* 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. * Quest to end the miserable migraines. * Addiction to "ataya"—a hot, strong tea—becoming a
* Liberals support Obama's foreign policy for the same reason they backed George W. Bush—because they're interventionist. * "10 Food Documentaries to Stream on Netflix Tonight" includes the terrific Kings of Pastry. * See also: The complete Beatles songbook covered on ukelele. * Westminster Dog Show champion
* Interactive graphic of every State of the Union speech shows the language is getting dumber. * Research suggests cold weather makes us better decision makers in Alaska than in Florida. * Few, if any, hospitals know the cost of a new hip, and there appears to be no set market price. * List
* Beijing views North Korea's third nuclear test, held during a major Chinese holiday, as an insult. * The Chinese web reaction to the nuclear test: jokes about Kim Jong Un's posterior. * The size of the blast is one thing, but the exact nature of the device exploded
* A man...who capped his career by terminating bin Laden, has no landing pad in civilian life. * The popes who've resigned. * Odds that the next pope could be from Latin America, home to 40% of the world's Catholics. * Guilt is our inner police force, but if
* House members stake out aisle seats at the State of the Union for a chance to be seen on television by constituents. * Graphing the rhetoric of the last 12 State of the Union addresses. * Q&A with the editor of the Antarctic Sun. * UK officials blame "criminal activity&
* Jillian Becker, friend of Sylvia Plath's, remembers their last days together, 50 years ago. * Like most teenagers [I] had no problem identifying with a young woman who had everything going for her. * Millenials report the highest stress levels of any age group, and their doctors are worried. * The
* With NASA no longer sending humans into space, would-be astronauts turn their hopes to the private sector. * As the Bush email hack shows, breaking into a presidential account isn't the only way to access executive-level info. * It is startling how little [Bush] managed to move the
* Aviation experts believe Iran's stealth fighter is an elaborately constructed model. * Scientists identify the creature from which all placental mammals—including humans—descended. * "WTF, Evolution": Nature's weird selections. * Frozen meat lasagna from Sweden discovered to contain between 60 and 100 percent horsemeat. * From David
* Potentially historic winter storm follows Sandy's path into New England this afternoon. * "One for the record books," asteroid the size of an office building will miss Earth next week, though passing closer than some weather satellites. * Seven points about Iran and nukes that summarize everything we
