05/08/09 | Breaking Tweets

May 8, 2009

Featured TwitPic: Space Needle in Seattle

"A Seattle moment" (Posted by @betterwrobots, Seattle, Wash.)

Pope Benedict XVI begins tour of Middle East

Per the New York Times, Pope Benedict XVI began his eight day tour of the Middle East today with a stop in Jordan where he was greeted by King Abdullah II. During this first stop, he "expressed deep respect for Muslims." He also expressed the desire for the Roman Catholic Church to play a role in attaining peace in the Middle East. Benedict feels that because the Catholic Church is not a political power it has a chance to help foster change and peace.

This is the first time Benedict has visited the region as pope. His tour will include stops in Jordan, Israel and Palestinian territories.

Rania Al Abdullah, the Queen of Jordan, twittered about the Pope's arrival and the excitement surrounding it:

QueenRania Special day here in Amman; not everyday pope drop s by 4 a visit

QueenRania Just choppered to airport to receive Pope. Husband piloting, he got acrobatic to quiet butterflies in stomach :) told u he was action man!

QueenRania Just listened to Pope's speech. Our region so needs a message of Peace

QueenRania Taking kids 2 meet Pope, just about convinced eldest 2 wear suit. Now negotiating with my 4 yr old!

QueenRania Always wanted 2 give them "normal" upbringing free of pomp and protocol. Kinda wish they'd get with the protocol now! Fingers crossed!

QueenRania As u can c, my 4 yr old beat me at negotiating table re suit, but as trade-off, impeccable behavior! So proud! http://twitpic.com/4sacm

QueenRania Pope moved by young people’s excitement. Inspired to be in the cradle of the major religions. Eager for people to rise above divisions.

Quarantined hotel guests released in Hong Kong

Per Xinhua, local authorities lifted a quarantine on the Metropark Hotel in Wanchai, Hong Kong, on Friday, allowing nearly 300 guests to leave after being held for a week. A Mexican man staying at the hotel was found to have swine flu, prompting the shutdown.

Twitterers in Hong Kong and China have been closely following the case, providing updates on the situation and personal accounts.

klustout (Hong Kong) Party time? Balloons and yes, McMeals, delivered to quarantine "guests" at HK's Metropark hotel http://is.gd/x5ff #H1N1 06 May 2009 from web

Shaun_Sinniah (Hong Kong) @PeterYEAH friend of mine was getting a tat in a hotel and ended up, a guy with swine flu was staying there...got quarantined for a week 07 May 2009 from TwitterFox in reply to PeterYEAH

patriklockne (China) People released from quarantine in HK hotel speak of "love, lust and laughter". Will there be a movie? http://tinyurl.com/pme4m9 (paywalled) 08 May 2009 from web

markmackinnon (Hong Kong) End of quarantine party at Hong Kong's Metropark hotel sounds like it was a blast: http://tinyurl.com/osu356 08 May 2009 from web

dc68 (Hong Kong) Thinking that the crowd gathering around the MetroPark tonight is akin to eviction night at the Big Brother house. 08 May 2009 from mobile web

AndreMartin (Hong Kong) With all the media buzz around the Metropark Hotel in Hong Kong, the world forgot there was another swine flu quarantine camp, in Sai Kung.. 08 May 2009 from twhirl

scmp888 (Hong Kong) Take a look back at some of the videos from inside the quarantined Metropark Hotel in #hk http://is.gd/xJy9 Parties & not #swineflu it seems 08 May 2009 from web

Elusive terror suspect captured in Malaysia

Per the Associated Press, Mas Selamat Kastari, a man suspected of terrorism, accused of plotting to hijack and crash a plane in Singapore, has been captured in Malaysia. He escaped a jail in Singapore in Feb. 2008 and authorities had been searching for him since. Kastari is thought to be a commander with al-Qaeda-linked Jemaah Islamiyah, based in Singapore.

The news sent shockwaves across Singapore, as noted by numerous Singaporean Twitterers.

Lala_ZB88 (Singapore) FINALLY, Mas Selamat been arrested! Fly like an eagle, Crash like a MORON,LOL! 08 May 2009 from Twikini

wmwm (Singapore) Game Over for Mas Selamat! erm after 1 year? thats a long game... 08 May 2009 from web

pingpingss (Singapore) wonders if mas selamat is dumb, has no connections or just plain short and trunky legs to be caught in Malaysi... http://plurk.com/p/shr1y 08 May 2009 from web

Sashness (Singapore) @nazzie86 I need to see Mas Selamat for myself, dude. I cannot trust the government! 08 May 2009 from web

straitsblogger (Singapore) Singapore is happy that Mas Selamat has been arrested http://bit.ly/Ux5lo 08 May 2009 from TweetDeck

no1crush (Singapore) Mas Selamat, the arsehole who planned an attack on Changi Airport has been caught. I thought that twat was dead. He should be. 08 May 2009 from web

zulqisaqil (Singapore) Mas Selamat escape using an improvised flotation device says "DPM Wong Kan Seng" 08 May 2009 from web

msChoco (Undisclosed) talking about the capture of mas selamat in gp class now 08 May 2009 from mobile web

A Day in Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is the capital of North Carolina and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, it is the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. Here's a look at a day in this city, thanks to Raleigh tweets.

Quizass Finished Math for the semester. Now I just have to finish Spanish next Tuesday and out til fall. 07 May 2009 from web

leereamsnyder So I may have written up a little script that adds "in bed!" to everyone's Facebook and Twitter updates. Hours of fun. I'm a dynamo. 07 May 2009 from Tweetie

pstevec At grandson Josiah's t-ball game. He's the star of the team, the best t-ball player on the planet, the Babe Ruth of T-Ball!!! 07 May 2009 from txt

tyreeves1 Burnt my hand taking dinner out of the oven. Nothing serious. Has basically stopped hurting now. 07 May 2009 from TwitterBerry

leenuhbee getting ready to go to church...this CANT be the Lena we all know and LOVE?!?!?! 07 May 2009 from web

crutchy521 Chapel hill tonight! 07 May 2009 from txt

jsnrudy Eating dinner with Jeremy and dogsitting. 07 May 2009 from mobile web