What services are affected when the US government shuts down

Because Congress failed to avert a shutdown, 800,000 federal employees have been told to stay home. What else is affected?

Well, they did it. The US government is officially on a partial shutdown, with Congress having failed to reach an agreement by midnight on Monday.

The shutdown will have far-reaching effects throughout the US. Though some services – mail delivery, Social Security and Medicare benefits – are affected, others, like national parks and routine safety inspections of food, are curtailed as the majority of federal employees tasked with their operation have been ordered not to report to work on Tuesday.

A look at how a shutdown will affect other services across the federal government:

Federal workers

About 800,000 federal employees are not furloughed and will not be paid. Already hit hard by several unpaid furlough days caused by sequestration this year some workers have begun lobbying to receive back pay in the event of a shutdown. While Congress agreed to retroactively pay them during previous shutdowns, the fractured nature of this Congress makes such a step unlikely.

US military

The military's 1.4 million active-duty personnel will stay on duty, but their paychecks initially faced a threat of delay. Amid the division, the House passed – and Obama signed – a bill to ensure their checks would still be delivered on time. "You and your families deserve better than the dysfunction we're seeing in Congress," Obama said.

About half of the Defense Department's civilian employees are furloughed.

Food programs

The Wic program, which provides low-income pregnant women, new mothers and children up to the age of five with healthy food, is not funded as of Tuesday morning. "No additional federal funds would be available," says the Department of Agriculture, though it suggests that some states – some, not all – may have a state-run fund that can fill in the gaps for women who need help purchasing things like formula. They estimate the state funds would last about a week.

School lunches for low-income students are not affected. Food stamps are not affected.

Public health

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are facing a reduced ability to detect and investigate disease outbreaks. The annual influenza program – the one that tracks the flu and helps people get flu shots – has been shut down. The CDC has also stopped offering its usual assistance to state and local authorities, who rely on the agency for help in tracking unusual outbreaks.

The National Institutes of Health will continue to treat patients at its hospital center, but no new clinical trials will begin.

Animals

The animals at the National Zoo are being cared for, but the zoo, like all Smithsonian museums, is closed to the public. The live animal cams have been shut down. That's right, Congress' inability to reach a deal means no more panda cam, America.

Science

Nasa will furlough almost all of its employees, though it will continue to keep workers at Mission Control in Houston and elsewhere to support the International Space Station, where two Americans and four others are deployed. The National Weather Service will keep forecasting weather and issuing warnings, and the National Hurricane Center will continue to track storms.

Travel and tourism

National parks and monuments are closed, including the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, the National Mall and the Statue of Liberty. Park rangers spent Tuesday morning erecting barricades to prevent people from accessing these public spaces.

Federal air traffic controllers will remain on the job and airport screeners will keep funneling passengers through security checkpoints, though some airports have warned of delays at security. Federal inspectors will continue enforcing safety rules.

The State Department will continue processing foreign applications for visas and US applications for passports, since fees are collected to finance those services. Embassies and consulates overseas will continue to provide services to American citizens.

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Courts

Federal courts will continue operating normally for about 10 business days after the start of a shutdown, roughly until the middle of October. If the shutdown continues, the judiciary would have to begin furloughs of employees whose work is not considered essential. But cases will continue to be heard.

The US supreme court is scheduled to begin its new term on October 7. In previous government shutdowns, it continued to operate as normal.

Mail

Deliveries will continue as usual because the US Postal Service receives no tax dollars for day-to-day operations. It relies on income from stamps and other postal fees to keep running.

District of Columbia

The city, which does not have autonomy over its own budget, briefly flirted with the idea of using the potential shutdown to make a stand when mayor Vince Gray moved to designate all city employees "essential," thereby avoiding the cuts in services like libraries that were expected. Some District politicians were willing to go so far as to get arrested over the show of defiance, but on Friday the city's lawyers approved using a $144m contingency fund to make up the difference when the federal government funds dry up.

Weddings, however, are on hold in the city.

Homeland security

The majority of the Department of Homeland Security's employees will stay on the job, including uniformed agents and officers at the country's borders and ports of entry, members of the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration officers, Secret Service personnel and other law enforcement agents and officers. US Citizenship and Immigration Services employees will continue to process green card applications.

