Soccer Game Cancelled After Bomb Threat

In Hanover, Germany, a soccer match between the German and Dutch national teams was cancelled after an ambulance packed with explosives was found outside the stadium.  One man has been arrested about a kilometer away.  The stadium and a nearby music arena were evacuated.

Read more at the Mirror, Yahoo News, 9News and SportsKeeda.

France Strikes Back At ISIS

Earlier today, French warplanes struck ISIS positions in Raqqa, Syria.  Targets included a command and control center, a munitions dump, and a jihadi training camp.

Read more at the Daily Star, the Independent, Russia Today, Sky News and Fox News.

Some Stories After The Attack

A few stories have come out in the aftermath of yesterday's terror attacks in Paris.

From Yahoo News, the Eiffel Tower went dark tonight as a Paris mourns the dead and investigators try to track down the terrorists' accomplices and networks.

From Fox News, police in Belgium have arrested three people.  A rented car with Belgian plates had been seen near the Bataclan concert hall.

From the Miami Herald, ISIS claims responsibility as French authorities worry that up to 50 people involved in supporting the attack may still be at large.

From WND, French President François Holland promises a "merciless" response.

And from Blic, one of the eight attackers had a Syrian passport, and had traveled through Greece, Serbia, Croatia and Austria.

UPDATE:  Acccording to the Daily Mail, French authorities believe that two of the attackers traveled through Turkey and Greece, before continuing on through Europe to Paris.

Paris Hit By Violence

Paris has been hit with three violent attacks in separate locations this evening, resulting in a reported 26 people dead.  A shooting took place at the Petit Cambodge restaurant, near the Place de la République.  Up to 60 people are reportedly being held hostage in the Bataclan concert hall.  Two bombs were set off near the Stade de France.

This is an ongoing situation.  I'll try to relay reports on further developments when they become available.

Read more at ITV News, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Telegraph, the Independent and Russia Today.

UPDATE:  The Daily Mail reports "at least 40" killed and 100 people held hostage at Bataclan.

UPDATE 2:  In a live blog, Russia Today reports that French President François Hollande has declared a state of emergency and ordered France's borders to be closed, and that the Mayor of Paris has asked Parisians to stay in their homes.

UPDATE 3:  Sky News has photogallery from the attacks, and USA Today reports that residents of Paris have launched the #PorteOuverte (#OpenDoor) hashtag to offer shelter to people stranded in the city.

UPDATE 4:  In a live blog, Reuters reports explosions heard at the Bataclan concert hall.  Whether they were set off by the terrorists holding hostages inside or by police or other French forces is not indicated.

UPDATE 5:  KTLA reports that police have ended the situation at Bataclan, releasing at least 100 hostages and killing two attackers.  At least 43 people have been confirmed dead.

UPDATE 6:  The New York Post reports that at least 100 people were killed at the concert hall.

UPDATE 7:  France24 has a live blog, and reports at least 120 people dead in all.

Links For Friday The 13th

As one of those particular Fridays rolls around, here are some things going on:

From Gatestone Institute, overwhelmed by its own multiculturalism, Sweden is descending into anarchy.

From Townhall, Ashley Pratt tells her fellow millennials that nothing is free.

From Wisconsin Watchdog, Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis) plans to hold hearings on two controversial EPA regulations.

From WUIS, the party led by Nobel Peace Price winner Aung San Suu Kyi has won a majority in the Burmese parliamentary elections.

From National Review, Israeli President Netanyahu frames the conflict in the Middle East.

From FrontpageMag, how The New York Times reports Palestinian terrorists as victims of Isreali soldiers.

From WGN, a billionaire buys the world's most expensive diamond for his 7-year-old daughter.

From American Thinker, American universities have become left-wing gulags.

From ABC News, a lawyer representing a cop fired for making "racially insensitive comments" says that his punishment was too severe.

From Mother Jones, actress Jennifer Lawrence says that a Trump presidency "will be the end of the world".

