Headlines from February 14, 2013

American Airlines and US Airways confirm $11-billion merger, and will operate together under the American brand.
CBS footage of a gun battle from the final stage of the manhunt for Christopher Dorner. #video
At first just a dull ache, then a hot, brittle feeling in the skull. Quest to end the miserable migraines. #tmn
Addiction to “ataya”—a hot, strong tea—becoming a threat to society in Sierra Leone.
The legal high market is becoming an informal opt-in drug-testing experiment with paying subjects.
New Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue criticized for using non-westerners as “ethnic props” to sell boobs and bikinis.
Honeycomb of solar walls credited with 19th-century peach-growing success.
Burglar in Canada’s safest town returns family’s stolen goods, includes note of apology and $50 for the broken door.
New mark of punctuation proposed for the digital era: The ElRey Mark.
Mona Lisa hanging in the Louvre could be a copy of a Swiss original.
Related: Mona Lisa painted in the various styles of famous artists. #tmn
Hilary Mantel on Buckingham Palace, Kate Middleton, Diana, and why she looks upon the current Queen as meat.
The life and times of the Bristol kid who would become Banksy.
It takes a long time for an audience to relax on Monday nights, and other things Thom Yorke has learned.
His life as a pope so vile, so foul, so execrable, that I shudder to think of it. Brief profiles of other popes who quit on the job.
Seal tries to engulf photographer, then attempts to nurture him with dead penguins for four and a half days. #video
Liberals support Obama’s foreign policy for the same reason they backed George W. Bush—because they’re interventionist. #opinions
“10 Food Documentaries to Stream on Netflix Tonight” includes the terrific Kings of Pastry.
See also: The complete Beatles songbook covered on ukelele. #video
Y’all are the monkeys. Don’t project your monkey on us. Westminster Dog Show champion Banana Joe defends affenpinschers.
Related: Barbaro the injured horse sends replies to his fan mail. #tmn
Powerless Carnival cruise returns to port labeled a “floating petri dish.”
Mosh pits teach researchers about collective behavior, with people moving “a lot like gas particles.”
Graphic: States with higher rates of gun ownership tend to have higher rates of suicide than states with less gun ownership.
Since Newtown, 1,793 or more Americans have died from guns.
During routine trip to the grocery store, Frenchman’s car accelerates to 125 mph and remains there for an hour.
Natasha Vargas-Cooper on the complexities of sentencing a 10-year-old who grew up to kill his Nazi father.
For every shark bite, 25 people are bitten by New Yorkers. Radio 4 on how Jaws inspired marine biologists and created the summer blockbuster. #audio
Neil DeGrasse Tyson: “The space program enabled tomorrow to exist today.” #video
Record number of malnourished and dehydrated sea lion pups needing care in LA for no clear reason.