Veterans services

Most services offered through the Department of Veterans Affairs will continue because lawmakers approve money one year in advance for the VA's health programs. Veterans will still be able to visit hospitals for inpatient care, get mental health counseling at vet centers or get prescriptions filled at VA health clinics. Operators will still staff the crisis hotline and claims workers will still process payments to cover disability and pension benefits.

But those veterans appealing the denial of disability benefits to the Board of Veterans Appeals will have to wait longer for a decision because the board will not issue any decisions during a shutdown.

Riders give Metro overall favorable marks

Even with poorly lit stations, chronically broken escalators, frequently late buses and near daily train delays, a large majority of Washington DC area residents continue to have favorable views of Metro, according to a new  poll.

But riders have growing doubts about the value and reliability of the 37-year-old system, and transit advocates say such concerns could undermine Metro’s efforts to rally support for its plan to modernize the transit system.

An increasing number of people say the subway is becoming too pricey to ride. More people say they are not using Metro because trains are too crowded and more people report that rides take too long. And the system overall is viewed as less reliable than several years ago, as disruptions on Metro’s five rail lines have become routine.

“I think under the circumstances — it’s old and a lot of people use it — it is a pretty good system,” said Ruth Kling of Falls Church, who was a daily rider for 15 years on the Red Line from Union Station to Dupont Circle until she retired. “It’s pretty clean and it seems to run on time. Except for the escalators — that’s a perennial problem.”

Kling’s measured approval was typical among the roughly 1,100 people in the District and close-in suburbs who participated in the survey, which was conducted between June 19 and 23.
Roughly seven in 10 residents, or 71 percent, give Metrorail positive ratings. A 56 percent majority rate Metrorail as good, and 15 percent call it excellent. Few see the system in a negative light, with 16 percent rating the rail system as not so good or poor.

The sampling of public sentiment toward Metro comes at a critical juncture for the subway system, which records about 750,000 trips on a typical weekday. Even as they carry out a massive rehabilitation of the aging rail lines, Metro’s leaders have been rolling out ambitious proposals to expand and modernize the transit system, with plans for redesigned rail stations, simpler fare collection technology and a new tunnel under the Potomac.
But if the riders’ mounting concerns about Metro start to eat into their modest overall satisfaction with the system, it could make it even harder to line up the political and financial support Metro’s leaders will need to carry out their plans, experts say.
“The more you build support by doing a good job every day of carrying passengers, then the more you will have the political support,” said Ben Ross, a local transit advocate.
The Post survey, conducted on cellular and land-line phones, asked a range of questions about Metro and transportation. The Post did a similar survey three years ago and another in 2005.
The overall perception of Metro hasn’t dropped significantly even after several difficult years for the system, including a deadly crash four years ago that killed nine people and injured dozens on the Red Line. More than six in 10 riders continue to give Metro approving ratings in a variety of areas, including value, comfort, safety, operating hours, reliability and general convenience. Convenience to work is where Metro scores lowest, with half of workers saying the system is “excellent” or “good” on this point.
“People are generally much more critical on a day-to-day basis than if they think about their commutes over the long haul,” said Joshua Schank, president of the nonprofit Eno Center for Transportation in the District. “They recognize that most of the time they get to work on Metro on time and safely.”
But the positive marks could turn, Schank said, if Metro doesn’t tend to the concerns that are increasing among riders.

