Breaking News Tweets: Riots in Baltimore

Here are some of the latest tweets regarding the riots in Baltimore stemming from the police custody death of Freddie Grey, 25. The pictured images of Anderson Cooper from CNN, the Baltimore Oriole, and Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md). Here they are:

1) The Hill: Maryland Governor Hogan: Things are going to be different today in Baltimore.

2) Talking Points Memo: The right piles on Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake over her quote about letting protestors 'destroy.'

3) National Review (a right-wing publication): If you allow lawlessness to go unchallenged: You get more of it."

4) Mother Jones (a left-wing publication): Rand Paul blames the Baltimore riots on absentee fathers.

5) The Baltimore Sun: Tomorrow's Orioles game will be played at 2:05 p.m., and be closed to the public.

6) Slate: CNN's Baltimore coverage is dreadful and shameful.

7) David Swanson (liberal activist): Send the whole police force and National Guard to Camden Yards. Watch peace break out.

8) Newsweek: Update numbers from Baltimore riots: 202 people arrested, 20 cops injured, 144 cars set on fire.

9) Chicago Tribune: Obama on rioting: 'They aren't protesting, they aren't making a statement, they're stealing.'

http://www.thehill.com

http://www.baltimoresun.com

Ten Things to Know: Cold War Remembered

1) "The Originalist," a play about Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, arguably the second most conservative members of 'The Supremes' after Clarence Thomas, is extending its run at Arena Stage in Washington, DC, until May 31st. The play stars Edward Gero as Scalia. The play was written by John Strand and the production is directed by Molly Smith. (The justice is pict. top, not the actor playing him on stage).

2) The Robert Cray Band will perform at the Harvester Performance Center in Rocky Mount, Va., one hour south of Roanoke, on May 5th.

3) CINE Cinema Bar Cafe, an independent cinema in Athens, Ga., will be screening shorts in a program entitled The Best Films of the New York International Children's Film Festival on May 2nd and 3rd.

4) According to the BBC, China has overtaken France in wine production. China is however still second behind Spain. America has the highest wine consumption with France and Italy ranking second and third.

5) The BBC also reported that Mustafa Akinci, a center-left politician has won the presidential election for the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, a country that is only recognized by Turkey. Akinci defeated incumbent conservative Dervis Eroglu by gaining 60-percent of the popular vote. Akinci promises to make stronger efforts to unify the divided island nation of Cyprus.

6) Two of European soccer's most-anticipated weekend soccer games, Arsenal vs. Chelsea in the EPL and Benfica vs. Porto in Portugal, both concluded in 0-0 ties.

7) Author Richard Martin will speak about his new book "Coal Wars" at the Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, Colo., on April 30th.

8) Novelist Mary Costello will read from her latest work "Academy Street" about an Irish immigrant to New York on May 1st at Politics and Prose, an independent bookstore, in Washington, DC.

9) According to Uberfacts, the Soviet Union refused to hold the 1980 Paralympics because the nation claimed it did not have any disabled athletes.(1980 Olympics, pict. center)

10) On this day in 1965, CBS reporting legend Edward R. Murrow, who grew up on a family farm near Greensboro, NC, died at age 57. (pict. bottom)

http://www.arenastage.org/

https://www.harvester-music.com/

http://www.athenscine.com/intro.php

http://boulderbookstore.indiebound.com/

http://www.politics-prose.com/


http://www.athenscine.com/intro.php

10 Things To Know for Today and This Week: Armenian Anniversary

Here are 10 things to know for today and this week (pict. top: Sid Haig, a horror film actor of Armenian heritage; pict. center: the late Turkish Hollywood actor Turhan Bey; pict. bottom: Abbott and Costello, Bud Abbott is on the left):

1) Armenians around the world, including Armenia and Turkey, are recognizing the 100th anniversary of the alleged genocide by Ottoman Turks in what is now eastern Turkey; the day coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gallipoli, which was fought between Turkish and Allied forces in western Turkey.

2) Some 7,000 Turkish-Americans, according to the Turkish Embassy, held a Turkish-Armenian reconciliation walk between the White House and the embassy this morning.

3) Armenian-Americans in Los Angeles, walked from Western Avenue to Hollywood Blvd.  today for an unveiling of a memorial monument to recognize the victims of the alleged genocide.

4) According to "The Los Angeles Times," 236,600 Armenian-Americans live in California, and 183,500 of them reside in Los Angeles County. California has the largest population of Armenian-Americans.

5) Oz Bengur, a Maryland Democrat, became the first Turkish-American to seek a major party nomination for U.S. Congress in 2002 when he lost the nomination bid to Cong. Dutch Ruppresberger. Today, Bengur is the treasurer of the Maryland Democratic Party.

6) Bud Abbott of Abbott and Costello fame died on this day in 1974 at age 78.

7) Jane Fonda's first work-out video was released on this date in 1982.

8) On this date in 1996, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals 3-2 in a four-overtime game that lasted 139 minutes and 15 seconds.

9) Bangor, Maine, where author Stephen King resides, has the third largest population in Maine with 33,039 residents.

10) The Cleveland Cavaliers, featuring LeBron James, beat the Boston Celtics 103-95 last night to go up 3-0 in the first round NBA playoff series.

10 Things to Know for Today and This Week: Children's Day in Turkey

Here are 10 Things To Know for April 23rd, 2015:

1) Today is National Children's Day in Turkey (top image from Kusadasi, Turkey)

2) Today is William Shakespeare's 451th birthday (center image)

3) Arda Turan (Turkey, pict. bottom) got a red card for Atletico Madrid late in yesterday's Champions League game versus Real Madrid.

