2 women, gunman die in Del. courthouse shooting

By Andrew Mach, Staff Writer, NBC News

A man opened fire at a Delaware courthouse on Monday, killing two women and wounding two others before he was fatally shot, officials said.

The shooting occurred at around 8 a.m. ET at the New Castle County Courthouse in Wilmington, Del., when the gunman was stopped by Capitol Police at a security checkpoint inside the main lobby, Mayor Dennis Williams told NBC10 in Philadelphia. The court was not yet open.

Delaware State Police Sgt. Paul Shavack said that the two people wounded were Capitol Police officers. They were transported to Christiana Hospital in Newark, Del., with non-life threatening injuries.

Shavack said the suspect exchanged gunfire with officers in the lobby. It was not immediately known whether the suspect was killed by police or died of a self-inflicted wound.

Police said they have preliminary identification of the gunman, who was in his late 20s to early 30s, but would not yet release that information.

Shavack said investigators and search teams were canvassing the 12-story courthouse building as a precaution to protect those still inside, but they believed the area was secure.

?We believe that this is a lone gunman but we continue to operate under procedure,? Shavack told reporters outside the courthouse Monday.

Defense attorney Brian Chapman told NBCPhiladelphia.com that the building?s security personnel make it very hard to breach security.

"There are at least four or five rows of metal detectors when you go in, you put your belongings through, then you have to walk through the metal detectors,? Chapman said. ?Then there are usually eight to 10 police with wands checking everyone and after that you still have to walk by a desk where capitol police sit."

Dozens of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks were on the scene, and the streets were cordoned off for several blocks around the courthouse, DelawareOnline.com reported.

Five elementary schools and one high school in the area were on lockdown Monday morning.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for updates.

Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/11/16925827-two-women-gunman-die-in-delaware-courthouse-shooting?lite

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Retiring Pope Benedict XVI in uncharted territory

A view of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery inside the Vatican State where Pope Benedict XVI is expected to live after he resigns, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. For months, construction crews have been renovating a four-story building attached to a monastery on the northern edge of the Vatican gardens where nuns would live for a few years at a time in cloister. Only a handful of Vatican officials knew it would one day be Pope Benedict XVI's retirement home. On Tuesday, construction materials littered the front lawn of the house and plastic tubing snaked down from the top floor to a dump truck as the restoration deadline became ever more critical following Benedict's stunning announcement that he would resign Feb. 28 and live his remaining days in prayer. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A view of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery inside the Vatican State where Pope Benedict XVI is expected to live after he resigns, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. For months, construction crews have been renovating a four-story building attached to a monastery on the northern edge of the Vatican gardens where nuns would live for a few years at a time in cloister. Only a handful of Vatican officials knew it would one day be Pope Benedict XVI's retirement home. On Tuesday, construction materials littered the front lawn of the house and plastic tubing snaked down from the top floor to a dump truck as the restoration deadline became ever more critical following Benedict's stunning announcement that he would resign Feb. 28 and live his remaining days in prayer. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

A view of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, right, next to the Tower of San Giovanni, inside the Vatican State where Pope Benedict XVI is expected to live after he resigns, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013. For months, construction crews have been renovating a four-story building attached to a monastery on the northern edge of the Vatican gardens where nuns would live for a few years at a time in cloister. Only a handful of Vatican officials knew it would one day be Pope Benedict XVI's retirement home. On Tuesday, construction materials littered the front lawn of the house and plastic tubing snaked down from the top floor to a dump truck as the restoration deadline became ever more critical following Benedict's stunning announcement that he would resign Feb. 28 and live his remaining days in prayer. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? For months, construction crews have been renovating a four-story building attached to a monastery on the northern edge of the Vatican gardens where nuns would live for a few years at a time in cloister.

Only a handful of Vatican officials knew it would one day be Pope Benedict XVI's retirement home.

