National: That strange hostage-taking in Midland City, Ala. ended with the death of the kidnapper Jimmy Lee Dykes, a 65-year-old Vietnam veteran. The boy he was holding in an underground bunker survived. The FBI says they entered the bunker on Dykes’ farm and shot him at a moment when they feared for the boy’s life. This started a week ago when Dykes boarded a school bus, killed the driver, and grabbed the boy.

Ski Race: US ski champion Lindsey Vonn crashed today during the Super-G n Austria and was taken to the hospital with an injured right knee.

Arms Race: Predicting that the next major field of battle will be cyberspace, the Pentagon has created a new Cyber Command to deal with computer warfare. The military is already figuring out rules of engagement, in particular whether the US would strike first if it thinks a cyber attack is coming. America has already used cyber warfare effectively, destroying Iranian nuclear centrifuges with a computer virus.

Paper Tiger: Iran has released pictures of a new stealth fighter aircraft that has some of the radar-evading angular lines of the American F35 fighter. But aviation experts say the Iranian jet looks too small to accommodate a human pilot, up to date avionics and engines big enough to drive it. They say the jet looks like a mockup and video of a similar plane in flight suggests it’s really a very cool looking model airplane.

World: Malala Yousafzai, the 15-year-old Afghan girl shot in the head by the Taliban for advocating education, spoke to a camera yesterday for the first time. Composed and articulate considering her injuries, she said, “As you can see, I am alive.”  She then went in surgery to restore her skull.

• The Argentine government has declared a two-month freeze on grocery prices in an effort to stop runaway inflation, which could hit 30% this year. Historically, government price controls that are not accompanied by changes in monetary and fiscal policy have not been very effective.

The Day the Muzak Died: The company that provided music for the masses in elevators, shopping malls and dental offices will be known as Muzak no more. Mood Media in Canada is consolidating its holdings under the name “Mood”. But it will always be Muzak to our ears.

Passing: Reg Presley, lead singer with the 1960s British band The Troggs, known for the song “Wild Thing”, has died of cancer at age 71.

What’s That in Roman Numerals?: The Super Bowl generated 30.6 million Tweets and Facebook messages, an all time record for the short time social media have existed.

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