“If the system starts breaking down at a faster rate and if they waste money and don’t keep up a state of good repair, then people will turn,” Schank said. “They’ll say, ‘The system is no longer reliable and I’ll have to change my commuting patterns.’ ”
Increasingly people say they avoid Metrorail because it is too expensive. In a 2005 Washington Post survey, 75 percent of riders gave the subway positive ratings for offering a “good value,” but that has dropped to 67 percent. Metro has had three fare increases in the past five years, and the base rush-hour fare is now $2.10.
Cathy Bernard, who lives in Chevy Chase and mainly takes Metro’s Red and Green lines a few times a week to go to events at Verizon Center or Nationals Park, said she’s seen a decline in Metro as the fares have risen.
“It’s gotten kind of high,” she said of the cost, “and it’s been a steady decline. It’s not as reliable as it used to be and the cars aren’t as clean as they used to be.”
Metro’s reliability ranking has not recovered from a big decline. In the poll, 73 percent gave Metro positive ratings for reliability, similar to the 75 percent in 2010 but down from the 87 percent who expressed this view in 2005.
Kristofer Harrison, 37, who lives in Alexandria, used to ride Metrorail to go downtown a few times a week to meetings but stopped because he became so frustrated.
“It was unbelievable how unreliable Metro was,” he said. “Every time it rained there was a problem.” Now he drives to his meetings.
With more track work and station shutdowns, riders say delays are a factor in whether they use Metro. Fifty-three percent of people who don’t ride regularly say the long travel time is a reason they don’t ride. That is compared to the 46 percent who felt that way in 2010 — before Metro had started its major rebuilding effort.
Mike Miller, 26, of Fairfax said he has been a longtime Metro rider but gave up using the subway on weekends to go into the District because he had to allow up to 45 minutes extra to make sure he was on time.
“With all these delays it is more convenient to drive,” Miller said. “I think service is going down. I’ve lived here my whole life and it hasn’t improved. For a major metropolitan area the service is below average.”
At Metro, General Manager Richard Sarles repeatedly says the agency has worked more aggressively under his three-year-tenure as part of a $5 billion rebuilding effort to repair and upgrade the aging tracks and equipment that have been poorly maintained over the past few decades. But he acknowledges that more needs to be done.
“I don’t want to rest on our laurels,” Sarles said. “The last thing I want to do is say, ‘We’ve done good enough.’ We have to continue to make these improvements or we will slide back in providing reliable service. It will get worse.”


Nicole Chavez and Mark Berman contributed to this report. Clement is a survey research analyst with Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Capital Insight pollsters Jon Cohen and Peyton M. Craighill contributed to this report.

Ultimate 7 places of the world!

With God as the artist, Times Travel explores some of the most awe inspiring natural wonders of the world.

Victoria Falls, Africa
Standing in front of the Victoria Falls in Zambia, there is little to stop you from marvelling at the divine artistry visible around. The same goes for numerous other natural landscapes and phenomenons, from skyscraper dwarfing mountains of the Himalayas to the melody of colour of the Aurora Borealis.

Grand Canyon, USA
The Grand Canyon may very well be the most popular of natural wonders. Spread 446-kms long and 29-kms wide, the canyon was created by continuous erosion of the land by the Colorado River. This area of Arizona is also home to various native American tribes who live in the caves of the canyon or along the banks of the river that winds its way through. With the Colorado river passing through for over 17 million years, the area has also exposed various layers of ancient rock which tell researchers something about geologic history. The Grand Canyon National Park situated here is home to various animals and plants and is a good place to spot the bald eagle. Travelers to the Grand Canyon can explore the area through walking treks with qualified guides or helicopter tours. More adventurous travelers take to the river with their rafts and kayaks.

Lago Carrera, Chile
General Carrera Lake would only be famous as the deepest lake in South America if it wasn't for the banks of marble that border it. The stone here has weathered and corroded under pressure from the water currents, creating a cathedral of marble. The passageways and caverns formed over vast stretches of time are sometimes large enough for small boats to glide through, albeit precariously. It does not take long to get enchanted by Las Cavernas de Marmol as this exquisite labyrinth is known locally.

Mount Roraima, South America
The impressive Mount Roraima is shared between the countries of Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana. This table top mountain is part of a series that date back over two billions years. With 400 meter-tall cliffs the mountain is home to its very own species of plants and insects. Explorers have also found caves with unique designs made by microbes eating their way into the silica walls. Access to Mount Roraima is difficult by road but helicopter tours are available from Santa Elena de Uairen in Venezuela to give you a majestic view of the Mount top nestled among the clouds.

Salar De Uyuni, Bolivia
The world's largest salt flat, Salar de Uyuni situated on the Altiplano plateau, in the monsoons, doubles up as the world's largest mirror for most tourists looking to take some quirky pictures. The stretch of flat saline ground gets a mirror like surface from the water that forms a layer over the salt and is able to clearly reflect the sky above. In the middle of the salt flat is the Incahuasi Island — a brown spot on this sheet of white. The arid island is covered in cacti and has a tourist centre for those visiting. The salt flat is also a stop over for arge flocks of pink flamingos and their flight over the reflective surface makes for beautiful photographs.