On Tuesday, construction materials littered the front lawn of the house and plastic tubing snaked down from the top floor to a cargo container. The restoration has become even more critical following Benedict's announcement that he will resign Feb. 28 and live his remaining days here in prayer.

From a new name to this new home to the awkward reality of having a reigning pope and a retired one, Benedict is facing uncharted territory as he becomes the first pontiff in six centuries to retire.

The Vatican on Tuesday tried to quash any notion that Benedict aimed to pull strings behind the scenes. The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a top spokesman, said Benedict will have no influence on the election of his successor.

"The pope will surely say absolutely nothing about the process of election," he told reporters.

The 85-year-old Benedict said Monday he was stepping down simply because he simply no longer had the strength in mind or body to carry on. Lombardi on Tuesday also revealed for the first time that Benedict has had a pacemaker for years and had its battery replaced just a few months ago.

Although no date for a conclave to choose the next pope has been announced, it must begin within 20 days of his Feb. 28 retirement. That means a new pope will likely be elected by the College of Cardinals by Easter ? March 31 this year.

The decision immediately raised questions about what Benedict would be called, where he would live ? and how that might affect his successor.

The Vatican's senior communications adviser, Greg Burke, said Tuesday the fact that Benedict had chosen to live in a monastery is significant.

"It is something that he has wanted to do for a while," Burke said. "But I think it also suggests that his role is going to be a very quiet one, and that is important so you don't have a situation of ... two different popes at the same time, and one influencing the other.

"I think the obvious thing is when he says retirement, it really means retiring," he said.

As for his name, Burke said Benedict would most likely be referred to "Bishop of Rome, emeritus" as opposed to "Pope Emeritus." Lombardi also said Benedict would take some kind of "emeritus" title.

Other Vatican officials said it would probably be up to the next pope to decide Benedict's new title, and wouldn't exclude that he might still be called "Your Holiness" as a courtesy, much as retired presidents are often referred to as "President." It was not clear whether the retired pope will retain the name Benedict - or revert to being called Joseph Ratzinger again.

Benedict had important unfinished business before his retirement: He has been widely expected to issue his fourth encyclical, concerning faith, before Easter. But Lombardi ruled out that the encyclical would be ready before his retirement.

Already, Benedict was changing his schedule to take into account his new circumstances. He had been scheduled to go to a church on Rome's Aventine hill for the annual Ash Wednesday service this week starting the church's Lenten season; the service will take place in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome instead. Lombardi said a larger space was needed to accommodate the throngs expected to greet the outgoing pope - but observers suspect the Vatican may have also wanted to spare Benedict from the crowds along the hill.

Immediately after his resignation, Benedict will spend some time at the papal summer retreat in Castel Gandolfo, overlooking Lake Albano in the hills south of Rome where he has spent his summer vacations reading and writing. By March, the weather may start to warm up and he should be able to enjoy the gardens and feed the goldfish in a pond near a statue of the Madonna where he often liked to visit.

If he's interested, he can do some star gazing; The Vatican Observatory is located inside the palazzo, complete with a telescope and a world-class collection of meteorites.

Lombardi said Benedict would eventually return to the Vatican and live at a monastery inside the Vatican gardens. Asked if he might like to go somewhere else, Lombardi said the pope would feel "much safer" inside the Vatican walls.

The Mater Ecclesiae monastery was built in 1992, on the site of a former residence for the Vatican's gardeners. Pope John Paul II had wanted a residence inside the Vatican walls to host contemplative religious orders, and over the years several different orders would come for spells of a few years, said Giovanni Maria Vian, the editor of the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

The last such order of nuns left the residence in October, and renovation work began immediately afterward, Vian told AP. He said Benedict had decided to retire last April after his taxing but exhilarating trip to Mexico and Cuba in March.

"Many people thought they were doing the renovations for new sisters, but it was for the pope," Vian said. He said only a few people knew of the pope's plans, yet the secret didn't get out.

