Further Developments In Boston

Now that a Saudi man who was injured in one of the explosions at the Boston Marathon is no longer under suspicion, two brothers of Chechen ethnicity have been identified as the alleged bombers.  The older of the two, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, has been killed in a shootout with police.  The younger man Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, has remained at large.  The two are reported to have killed an MIT police officer, wounded another policeman, and thrown explosives at police during a car chase.

Fox News reports the second suspect to be "down", inside a boat or a shed behind a house, and surrounded by police.

My Way gives a summary of what's happened so far.

BBC News has live coverage from Boston.

According to World Net Daily, the suspects' mother, Zubeidat Tsarnaeva, claims that her sons were set up.

The Daily Mail reports that Mrs. Tsarnaeva was arrested for shoplifting in 2012.  (via Pat Dollard)

ABC News reports that the man still at large could be wearing a suicide vest.

From the Daily Caller, Tamerlan Tsarnaev was "very religious" and an accomplished boxer.

From the Daily Mail, more on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, his family, and his in-laws.

From Boston(dot)com, a profile of slain MIT officer Sean Collier.

From the New York Post, the suspects' uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, calls them "losers".

From Reuters, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's website "venerates Islam" and calls for Chechen independence.

UPDATE:  The Fox News link above now reports that the Boston police have the second suspect in custody.

UPDATE 2:  From Viral Read, how Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was captured.

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"Master Suite" Being Phased Out

When staff reporter Michael Neibauer of the Washington Business Journal surveyed ten major homebuilders in the area of Washington, DC, he found that six of them would no longer refer to a house's largest bedroom as the "master".  These builders will no longer indicate a "master bedroom" or a "master suite", but instead will replace "master" with "owner's", because the former term "has connotation problems, in gender (it skews toward male) and race (the slave master)", as Neibauer puts it.

This begs several questions.  Since slaves were considered to be property, why wouldn't the term "owner" likewise have "connotation problems"?  Will Master's degrees have to be re-titled?  Will sound amplifiers no longer have a "master volume" control?  Will automotive braking systems no longer have a "master cylinder"?  In craft guilds, after spending time as an apprentice and then a journeyman, will a full-fledged craftsman no longer be called a "master"?  Will PBS be willing to change the name of Masterpiece Theater?  And what about that major PGA golf tournament held every spring in Augusta, Georgia?

Read Neibauer's article at the topmost link.

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The Regulars Are Coming Out!

On April 16, 1775 Bostonian silversmith and express rider Paul Revere was sent by Dr. Joseph Warren to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock of the approach of British soldiers intending to arrest them.  He rode out toward Lexington, stopping at houses along the way.  As he approached the place where Adams and Hancock were staying, he was asked not to make so much noise.  His response was "Noise!  You'll have noise enough before long.  The regulars are coming out!"  It was this statement that over the years has been distorted into "The British are coming!"  Calling the troops "British" would not have made much sense at the time, because in April of 1775, the Massachusetts colonists were all British.  Before the night was over, Revere was joined by two other riders, arrested by British troops, and released without his horse.  Read more about the ride at  The Paul Revere House.

More about Paul Revere can be found at The New American, The History Channel, NNDB and Biography(dot)com.

Revere's ride was re-enacted on Patriot's Day, several hours before the attack at the Boston Marathon.

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Pat Summerall 1930-2013

Pat Summerall, who spent almost 40 years broadcasting televised NFL games, died yesterday from a heart attack, at the age of 82.  He had been recovering from surgery for a broken hip.  Starting in 1961, he worked for CBS for 31 years, before moving to Fox and retiring after 8 more years.  Before entering the broadcast booth, he had played football at the University of Arkansas and later for nine seasons in the NFL, mostly as a kicker, with the Cardinals (then in Chicago) and Giants.  He was originally with the Lions, but lost his rookie season to a broken arm.  The Cardinals also briefly used him at defensive end.  Besides football, he also covered the Masters and the U.S. Open tennis championship during his time at CBS.

Summerall was born in Lake City, Florida.  In high school, he was all-state in football and basketball.  In college, he earned a bachelor's degree in education and a master's in Russian history.  He later became an alcoholic.  Twelve years after being successfully treated at the Betty Ford Clinic, a liver transplant was necessary to save his life.  He spent the latter part of his life in the Dallas area, and was in a Dallas hospital when he died.

Read more at CBS Sports, Sports Illustrated, Dallas News, Arkansas Business and USA Today.

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More On The Boston Marathon Attack

Some follow up on yesterday's events:

From HeraldNet, a 78-year-old man knocked over by one of the explosions got back up and finished the marathon.

In the Boston Globe, columnist Kevin Cullen writes about a "perfect day" becoming evil.

From Atlas Shrugs, the Saudi man held as a suspect (and currently hospitalized) has been described as a "devout Muslim from Medina".

From Reuters, the bombs were carried in "dark heavy bags".

From Real Clear Politics, a former CIA terror analyst tells Chris Matthews that the type of bomb "has been a hallmark of Al Qaeda".

From the Washington Free Beacon, investigators are indeed probing for a link to Al Qaeda.

From CNN International, the Pakistani Taliban have denied responsibility.

From France24, two Saudi men injured in the bombing have been cleared.

From the Daily Caller, former Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) continues to argue that the bombings in Boston justify more government spending.

From the Daily Mail, a former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary claims that the Obama administration has cut its budget for domestic bombing prevention by 45%.  (Hmmm, perhaps Barney's on to something.)

And meanwhile, from the domestic side of CNN, a letter sent to the office of Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) has tested positive for ricin.

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Bombings In Boston

This afternoon two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing at least two and injuring dozens of others.  A third bomb went off at the Kennedy Presidential Library, but did not result in any injuries. Two other unexploded devices were discovered and dismantled by authorities.  One possible suspect, a 20-year-old Saudi man, is reported to be custody and under guard at a Boston hospital.

Read more at the New York Post (which has the death toll at 12), World Net Daily, CNN, NBC News, TMZ, ABC News, Fox News and NJ(dot)com.

UPDATE:  Couriermail reports that police have video of the bombs being planted.  (via Gateway Pundit)

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Afro-Turks

No, that's not a misspelling of "Astroturf".  While reading this post at Winds of Jihad, I learned that Turkey has a black minority, a combination of people descended from slaves brought in during the past and people who immigrated into the country of their own free will.  They are commonly called "Afro-Turks", and like black minorities elsewhere, have faced pervasive discrimination.  Only a dozen days ago did I read and post about the black people of Iraq.

Read more at The Global Dispatches, Qantara and the Hurriyet Daily News, the links coming courtesy of Winds of Jihad.

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