was “unreciprocated” love “I don’t think, until now, he knew the intensity of my feelings,” she says “I was shocked by the fact that he fancied me I was a very insecure girl and had only had one boyfriend.” The affair lasted three months—after which neither of them ever mentioned it again Even when they were reunited on the set of last year’s Star Wars reboot, The Force Awakens, they couldn’t talk about it “On this last film I noticed that two people were flirting and they had a big age difference like we had, and I pointed it out to him, and he said [she puts on a deadpan growl]: ‘Well, I hope it goes well for them ’ He’s not a big talker,” she says drily “You know, he wasn’t Mr Chuckles.” The man who saves history QHospitalized after a spate of strange behavior, Kanye West is struggling with “extreme paranoia” and depression, TMZ.com reports Sources say the rapper believes doctors at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles are out to get him, and for a time wouldn’t let staffers touch him. West was rushed to the hospital last week when he began behaving “erratically” at his trainer’s home The health scare came hours after West canceled the remaining 21 dates of his Saint Pablo tour; during earlier dates, he cut shows short and ranted THE WEEK December 9, 2016 The many wives of Billy Bob Billy Bob Thornton is a big believer in marriage, said Taffy Brodesser-Akner in GQ The actor is on his sixth wife, Connie Angland—and finds it embarrassing when people refer to the makeup effects artist as a statistic from his unconventional life “I didn’t want her to be called No You know?” To make their union more official, Thornton, 61, has had Connie’s name tattooed on his spine, along with the name of their daughter Bella Unfortunately, he still has two tattoos dedicated to wife No 5, Angelina Jolie—one on his leg, and one covered by an angel on his arm “It’s just resting there You can still see the name.” Thornton says he and Jolie had a great relationship The problem was, he says, “I never felt good enough for her.” While Jolie was focused on her humanitarian work and went off to meet U.N officials, Thornton just wanted to stay home and watch baseball Having grown up dirt poor in Arkansas, he didn’t like hanging out with politicians and world leaders, or with Hollywood bigwigs like George Lucas “I’m real uncomfortable around rich and important people.” It isn’t just that he doesn’t know which fork to use, he says—but that he doesn’t want to know which fork to use “I like how I am.” onstage about Hillary Clinton, Beyoncé, and Jay Z Throughout his medical crisis, wife Kim Kardashian has offered stalwart support “Kim has been amazing,” an insider says, “helping to feed him and lying by his side.” missed Sheeran’s eye The “Bloodstream” singer was treated at a nearby hospital, but returned to the party, to the relief of a mortified Beatrice “She and Ed spoke about it, and everything was fine.” QIn a party prank gone horribly wrong, Britain’s Princess Beatrice last week sliced a gash in Ed Sheeran’s cheek while pretending to knight his fellow singer-songwriter James Blunt During a bash at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, England, Blunt joked that he craved a knighthood and Beatrice, 28, “fetched a ceremonial sword,” a source tells The Sun (U.K.) As he got down on one knee, she raised the weapon and pronounced, “Arise Sir James.” Unfortunately, “instead of lightly tapping him on the shoulder, she swung it back, not knowing Ed was standing right behind her.” The blade barely QOnetime Brat Packer Anthony Michael Hall is facing up to seven years behind bars after being charged this week with felony battery for allegedly attacking a neighbor during an argument over an unlocked gate in their condo complex In an altercation caught by security cameras, the Breakfast Club star, 48, is accused of slamming the man to the ground, leaving him with a broken wrist and an injured back This isn’t Hall’s first legal scrape: He was arrested in 2011 for allegedly “terrorizing” neighbors with aggressive behavior, which included spraying them with a hose and shouting obscenities Getty, Newscom, Getty Professor Maamoun Abdulkarim felt overwhelmed when he was made head of antiquities at Syria’s National Museum, said Christina Lamb in The Sunday Times (U.K.) “I had no idea how I could protect hundreds of thousands of objects from war and terrorists,” he says “If I wasn’t an optimist I would have lost my mind.” In the four years since his promotion, Abdulkarim and his team have rescued more than 400,000 ancient artifacts from cities across Syria They have worked night and day, smuggling the objects out of besieged areas and hiding them in underground chambers throughout Damascus This may seem a strange priority to some “I know that people’s lives are more important than heritage, but my job isn’t to save people, it’s to save the memory of the country.” It’s dangerous work Last year, after seizing the ancient Roman site of Palmyra, ISIS captured his friend Khaled al-Asaad, an 82-yearold archaeologist “I said to Khaled, you should leave the city But Khaled replied: ‘I’m an old man, my life is Palmyra, and I will finish my life here.’” Sure enough, al-Asaad was beheaded—one of 15 archaeologists, academics, and museum guards who have lost their lives protecting Syria’s ancient treasures “We are happy we rescued all this, but it has been a high cost,” says Abdulkarim “I always say I am the saddest museum director in the world.” 30 LEISURE Food & Drink Critics’ choice: Three restaurants riding serious upswings of blowtorched chamomile that hides a langoustine tasting of sugar and pine With seafood, Berselius is “a master of pacing, teasing you with a sandy breeze before knocking you over with a bone-crunching wave.” Nineteen courses later, pig’s blood returns—in a fudge truffle coated in lavender No other restaurant this good so revels in “the concentrated flavors of funk and death.” 47 S 5th St., (929) 337-6792 Seven Hills San Francisco Aska Brooklyn “Aska won’t be outdone in the race to be the most Nordic of them all,” said Ryan Sutton in NY.Eater.com Back in 2012, Wine: Three ‘naturals’ “Natural wine is the industry’s buzziest category,” said Justin Kennedy in Bloomberg.com Predicting how any will taste, though, is tricky “Natural” typically means the wine contains no additives to extend shelf life, change the tannin structure, or alter alcohol or acidity levels But the results range from “barnyard swill” to great finds like these: 2014 Domaine Alexandre Bain PouillyFumé Pierre Precieuse ($21) This “robust” pouilly-fumé, made from biodynamically grown sauvignon blanc grapes, has a “honey-like” aroma and a “long, rich finish.” 2015 Gut Oggau Burgenland Winifred Rosé ($32) This outstanding Austrian rosé is “juicy, engaging, and downright cheerful.” NV Champagne Lelarge-Pugeot Premier Cru Brut Tradition ($50) This “simply stunning” Champagne features “notes of ripe apricot and candied orange peel.” THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Johnny’s Half Shell Washington, D.C Aska’s Berselius: Nordic’s new star chef Fredrik Berselius opened a pop-up that was eventually awarded a Michelin star for, “among other things,” pig’s-blood crackers and sea buckthorn purees But Berselius wasn’t satisfied, and the more permanent Aska he opened this summer has just been awarded two Michelin stars The Williamsburg restaurant, located in a converted 1860s warehouse, confirms Berselius’ status as one of the city’s best chefs But Aska also remains “an auteur-esque outlier that shatters the stodgy norms of fine dining.” During your $215 multicourse meal, a waiter may hand you scissors, instructing you to cut the string on a small bouquet “An old brand in a new home, Johnny’s Half Shell sparkles as never before,” said Tom Sietsema in The Washington Post After 10 years of serving seafood to politicians in a 400-seat space on Capitol Hill, the restaurant has relocated to Adams Morgan, and by significantly downsizing has finally let chef Ann Cashion shine Cashion “pretty much serves exemplars of whatever she makes.” Consider the squid: It tastes better here because Cashion buys it fresh and cleans it herself before grilling it and zapping it with chiles and lemon Her crab cake, “whispering of mustard and Old Bay,” is “a near-perfect dish,” albeit too small Among the land-based offerings the “profoundly flavored” grilled rib eye “puts some of the city’s steakhouses to shame.” Just don’t wait for Cashion to get showy, because she won’t “It’s as if all she wants to is cook to make you happy.” 