Tsingy De Bemaraha, Madagascar
This unique stone forest in Madagascar looks like something out of Lord of The Rings. Credit this to the giant limestone structures that look like pine trees from a distance or the various endemic species of flora and fauna that can only be found in Tsingy De Bemaraha and nowhere else in the world. Animals, insects and plants are still being discovered in its dense forests and wet caves, so a visit here is sure to surprise you.

Satffa, Scotland
Many visitors to the island of Staffa in Scotland refuse to believe that the phenomenon of its pillared stone formations are natural. The symmetry and design of the hexagonal basalt columns, created by volcanic activity make the walls of the island's caves look like the interiors of a Gothic cathedral. Similar formations can be found in Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland, on the island of Ulva and Ardmeanach on the Isle of Mull.

Pamukkale, Turkey
Turkey has numerous wonders but none can doubt the breath stealing ability of Pamukkale (cotton castle). At first glance the stepped hills look snow blanketed. This is the effect of the hot springs in the area that create a deposit of calcium carbonate making the area around look like it's covered with cotton. Tourists visit Pamukkale to bathe in its mineral springs.

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Winter’s last snowy gasp pesters Washington region

By the thousands, people who thought they were uniquely clever called it March Madness, and just as many with long memories wagged their fingers with talk of some year in the past century when it snowed in April. But for most people in the Washington DC region, Monday’s late-season snowfall was a pain in the tuchis.

It felt like winter’s afterthought, a belated delivery of something most people dread in the heart of the season and few were ready to entertain after three cold, dreary months bereft of noteworthy snow.

Even many school children, who draw double delight in the stuff when it shuts down their classes, were robbed of that pleasure because they already were on spring break.

After a frosty start to the day on Tuesday, temperatures were forecast to roll up toward 50 degrees, consigning the remaining snow to the storm sewers. Winter-weary weather watchers said they now believe only what they see for themselves.

“Every time this winter when they've predicted something, it’s never occurred,” said Drucie Andersen of McLean, recalling the warning of a major snowstorm a couple of weeks ago. “After that last one, they kind of lost their street cred.”

On Monday morning, the “ wintry mix” she expected instead dropped more than three inches of snow on her daffodils.

Up to six inches of snow was reported west and north of the District. Reagan National Airport had more than one inch of snow for the first time since January 2011. Power outages, the best bellwether of any local storm’s muscle, were no greater than the number on any sunny day.

A crash Monday morning in the Glenn Dale section of Prince George’s County killed two men, though authorities were still trying to determine whether the accident was related to the snowy weather.
Two of the big school systems — in Fairfax and Montgomery counties — were among several already closed for spring break. In Prince George’s, officials pushed back the start of the school day by two hours, as did public schools in Culpeper, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties.

Nick Peters of Severna Park said his drive into Washington wasn't bad once he got west of the snow-covered highway outside Annapolis. In Middleburg, Va., Jennifer McCloud rejoiced, “I don’t have to slog into town and deal with the slush and the mush.”

The snow was not expected to affect Washington’s renowned cherry blossoms.
“The good thing is we did get a cold snap,” said Carol Johnson, a National Park Service spokeswoman. “So the blossoms aren't out, which means that the snow won’t knock the blossoms off.”
She said the Park Service is sticking with its prediction that blossoms will be at their peak from April 3 through April 6.

“It’s really very, very hard to predict,” Johnson said.
The snow should all be but a memory by Friday, when the Nationals take on the New York Yankees in an exhibition game that will shake the winter cobwebs out of Nationals Park.

Not so fast, say those with a long memory, who remember a snowy ballgame in April, 26 years ago. That was during baseball’s very long winter in Washington, those years without a team when benevolent major league nines dropped in for guest appearances.

In 1987, it was the Phillies and the champion New York Mets, headed north from spring training, who stopped at RFK Stadium for a charity exhibition game.

