An explosion at a revered Islamic shrine in the
northern Indian state of Rajasthan left three people dead and at least 20 injured.
The blast occurred right outside of Dargah Sharif, a
Sufi monument in the state’s pilgrimage town of Ajmer.
The blast happened while at least 500 or more people
were gathered inside during lftar, the daily breaking of fast following
Ramadan. Journalist Virendra Arya, who was inside the shrine at the time of
the blast, told CNN-IBN that there was one person that died immediately at
the scene and one succumbed to fatal injuries on the way to the hospital.
After investigation, police believe the blast was
caused by explosive material packed into a lunchbox, CNN-IBN reported.
They also found some similarities from a bomb blast
which occurred in May at the Hyderabad mosque leaving 11 people dead.
Rajasthan police Chief Kanhiya Lal said that all surrounding markets in the
area had been closed and that law and order had been restored.
Student
showed signs of violence before shooting Students say they tried to notify
authorities of Asa Coon’s threats of violence prior to
Wednesday’s shooting.
Fourteen year old Coon shot two students and two teachers
before fatally shooting himself at SuccessTech Academy in
Cleveland, Ohio. Coon entered the school even though he was
suspended Monday for fighting.
"When he got suspended he said, 'I got something for y'all,'
" said one student. "I thought he was just playing, because he,
like, said that all the time."
Student Rasheem Smith appeared on the CBS "Early Show" Thursday
morning to answer questions about the shooting. She said she
knew Coon had a gun and he made threats about using it the week
before.
"We talked to the principal," Smith said. "She would try to
get us all in the office, but it would always be too busy for it
to happen."
A message left at Johneita Durant's office was not
immediately returned, the AP reported, and a phone call to her
home was not answered.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
On the hip-hop side of things,
CaseyB gave a listen to the latest
Army of the Pharaohs album, "Ritual of Battle," and
warns, "Those who would rather not hear vulgarity and battle
style rap, do NOT pick-up this album."
The day before the Exchange went to press, 124 Ithaca
Collge students got "take down" notices from the RIAA (see News
Briefs column). Students across the country are feeling the
effects of the recent
recording industry download lawsuits
and CaseyB weighs in with a column on what the ultimate
impact will be.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Can beer make you clever?
An
apple a day keeps the doctor away. A pint of beer… keeps your
mind in the clear? New Zealand scientists have discoveredthat moderate daily
alcohol intake will improve memory. Tests were performed at the
University of Aukland (New Zealand) by studying the mental
performance of specially-created transgenic rats while supplying
them with alcohol. They found that moderate intake conferred
"heightened cognition" (The
Register). The brain boost kicks in at 1 to 3 drinks,
depending on the drinkers size, metabolism, and genetic
background. The study, however, warns that drinking to "drown
sorrows" could promote traumatic memories and lead to more
drinking."This is similar
to a glass of wine protecting against heart disease, however the
mechanism is different," said Maggie Kalev, a research fellow in
molecular medicine and pathology at the University of Aukland.
THE EXCHANGE: WHO WE ARE
The
Exchange is a student-produced newspaper
that appears weekly. This week's managing editor
is Casey Bolduc.
Notice: We've pulled an article about internet service
updates that ran here until 4 p.m. Friday because of reporting
errors.
News Briefs:
Vice President of Student Affairs Jim Earle
has confirmed maintenance checks will no longer be unannounced.
PFC William Pierce announced
Saturday that he will be "coming home soon." Pierce is a
Private First Class in the Rhode Island Army National Guard 43rd
Military Police Brigade, which is based out of East
Greenwich, RI. He is currently assigned abroad and
originally expected to be gone for as long as two years, but
instead he should be here next month. However, "Willy,"
who was a sophomore Mass Comm major when he was called up last
month, has decided to go to college in Rhode Island, rather than
return to Franklin Pierce.
The Monadnock Ledger-Transcript reports that
Rindge police are now seeking arrest warrants for three
students for "controlling a premise where drugs were kept."
Rindge PD had searched their trailer on Oct. 3. In the
article, Police Chief Michael Sielicki defended the new
enforcement policies that see his department called for drug
violations on campus as being a matter of "fairness." The
article also noted that Rindge police had searched two other
dorm rooms on Oct. 3 and were planning to ask for arrest
warrants for four other students on possession charges, stemming
from searches the previous day, Oct. 2. (As of press time,
the article - "FPU search leads to drug
charge" - was not available online.)
The Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) recently won a $222,000 court case
against a single mother who had uploaded 24 songs to Kazaa.
Online Media Daily is now reporting that at more than 35
colleges across the country a new student group, Students for Free Culture, is popping up in
protest. A site has also been organized to raise money
for the woman, Jammie Thomas.
In other music news, Madonna has signed a 10
year contract worth $120 million with Live Nation, a concert
organizer rather than a record label. Radiohead, on the
other hand, has made its latest CD available on the internet
for whatever fans want to
pay. Both actions may spell trouble for the
labels that RIAA supports.
The Ravens field hockey team won their
first game of the season last Thursday night against Saint
Anselm College, 3-0.
SPORTS STUFF
The
NBA's
Atlantic Division has some new faces with Kevin
Garnett and Ray Allen, so Rob Centore gives you his breakdown of
the teams and makes predictions about what to expect in the
coming season.
HEALTH AWARENESS
But does alcohol
contribute to breast cancer? New research links alcohol
consumption to increased breast cancer risk. For nearly a decade we
have heard that a casual glass of wine with dinner is good for your
heart and may also have plenty of other positive effects.
However, recent research has shown that there is a link
between alcohol and breast cancer in women. So should we cut down on
our alcohol intake? The best answer is that you have to be the
judge. Obviously take into consideration not only your own health but
that also of your family and their medical history.
What they found was that it doesn’t make a
difference what a woman drinks, it is the alcohol itself along with how
much is consumed that causes the problem.
There is still more
research to be done, and until then the American Heart Association says
they don’t recommend drinking alcoholic beverages just for its health
benefits. The best thing to do is to limit your alcohol consumption.
Three
dead in blast at Islamic shrine in India
Student
showed signs of violence before shooting
The
New research links alcohol
consumption to increased breast cancer risk. For nearly a decade we
have heard that a casual glass of wine with dinner is good for your
heart and may also have plenty of other positive effects.