1819 Columbia Rd NW, (202) 506-5257 Recipe of the week When planning holiday meals for houseguests, don’t forget breakfast, said David Tanis in The New York Times A frittata like this one, filled with spicy Italian sausage, “delectable” broccoli rabe, and four kinds of cheese, is “an abidingly easy, satisfying choice.” Sent straight to the oven from the stovetop, it requires no broiler to finish Hot Italian sausage and broccoli rabe frittata lb broccoli rabe, stem ends removed ã ắ lb hot Italian sausage meat, bought loose or removed from casings • tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • medium onion, diced • salt and black pepper • cloves garlic, minced • tsp roughly chopped rosemary ã1ẵcups ricotta ã oz grated provolone • oz grated Parmesan • oz grated smoked mozzarella • 10 eggs, lightly beaten, seasoned with salt and pepper • Heat oven to 350 Bring a large pot of salted water to boil Add broccoli rabe Cook 1 minute to wilt, remove, rinse with cold water, and drain Roughly chop greens; squeeze to remove excess water Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat Add sausage Cook, breaking into large crumbles, until well browned, to 8 minutes Remove and blot on paper towels • Heat olive oil in skillet; add onion Cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes Season well with salt and pepper Add garlic and rosemary and cook 1 minute more Turn off heat Stir in chopped greens and sausage Let mixture cool • Spoon dabs of ricotta over mixture, then sprinkle evenly with provolone, Parmesan, and mozzarella Pour in beaten eggs Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden-topped and not runny at the center Cool 15 minutes, then cut into wedges Getty, Karsten Moran/The New York Times/Redux “What distinguishes a great restaurant is often what appears to be the simplest offering,” said Michael Bauer in the San Francisco Chronicle At this five-year-old Nob Hill trattoria, a perfectly tuned balsamic dressing elevates the mixed baby lettuce salad, and the meatballs, with their melted fontina core and fennel and coriander seasoning, are arguably the best in town Previously a very good neighborhood restaurant, Alexander Alioto’s Rome-inspired farm-to-table has moved up a level since chef Anthony Florian took over the kitchen Service, once poor, is now “a solid three-star experience,” and I’m forever grateful to the server who recently talked me into the gossamer-light tortelli lacquered with a complex mushroom sauce Better still: Florian’s kale tagliatelle with a Bolognese sauce made with duck, pork, and beef “I had probably a dozen versions of Bolognese sauce on a recent trip to Italy, and this beat them all.” On a recent visit, the desserts were “a tad disappointing,” especially the $12 olive oil cake Still, “when I looked back on the evening, I wanted to return sooner than later.” 1550 Hyde St., (415) 775-1550 Travel LEISURE 31 This week’s dream: Japan’s winter wonderland fish delivered by a smiling matron Japan is “a backcountry skier’s dream,” said John Briley in The Washington Post Only in the Land of the Rising Sun can you ski for $40 a day without any lift lines, follow your day on the slopes with the best ramen and sushi in the world, and then soak in a geothermal spring with a view of the volcano that’s heating your water This past January, my friends and I spent a week skiing seven of the resorts near Mount Myoko, where up to 650 inches of snow fall between December and February It was an unusually dry season, but we had no trouble finding knee-deep powder Local guides at the Akakura Kanko resort lead us to a “delightfully steep” pitch down a north-facing ridge, and we return to the resort by surfing through beech trees on a “feathery quilt” of powder The next day, we drive to a one-lift resort and “spend the morning bounding through 1,600-verticalfoot laps of shin-deep powder, fresh turns on every run.” Fewer than 10 other skiers are on the mountain, and it’s only a short hike to “one of A lone skier kicks up powder on a backcountry run the best views in Japan”: an array snow Many of the lifts in the area have of peaks, valleys, and ridges culminating in Mount Myoko, a smoking volcano On the Arriving at the mountain village of Akakura a throwback air, but we happily accept drive back to our lodge, we happen upon a Onsen via a shuttle from Tokyo, we “smack the outdated infrastructure as the price of straight into winter.” At the Morino Lodge, enjoying so much great backcountry terrain group of snow monkeys when we stop for Every night, we try a different family-run a photo “Two, three, and suddenly dozens guests in bathrobes stroll to and from the restaurant in town, and each meal is “a skitter up and down trees, cautiously checkmineral baths while we fuel up on panrestorative adventure,” soothing and suring us out before darting off.” cakes, watching flurries fall For the rest prising us with udon noodles in black squid At Morino Lodge (morinolodge.com), of the day, we bound around between ink or kimchi ramen or “buttery” cuts of doubles start at $155 interconnected resorts, “feasting” on new Hotel of the week Subdued chic John Briley/Washington Post, courtesy of The Armani Hotel Dubai The Armani Hotel Dubai Dubai Now it’s official, said Kelsey Kloss in ElleDecor.com The “oh-so-elegant” Armani Hotel Dubai has won the top spot in the 10th annual World Luxury Hotel Awards, making it the planet’s most luxurious hotel Done up in Giorgio Armani’s “signature” minimalist style, the 160-room property occupies 10 floors of the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa The hotel’s clean lines and muted palette—even the flowers adhere to a two-tone limit— create an air of serenity The Armani is connected to the largest shopping mall ever, but also has couture shops and restaurants of its own armanihoteldubai.com; doubles from $436 Getting the flavor of The National Music Museum Snowshoeing in northern Vermont Vermillion, S.D., has only 10,000 full-time residents, but it’s home to a museum “brimming with things you’ll never see anywhere else,” said John Reinan in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Located in a former library at the University of South Dakota, the National Music Museum regularly puts 1,200 rare instruments on display, part of a 15,000-piece collection started by local enthusiast Arne Larson and built out by his son over four decades Many of the priceless instruments are adorned with carvings and precious inlays, and the information labels are “rife with descriptors such as ‘first,’ ‘oldest,’ ‘best,’ and ‘only.’” The world’s oldest cello is here, and the oldest playable harpsichord Stradivarius violins share the building with a 1,000-pound Thai drum, a dozen saxophones crafted by inventor Adolphe Sax, and antique trombones “with so many twisting tubes they look like a Dr Seuss creation.” It’s “stunning how many treasures are packed into the place.” “There’s something incomparably rewarding about snowshoeing,” said Adam Gollner in Travel + Leisure I’m no stranger to snow sports, but I hadn’t realized snowshoeing had become a popular pastime until shortly before my girlfriend and I headed to Mad River Glen, Vt., last winter to try it It’s strenuous exercise, I learned, especially for a clumsy novice But because of the pace of travel and the steady crunching of footsteps, a snowshoer becomes “one with the elements, tramping through the frozen countryside in a state of calm exhilaration.” We were so