Like Monday, the forecast that April 5 was for a cold, wet day.
The newspaper said, “Going on 16 years after it left for Texas, baseball is back. Unfortunately, winter is too, but organizers believe the two can coexist for a day at RFK Stadium.”
The organizers proved wrong.

There were 38,437 people in the stands and snow flurries in the air as the two teams trudged from the relative warmth of their dugouts. The fans’ show of support took on civic significance, for the previous autumn Washington had been the only city in the country that had higher television ratings for a Redskins “Monday Night Football” game than for the seventh game of the World Series.

Ted Lopatkiewicz of McLean, now 60, was one in the shivering throng.
“It snowed and it snowed,” he recalled Monday. “They made it to the fifth inning.”
Called after that, it went down in the preseason baseball books as a 1-0 win for the Mets. It went down in the weather books as one of those days when it snowed in Washington in April.


William Branigin, Mike DeBonis, Susan Svrluga, Ovetta Wiggins, Michael E. Ruane, Robert Barnes and Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.

What’s causing extra slow traffic at D.C.’s 11th St. Bridge

There are some changes in the traffic at 11th Street Bridge and D.C. 295 north of the bridge after reconstruction of the Bridge. So, travelers should have been care about the traffic congestion.

The 11th Street Bridge reconstruction changed the connections between the freeways on the banks of the Anacostia River. A lot had to be done within a small space to give freeway drivers the links they longed for while creating separate connections primarily for local traffic.

In the aerial photo at the top of the page, you see the main thing bothering morning commuters now. The photo was taken for the bridge project toward the end of the morning rush hour. Traffic from Capitol Hill toward the Anacostia side (top to bottom in the photo) is very light.

Traffic remains heavy on the inbound side, going toward the Navy Yard, Capitol Hill and I-395. That stream is coming north on I-295 in the left side of the photo and from the southbound lanes of D.C. 295 on the right side.
In the middle, drivers are weaving between lanes. Many came in from southbound D.C. 295 are trying to move left so they can be in the two lanes that go through toward I-395, downtown D.C. and the 14th Street Bridge.
This pattern will remain until 2014, when demolition and reconstruction on the Capitol Hill side of the rider will allow for a third inbound through lane, eliminating the need for some of that weaving.

For now, the slowdown on the bridge for the weaving drivers ripples back onto I-295 North and D.C. 295 South. Drivers heading north should line up for the bridge’s far left lane, so they can avoid getting involved in the weave. Drivers on Singh Limo Service DC 295 South who have patience and don’t like to change lanes too much should stay in the left-most lane on the bridge ramp, so they have to change lanes only once to reach the lanes that go through to I-395.

An intersection of grit and hip in Baltimore

Baltimore is situated in the state of Maryland which is positioned in the central area along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The independent city is often referred to as Baltimore city to distinguish it from surrounding Baltimore. 

The Bromo Seltzer Art Tower, modeled after the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, has a Seth Thomas timepiece that still serves the city after 102 years.

Joe Wall, who manages the Bromo Seltzer building and leads tours of the clock tower twice a month, checks the gear oil on one of the four faces.

Baltimore's skyline is seen through the arches of the Bromo Seltzer Art Tower.

 Sylvia Matusik, who works at Trinacria, an old-school sandwich shop, helps a customer.

Howard Carrasco of 7M Graphix hangs a mural of Baltimore Ravens player Ray Lewis onto a garage door.

Watercolors wait to be applied in Martha Dougherty’s studio space in the Bromo Seltzer Art Tower.

Outdoor art dots the landscape around the artists studios of Clipper Mill in the Hampden neighborhood.

The Katyn Memorial rises from the circle in Harbor East.

 Harbor East features generic upscale architecture, swanky shops, a Four Seasons hotel, destination restaurants and apartments designed to attract a Georgetown demographic.

High-end dining has sprung up in the Harbor East neighborhood with places such as Cinghiale.

Watercolor artist Martha Dougherty rents one of the 30 artists studios in the Bromo Seltzer Arts Tower.

Bohemian Coffee House, which sometimes features live music, has a hipster vibe and a good selection of tea.

At Ouzo Bay, a newish Greek seafood spot in Harbor East, the waiters know their fish. High-end retail, hotels and other restaurants have likewise sprouted in the area.

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