More
- Classifieds
- Cars
- Deals
- Real Estate
- Rentals
- Shopping
- Obituaries
- Archives
- Topics
- Blogs

In the News

Echoes of war in contemporary Iraq

In the months after the last U.S. troops left their country, Iraqis are surprisingly optimistic about the future given the horrors of war they have endured for nearly a decade. Housing developments, shopping centers and hospitals are rising from the rubble, stores that had been closed for years are reopening, and familiar sights are returning. But every step forward is weighed down by continued bloodshed, brutality and corruption.

5 Seconds

00:00

00:00

The scars of war remain in Fallujah, Iraq. Fallujah was once considered the most dangerous city in Iraq for the U.S. military. Now, the city is struggling to rebuild after the Americans’ pullout. At Abu Zahra Restaurant, Ahmed Attiya said, “I prefer that the Americans never came to Iraq,” as he lifted heavy blocks of ice into a broken cooler. “Under Saddam we were working and eating. The Americans made a lot of things worse and destroyed many things. The country is starting at zero.” Attiya scoffs at the idea that his Iraq is better off with an elected government. “What’s the use of elections? Nothing has changed,” he said. “A lot of people are bored with the elections. I think they won’t participate the next time. Maliki is a worse dictator than Saddam.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Iraqi soldiers use the rubble of a damaged building in Fallujah to reach its higher floors. The building overlooks the bridge on which the mutilated bodies of two U.S. security contractors were hanged in March 2004. The gruesome incident became an iconic image of the war and led, in large part, to a U.S. offensive to retake Fallujah, which involved the most fierce fighting for U.S. troops since Vietnam. Months after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, Fallujah still seems more anxious than most of the country’s cities. Soldiers man a sandbag reinforced position next to the bridge. Buildings nearby are scarred and pockmarked, and a huge pile of demolition debris is piled along the riverbank.

Iraqi soldiers use the rubble of a damaged building in Fallujah to reach its higher floors. The building overlooks the bridge on which the mutilated bodies of two U.S. security contractors were hanged in March 2004. The gruesome incident became an iconic image of the war and led, in large part, to a U.S. offensive to retake Fallujah, which involved the most fierce fighting for U.S. troops since Vietnam. Months after the last U.S. troops left Iraq, Fallujah still seems more anxious than most of the country’s cities. Soldiers man a sandbag reinforced position next to the bridge. Buildings nearby are scarred and pockmarked, and a huge pile of demolition debris is piled along the riverbank.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Iraqi men are served morning tea on the Fallujah street that leads to the infamous bridge where the mutilated bodies of two U.S. security contractors were hanged in March 2004.

Iraqi men are served morning tea on the Fallujah street that leads to the infamous bridge where the mutilated bodies of two U.S. security contractors were hanged in March 2004.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

From left, sheikhs Khalid Daham Alhalbosi, Ali Humad Al Mehemdi and Abd Hamedallah Hussain convene at Alhalbosi’s home in Fallujah. Critical of Iraq's current government and the United States’ decision to invade and occupy Iraq, the men spoke favorably of the conditions of in country under the leadership of Saddam Hussein.

From left, sheikhs Khalid Daham Alhalbosi, Ali Humad Al Mehemdi and Abd Hamedallah Hussain convene at Alhalbosi’s home in Fallujah. Critical of Iraq's current government and the United States’ decision to invade and occupy Iraq, the men spoke favorably of the conditions of in country under the leadership of Saddam Hussein.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

At the heavily fortified local government compound in Fallujah, three men wear three distinct forms of dress — a more Western-style shirt and pants, a more traditional Arab ankle-length garment and a U.S. military-style uniform. The compound once stood as the headquarters for al-Qaeda in Iraq. Hameed Ahmed al-Hashim, the head of the local government, said at least 20 or 30 police officers have been killed in the city since the U.S. troops left in December. But a couple of years ago, he added, that many were dying each day.