"That shows the seriousness and loyalty of the few senior Holy See officials who were aware," he said ? a reference to the 2012 scandal over leaked papal documents by the pope's own butler.

Benedict has visited the monastery, with its own chapel on the grounds, a handful of times over the years.

There's a garden right outside the front door, where the nuns living there would tend to the lemon and orange trees as well as the roses, which are used in liturgical ceremonies or sent as gifts to the pope. No chemical fertilizers are used, just organic fertilizer sent straight from the gardens at Castel Gandolfo.

__

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

___

Trisha Thomas and Victor L. Simpson in Rome contributed.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-02-12-Vatican-Pope/id-a8a01900535a4c49af279e76b60d2d9e

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IOC set to cut 1 sport from program of 2020 Games

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge speaks during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. Rogge arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for a four-day visit to inspect ongoing preparations for the 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympic Winter Games in the South Korean alpine city. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge speaks during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. Rogge arrived in South Korea on Wednesday for a four-day visit to inspect ongoing preparations for the 2018 Pyeong Chang Olympic Winter Games in the South Korean alpine city. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and IOC President Jaques Rogge press a symbolic button to mark One Year to the start of 2014 Winter Olympics, in Sochi, Russia, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. (AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Presidential Press Service)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) ? IOC leaders are meeting this week to decide which sport to drop from the Olympic program and how to deal with the fallout from the Lance Armstrong doping scandal.

At a two-day IOC executive board meeting opening Tuesday, the IOC will also review preparations for the Winter Olympics in Sochi ? less than a year away ? and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro, as well as select a short list of finalists for the 2018 Youth Olympics.

Modern pentathlon, a tradition-steeped contest invented by the founder of the modern Olympics, is expected to face close scrutiny when the board considers which of the current 26 summer Olympic sports to remove from the program of the 2020 Games. Taking out one sport will make way for a new sport to be added to the program later this year.

The executive board will review a report from the IOC program commission assessing each of the sports contested at last summer's London Olympics.

The report analyzes more than three dozen criteria, including television ratings, ticket sales, anti-doping policy and global participation and popularity. With no official rankings or recommendations contained in the report, the final decision by the 15-member executive board will likely be influenced by political, emotional and sentimental factors.

Among the sports considered the most vulnerable is modern pentathlon, which was created for the Olympics by French baron Pierre de Coubertin. It has been on the program since the 1912 Stockholm Games, where George S. Patton ? the future U.S. Army general ? finished fifth.

Modern pentathlon combines fencing, horse riding, swimming, running and shooting ? the five skills required of a 19th century cavalry officer. The sport's governing body, the UIPM, has been lobbying hard to protect its Olympic status.

UIPM President Klaus Schormann said his sport has broadened its appeal with a one-day format while also upholding the traditions of the past and the legacy of De Coubertin.

"The Olympic movement always needs history," he told The Associated Press. "You cannot just say we look only at the future. You can have a future when you are stable on the basic part of history. We are continuing to develop, to renovate, to be innovative and creative. We are very proud of what we achieved so far and want to deliver this as well for the next generations in 2020."

Taekwondo, the Korean martial art that has been in the Olympics since 2000, has also been mentioned as being among the sports in potential danger. The sport introduced a new scoring system in London to eliminate judging controversies and the gold medals, previously dominated by South Koreans, were spread among eight different nations.

The future of wrestling, badminton and table tennis have also been the subject of speculation.

The last sports removed from the Olympics were baseball and softball, voted out by the IOC in 2005 and off the program since the 2008 Beijing Games. Joining the program at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro will be golf and rugby.

Baseball and softball have combined forces to seek inclusion in 2020, competing against karate, squash, roller sports, sport climbing, wakeboarding and wushu. Whichever sport is dropped Tuesday will join those seven vying for the single opening in 2020.

