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BRAZIL BEAT: Celebs welcome at Brazil training

By WTOP Staff

TERESOPOLIS, Brazil (AP) — Brazil has been closing its training sessions to fans, but some of the country’s top celebrities have had no problem getting close to the players.

Two soap opera stars were among those allowed to watch the team practice Tuesday. Juliana Paes and Carolina Dieckman even took their kids to the training camp in Teresopolis, a mountain city about an hour from Rio de Janeiro. Both posted photos of their afternoon escapade on social media.

Fans with links to the team’s sponsors are also allowed at the training camp, which has an area reserved for the VIPs just outside one of the fields where Brazil practices.

Regular fans are kept outside the gates of the Granja Comary club, often yelling and asking coach Luiz Felipe Scolari to let them in. Hundreds of people show up every day to try to get near the players.

Brazil will stay at the training camp at least until Wednesday, when it travels to the northeastern city of Fortaleza for Friday’s match against Colombia in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.

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

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EDGE OF SEATS

SAO PAULO (AP) — Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson shared a family photo on Twitter, everybody on the edges of their seats for the U.S. Some crossed fingers, others clenched fists.

Professional sports teams and athletes from the United States took to Twitter on Tuesday to support the Americans against Belgium, along with some well-known actors like the Hanks family.

Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco 49ers NFL team all posted photos on their Twitter pages featuring photos of their teams on half the screen and the U.S. World Cup squad on the other. Each photo said, “ARE YOU READY?”

The San Diego Chargers’ photo featured a flag covering the football field at Qualcomm Stadium with the words, “Go get ’em!”

Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester posted: “#IBELIEVETHATWEWILLWIN!”

The Seattle Seahawks cheered DeAndre Yedlin with #SeattleLove when the Seattle Sounders player came on in the second half in place of injured right back Fabian Johnson.

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

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WAFFLES FOR PANCAKES

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — In the great tradition of food bets between political leaders, Matthew Barzun, the U.S. ambassador to Britain, has challenged his Belgian counterpart to a friendly wager.

Under the terms proposed in a letter from Barzun: If the Americans win the World Cup round of 16 game between the countries, Guy Trouveroy will cook Belgian waffles for Barzun and his colleagues at the U.S. Embassy. If Belgium wins Tuesday, Barzun will cook American pancakes for the Belgians at their embassy.

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BONJOUR? BONJOUR?

RIBEIRAO PRETO, Brazil (AP) — France coach Didier Deschamps had a spot of microphone trouble during his World Cup news conference Tuesday.

First, the sound was too loud, with Deschamps’ booming voice resonating around the Pedro II theater house in Ribeirao Preto, where France holds its media activity. Then, it was far too quiet and he could barely be heard.

“Everything OK, chief? Hello?” a bemused Deschamps said as he turned to the sound technician, who was desperately trying to fix it.

Deschamps carried on talking, but the problem persisted.

“Is he trying to wind me up? They’ve sent the cook instead,” Deschamps joked. “This is a disaster.”

The issue was eventually resolved, and Deschamps was free to talk about Friday’s quarterfinal against Germany.

— By Jerome Pugmire — www.twitter.com/jeromepugmire

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ALL ARGENTINA

SAO PAULO (AP) — Every time Pele was shown on the giant video screen, the crowd booed.

More than 20,000 Argentina supporters made the Sao Paulo Fan Fest their own Tuesday for the round of 16 match against Switzerland.

Some wore Lionel Messi masks and white and light blue wigs. Many were shirtless, standing under the sun for hours.

Whenever Pele, the Brazil great attending the game at nearby Itaquerao Stadium, was shown on the screen, they screamed that he has nothing on Argentina legend Diego Maradona.

Thousands of Argentines streamed into Brazil even if they couldn’t afford or obtain tickets.

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

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THEY BELIEVED

SALVADOR, Brazil (AP) — Wearing a sparkly Uncle Sam hat and with the Stars and Stripes draped over his shoulders, Brian Fuqua was among the American fans strolling through The Pelourinho, the historic center of Salvador, about six hours before the United States played Belgium in the World Cup on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old from Denver arrived last month before the Americans’ opener against Ghana in Natal to follow the team around Brazil. Despite the tough first-round group that included Portugal and Germany, he bought tickets for the second-round match in Salvador before leaving home.

“I was hopeful and optimistic. I thought maybe we had like a 25 percent, 30 percent chance to get out,” he said. “I like Brazil a lot. I’m actually going home on July 17, and I was going to stay no matter what.”

If the U.S. had finished first in Group H, the Americans would have skipped Salvador and played Algeria on Saturday in Porto Alegre.

“Had they won the group, I would have looked at the cost to get to Porto Alegre,” he said.

American fans in red, white and blue seemed to outnumber red-clad Belgium supporters by about 3 to 1.

Jeremy Rambo, a 27-year-old originally from Laramie, Wyoming, has attended the Americans’ first-round games in the northeast Brazilian cities of Natal and Recife. He bought his first-round tickets on FIFA’s website and Tuesday’s through the American Outlaws supporters group

He plans to stick around for the rest of the tournament.

“If they make it, I might have to go to Brasilia,” he said, looking ahead to a potential quarterfinal.

— By Ronald Blum — www.twitter.com/ronaldblum

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ETCHED IN MEMORY

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Tattoos are painful, but this one must have hurt even more.

Chilean striker Mauricio Pinilla recently got his 119th-minute World Cup miss against Brazil etched into his back. Next to the image of his shot slamming off the crossbar, it reads: “One centimeter from glory.”

Pinilla’s tattoo echoes the frustration of most Chileans. Thousands of them jumped up in the stands at Mineirao Stadium — and millions at home — on Saturday in the final moments only to watch Pinilla’s shot hit the bar. The story is well-known by now: Brazil ended up winning, Chile was sent home in tears and the post has quickly turned into a loathed symbol of the country’s 14-year jinx against Brazil.

The two teams had met three times in previous World Cups, with Brazil winning in the 1962 tournament in Chile, then in France 1998 and South Africa 2010.

— By Luis Andres Henao — www.twitter.com/LuisAndresHenao

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SUPPORTING SWITZERLAND

SAO PAULO (AP) — The chant resonates throughout the bleachers: “Sui-ca, Sui-ca.”

It’s the Portuguese word for Switzerland, and those cheering on the Swiss in Tuesday’s World Cup round of 16 game are not European fans draped in red but rather dozens of locals dressed in their national team’s traditional yellow. The reason for their newfound affection for the Swiss? Their opponent of the day — hated South American rival Argentina.

“It’s nice. We are a little country and we need all the support we can get,” said Peter Adolf, a 32-year-old fan from Bern, Switzerland. “But we know is it because they hate Argentina.”

— By Aron Heller — www.twitter.com/aronhellerap

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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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