blissed out by the end of our outing that a rentalshop staffer urged us to keep the snowshoes for a late-night trek That adventure proved “even more transformative.” Choosing an old sugarhouse as our destination, we stopped for hot cider before turning back “An infinite universe of stars” lit our path home as we made our way— “slowly, happily”—through the snowy night Last-minute travel deals Alaska adventures Discounts of at least $500 are being offered this month on 2017 tours with John Hall’s Alaska For example, the 14-day Denali Explorer voyage in early August starts at $5,879 per person, double occupancy, down from $6,379 A bargain San Francisco hotel The new Tilden Hotel in San Francisco’s gentrifying Tenderloin district is offering rooms starting at $111 through December The renovated former Mark Twain hotel will continue 20 percent discounts through March Book by Dec 31 A timely escape Through Dec 16, Secret Bay, a resort on Dominica—the Caribbean’s “Nature Island”—is offering a five-night “Escape Election 2016” package, which includes a couples massage and “forest bathing” experience, starting at $3,074 per couple kissalaska.com tildenhotel.com secretbay.dm THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Consumer 32 LEISURE Gift guide: The season’s best toys 3Doodler Start Your little artist now can draw in three dimensions With the children’s version of the first 3-D pen, which safely melts biodegradable plastic, even a routine butterfly drawing becomes stand-alone sculpture $50, the3doodler.com Source: Engadget.com Worry Eating Plush Pals The only thing better than a soft friend to cuddle with is a soft friend who eats phobias for breakfast Whatever your child’s biggest worry—ghosts, the dark, gym class—write it down and Schnulli or Saggo will swallow it $23 each, uncommongoods.com Source: PopSugar.com Radio Flyer Cyclone Treat the family’s thrill seeker to this armpowered two-wheeler, which can go forward or back, and spin in circles “Just be prepared for a lot of ‘Hey, watch this!’” $50, radioflyer.com Source: RealSimple.com Lovelane Superhero Costume This handmade hat and reversible cape can send imaginations soaring Created by a company that also outfits princesses, dragons, and wizards, the set is made of durable cotton canvas $80, lovelane.etsy.com Source: USA Today Decorate-a-Teepee No more need for bedsheet forts This miniature teepee is easy to fold up and store, and its Velcro-backed decorative patches encourage individual expression $159, landofnod.com Source: The New York Times Tegu Magnetic Blocks Because of their built-in magnets, these colorful hardwood blocks open new possibilities for a budding young engineer The 42-piece set includes eight different block shapes, plus four wheels $110, tegu.com Source: NYMag.com THE WEEK December 9, 2016 34 Best properties on the market This week: Penthouse living W New York City The top of the former Streit’s Matzo Factory in the city’s Lower East Side is now a threebedroom penthouse The unit features smart-home technology, high ceilings, an Italian custom kitchen, a private terrace, and a separate rooftop Building amenities include porter service, a cold-storage room, a bike room, and a fitness center $3,800,000 Stribling Marketing Associates, (212) 533-0150 W Chicago A block from Lake Michigan, this four-bedroom apartment off the Magnificent Mile has unobstructed city views The halffloor home includes a private elevator, a modern kitchen, a wooden walled den with a fireplace, and a master suite with a spa bathroom The Museum of Contemporary Art, Lake Shore Park, and the Chicago Sports Museum are all within a five-minute walk $1,100,000 Andy Shiparski, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, (312) 981-5500 X St Louis This two-bedroom unit is on the top floor of a brick building built in 1900 Details include custom cabinets, exposed brick walls, a chef’s kitchen with white marble counters, a living room with a copper fireplace, and walnut floors throughout The upper level has an entertainment room with a bar and provides access to a private rooftop deck $755,000 Ted Wight, Dielmann Sotheby’s International Realty, (314) 725-0009 THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Best properties on the market 35 T Charleston, S.C This open-floor apartment with four bedrooms sits at the top of King Street Lofts Features include oversize windows, a media room with a wet bar, a workout room with a sauna, and a 600-bottle wine room A 5,000-square-foot roof deck has an endless lap pool and a hot tub, and is landscaped with plantings and fountains $3,395,000 Andy Jones, William Means, (843) 200-6400 W San Francisco This two-bedroom penthouse lies in the famous Clocktower Building, which was built in 1907 The four-level apartment has a large main floor with brick and concrete walls, steel beams, custom cabinets, and a rooftop deck The tower features three levels: a second-floor media room, a third-floor game room, and the actual clock room with mechanics and sitting area $6,995,000 Robert Levy and Eric Turner, Sotheby’s International Realty, (415) 385-8011 Steal of the week W Seattle Floor-toceiling windows in this two-bedroom penthouse provide views of Pike Place Market and Elliott Bay The home boasts a 350-bottle wine room, a gas fireplace, hardwood floors, and a master suite with a spa tub Amenities include two parking spaces, storage, and a 24-hour concierge service $1,975,000 Sam Cunningham, Realogics/Sotheby’s International Realty, (206) 227-7849 S Galveston, Texas This three-bedroom waterfront apartment offers panoramic views of the Gulf of Mexico and East Beach Details include an open floor plan, a fireplace, a separate dining area, and balconies off two bedrooms Residents have access to tennis courts, a heated pool, and a private walkway to the beach $499,000 Margaret Matarazzo, Galveston First Realty, (409) 539-2322 THE WEEK December 9, 2016 The bottom line QThe American Beverage Association spent $38 million during the fall election cycle to fight several local ballot proposals to tax soft drinks It lost every one Voters in Boulder, San Francisco, Oakland, and Albany, Calif., all approved soda taxes on Election Day The votes brought to seven the number of U.S communities with soda taxes The New York Times QAmazon is adding 120,000 temporary workers at its U.S warehouses for the holiday season, expanding its workforce by about 40 percent While conventional warehouse jobs usually require up to six weeks of training, the company has been using technology such as touch screens and robots to get new hires up to speed in as little as two days The Wall Street Journal QRecent lab tests have found that samples of store-brand aloe vera skin gel sold by Walmart, Target, and CVS contained no traces of aloe vera, despite the products listing the skin-soothing plant as their No or No. 2 ingredient Because the U.S Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve cosmetics before they’re sold, there is no penalty for peddling fake aloe Bloomberg.com QThe U.S exported more natural gas than it imported this month for the first time in almost 60 years The Department of Energy expects the U.S to become the thirdlargest exporter of liquefied natural gas by 2020, behind Australia and Qatar Forbes.com QAbout 75 percent of companies plan to give their workers holiday bonuses this year, up from 67 percent last year, according to a survey of 500 HR executives at firms of various sizes The average bonus is expected to be $1,081, up from $858 in 2015 The Wall Street Journal THE WEEK December 9, 2016 BUSINESS The news at a glance Retail: Online shopping dominates holiday sales “Foot traffic at malls and shop“It’s official: Cyber Monday ping centers was thinner than 2016 was the biggest day in the the frenzied crowds of years history of U.S e-commerce,” said past,” said Sarah Nassauer in Phil Wahba in Fortune.com ConThe Wall Street Journal Many sumers spent $3.45 billion online retailers rolled out discounts during this week’s digital shopthroughout