The IOC executive board will meet in May in St. Petersburg, Russia, to decide which sport or sports to propose for 2020 inclusion. The final vote will be made at the IOC general assembly in September in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This week, the IOC will also discuss the crisis in cycling following the doping revelations that led to Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life from elite sports. Armstrong was also stripped by the IOC of his bronze medal from the 2000 Sydney Games, though the medal has not yet been returned.

The international cycling federation, the UCI, has been in open conflict with the World Anti-Doping Agency over the terms of any "truth and reconciliation" process offering amnesties to those who come forward with information. UCI President Pat McQuaid has written all IOC members seeking their support. He also is reportedly seeking help to fund the process.

The IOC appears unlikely to get directly involved, seeking instead to encourage the UCI and WADA to work together.

"The IOC could maybe play a role as a kind of facilitator," IOC vice president Thomas Bach told the AP.

On another matter, the IOC will reduce the field of candidates for the 2018 Summer Youth Games. The five bidders are Buenos Aires; Glasgow, Scotland; Guadalajara, Mexico; Medellin, Colombia; and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

At least two are expected to make the list of finalists, with the winner to be announced in June. The first Youth Olympics were held in 2010 in Singapore, with the 2014 edition taking place in Nanjing, China.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-11-OLY-IOC-Meetings/id-2f8c12c6d1214b0791e2f09c9439ac1c

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Football May Be Over But The Hits Will Keep Coming | NFL ...

Are you ready for some football? Some courtroom-concussion football, that is. Now that the season is over, things are going to start heating up in court.

The lawyers have spent the last several months arguing whether the players? claims are barred by the collective bargaining agreements (CBAs). The parties have submitted their respective briefs to the court, and the ball is now in Judge Brody?s hands.

In order to further flesh out the issues, Judge Brody ordered oral arguments to take place on Tuesday, April 9 at 10:00 am in Philadelphia.

Get your popcorn ready because it is going to be a star-studded event, at this Supreme-Court-like showdown. Hall of famers will be there; prominent lawyers will flex their legal brilliance, and Roger Goodell, well, he probably won?t be there ? he?ll be out kissing babies and trying to save football.

The NFL knows that this could be a make or break moment ? for football, as we know it. Billions of dollars are at stake.

The NFL is trying to slam the courtroom door shut, and prevent the plaintiffs? lawyers from digging deep into the NFL?s dirty laundry. The discovery of?81 documents in the tobacco litigation cost Big Tobacco 365 billion dollars. The same could be true here.

Both sides have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars (probably closer to millions) on the litigation already. Neither the NFL nor the plaintiffs? lawyers are working on the cheap when it comes to tackling the preemption issue.

In the NFL?s corner, Paul Clement will likely present the NFL?s argument for why the players? claims should be dismissed.

In the players? corner, David Frederick will attempt to persuade Judge Brody that this case is much more than a mere ?labor dispute.? As I noted previously, Frederick was a Supreme Court Clerk to Justice Byron ?Whizzer? White ? who also played in the NFL for three very successful seasons.

This may be the most dramatic litigation battle in sports history, and the legal hits are just starting. If Judge Brody rules in the players? favor, it could be the beginning of a long and dark story of how the NFL allegedly profited from the destruction of the brains of thousands of players. On the other hand, if Judge Brody rules in the NFL?s favor, we may never learn what, if at all, the NFL knew about the long-term damage of repetitive hits to the head.

After the April arguments, Judge Brody will be tasked with writing a well-reasoned decision on whether the players? lawsuits can move forward. Simply put, the health of former players and the NFL?s pocketbook are in Judge Brody?s hands. Of course, there will be appeals, but Judge Brody?s decision will steer the direction of the NFL Players? Concussion Injury Litigation ? perhaps into settlement.

The NFL is not the only organization trying to fend off concussion lawsuits.

In a courtroom in Chicago, arguments are set to begin to determine if the plaintiffs can certify a nationwide class of all former student athletes that suffered a concussion while playing sports at an NCAA school. Although the plaintiffs have several legal hurdles ahead, this litigation could determine whether student athletes should be monitored for the warning signs of CTE.