At the heavily fortified local government compound in Fallujah, three men wear three distinct forms of dress — a more Western-style shirt and pants, a more traditional Arab ankle-length garment and a U.S. military-style uniform. The compound once stood as the headquarters for al-Qaeda in Iraq. Hameed Ahmed al-Hashim, the head of the local government, said at least 20 or 30 police officers have been killed in the city since the U.S. troops left in December. But a couple of years ago, he added, that many were dying each day.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Hameed Ahmed al-Hashim, left, head of the local government of Fallujah, speaks with a constituent in his office, which is inside a domed building in the middle of a maze of huge concrete blast walls. When he took over his job in 2007, four of his predecessors had been assassinated in the previous year, he said, and there have been 10 attempts to take his life. 'The citizens of Fallujah are now forgetting the pain they felt for the past few years,' Hashim said. 'People have started to live a normal life again. They are going back to work.'

Hameed Ahmed al-Hashim, left, head of the local government of Fallujah, speaks with a constituent in his office, which is inside a domed building in the middle of a maze of huge concrete blast walls. When he took over his job in 2007, four of his predecessors had been assassinated in the previous year, he said, and there have been 10 attempts to take his life. "The citizens of Fallujah are now forgetting the pain they felt for the past few years," Hashim said. "People have started to live a normal life again. They are going back to work."

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A fruit and vegetable market bustles with activity in Fallujah. Iraq’s GDP grew 9.9 percent in 2011 and is projected to rise to 11.1 percent this year and 13.5 percent next year, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, according to the International Monetary Fund. A ration system, which was first instituted under Saddam Hussein during the 1990s and was discontinued after he was toppled in 2003, has since been restarted by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But Ahmed Abbas, 35, a taxi driver in Fallujah, said the promised goods are rarely available. “The government is always saying, ‘We got rid of Saddam for you,’ but that’s nothing,” Abbas said. “Everything was available during Saddam’s time, but now all we get is killing and explosions.”

A fruit and vegetable market bustles with activity in Fallujah. Iraq’s GDP grew 9.9 percent in 2011 and is projected to rise to 11.1 percent this year and 13.5 percent next year, making it one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, according to the International Monetary Fund. A ration system, which was first instituted under Saddam Hussein during the 1990s and was discontinued after he was toppled in 2003, has since been restarted by the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. But Ahmed Abbas, 35, a taxi driver in Fallujah, said the promised goods are rarely available. “The government is always saying, ‘We got rid of Saddam for you,’ but that’s nothing,” Abbas said. “Everything was available during Saddam’s time, but now all we get is killing and explosions.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Om Dyana, standing at left, tries to comfort her daughter, Dyana Adnan, as doctor Minnette Son center, and Shannon Kyle provide care for the young girl in a new wing of Fallujah General Hospital. In postwar Iraq, hospitals such as this one are rising from the rubble. But longer-term casualties of the war still plague the country: Fallujah has seen unusually high rates of birth defects since major battles involving the U.S. military in 2004. Studies suggest, inconclusively, that the high rate of birth defects are due to chemicals such as depleted uranium and white phosphorous found in some U.S. weapons that may have been used in the battles to overtake Fallujah.

Om Dyana, standing at left, tries to comfort her daughter, Dyana Adnan, as doctor Minnette Son center, and Shannon Kyle provide care for the young girl in a new wing of Fallujah General Hospital. In postwar Iraq, hospitals such as this one are rising from the rubble. But longer-term casualties of the war still plague the country: Fallujah has seen unusually high rates of birth defects since major battles involving the U.S. military in 2004. Studies suggest, inconclusively, that the high rate of birth defects are due to chemicals such as depleted uranium and white phosphorous found in some U.S. weapons that may have been used in the battles to overtake Fallujah.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Mohammed Hussein Khatif, 21, left, and Omar Abbas, 26, work at the Mecca Mall, a new three-story department store that opened in late February. 'We could have never opened a year ago because of the security situation,' said Ahmed Abdul-Razzaq Abbas, 24, whose family owns the brightly colored store. 'It was still risky to open now, but I did. I have to work.' Abbas said he and his friends occasionally play dominoes and drink tea in a coffee shop after work, but they don’t stay out too late because they are worried about security in the city. 'It's better that the Americans left. I hate them,' Abbas said. 'But it's still the same. When they were here, there were explosions. They are gone, and there are still explosions.'