November, offering ping event, according to Adobe many of the same promotions Digital Insights, up 12.1 percent online as in stores Perhaps as over last year Shoppers also a result, the number of store migrated online for Black Friday Opting for delivery over store lines visitors fell nearly 11 percent on deals An estimated 108.5 million Americans shopped online over the Thanksgiving Black Friday from last year, while sales dropped more than 10 percent The holiday sales season is weekend, “well above the 99.1 million who hit a delicate balance for brick-and-mortar retailers stores.” Last year’s numbers were roughly equal to one another Online sales tallies topped $5 bil- Many have invested billions in e-commerce to fend off the likes of Amazon, but online orders lion for Thanksgiving and Black Friday, with are generally costlier for retailers than in-store Walmart, Kohl’s, and Target setting company sales, squeezing margins records for digital sales Economy: GDP growth higher than expected “America’s economy is picking up more momentum than previously thought,” said Patrick Gillespie in CNN.com The U.S economy grew 3.2 percent in the third quarter, according to revised GDP estimates published by the Commerce Department this week That’s up from an initial estimate of 2.9 percent, already “the best quarter of growth in two years.” Increased consumer spending, which makes up the bulk of America’s economic activity, was the primary reason for the strong report The Atlanta Federal Reserve forecasts that growth between October and December will be an impressive 3.6 percent Energy: OPEC agrees to oil production cuts OPEC will slash oil production for the first time since 2008, said Ahmad Ghaddar in Reuters.com The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed this week to reduce production by 4.5 percent, or about 1.2 million barrels per day, in a bid to prop up global oil prices, “which have halved since 2014.” The cartel made a preliminary agreement in September to cap output, but Saudi Arabia and Iran have clashed over how to divvy up production cuts As part of the deal, Saudi Arabia will take the biggest hit, cutting production by 500,000 barrels per day, while Iran will freeze output near its current level Tech: Samsung mulls major restructuring “South Korea’s most valuable company is probably going to split as soon as next year,” said Jungah Lee in Bloomberg.com Samsung said this week that it’s exploring a plan to divide into holding and operating companies, with the aim of boosting shareholder value The proposal was floated by U.S hedge fund Elliott Management Corp last month amid Samsung’s massive recall of the Galaxy Note smartphone The fund said the split would be a way to “boost transparency and accountability” in the company, which is dominated by the founding Lee family Aerospace: WTO smacks down Boeing tax breaks The World Trade Organization has ordered the U.S to halt what it deems to be illegal state tax breaks for Boeing, said Peggy Hollinger in the Financial Times The intergovernmental organization ruled this week that a tax break granted to Boeing by the state of Washington in 2013 amounts to a “prohibited subsidy.” The ruling is a victory for Europe’s Airbus in the long-running battle between the world’s two biggest aircraft makers The U.S and European Union have accused each other of providing illegal support to their continent’s aerospace giant China’s ‘credit rating for everything’ The Chinese government plans to assign ratings to citizens that will determine their ability to access loans, jobs, and even luxury hotels, said Josh Chin and Gillian Wong in The Wall Street Journal A so-called social credit system is already being piloted in several Chinese cities, with the goal of a nationwide rollout by 2020 Under the system, black marks on a person’s rating can be incurred for infractions like late bill payments or jaywalking, and scores can determine school admission or even “faster treatment at government offices.” The program relies on government records like tax and loan payments and criminal offenses But officials eventually hope to draw on data from internet companies, including social media use and online shopping habits Chinese commerce giant Alibaba is experimenting with socialcredit scores; perks for high marks include express screening at the Beijing airport Getty, Newscom 36 Making money BUSINESS 37 Budgeting: Keeping holiday spending in check gift exchange should settle on a “It’s easy to get caught up in the spending limit, “say in the $20 or excitement of holiday shopping, $50 range.” “Step back from the but it’s not always as easy to foot idea of how much to spend, and the bill,” said Sarah Skidmore Sell think about why you’re giving a in the Associated Press The avergift,” said Debbie Carlson in the age consumer plans to spend $936 Chicago Tribune Not only that, on holiday shopping this year, the but tell the person “why you chose second-highest level ever, according it.” A backstory makes a gift more to the National Retail Federation meaningful, both to the person Whether that feels like “a little or a giving and the person receiving it, lot for you,” it’s critical to set and regardless of the price tag stick to a holiday budget “The first part is easy: Figure out how much Don’t forget to include all your you want to spend and keep track holiday expenses in your spendof your expenses as you go.” The ing plan, such as family meals, second part—avoiding purchases Set basic ground rules so that you don’t go over budget decorations, gifts to teachers, and and behavior that will bust your best end-of-year tips, said Susan Tompor in the Detroit Free Press intentions—is more difficult That’s especially true if it means “We all know we’re not just pulling out our wallets in Novemsaying no to some traditions, like getting everything on a child’s wish list But just remember: “It will be even harder to dig your- ber and December only for sweaters and video games.” And consider whether you can set some other ground rules that will self out of a financial hole.” help you stay on track “Maybe it means you won’t put more than $100 or $200 on your credit card this holiday Maybe it “The No rule for holiday shopping should be to stay out means you’ll only spend cash.” Finally, don’t forget about the of debt,” said Jonnelle Marte in The Washington Post Don’t other, nonholiday bills that are weighing you down If you are feel bad if you have to cross some people off your list because already struggling with debt, perhaps you can’t afford to play money is tight For spouses and significant others, “the amount “Super Santa” this year Mindlessly chasing after so-called deals you spend doesn’t matter as much as the arrangement you have and the latest hot toys could put you in even more of a “finanagreed on.” If you agreed not to exchange gifts, don’t Simicial squeeze in 2017 when the bill comes due.” larly, families and groups of friends who decide to a group What the experts say Getty Auto insurance that works for you value of many deductions and exemptions Does your auto insurance company care about Tax benefits for charitable donations, for example, “could get a haircut” next year, so doyou, or its shareholders? asked Gretchen nors should think about upping their gifts this Morgenson in The New York Times In a study of 300 auto insurers, data analytics firm December, especially major ones Deductions for state and local taxes may also be coming ValChoice found that so-called mutual insurance companies offer consumers a better value to an end, meaning “it could make sense to Publicly traded companies like Geico, Allstate, pay 2016’s remaining balances before yearend.” The mortgage interest deduction could and Progressive “must satisfy both shareholdalso shrink in the near future, “so don’t buy ers and policyholders,” while mutual compaa first or second home if you need the current nies are owned by policyholders ValChoice’s law’s benefits to afford it.” study found that dividend-paying mutual companies paid