4) Bayern Munich (Germany),  Juventus (Italy), Barcelona and Real Madrid (Spain) advanced to the semi-finals in Champions League play.

5) Freddie Gray's death after an arrest by the Baltimore Police Department has sparked city-wide protests in Baltimore, Maryland.

6) Michael Moore, America's leading liberal documentary filmmaker, turns 61 today.

7) Popeye is called Temel Reis in Turkey.

8) The original pilot episode for "Mister Ed," an American tv comedy about a talking horse, cost a mere $70,000 to produce in 1961.

9) Odense is the third largest city in Denmark.

10) Claudio Bisogneiro is the Italian ambassador to the United States.

NCAA College Gymnastics Championship Tweets: This is Not a Contact Sport

Today marks the start of the NCAA Women's College Gymnastics Championships in Forth Wroth, Texas, and apparently we will get hate mail if we refer to the city as a suburb of Dallas.

As of this writing, three teams have advanced to tomorrow's Super Six with three more to join them tonight. SPOILER ALERT: Florida, Stanford and Utah advanced, while Michigan, UCLA and Georgia did not.

Here are tweets from before and after the early session meet. The gymnast pictured here is former Florida Gators gymnast Randy Stageberg, yes, we are aware that is not a typical woman's name!:

1) Nebraska Women's Gym: Today's the day. The NCAA Championships are about to get a taste of the hashtag-perfect storm.

2) Some guy named Casey: Waiting for the doors to open!!! Can't wait to cheer for StanfordWGym to the super six. hashtag-fearthetree.

3) Samantha Peszek: It's game time Bruins, lezzzgooo

4) UCLA Gymnastics: All gymnasts master difficult skills. Danuscia Francis likes to invent new ones.

5) Stanford Gymnastics: Stanford's final score of 197.175 is its third-highest at any NCAA Championship.

6) Florida Gators Gymnastics: Gator senior Rachel Spicer returns to Texas as NCAA Championships cap emotional senior year.

7) Oregon State Gymnastics: Congrats to UtahGymnastics and StanfordWGym making it to Super Six! hashtag-BackthePAC

8) Illionois Women's Gym: Giana O'Connor totals a 39.425 that finishes tied for 3rd in the semifinal session.

9) UCLAGymnastics: Samantha Peszek has qualified for event finals on beam and floor and is a 1st-team All-American on those events.

Top Ten Things To Do List (Satire): Read Golf Digest

Tonight is yet another exciting Sunday night in which one can't wait to sit by the barns in Boones Mill, Virginia, and gaze up at the stars while swatting mosquitoes.

BTW, we did not go to Indiana for the Final Four, that was an April Fool's Joke, you know that right?

Here is a satirical look at what needs to be taken care of this upcoming week:

1. Get the current issue of "Golf Digest"

2. Actually play a game of golf, or at least, indulge in some Putt-Putt...

3. Go to Bethesda, Maryland, to visit F. Scott Fitzgerald's grave (center image)

4. Call "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution" to ask for today's Sunday paper even though I reside 7.5 hours away (the Atlanta Braves start baseball season tomorrow.....we think)

5. Mapquest directions to Omaha, Nebraska, to see an Omaha Storm Chasers game even though I live 18.5 hours east of there.

6. Play Donkey Kong for 9.5 hours at one time

7. Watch the entire first two seasons of "Doctor Who"

8. Laundry

9. Recycling

10. Oil Change

https://www.facebook.com/omahastormchasers

http://www.fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/

http://www.bbcamerica.com/doctor-who/

http://www.ajc.com/

http://www.golfdigest.com/

We're Going to the Final Four in Indy......

Great, exciting news: Since a friend of mine in Charlotte, NC, has a very sick puppy (a Yorkie named B.B. King), I have been given tickets to the Final Four in Indianapolis.

To be honest, I'm not sure which section to sit in. The Michigan State Spartans defeated the UVA Cavaliers early in the tourney, so I will not be sitting beside Magic Johnson (his alma mater). The Wisconsin Badgers have a great mascot in Bucky the Badger (top image), but I've only been to that state once and it would feel awkward sitting with their fans.

It would be nice to sit with the Kentucky Wildcats fans, especially if I were somehow close to sitting by actress Ashley Judd, one of the team's superfans, but I'm sure even if that happened, she would have a body guard who looks like Kevin Costner as well as a boyfriend who looks like Kevin Costner. Also, I'm not sure what to make of the team's coach John Calipari. While he is amusing enough to follow on Twitter, he comes across as a narcissist.

This leaves the Duke Blue Devils, coached by Mike Kryzewski who has been with the team since I was ten years old, which was when "Mork and Mindy" was still on the air. They are from the ACC. They are from North Carolina, a neighboring state. Durham, NC, is a pretty cool town, they even made a movie about their baseball team "Bull Durham," which starred Kevin Costner. But, Coach K is a Republican and he's already won four NCAA titles. The Badgers haven't won since Benny Goodman and Woody Herman were on the radio during the Big Band era. But, Coach K did write a letter to little boy in Oklahoma. Somehow, I doubt the other three coaches would have done that.

But, in reality, Kentucky will probably beat them in the NCAA finals, and go 40-0; that's just the way the world works. At any rate, I'm looking forward to driving through West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio to be at the Final Four. It truly is a dream come true!

Note: The bottom image is the jersey of Kentucky basketball great Jamal Mashburn