Mohammed Hussein Khatif, 21, left, and Omar Abbas, 26, work at the Mecca Mall, a new three-story department store that opened in late February. "We could have never opened a year ago because of the security situation," said Ahmed Abdul-Razzaq Abbas, 24, whose family owns the brightly colored store. "It was still risky to open now, but I did. I have to work." Abbas said he and his friends occasionally play dominoes and drink tea in a coffee shop after work, but they don’t stay out too late because they are worried about security in the city. "It's better that the Americans left. I hate them," Abbas said. "But it's still the same. When they were here, there were explosions. They are gone, and there are still explosions."

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A woman passes the Mecca Mall, a new three-story department store that opened in late February on Fallujah’s Street 40, amid a rundown collection of small shops and blasted buildings. It sells Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, scooters, a children’s wading pool shaped like a dinosaur and king-size headboards trimmed in orange velvet.

A woman passes the Mecca Mall, a new three-story department store that opened in late February on Fallujah’s Street 40, amid a rundown collection of small shops and blasted buildings. It sells Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, scooters, a children’s wading pool shaped like a dinosaur and king-size headboards trimmed in orange velvet.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Nearly 100,000 Muslim pilgrims, many from Iran, gather between shrines that honor Imam Hussain and his half-brother Imam Abbas in Karbala, one of the most important cities for Shiite Muslims in Iraq. Mohammad al-Mussawi, head of the local government in Karbala, said about 40 million people a year visit his city. At least 4 million of them are from other countries, and that number is steadily increasing as Iraq’s security situation improves, he said.

Nearly 100,000 Muslim pilgrims, many from Iran, gather between shrines that honor Imam Hussain and his half-brother Imam Abbas in Karbala, one of the most important cities for Shiite Muslims in Iraq. Mohammad al-Mussawi, head of the local government in Karbala, said about 40 million people a year visit his city. At least 4 million of them are from other countries, and that number is steadily increasing as Iraq’s security situation improves, he said.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A family makes it way to the Shiite shrines that honor Imam Hussain and his half-brother Imam Abbas in Karbala. Mohammad al-Mussawi, head of the local government in Karbala, said Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, chronically neglected Karbala and its Shiite residents. Now, he said, the local and national governments are building new roads, bridges, housing, water systems and other projects.

A family makes it way to the Shiite shrines that honor Imam Hussain and his half-brother Imam Abbas in Karbala. Mohammad al-Mussawi, head of the local government in Karbala, said Saddam Hussein, a Sunni, chronically neglected Karbala and its Shiite residents. Now, he said, the local and national governments are building new roads, bridges, housing, water systems and other projects.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Sajad Raheem works to construct a hotel that overlooks the shrines honoring Imam Hussain and his half-brother Imam Abbas in Karbala. As Iraq tries to recover from years of war and economic sanctions, the religious pilgrimage business is a leading economic engine. Several big hotels are rising downtown, including a $175 million hotel and residential complex being developed by Dubai-based Range Hospitality. Range officials have said publicly that they are spending at least $500 million on projects in Karbala and Najaf to accommodate the growing numbers of pilgrims.

Sajad Raheem works to construct a hotel that overlooks the shrines honoring Imam Hussain and his half-brother Imam Abbas in Karbala. As Iraq tries to recover from years of war and economic sanctions, the religious pilgrimage business is a leading economic engine. Several big hotels are rising downtown, including a $175 million hotel and residential complex being developed by Dubai-based Range Hospitality. Range officials have said publicly that they are spending at least $500 million on projects in Karbala and Najaf to accommodate the growing numbers of pilgrims.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Two young boys play in a building heavily damaged by fighting between the U.S. military and the Mahdi army, which is loyal to Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, near the Square 55 market in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Sadr City, a Shiite slum on the eastern fringes of Baghdad, has suffered a sharp increase in bombings. On July 10, an attacker placed a “sticky bomb” beneath a Toyota minivan that was stopped at the square, one of the neighborhood’s main intersections, killing at least three people.