out an average 72.6 percent Aging parents, difficult conversations of their premiums in claims, compared with The time to talk to aging parents about their 64.5 percent for mutual companies that don’t living situation is before a crisis happens, said pay dividends and 62.8 percent for publicly Penelope Wang in Money.com Most people held insurers Most insurance shoppers focus on price, but claims-payment history arguably prefer to stay in their own home for as long as they can, “but aging in place may not be matters more Essentially, “consumers who a realistic option.” Only one-third of ownerbuy from companies whose claims payments occupied homes are equipped with basic accesare lower are paying for lesser coverage.” sibility features, like a no-step entry or a firstEndangered tax deductions floor bathroom If you have concerns, don’t start by dictating to your parents what they Maximize your deductions now, said Laura should Instead, get involved in small ways Saunders in The Wall Street Journal, because to better understand their financial health or “a Trump presidency means you could lose living conditions, “such as bill paying or overthem.” President-elect Donald Trump and House Republicans have both proposed plans seeing a home repair job.” That can open the door to more difficult conversations later on to lower income-tax rates while reducing the Charity of the week For people with physical or cognitive disabilities, activities like skiing the Rockies or white water rafting on the Colorado River may seem out of reach Since 1995, Challenge Aspen (challengeaspen.org) has worked to make outdoor recreation activities accessible and safe for individuals with disabilities The organization’s seasonal programming, based in Snowmass Village, Colo., includes snowboarding camps for injured military service members and a ski festival for the visually impaired Summertime camps have been designed specifically with kids in mind, and include outdoor adventures like rock climbing for paraplegics and amputees and rafting and camping excursions for children with cognitive disabilities Each year, Challenge Aspen serves more than 400 participants, while its military programs provide year-round adaptive and therapeutic recreation for veterans and their loved ones Each charity we feature has earned a four-star overall rating from Charity Navigator, which rates not-for-profit organizations on the strength of their finances, their governance practices, and the transparency of their operations Four stars is the group’s highest rating THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Best columns: Business 38 Issue of the week: Judge halts new overtime rules wages overseas.” But when it comes to Business owners around the country making sure that U.S jobs pay a living are cheering this week, said Michelle wage? “Not so much.” Rindels in the Associated Press New overtime rules were set to go into effect Not all workers will be sorry to see the on Dec that would have made more new rules go, said Virginia Postrel in than million workers “newly eligible for Bloomberg.com The Obama admintime-and-a-half pay” when they worked istration thought it could give workers more than 40 hours a week Employers “more money or shorter hours by dewould have been required to pay overcree,” but the reality is that there’s no time to salaried workers making less than one-size-fits-all job arrangement Some $47,500 a year, “a dramatic jump from workers, like those at nonprofits, put in the old threshold” of less than $23,660 long hours for relatively small salaries But those changes are now on hold after Not getting a raise this week after all because they believe in their work or a federal judge in Texas ruled the Labor because they get flexibility “Putting such employees on a time Department had overstepped its authority by raising the salary limit so significantly Employers are off the hook for the extra pay clock is not just a burden It can seem like an insult.” The overfor now, but they have a fresh dilemma on their hands, said Katie time rules also assume “that employers have a big pot of money somewhere that they’re keeping for themselves instead of paying Johnston in The Boston Globe Many businesses have spent the their hardworking staffs.” For businesses in competitive induspast few months preparing for the new rules—some by bumping workers’ pay up to the new threshold to avoid paying them over- tries, like retailers and restaurants, that’s just not true time or by converting salaried employees to hourly wages Should Another casualty: President Obama’s effort to build a legacy they “roll back changes that have already been put in place?” through executive power, said Michael Memoli in the Los Angeles Times When the overtime rules were finalized in May, they were Save your concern for the workers who were expecting a raise hailed “as the most consequential action the Obama administrathis week, said Chris Tomlinson in the Houston Chronicle It tion could take for middle-class workers without congressional doesn’t seem right that low-level retail and restaurant managers involvement.” But Obama gambled that his successor would who make $25,000 a year but work 60 hours a week can’t log preserve his executive actions, only to see Donald Trump elected overtime pay When the overtime rules were last revised, in the 1970s, “65 percent of salaried workers were entitled to overtime Even if the Labor Department successfully appeals, Obama’s overtime rule, as well as his executive actions on climate, immigration, Now, only 11 percent are.” Politicians find it “very easy to deand foreign policy, looks more or less doomed monize U.S companies that open foreign factories and pay low Anne Tergesen The Wall Street Journal Believe it or not, it’s never been better to be an older worker looking for a job, said Anne Tergesen Conventional wisdom holds that the new economy is an inhospitable place for workers in their 50s or 60s, full of part-time gigs flipping burgers or worse The numbers, however, show “that the nightmare scenario simply isn’t true.” The 55-and-older demographic is actually the “only age group with a rising labor-force participation rate.” Not only that, but more than 60 percent of workers age 65 or older have full-time positions, up from 44 percent in 1995 These older workers are increasingly working in well-paid, highly skilled jobs in the professional services industry They people took Donald Trump seriously” when Why iPhones “Few he said in March that he’d get Apple to start makiPhones in the U.S., said Adam Minter And even won’t be made ing though his election has apparently spurred Apple to study whether iPhone production can indeed be in the U.S brought back from China, Trump and his supportAdam Minter Bloomberg.com THE WEEK December 9, 2016 ers shouldn’t get their hopes up Not for nothing has China become “the industrial hub” of Apple’s sprawling empire The country boasts a huge and nimble manufacturing workforce that simply doesn’t exist in the U.S The main iPhone facility in Zhengzhou employs 110,000 workers; Apple supplier Foxconn employs another 240,000 in Shenzhen alone Last year, when Apple wanted to ramp up are helped by the overall shift from a manufacturing to a service economy, which has created more jobs “in which cognitive skills matter more than physical ability.” The stereotype of older workers as “dead wood” is also drifting away Study after study shows “little to no relationship between age and productivity.” One recent look at workers at a large German insurance firm found that productivity actually rises with age when it comes to more demanding tasks that require deep expertise So, the next time you hear that the only jobs available to older folks are as Walmart greeters or Uber drivers, just remember, “a lot of people have been misinformed.” production in advance of the iPhone 6s release, its contractors rapidly added 100,000 more workers “A mass mobilization on that scale, and at that speed, likely hasn’t been attempted [in the U.S.] since World War II.” What’s more, most of the parts that make up an iPhone are made “a short distance from where the devices are assembled,” which speeds production and lowers logistics costs It would take decades to build a similar industrial ecosystem in the U.S Building its products in China helps Apple support million domestic American jobs and allows U.S consumers to buy incredible gadgets at a reasonable price A U.S.