The gridiron of courtroom-concussion football is set to take some hits.

Source: http://nflconcussionlitigation.com/?p=1359

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LoopUp, Cable & Wireless Communications to Deliver Conferencing ...

LoopUp, the business collaboration and remote meetings company, today announced its partnership with LIME, the Caribbean business of Cable & Wireless Communications. Under the terms of the partnership, LIME will distribute the LoopUp product as LIME Conferencing as part of a managed service agreement to business customers in its 14 countries of operation.

?We?re pleased to team up with LIME, our first partner in the region,? said Steve Flavell, co-CEO of LoopUp. ?LoopUp stands out in the world of everyday conference calls. Following our September opening of LoopUp?s regional hub in Barbados, we?ve been actively seeking to partner and bring LoopUp to the corporate market within the Caribbean and surrounding areas including Panama and Trinidad.?

Eugene Nolan, LIME?s director of product and process, believes this partnership fits perfectly with his company?s commitment to delivering exceptional services to customers. ?Our own team had already begun using LoopUp throughout the region and was benefiting from its better meeting experience, so naturally we wanted to partner with LoopUp and deliver the same service to our own customers,? he said.

LoopUp gives business professionals everyday conference calls that address the classic frustrations involved in remote meetings, such as not knowing who?s on the call, annoying background noise, and difficulty sharing a presentation. Call leaders can quickly send out call details then get an alert on their desktop or mobile when their first guest arrives, which takes them straight into LoopUp?s conference call app on their browser or mobile device to:

• Know what?s happening on the call (who?s on and who?s speaking, and view their LinkedIn? profile)
• Join by having LoopUp call a phone of their choice (without needing to use dial-in numbers, access or pin codes)
• Control the call: call leaders can add missing guests, mute background noise, record the call and share their screen without needing to launch another collaboration tool

LoopUp opened its Barbados office in September 2012. For more information, please visit http://loopup.com or, for regional inquiries, email Wayne Atwell via caribbean@loopup.com

About Cable & Wireless Communications

Cable & Wireless Communications is a global full-service communications business. We operate leading communications businesses through four regional units ? the Caribbean, Panama, Macau and Monaco & Islands. Our services include mobile, broadband and domestic and international fixed line services in most of our markets as well as pay TV, data centre and hosting, carrier and managed service/social telecom (telecom enabled public services) solutions.

Our operations are focused on providing our customers ? consumers, businesses, governments ? with world-class service. Serving the communities where we operate is at the heart of our approach, and we are committed to behaving in an ethical and socially responsible manner. For more information visit www.cwc.com

About LIME

Contacts

for LoopUp
Mandy Silverman, +1-415-322-8239
pr@loopup.com
or
for LIME
Kalando Wilmoth, +1-876-329-8286

Source: http://www.virtual-strategy.com/2013/02/11/loopup-cable-wireless-communications-deliver-conferencing-solution-caribbean-businesses

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American Airlines-U.S. Airways Merger Set To Take Off: Seven And A Half Things To Know

Science has determined that people need to know 7.5 things per day, on average, about the world of business. You can't argue with science. Lucky for you, The Huffington Post has an email newsletter, delivered first thing every weekday morning, boiling down the day's biggest business news into the 7.5 things you absolutely need to know. And we're giving it away free, because we love you, and also science. Here you go:

Mark Gongloff is off the newsletter this week, so today's 7.5 Things are brought to you by Jillian Berman.

Thing One: Merger To Take Off: As if it wasn?t enough of a pain, flying may soon get worse for consumers. American Airlines and U.S. Airways are set to announce a merger later this week, making the new airline the biggest in the country, according to The New York Times. Though the move will make the airlines healthier and allow for more money to invest in newer planes, it could mean less service to smaller cities, which was a result of past airline mergers. Consumer advocates also say the giant airline will mean less competition and therefore higher ticket prices, as well as possible job losses, The Huffington Post?s Eleazar David Melendez reported last week.