Two young boys play in a building heavily damaged by fighting between the U.S. military and the Mahdi army, which is loyal to Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, near the Square 55 market in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Sadr City, a Shiite slum on the eastern fringes of Baghdad, has suffered a sharp increase in bombings. On July 10, an attacker placed a “sticky bomb” beneath a Toyota minivan that was stopped at the square, one of the neighborhood’s main intersections, killing at least three people.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A man passes by a line of concrete blast walls in the central part of Baghdad. The blast walls have become symbols of car bombings and police and military checkpoints. “Car bombings sometimes affect my work, but Baghdad is safer than before,” said Abbas Jabur, 62, a bus driver in Baghdad. “There are fewer checkpoints, and traffic is better.”

A man passes by a line of concrete blast walls in the central part of Baghdad. The blast walls have become symbols of car bombings and police and military checkpoints. “Car bombings sometimes affect my work, but Baghdad is safer than before,” said Abbas Jabur, 62, a bus driver in Baghdad. “There are fewer checkpoints, and traffic is better.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A messy web of electrical wires runs from two privately-owned generators to nearby businesses and residences in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. Generators in wire cages sit outside of businesses, and large ones dot the median strips on main roads. Oil production and revenues are at levels not seen since before former president Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Yet the government barely provides the basics of life — clean water and electricity — on summer days that routinely crack 120 degrees. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s democratically elected leader, presides over a government that, according to critics from international human rights groups to Baghdad bus drivers, is ineffective and increasingly authoritarian and brutal to its political enemies. Corruption is rampant, and people complain that bribery is the only way to get a job, a building permit or a government contract. Transparency International listed Iraq as the 175th worst out of 183 countries in its 2011 annual corruption survey.

A messy web of electrical wires runs from two privately-owned generators to nearby businesses and residences in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. Generators in wire cages sit outside of businesses, and large ones dot the median strips on main roads. Oil production and revenues are at levels not seen since before former president Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. Yet the government barely provides the basics of life — clean water and electricity — on summer days that routinely crack 120 degrees. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq’s democratically elected leader, presides over a government that, according to critics from international human rights groups to Baghdad bus drivers, is ineffective and increasingly authoritarian and brutal to its political enemies. Corruption is rampant, and people complain that bribery is the only way to get a job, a building permit or a government contract. Transparency International listed Iraq as the 175th worst out of 183 countries in its 2011 annual corruption survey.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

The Square 55 market can be seen from a building that was heavily damaged amid fighting between the U.S. military and the Mahdi army, which is loyal to Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. On July 10, an attacker placed a “sticky bomb” beneath a Toyota minivan that was stopped at the square, killing at least three people. Less than two weeks later, a bomb in another crowded Sadr City square killed at least 12 people and injured almost 40 more, on a day when coordinated attacks in 15 cities killed more than 100 people and injured dozens more. Many have worried that Iraq could slide back into the all-out civil war between Sunnis and Shiites that tore the country apart from 2006 to 2008.

The Square 55 market can be seen from a building that was heavily damaged amid fighting between the U.S. military and the Mahdi army, which is loyal to Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. On July 10, an attacker placed a “sticky bomb” beneath a Toyota minivan that was stopped at the square, killing at least three people. Less than two weeks later, a bomb in another crowded Sadr City square killed at least 12 people and injured almost 40 more, on a day when coordinated attacks in 15 cities killed more than 100 people and injured dozens more. Many have worried that Iraq could slide back into the all-out civil war between Sunnis and Shiites that tore the country apart from 2006 to 2008.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Iraqi girls and women wait to buy cheeses, milk, eggs and souped beans from Um Mohammed in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. The neighborhood is a deeply religious and conservative place. Unlike most of Baghdad, where women dress more casually and many leave their heads uncovered, almost all women in Sadr City are covered head to toe in black. Portraits of Imams Ali and Hussein, Islamic figures revered by Shiites, look down from posters and billboards. 'I never felt scared from the Americans,' said Mohammed, who has been selling her goods on this plot for the past four years. 'Sometimes I faced many shootings between the insurgents and the American army and I kept working like nothing happened.'