-built iPhone isn’t going to happen “More to the point, Americans shouldn’t want it to.” Getty Myths about job hopping after 50 Obituaries 39 The Cuban dictator who defied the U.S for half a century Just after midnight on Nov 25, 1956, a group of 82 Cuban 1926–2016 exiles boarded a leaky motor yacht in the Mexican port of Tuxpan and set off for their homeland The revolutionaries planned to overthrow Cuba’s brutal, U.S.-backed dictator, Gen Fulgencio Batista Their mission didn’t start well The Granma ran aground off the Cuban coast, forcing the men to wade ashore and abandon much of their equipment For three nights they trudged toward the Sierra Maestra mountains, and at dawn on Dec they were attacked by government troops Most of the rebels were killed or captured, but the group’s leader—a charismatic leftwinger named Fidel Castro—escaped Together with his younger brother, Raúl, and Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Castro spent the next 20 months waging a guerrilla war—and fuming at U.S support for Batista “The Americans will pay dearly,” he wrote “When this war is over, a much longer and greater war will begin for me, the war I am going to wage against them.” Castro was true to his word After seizing power in 1959, El Comandante turned Cuba into a repressive, Moscow-allied communist state; became a thorn in the side of 11 U.S presidents; and pushed the world to the brink of nuclear war “Condemn me, it doesn’t matter,” he’d declared during his 1953 trial for a failed uprising “History will absolve me.” Fidel Castro Born on the eastern tip of Cuba, Castro was the illegitimate son of a Spanish soldier turned wealthy landowner and his maid, said The Washington Post Educated at prestigious boarding schools, he was mocked by richer kids as a “guajiro, or peasant,” instilling in him a hatred of moneyed people Castro became interested in politics while studying law at the University of Havana, and after graduating ran for Congress But shortly before Election Day, Batista took power in a coup and canceled the vote The 25-year-old Castro “declared personal war on the new dictatorship,” said The Miami Herald He built a clandestine revolutionary group, and in 1953 led 111 poorly armed rebels in an attack on Cuba’s second-largest army barracks The raid was a disaster and 69 rebels were killed But it made Castro, who was arrested and sentenced to 15 years in prison, “the top anti-Batista leader overnight.” AP Granted amnesty two years later, Castro “fled to Mexico,” said BBC.com There he met Che Guevara, a young Argentine revolutionary, and the two men began building their ragtag invasion force After setting up base in the Sierra Maestra, Castro won over oppressed peasants and urban intellectuals and issued manifestos promising free elections, social reform, and justice His band of several hundred fighters scored enough victories against Batista’s demoralized army to force the dictator to flee Cuba on Jan 1, 1959 “A week later, a cigar-chomping Castro, then 32, entered Havana atop a tank,” said The Wall Street Journal He immediately halved rents and turned cattle ranches and sugar plantations into small farms for the poor He also “revealed a ruthless streak.” Thousands of Batista police and military officers were executed; elections were postponed and dissidents and gay men were jailed “Revolutionary justice is not based on legal precepts,” Castro said, “but on moral conviction.” The U.S broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba in January 1961, after Castro began nationalizing U.S.-owned businesses, said CNN com Four months later, with concern mounting in the U.S over Havana’s shift toward Moscow, “a group of CIA-trained Cuban exiles, armed with U.S weapons, landed at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba.” The attempted coup “failed miserably” and cemented Castro’s status as a national hero He “formally declared Cuba a socialist state,” prompting the U.S to impose a full trade embargo that still exists today Furious at his humiliation on the world stage, President John F Kennedy ramped up his anti-Castro campaign The CIA considered dozens of ways to kill the Cuban leader—exploding seashells, poisoned diving suits, mafia hitmen—all to no avail Tensions rocketed further in October 1962 when CIA aerial surveillance identified several new Soviet nuclear missile installations on Cuba—bases within 100 miles of Florida Kennedy demanded Moscow withdraw its 42 missiles and ordered a naval blockade of the island, said The Times (U.K.) “For 13 days the superpowers confronted each other, and the world came as close as it ever has to nuclear war.” When Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev backed down, “Castro was furious.” He kicked his office wall, bringing a mirror smashing down, and called Khrushchev a “faggot.” Meanwhile, the “disastrous consequences” of Castro’s economic strategy and the U.S embargo were becoming clear, said The Daily Telegraph (U.K.) Basic items—lightbulbs, soap, paper—disappeared from stores Desperate to flee poverty and repression, more than 260,000 Cubans immigrated to America in a U.S.-organized airlift from 1965 to 1973 In 1980, another 125,000 fled in the chaotic Mariel boatlift With the help of Soviet aid, Castro did make some “notable advances.” Free health care raised life expectancies, and improved schooling raised standards of literacy Yet the Cuban leader seemed less concerned with domestic affairs and more with becoming “the chief apostle of global revolution.” At great expense, he sent soldiers to support communist uprisings around the world, “from Algeria to Laos, from Afghanistan to Colombia.” Castro’s greatest challenge came in 1991, when the Soviet Union’s collapse “brought an end to the subsidies that had kept his government afloat for so long,” said The New York Times Cuba’s GDP plummeted 40 percent in two years, power cuts lasted 16 hours a day, and emigration surged Yet Castro “fought on.” He made it legal for Cubans to hold U.S dollars, opened the country to foreign tourism, and persuaded Pope John Paul II to visit Cuba in 1998 Despite his love of the limelight—he often gave grandstanding speeches lasting 12 hours—Castro “kept his private life largely hidden from public view,” said The Economist He lived for most of his life with his second wife, former schoolteacher Dalia del Soto Valle, with whom he had five sons, but he also had numerous mistresses and illegitimate children “In his later years, Castro appeared increasingly frail,” said the Los Angeles Times He temporarily handed over power to his brother Raúl after undergoing intestinal surgery in 2006, and resigned two years later Raúl “embarked on a reform program that would have been unthinkable under his brother,” allowing Cubans to buy and sell cars and homes and to open small businesses In 2014, Raúl and President Obama “announced a stunning turnaround in U.S.