Still, the Justice Department is likely to approve the merger, according to the Wall Street Journal. Even though the Feds have been particularly active in anti-trust suits this year, currently litigating seven which include such varied industries as beer and e-books. The merger, which would help get American Airlines? parent company out of bankruptcy, may not be a great deal for consumers, but it might not be totally terrible either. A Brookings Institute economist told the WSJ that airline mergers don?t usually result in a boost in ticket prices.

But they sometimes result in frustration for travelers. As airlines try to combine different staff cultures and computer systems, the experience can often be worse for consumers, according to the NYT. Last year a United Airlines merger resulted in flight delays and cancellations for fliers.

Thing Two: Obama Hearts The Middle Class: During his State of the Union address tomorrow, President Obama will focus on a cause everyone can get behind: boosting the middle class. The speech will mark a change from the progressive tone he struck during his second inaugural address, instead highlighting his plans for bringing manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. and pushing a budget deal that includes both spending cuts and tax code changes to raise revenue, according to the Financial Times. Though Obama has been focusing on immigration reform and gun control since his election, the economy is a make-or-break issue for the President, according to Reuters. He?ll probably face an uphill battle, since Republicans oppose boosting spending, which is one of the main avenues Obama plans to use to increase economic growth.

Thing Three: Apple May No Longer Rule The World: The era of Apple world domination may soon be coming to an end. Samsung?s Galaxy III is the first smartphone to have sales that are neck and neck with the iPhone, according to The New York Times. And Samsung is the first company in years to pose a real threat to Apple, Blackberry, HP, Dell and others never came close to challenging the company. Apple may have new shiny device on the way though. The company is experimenting with watch-like devices that would do some of the same things as a smartphone, according to the Wall Street Journal. It might be just us, but a watch doesn?t exactly seem like a game changer.

Thing Four: S&P's Victims: Big banks were allegedly some of the biggest victims of S&P?s, knowingly giving shoddy mortgage bonds higher ratings than they deserved, according to a Bloomberg report. The article notes that executives at companies like Citigroup never thought twice about all the mortgage bonds being added to their balance sheet because those bonds didn?t seem risky because they had top ratings from S&P. Of course, some of the bigger victims were those with more to lose, who didn?t get bailed out. Investors in the mortgage bonds that ultimately went sour included public pension funds, The Huffington Post?s Ben Hallman reported earlier. In addition, S&P?s wrong top ratings may have helped fuel the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which ultimately crippled the U.S. economy. The company gave top ratings to Lehman-backed CDOs, even though they were tied to subprime mortgage bonds carrying much lower grades, according to a separate Bloomberg report.

Thing Five: Don't Let The Revolving Door Hit You: In a revelation that is surprising to no one with common sense, the revolving door between government and Wall Street may have derailed some regulation efforts. Former SEC staffers, who jumped to private firms, helped stop an effort last year to better regulate the money market fund industry, according to a report from the Project on Government Oversight, cited by Reuters. The report cites a variety of former SEC staffers, who questioned the proposed money market funds at the time. And the revolving door swings the other way too. The report notes that SEC officials, who once worked in the money market industry, also helped to derail the regulation.

Thing Six: Companies And The Poor Are On The Same Team This Time: Poor people aren?t the only ones suffering from some Republican governors? decision to take a stance against Obamacare; companies are hurting too. Republican governors from a slew of states rejected the Medicaid expansion included in Obamacare, a move that will deny coverage to their states? poorest residents. It also means many companies will have to pay more to insure their workers. Under the Medicaid expansion, lower-paid workers would be covered by Medicaid at no cost to the boss. But in states where officials are rejecting the expansion, the companies will have to cover the workers themselves or pay a fine of at least $2,000 per person, according to the Wall Street Journal. Some states, including New Mexico, which approved the Medicaid expansion, have taken business? concerns into account. While others, like South Carolina said the Medicaid expansion would allow companies to dump the responsibility for insuring their employees on to the state.

