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BRAZIL BEAT: Waffle House vs Belgian waffles

By WTOP Staff

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Waffle House doesn’t serve Belgian waffles and certainly won’t start now.

The Georgia-based restaurant chain took to its Twitter account Monday to proclaim, “We don’t believe in Belgium waffles.” Or Belgian waffles, as a follower quickly corrected. But the sentiment, a riff on American fans’ “I believe that we will win” chant,” was popular a day before the U.S. faces Belgium in the World Cup.

Restaurant spokeswoman Meghan Irwin says it’s all in good fun. Earlier, when a follower asked for the restaurant’s opinion on Belgian waffles, it tweeted: “We dominate them.”

Waffle House serves American-style waffles. Belgian waffles are bigger with a lighter batter.

In Belgium, waffles have been a part of the diet for centuries. But so-called Belgian waffles aren’t really served in that country. There are Brussels waffles and Liege waffles.

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CHEAP TRAVEL

SAO PAULO (AP) — Travel doesn’t get any cheaper than the Argentine fans who have covered more than 1,000 miles in motorhomes and vans for days even without having tickets.

Penniless musicians, hitchhikers and other devoted fans began arriving Monday at the parking lot of Sao Paulo’s Sambadrome, a venue used for Carnival parades that the city opened for them to camp. Argentina is playing against Switzerland in the city’s Itaquerao Stadium on Tuesday to advance to quarterfinals.

Some fans wearing light blue and white were making noodles in a shabby pot.

“That’s what we have been eating every day,” said 48-year-old Fritz Latzina, who called himself a “professional fan,” putting nearly 3,800 kilometers on his RV since he left Buenos Aires on June 11.

Mariano Bellotti, 22, had been hitchhiking with his friend for the past six months traveling from their native Mar de Plata.

“We thought this year we will be champions, so let’s make it a trip, work odd jobs and live it to the fullest from the start,” he said.

They couldn’t afford the tickets, but they will hit the Fan Fests to support the players.

One of the vans parked at the Sambadrome stands out because of a giant sticker on its hood of Pope Francis with an Argentine flag to his right and a Brazilian one to his left.

Anticipating a final between the South American rivals, van owner Jose Alberto Brizio, 63, said, “Let the best team win.”

“But he is blessing the best one,” said Brizio, showing with a cigarette in hand that the pope is waving at his country’s flag.

— By Adriana Gomez Licon — www.twitter.com/agomezlicon

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WORLD CUP DOODLES

SAO PAULO (AP) — A bright blue letter G boots ball after ball through an O-shaped life preserver hanging from a palm tree in a makeshift version of a World Cup shootout. A red “e” lounges on the sand, sipping a tropical beverage through a straw.

The Google “Doodle Team,” as it’s called, is having a blast on-site in Brazil for this World Cup, offering up soccer-themed daily animations on the home page. Multiple versions each day, in fact.

This is the first time doodles are being created outside Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters in Mountain View, California. A small group of the regular doodle team is on location in Sao Paolo.

“We’re basically compressing a process that normally takes a week or more into a few hours in order to keep the doodles fresh and relevant to the day’s matches and football fever in general,” said Ryan Germick, the Google Doodle Team Lead.

Through the tournament’s initial two-plus weeks, Google had posted 36 doodles with “everything from vine-swinging referees; to egg-laying, score-keeping eagles; to a clairvoyant octopus from the great aquarium in the sky,” Germick said.

Leading the efforts is doodler Matt Cruickshank. Cruickshank, Germick and fellow doodlers Sophie Diao and Leon Hong are working from a space they named the “inspiration room” in Google’s Sao Paolo office. There are football collectibles, an artificial turf floor and a record player with a stack of Brazilian albums.

All of the doodles from the tournament can be viewed at www.google.com/doodles.

— By Janie McCauley — www.twitter.com/JanieMcCAP

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WARDROBE DILEMMA

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — Neymar is having doubts about what to wear to his World Cup matches.

Brazil’s star attracted some attention in the team’s second-round match against Chile on Saturday after changing his cleats at halftime. Neymar played the first half with a golden boot made especially for him for the World Cup, but he came back from the dressing room wearing his regular orange cleats.

Neymar said he decided to make the change because he didn’t feel comfortable with the newer model, which he had been using for only a couple of days before Saturday’s match.

The golden boot was created by Nike in reference to the cleats Neymar used when he was a kid. He liked the color so much that he spray-painted them before matches.

Neymar’s exclusive golden model, which has the drawing of a spray can on its sole, is expected to be sold for more than $500 in Brazilian stores.

— By Tales Azzoni — www.twitter.com/tazzoni

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HOWARD’S RECORD

SAO PAULO (AP) — Tim Howard never counts his caps.

Howard broke Kasey Keller’s record for appearances by an American goalkeeper when he played his 103rd international match last Thursday, a 1-0 loss to Germany.

On Tuesday night, he will make it 104 when the Americans face Belgium in the World Cup’s second round at Salvador.

The 35-year-old Howard spoke with Keller, now an ESPN analyst, in the leadup to the World Cup when the U.S. team played an exhibition game against Turkey in the New York area June 1.

“Milestones like that are important,” said Howard, a top goalkeeper in England’s Premier League with Everton. “And obviously Kasey’s dear to me in terms of being a friend and a goalkeeping mentor. I never thought I’d get that close, let alone break it. It’s a proud day.”

— By Janie McCauley — www.twitter.com/JanieMcCAP

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MIDNIGHT CALL

SAO PAULO (AP) — Each time Alejandro Sabella was asked Monday about his lineup — and there were many attempts in different manners — he politely declined.

No hints whatsoever about Tuesday’s second-round World Cup match with Switzerland, and no predictions about what style each team might play.

Sabella is preparing Lionel Messi and Argentina to attack a swarming Switzerland defense. The coach must decide whether to go with Ezequiel Lavezzi in a three-man front missing striker Sergio Aguero. An injured left thigh muscle forced him to leave in the first half of Argentina’s 3-2 win over Nigeria last Wednesday.

The coach insists he might still be pondering his 11 players until midnight, and someone suggested he could announce the lineup then.

“I’m not going to say until the last minute. I think until this evening until around midnight I will think about the lineup,” Sabella said before his team practiced at Itaquerao Stadium. “You can call me if you have my phone number, but I don’t know if I will answer my phone at midnight.”

— By Janie McCauley — www.twitter.com/JanieMcCAP

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Associated Press reporters will be filing dispatches about happenings in and around Brazil during the 2014 World Cup. Follow AP journalists covering the World Cup on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Sports/world-cup-2014

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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