-Cuban relations,” restoring diplomatic ties after five decades of estrangement Fidel didn’t approve “We not need the empire,” he wrote, “to give us anything.” THE WEEK December 9, 2016 The last word 40 Pushing themselves to the extreme Why would anyone sign up for 700 miles of swimming, biking, and running over five consecutive days? said journalist Randal Archibold If you have to ask, these racers say, you will never understand C RUSHED BY Ironman race was held in Alabama And then a triple And then a quintuple And then a deca (10 Ironmans in 10 days) and a double deca, and you see where this is going exhaustion, you may dream of a competitor’s head morphing into a Pokémon-like demon—and then open your eyes and still see it The next day, you will quit the race Wayne Kurtz, who is considered the godfather of the socalled ultratriathletes, and seven others did 30 Ironman-length races in 30 days in Italy in 2013 He wrote about it in a book called Stronger Than Iron To fill your queasy stomach during your third 112-mile bike ride, you will discover the best way to eat a sausage-and-egg sandwich: shove it in your mouth and let it slowly dissolve After 500 miles on a “With this kind of bike, 10 in the water, and test,” he wrote, “these more than 100 on foot, athletes were not racing it will make perfect sense for money or fame but to grab a branch and a Athletes enter the water at the start of the Quintuple Anvil race purely to discover what broomstick in a desperate a couple of former commandos), driven is possible in terms of endurance limits.” bid to propel yourself—like a giant mutant professionals, and simple thrill seekers, who How did it go? “I was hit by a car three insect—the last 31 miles It will not be found plenty times,” Kurtz said in an interview “It was a enough You will collapse on the road zoo We’re lucky nobody died.” Most were middle-aged, most had grown Seasick, miles into the swim, you will vomit children who would not miss them much One of the more popular races is the Twice Neck cramps will attack so fiercely in the long hours of training, and most had Quintuple Anvil, which grew to 16 comon the bike that your head will slump You supportive spouses and family members— petitors this year from seven in 2013, its will go cross-eyed and nearly crash in some cases triathletes themselves inaugural year Double and triple versions You will swear bugs are crawling over your are held at the same time (By the time you Some of those family members came to face, even when they are not The cracks consider a quadruple, you might as well just watch their loved ones destroy their bodin the road will form smiley faces None of a quintuple That is the mentality here.) ies, if not their minds, for nearly a week this is real—but it is a.m., and you have because because why? “If you have to “Anvil” is a tongue-in-cheek spin on dozens of miles still to run ask,” more than a few racers replied, “you “Ironman,” which is run by a large corpoAll that misery and more menaced the will never know.” ration fiercely protective of its trademark competitors who had decided, for their own and not keen on letting other races use it OU MAY HAVE heard that idea unfathomable reasons, that a single Ironman Competitors may choose one of two ways expressed at, say, the regular old race was not enough They had entered Ironman triathlon, which is normally to mete out their self-flagellation: one an endurance event called the Virginia Ironman-length triathlon a day for five considered the Mount Everest of the sport: Quintuple Anvil Triathlon—five Ironmandays, abiding by a 17-hour cutoff, or a 2.4-mile swim, then a 112-mile bike ride, length races, totaling 703 miles of swimall of it continuously—a 12-mile swim, and then a marathon (26.2 miles) in the ming, biking, and running, over five days followed by a 560-mile bike ride and a heat of Hawaii If you could finish it, you 131-mile run—stretched out over 5½ days, All the legs were done in confined loops were, well, an Ironman (or woman) broken up however you wish (30 laps in a section of the lake, 101 laps People began flocking to the challenge of a more-than-5-mile course for the bike, The 1-by-5 variant means you can get a and 75 laps of a nearly 2-mile course for the Races popped up on every continent except longish night’s sleep, but you have to get up Antarctica run) at Lake Anna State Park in Virginia’s for a a.m start every day—a fitness nut’s Spotsylvania County, earning the course the The first Ironman was in Hawaii in Groundhog Day moniker “squirrel cage.” 1978, with 15 competitors Today, there The continuous version usually involves a are 140 races to choose from, drawing fair amount of sleep deprivation, in particuThe competitors—several of whom have 260,000 competitors lar to get the long bike and run legs done formed a tight, family-like circle, having seen one another often at these kinds of races—were a mishmash of the superfit and the merely fit, military veterans (including THE WEEK December 9, 2016 But once you have swum 2.4 miles, biked 112 miles, and run 26.2 miles in a day, why stop there? As early as 1984, a double This is the fitness nut’s Walking Dead: By the end, the mind is shot from exhaustion, and the legs and feet have taken so much Sam Hodgson/The New York Times/Redux (2) Y The last word punishment that hardly anybody is doing much running My own triathlon experience has been limited to a few “sprint” races of short distances, some Olympic-distance races (a swim of just under mile, a 24-mile bike ride, and a 6.2-mile run) and one half-Ironman (1.2mile swim, 56-mile ride, 13.1-mile run) The half-Ironman, done in the tropical heat of Panama, left me staggering at the end and had me pretty sure that I had found my limit—and it wasn’t happy to see me Just beyond the finish line, there was an ice bath, which I felt like moving into permanently When I told this to Shanda Hill, who ended up one of the top finishers at the Anvil, she smiled and, with the evangelical fervor common among the racers, started pushing me to at least an Ironman-length race “It’s all mental,” Hill, 34, said, “and I am living proof.” Like other racers, Turner had a group of people attending to him, although as a resident of nearby Richmond, he had more than anybody else Limited medical assistance is permitted, too A doctor and a nurse dispense ibuprofen, pop blisters when necessary, and even give shots of lidocaine to ailing tendons (a small dose that is meant to get a faltering competitor moving and does not last long) To qualify, a competitor must have finished at least a double Ironman-length race, yet here was Jerome Libecki, 46, doing his first-ever triathlon He had sort of slipped into the race—although he had done other 41 sion in a time of 74 hours 54 minutes 17 seconds, beating five other competitors (including two who quit) Unlike the other racers, Hoch conserved enough energy to complete his Day (14:25:04) and Day (14:46:31) races faster than he had done Day (14:59:21) “The first day, I was getting lapped on the bike,” he said after the race, his thighs now “screaming.” “Fifth day I had the fastest split They had no idea I was saving my spin.” (In my estimation, he also won best food trick, as the one who let the sausage sandwich dissolve in his mouth.) The most grinding competition, however, was between David Jepson and Johan Desmet It was not quite a Rocky-like spectacle, but with Jepson, 40, looking to be falling apart at times, it did take on that feeling At a rest stop, he threw down his bike helmet in frustration over cramps that had left him unable to hold his head up and nearly led to a crash By that, she meant that she had not devoted long hours to swimming, biking, or running But she did spend a lot of time in the gym and was also fit from a youth of championship BMX racing, a pursuit that ended several years ago when she was hit by an SUV while riding a bike home But with reassuring words from his wife, Jepson regained his footing on the run despite a multitude of maladies: a “golf ball–size” blood blister on his foot he eventually popped, a shin splint, Shanda Hill gets a massage on the race’s third day ankle tendons so sore they needed to She began running after that, moved up be stabilized by duct tape, and bruising endurance events, he’d needed a friend to to ultramarathons, and before long was and chafing on the bottoms of his feet that persuade the race director to let him in doing her first Ironman, in 2014 Then made every step searing Running was not came a double race, and by her logic, if you His triathlon inexperience showed: About much of an option anymore are going to move up to a triple, you might 300 miles into the bike leg, after a friend Desmet, 49, who