Thing Seven: College Just Ain't What It Used To Be: Paying for college just isn?t what it used to be. As tuition costs rise far out of pace with inflation, many students have lost the ability to work their way through college, The New York Times reports. Instead only students with extraordinary sources of income -- like the money they earned for fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan -- have the ability to use a paycheck to pay for school. Forty years ago when college cost $4,000 per year in today?s dollars, the idea of a student working their way through college wasn?t that outrageous. But now, with even a public college education costing as much as $80,000, that dream is out of reach, saddling more students with debt.

Thing Seven And One Half: Dressing For Success: Last night, everyone from Taylor Swift to Elton John gathered to celebrate the Grammy?s and apparently they were all hungry. As Buzzfeed notes, many of the celebs in attendance dressed kind of like food.

Now Arriving By Email: If you'd like this newsletter delivered daily to your email inbox, then please just feed your email address to the thin box over on the right side of this page, wedged narrowly between the ad and all the social-media buttons. OR, if you are logged into a HuffPost account, you could simply click on this link and tick the box labeled "7.5 Things" (and any other kind of news alert you'd like to get). Nothing bad will happen to you if you do, unless you consider getting this newsletter delivered daily to your email inbox a bad thing.

Calendar Du Jour:

Economic Data:

None

Corporate Earnings:

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Heard On The Tweets:

@moorehn: Maroon 5 is the guy in that Citi commercial just happy to be near Alicia Keys.

@kevinroose: At a Microsoft store for the first time in my life. It's actually kind of... impressive? What is going on? Is Microsoft cool again?

@ReformedBroker: For the record, I was WAY early on the Lumnineers http://www.thereformedbroker.com/2012/05/26/saturday-night-video-ho-hey/ ? now, of course, I hate them because you all like them.

@morningmoneyben: George Will goes all "Occupy Wall Street" and says break up the big banks. http://m.washingtonpost.com/opinions/george-will-break-up-the-big-banks/2013/02/08/2379498a-714e-11e2-8b8d-e0b59a1b8e2a_story.html?hpid=z6 ?

And you can follow us on Twitter, too, if you want, no pressure: @JillianBerman and @MarkGongloff

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/11/american-airlines-us-air-merger_n_2659532.html

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Svindal dominates in downhill win at ski worlds

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal poses with his gold medal during the medal ceremony after the men's downhill race at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Saturday Feb. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal poses with his gold medal during the medal ceremony after the men's downhill race at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Saturday Feb. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

Norway's gold medal winner Aksel Lund Svindal smiles with his medal and trophy during the medal ceremony after the men's downhill race at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Saturday Feb. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

Norway's Aksel Lund?Svindal reacts after his run of the men's downhill at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

United States' Andrew Weibrecht has is face covered with snow after falling at the men's downhill at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013. (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)

Norway's Aksel Lund Svindal is airborne as he speeds down the course during the men's downhill, at the Alpine skiing world championships in Schladming, Austria, Saturday, Feb.9, 2013. (AP Photo/Alessandro Trovati)

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) ? Aksel Lund Svindal was far ahead of his downhill competitors at worlds championships in every aspect ? technically, physically and tactically.

Mastering a bumpy and icy course made more difficult by a light snowfall and low visibility, Svindal won the downhill title Saturday by a huge margin.

Other contenders ran into trouble on the 2-mile Planai course, especially on the steep, final pitch where skiers had to dig their edges in hardest just when their legs began to weaken.

"The game plan was to be pushing all the way down to the last pitch, than be tactical at two gates there then push hard again," Svindal said. "It's never perfect but I had a very good run. When I came down and I was fast I was happy because I definitely didn't want to go up and do it again because I didn't have any more (energy)."