From NBC News, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton (D) wants more protections for "immigrants".

From Fox News, in the latest Star Wars movie, Leia is now a General.

From The Baltimore Sun, a 21-year-old former football player is killed in northeast Baltimore.

From Bloomberg Politics, onlookers wonder if presidential candidate Donald Trump (R) has gone too far.

From the Epoch Times, workers striking for a $15 minimum wage claim "we do too much".  The article includes a picture of woman holding a sign that says "GREED KILLS", apparently not considering whether their own demands amount to greed.

And from the Chicago Sun-Times, a boombox-shaped fish tank that plays music.

Yes, There Was A Fecal Swastika

Sean Davis, who recently wrote in The Federalist that the reported swastika made of human solid waste smeared onto a dorm bathroom wall at the University of Missouri might have been a hoax, has now relayed evidence that someone actually did make such a thing.  Again, from The Federalist:

In response to a public records request filed earlier this week by The Federalist, the University of Missouri’s custodian of records released pictures today of the vandalism incident, reports of which shocked the campus and sparked protests that eventually led to the resignations of the university’s two top administrators.

The pictures released by the university show a swastika drawn on the wall of a unisex bathroom stall on the third floor of Gateway Hall, a university dormitory. According to an accompanying incident report which was also provided pursuant to a public records request, photos were taken by dormitory advisors and two police officers. 

Because the swastika did not result in any damage to the bathroom, the incident has been reclassified from "vandalism" to "tampering", but it is still also classified as a "hate crime".  In a separate alleged incident in the same dormitory as the swastika-stained bathroom, someone used a racial slur against a white student.  Read the full story, and if you're not too easily grossed out, look at the pictures.

Two Items From Mizzou

Just a couple of new developments from the University of Missouri:

From American Thinker, the black grad student who went on a hunger strike over "white privilege" is no stranger to privilege himself.

And from Bizpac Review, the student body president has admitted that a previously alleged KKK sighting didn't actually occur.

Appeals Court Upholds Injunction Against "Executive Amnesty"

In a 2-1 decision, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled against President Obama's "executive amnesty" by upholding a Texas-based federal judge's injunction against the action.  The judge writing for the majority reportedly used some of Obama's own words against him.

Read more at U.S. News & World Report, Reuters, The Daily Caller, Fox News and The Washington Times.

University Of Missouri President Resigns

For several months, students at the University of Missouri have been protesting against the school's president, Tim Wolfe, over racial incidents on campus, and demanding that he either resigns or is removed.  The protests were joined by a graduate student who went on a hunger strike and later by the black players of the school's football team, who boycotted their practices and games.  Earlier today, President Wolfe announced his decision to resign.

The reported incidents include someone in a pickup truck yelling racial slurs at the student government president, who is black, a possibly drunk white student shouting slurs at members of a black student organization, and a swastika drawn with feces in a bathroom.

Read more at the Missouri Business Alert, ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports.

UPDATE: Breitbart's Big Government shows some things that the protesters did, which you might not have learned from mainstream media.

UPDATE 2: Writing in The Federalist, Sean Davis thinks that the fecal swastika might have been a hoax.

Roddy Road Covered Bridge

Located near U.S. Highway 15 about 20 miles north of Frederick, the Roddy Road covered bridge is the smallest of Maryland's six remaining covered bridges, with a length of about 40 feet.  With a small parking across the road, the bridge and the surrounding area can be explored on foot, if you give some care to where you step, especially going down to the creek underneath.  Here's the bridge seen from the west, with Owens Creek passing below.

The north end and west side of the bridge can be seen from the nearby parking lot.

From the south, you can see a wooden cabinet built into the inside of the eastern wall.

The stone supports on which the bridge sits each include a ledge.  This picture shows the northern support and the underside of the bridge, from a southeastern angle.

Go here to learn more about the Roddy Road bridge.