is Belgian and a marathon as well just the quintuple took a harder look at his bike, he realized runner, kept up an efficient gait for a good This was her fifth triathlon overall, and like he needed to shift into a higher gear amount of the run and rarely complained many of the other athletes, she would insist By the “run”—for him and many others, it about his ordeal despite the blisters and that endurance triathlons had as much—if sores on his feet One of them, a race nurse eventually slowed to a walk—Libecki was not more—to with the limits of the mind the one who hobbled on like a giant insect concluded, was from the bite of an insect as with those of the body that had gotten inside his shoe with makeshift crutches Lisa Wei-Haas, who did a double, said, “You’re not drinking enough,” interrupted “This is the last thing I figured would hap“Shorter triathlons are about pain his wife, Helene, who served as his only pen,” he said at a.m., panting and sweatEndurance triathlons are about suffering crew member, handing him water during a ing But still he vowed to go on How much suffering can you take?” late-evening break VEN IN THE grip of exhaustion, there ACEDOWN ON A cot, near midnight in “You always say that,” he said, taking a sip was a thirst for competition Libecki the middle of the race, Will Turner Helene was ready for the race to be over and Turner, in their stooped gaits, had a massage therapist kneading his And so was he After six years of ultrastill eyed each other as they passed, if in a muscles, trying to coax some life into them racing, he was planning to pursue other last-man-standing kind of way He was, at 58, an Ironman veteran who last adventures “It’s a pretty selfish sport,” People race to win, after all And as if the year moved up to multiple-distance races by Desmet said “She’s been putting up with physical demands of such a contest were doing a double Ironman-length race this for close to seven years.” not enough, some resort to psychological He believes in big dreams, he said, and he warfare They misinform one another about In the end, Jepson won the continuous dividedicated his entry to his recently deceased sion with a time of 104:47:39 Desmet, still whether they intend to nap, or they press mother This race, the continuous Quintuple on when they see a rival catching a snooze on the course, realized the best he could Anvil, would also be a test toward a bigger was second place They burst into a sprint when they see goal: 60 Ironman-length races, one every six another competitor walking Some methodi“I am going to be first loser,” he cracked days, when he turned 60 The test was not cally plot when to give their all and when to going well hold back Excerpted from an article that origi“I have been hanging out in the pain cave,” Dolph Hoch IV, 52, a former military nally appeared in The New York Times sniper, won the one-per-day quintuple divihe said Reprinted with permission F E THE WEEK December 9, 2016 The Puzzle Page 42 Crossword No 387: Medal Count by Matt Gaffney 10 15 14 17 12 13 19 18 24 The Week Contest 11 16 20 23 21 Last week’s contest: A French survey has revealed that the No cause of infidelity cited by married women is their husband’s failure to his fair share of the housework If marriage counselors were to launch a business dedicated to averting this problem, what should it be called? 22 26 25 28 27 29 This week’s question: Entrepreneurs have opened the first DivorceHotel in upstate New York, where guests can check in married and check out single, all in one weekend In seven words or fewer, please come up with a catchy advertising slogan for this unusual business 30 31 32 33 THE WINNER: Till Dust Do Us Part Paul Herrmann, Wheaton, Ill 34 35 38 39 36 37 SECOND PLACE: Good Spousekeeping Tina Cramer, Mansfield, Ohio 40 THIRD PLACE: Faithfully Chores 45 42 43 44 For runners-up and complete contest rules, please go to theweek.com/contest 47 46 49 48 50 51 56 57 58 59 60 61 ACROSS You can count on them Back at square one 10 Nearly shut 14 Dangerous element? 15 “Uh-huh” 16 Highway section 17 Architect awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama on Nov 22 19 Org for the Williams sisters 20 Guy on TV 21 Summer canoeist, often 23 Break stabilizers 26 Insanity 27 Pitchfork parts 28 Famed writer of odes 29 Stories from the mists of history 30 Deceive 31 1991 Best Picture nominee 34 “ _ been had!” 35 Memorial designer awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama on Nov 22 37 “Well done!” 38 Small kid 39 Solo 40 Jokey Jackie 41 2006 Olympics city 43 Cheerful and confident 45 Odds 47 McCarthy of the recent Gilmore Girls reboot THE WEEK December 9, 2016 Ted Geier, New York City 48 49 50 51 56 57 58 59 60 61 52 Have as one’s rock Castle surrounders Large antelope Dancer posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama in 2014 It’s orange on the highway Defeats Preserved, perhaps Roadside stops To the right, on maps Second tries DOWN Bark in cartoons Forbid entry to Lovelace of early computing Hold captive Putting one’s John Hancock on Bill of 2008 election controversy Soda brand Canal location Kid’s whine 10 University donor, often 11 Painter awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama in 2011 12 Money before a deal 13 Brings up 18 Understands 22 Give the house a new room 23 Tough bowling shot 24 Utah’s third-largest city 53 54 55 25 Singer awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama in 2013 26 Kitchenware brand 28 Glenn Gould played it 30 Contemporary of Siskel and Ebert 32 Low, level ground 33 Country on the equator 35 Rubio who won a second term in the Senate on Nov 36 Put off 40 Food 42 Semiprecious stones 43 Harlow or Piaget 44 12th-brightest star in the night sky 45 Iris family plants 46 Shore wader 47 Like good brownies 49 Mike Trout in the AL and Kris Bryant in the NL, this year 52 Mauna _ (macadamia nut brand) 53 Eye cover 54 Green prefix 55 Exultant shout How to enter: Submissions should be emailed to contest@theweek.com Please include your name, address, and daytime telephone number for verification; this week, type “Divorce slogan” in the subject line Entries are due by noon, Eastern Time, Tuesday, Dec. 6 Winners will appear on the Puzzle Page next issue and at theweek.com/puzzles on Friday, Dec In the case of identical or similar entries, the first one received gets credit W The winner gets a one-year subscription to The Week Sudoku Fill in all the boxes so that each row, column, and outlined square includes all the numbers from through Difficulty: hard Find the solutions to all The Week’s puzzles online: www.theweek.com/puzzle ©2016 All rights reserved The Week is a registered trademark owned by the Executors of the Felix Dennis Estate The Week (ISSN 1533-8304) is published weekly except for one week in each January, July, August and December The Week is published by The Week Publications, Inc., 55 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018 Periodicals postage paid at New York, N.Y., and at additional mailing offices POSTMASTER: Send change of address to The Week, PO Box 62290, Tampa, FL 33662-2290 One-year subscription rates: U.S $75; Canada $90; all other countries $128 in prepaid U.S funds Publications Mail Agreement No 40031590, Registration No 140467846 Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to P.O Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4R6 The Week is a member of The New York Times News Service, The Washington Post/ Bloomberg News Service, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services, and subscribes to The Associated Press Sources: A complete list of publications cited in The Week can be found at theweek.com/sources H M O R S 41 QGODUJHVW auto insurer FXVWRPHU satisfaction OLFHQVHG agents Helping people since 1936 The other guy The choice is yours, and it’s simple :K\VHWWOHIRURQHW\SHRIFKHHVHZKHQWKHUHDUHDZKROHYDULHW\RIćDYRUV" b The same goes for car insurance Why go with a company that offers just a low price when GEICO could VDYH\RXKXQGUHGVDQGJLYH\RXVRPXFKPRUH"