Svindal clocked 2 minutes, 1.32 seconds to win by nearly half a second and secure his second world title in skiing's signature event, having also won in Are, Sweden, in 2007.

Dominik Paris of Italy, who leads this season's World Cup downhill standings by three points ahead of Svindal, took the silver medal, 0.46 behind, and David Poisson of France was a surprise third-place finisher.

With 2005 champion Bode Miller sitting out for the season recovering from knee surgery, the Americans failed to make an impact.

Less than 2 hours before the start of the race, Andrew Weibrecht posted the fastest time in an additional 50-second training run on the bottom part of the course. But he finished only 22nd in the race, 3.25 seconds behind Svindal, for the top U.S. result.

Miller, who attended the race, is expected back next season and plans to compete in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

"He was one who always seemed to pull it through in these situations and it's tough not having him," said Marco Sullivan, who opened the season with a third-place result in Lake Louise. "But we saw in training and the past races we've all been skiing pretty well. We just have to make that jump to doing it in big events."

Already a two-time overall champion, Svindal is having another standout World Cup season with four victories. But he started these championships with a disappointing bronze in a super-G that saw his teammate Kjetil Jansrud of Norway ruled out for up to nine months after injuring his left knee.

"For super-G I was the big favorite that everyone was talking about and in skiing you can't just show up and get your medal. There's just too much stuff you can't control" Svindal said. "Even though it was not a bad day it was also mixed emotions with my one and only teammate getting injured and out for the season.

"I was really motivated to have a good race today. Crossing the finish in the world championships and leading by a second is a really good feeling," added Svindal, who came down immediately before Paris and celebrated immediately, turning to all corners of the finish area to take in the entire crowd.

While Svindal was counting his medals ? he now has 11 at major championship, more than halfway to the all-time record of 20 held by fellow Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt ? the U.S. Ski Team was trying to determine what went wrong.

Sullivan was the first American starter. He was ahead of then leader Andrej Sporn at the fourth checkpoint when he lost his edge on a right turn, getting pushed off course into a barrier. He wasn't injured and got right up and skied down to the finish.

Next up was Travis Ganong, who fell down on his side on the top portion of the course.

Steven Nyman was also on pace for a top-10 finish but he made a big mistake on the bottom pitch, letting his skis get turned perpendicular to the slope. When he reached the finish, he pounded one of his poles into the snow in frustration. He finished 25th, 3.79 behind.

By the time Weibrecht started with the No. 37 bib, a light headwind was blowing and he lost time throughout his run, then fell in the finish area and banged into the protective padding, getting up with his blonde beard covered in snow.

The U.S. team hired prized Austrian downhill coach Andi Evers for this season and improved technically but Nyman said the squad lacked fitness.

"The further down we went the more time we lost," Nyman said. "There's definitely some issues we got to address and it's been that way in Wengen, in Kitzbuehel. We need to perform at the bottom of the courses.

"We definitely need to do more in the season to maintain our strength," added Nyman, who won the classic Val Gardena downhill in December for the second time. "It's a maintenance issue, a matter of maintaining that fitness we get in the summer. We have the facility, we have the trainers, the coaches and everything, we just need to maintain that through the winter."

Sullivan, the team veteran at 32, thought the issue was tactical.

"Americans are known for stepping up in the big events and we definitely expected a lot today and maybe it got the better of us," he said. "On a course like this you had to conserve a bit for the bottom pitch and I don't think we did that. We were full guns out of the gate and it caught up with us. ... I wouldn't say any of us are out of shape by any means."

The Americans weren't the only ones who struggled.

Defending champion Erik Guay of Canada made one big error midway down then appeared out of energy on the bottom, skiing off course two gates from the end and getting disqualified when he went back onto the track and crossed the finish line.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-02-09-SKI-Worlds-Men's-Downhill/id-9322706d176540c381097d705cd3b3c2

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