Iraqi girls and women wait to buy cheeses, milk, eggs and souped beans from Um Mohammed in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. The neighborhood is a deeply religious and conservative place. Unlike most of Baghdad, where women dress more casually and many leave their heads uncovered, almost all women in Sadr City are covered head to toe in black. Portraits of Imams Ali and Hussein, Islamic figures revered by Shiites, look down from posters and billboards. "I never felt scared from the Americans," said Mohammed, who has been selling her goods on this plot for the past four years. "Sometimes I faced many shootings between the insurgents and the American army and I kept working like nothing happened."

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Children play street soccer in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Sadr City is still deeply scarred from the ferocious fighting during the war. Many buildings are still riddled with bullet holes or simply collapsed from shelling. It has recently suffered a sharp increase in bombings, and many here wonder if the violence will provoke an armed response from Shiite militants, especially the Mahdi army, which is loyal to Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. But Dawod al-Ghizi, a spokesman for Sadr, doesn’t see it happening. “I believe that because of the honest people of Iraq, we will never go back to the situation in those years. We are improving, but slowly,” Ghizi said. “We are no longer carrying weapons; we will use the constitution and the laws to improve Iraq.”

Children play street soccer in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Sadr City is still deeply scarred from the ferocious fighting during the war. Many buildings are still riddled with bullet holes or simply collapsed from shelling. It has recently suffered a sharp increase in bombings, and many here wonder if the violence will provoke an armed response from Shiite militants, especially the Mahdi army, which is loyal to Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. But Dawod al-Ghizi, a spokesman for Sadr, doesn’t see it happening. “I believe that because of the honest people of Iraq, we will never go back to the situation in those years. We are improving, but slowly,” Ghizi said. “We are no longer carrying weapons; we will use the constitution and the laws to improve Iraq.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Mushtoq Shakir, left, and Hussain Hadi, right, talk as Ali Khamas, 6, plays hacky sack with a soda can in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Prices for most consumer goods have shot up since the war, according to Sadr City resident Layla Khamas, 24. She said a cylinder of propane gas for cooking cost 20 cents during the Hussein era, but now it costs almost $6. “We don’t know why everything is so expensive now,” she said. “I think the situation for the poor was better under Saddam.”

Mushtoq Shakir, left, and Hussain Hadi, right, talk as Ali Khamas, 6, plays hacky sack with a soda can in the Sadr City district of Baghdad. Prices for most consumer goods have shot up since the war, according to Sadr City resident Layla Khamas, 24. She said a cylinder of propane gas for cooking cost 20 cents during the Hussein era, but now it costs almost $6. “We don’t know why everything is so expensive now,” she said. “I think the situation for the poor was better under Saddam.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Traffic chaotically bottlenecks at a security checkpoint in central Baghdad where vehicles are funneled into a single lane, so that security forces can inspect every car. Iraqi Army and police have set up hundreds of checkpoints across the country. There are far fewer checkpoints than there were during the war, when they were manned by the U.S. military. But they are still a dominant feature of life in Iraq. The checkpoints create some of the most dangerous situations in Iraq — huge traffic jams, where police become sitting ducks for car bombs. Lately, police have been killed at checkpoints by drivers carrying pistols with silencers.

Traffic chaotically bottlenecks at a security checkpoint in central Baghdad where vehicles are funneled into a single lane, so that security forces can inspect every car. Iraqi Army and police have set up hundreds of checkpoints across the country. There are far fewer checkpoints than there were during the war, when they were manned by the U.S. military. But they are still a dominant feature of life in Iraq. The checkpoints create some of the most dangerous situations in Iraq — huge traffic jams, where police become sitting ducks for car bombs. Lately, police have been killed at checkpoints by drivers carrying pistols with silencers.

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

A security officer mans a Jadriya Street checkpoint in Baghdad. The two lanes of traffic leading to the traffic stop are lined with wires that the police have decorated with red, blue and pink plastic flowers.“We put them there to make the checkpoint a little more beautiful,” says the police lieutenant in charge, who said the checkpoints are needed, even though they are nerve-wracking for his officers and frustrating for drivers. “We are looking for terrorists,” he said. “If we search cars, of course there will be more traffic jams. But if we don’t, maybe a terrorist will get through.”

