The exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Tenzin Gyatso, The 14^th Dalai Lama, will visit College Park on May 7 to deliver the University of Maryland’s annual Sadat Lecture.

Previous Sadat Lecturers have included Nelson Mandela and Jimmy Carter.

"Lecture for Peace is one of the University's most prominent events and having his Holiness visit the campus is a remarkable opportunity for our whole community," University of Maryland president Wallace Loh said in a press release accompanying the announcement of the Dalia Lama's visit Friday. "It is very important that we expose our students to the broadest cultural and international diversity possible, and help them become global citizens."

The Dalai Lama's lecture is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the school's Comcast Center. Tickets are required but will be free, according to the University of Maryland's press release...

Did you guys get a load of this risbile travel piece in today's Washington Post?

It's written by a guy named Marc Fisher who LITERALLY still bases his opinion of our town on the Randy Newman song "Baltimore" that was WRITTEN IN 1977.

This has to be one of the most bizarre travel pieces I've ever come across. It would be one thing if the writer was from, I dunno, Norway or something, and had outmoded views of Baltimore, based on strange snippets of pop culture (The Wire, old John Waters films, a 1977 song) that came wafting his way across the pond. But Fisher lives ONE TOWN OVER!! He acts like his sojourn into Baltimore is some sort of perilous, heroic journey—like a risky assignment in a wartorn nation.

Dude.

A few choice quotes from the piece (with our reaction, in paranthesis):

"I’ve always been torn about Baltimore...

The good news keeps coming for Maryland public education: For the seventh straight year, state public high school students ranked first in the country in their Advancement Placement scores.

In Maryland, the percentage of graduating seniors earning a score of 3 or higher on one or more AP exams rose to 29.6 in 2012, the highest percentage in the nation and an increase over the 27.9 percent mark for 2011, according to the College Board's "Annual AP Report to the Nation."

Earlier this year, the state’s public school system retained its No. 1 position in Education Week’s annual national rankings for a fifth straight year.

"On behalf of the College Board, I want to thank the state's leadership for its vision, determination, and courage," said College Board president David Coleman in a statement. "One of the greatest challenges for educators over the next few years will be to ensure excellence and equity at the heights of academic achievement, and...

From the pool to the putting green. Baltimore’s favorite amphibian, the man with the most Olympic medals ever, is tackling a slower-paced game now—golf—and the world can watch his progress on the Golf Channel show, “The Haney Project,” beginning Feb. 25 at 9 p.m.

Michael Phelps, whose handicap is roughly equal to the record number of medals he's won — 22 — will receive professional help from Hank Haney, known for working with Tiger Woods, among others, on the fifth season of “The Haney Project.” Past Haney pupils have included ex-NBA star Charles Barkley, infamous for his gangly swing, comedian Ray Romano, and radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh.

“Normally, you think you can just pick anything up and do it,” Phelps said in a video...