A security officer mans a Jadriya Street checkpoint in Baghdad. The two lanes of traffic leading to the traffic stop are lined with wires that the police have decorated with red, blue and pink plastic flowers.“We put them there to make the checkpoint a little more beautiful,” says the police lieutenant in charge, who said the checkpoints are needed, even though they are nerve-wracking for his officers and frustrating for drivers. “We are looking for terrorists,” he said. “If we search cars, of course there will be more traffic jams. But if we don’t, maybe a terrorist will get through.”

Jahi Chikwendiu / The Washington Post

Featured Photo Galleries

Gov. Ronald Reagan of California, temporary chairman of the Republican National Convention, turns the gavel over to the permanent chairman, Rep. Gerald R. Ford, of Michigan, at the session in Miami Beach, Florida on Tuesday, August 22, 1972. (AP Photo)

A look at past Republican National Conventions

From 1940’s controversial nomination of Wendell Willkie and 1952’s bitter feud between Dwight Eisenhower and Robert A. Taft to Alf...

Homeowner David Firth tries to beat back a brush fire heading towards his home at Bettas Road and Low Drive as wildfire burns Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2012 in Cle Elum, Wash. The fire jumped the line they were trying to make but still stands after being sprayed with water trucks and further efforts to beat it back with the help of several neighbors volunteering. (AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Bettina Hansen) SEATTLE OUT, USA TODAY OUT, MAGAZINES OUT, TELEVISION OUT, NO SALES . MANDATORY CREDIT TO: BETTINA HANSEN/THE SEATTLE TIMES.

Residents evacuate as wildfires rage through the West

This year’s wildfires are more numerous and have gotten bigger than last year’s, an official says.

LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 16: Protesters gather outside the Ecuadorian Embassy, where Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks is staying on August 16, 2012 in London, England. Mr Assange has been living inside Ecuador's London embassy since June 19, 2012 after requesting political asylum whilst facing extradition to Sweden to face allegations of sexual assault. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Julian Assange granted political asylum by Ecuador

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted asylum on Thursday by Ecuador, raising the possibility of a diplomatic showdown between British...

Chase Culp of Houston checks his clown makeup before the performance of Circus Smirkus on Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012 in Montpelier, Vt. Circus Smirkus, based in Greensboro, Vt., is an award-winning international youth circus founded to promote the skills, culture and traditions of the traveling circus.(AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

India Independence Day, Syrian air strikes, Western wildfires, plastination and more in the day in photos

News and feature images from around the world.

Cast member Charisma Carpenter poses at the premiere of 'The Expendables 2' at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California August 15, 2012. The movie opens in the U.S. on August 17. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT)

Eye on entertainment

Charisma Carpenter, Chuck Norris, Lionel Richie, Joe Jonas, Nelly, Alice Cooper and other celebrities.

US President Barack Obama drinks a Guinness beer at The Dubliner pub on March 17, 2012 in Washington. Obama went to the bar to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. AFP PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Hoppy days are here again

President Obama is making clear his love for beer on the campaign trail as he attempts to ferment a coalition of the swilling.

Scanned from Post archive. Washington Senators baseball players Goose Goslin, Manush, Kukel. 9/21/1933. No other info. TWP Photo.

The last time Washington was this good . . .

The Nationals have had the best record in baseball in August, starting to erase memories hardened by decades of mediocrity. Here are clues to...

Montreal Washington, of Kansas City, pets the dog she adopted, Friday, Aug. 10, during 'Tackle Pet Homelessness' at the Kansas City animal shelter in Kansas City, Mo.. Washington plans on naming the pit bull, Alexandra. The shelter is at capacity and is offering a $25 adoption special for all dogs 25 pounds or more. For the month of August, all cats are 'name your own price' and kitten adoptions are $50. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Allison Long)

Homeless and adopted dogs, sand kittens, snow leopards and more in animal views.

Amazing creatures from around the world.

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Loading...

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.