Monday, March 8, 2010

“Pakistan Taliban suicide bomb kills 13 in Lahore - YAHOO!” plus 3 more

“Pakistan Taliban suicide bomb kills 13 in Lahore - YAHOO!” plus 3 more

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Pakistan Taliban suicide bomb kills 13 in Lahore - YAHOO!

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 05:41 AM PST

LAHORE, Pakistan (AFP) – A suicide car bomber destroyed offices used to interrogate suspected militants in Lahore on Monday, killing 15 people in the latest bloody attack on Pakistan's cultural capital.

Pakistan's Taliban faction claimed responsibility for the attack after the bomber tried to ram a car packed with up to 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of explosives into the investigations unit in the country's second largest city.

There were scenes of panic as volunteers and rescue workers dug with bare hands under the collapsed two-storey building and a severely damaged Muslim seminary, searching for survivors with the number of wounded at 83.

The blast underscored the chronic insecurity in nuclear-armed Pakistan, an ally in the US-led war on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan, despite a recent lull in violence.

A wave of suicide and bomb attacks across Pakistan has killed more than 3,000 people since 2007. Blame has fallen on Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants bitterly opposed to the alliance with the United States.

"We had just assembled in our classroom when it looked as if hell had broken with a huge blast," Noor Mohammad, a student at the seminary told AFP.

A thick pall of smoke accumulated outside the window as wood panels broke into pieces, hitting and wounding students. Eyewitness account: 'Living hell' in Lahore

"There was panic as students, many of them carrying their injured friends, rushed to the exit in a bid to find a safe place," Mohammad said.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called on members of the ruling Pakistan People's Party in the city to donate blood for the wounded.

Fifteen people were killed, including nine police, a woman and a teenager, said Jinnah Hospital Doctor Javed Akram. Police earlier put the toll at 13.

"It was a police special investigation unit that was targeted. The building was used to interrogate suspected terrorists," Lahore city police chief Pervez Rathore told AFP.

The blast gouged a huge crater out of the ground, crumpled roofs and littered the streets with tree branches. Bulldozers and other heavy-lifting machinery worked to clear mounds of rubble, witnesses said.

"It's plain terrorism... the same groups which are already operating in Pakistan. It is a suicide bomb. There is ample evidence," Khusro Pervez, Lahore's top administration official, told AFP.

Six militant attacks in Lahore, mainly targeting police and security offices, have killed more than 130 people over the last year.

Police said 30 to 50 people were in the investigations building, used by police and intelligence agents, at the time of the attack.

"We have found the head of the suicide bomber. It was found about 500 metres away," said Model Town police official Ayyaz Saleem.

A spokesman for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan faction holed up along the Afghan border claimed responsibility for the attack, which Interior Minister Rehman Malik blamed on "hired killers" wanting to destabilise the country.

"The attack was to avenge (US) drone attacks and (Pakistani) military operations in the tribal areas," said Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq.

"We have 2,800 to 3,000 more suicide bombers.... We will target all government places, buildings and offices," he said.

US drone attacks routinely target Taliban and Al-Qaeda commanders in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt, which Washington calls the global headquarters of Al-Qaeda.

Pakistan's military claims to have made big gains against Taliban and Al-Qaeda strongholds over the past year, following major offensives in the northwestern district of Swat and the tribal region of South Waziristan.

Monday's attack follows a decline in violence by Islamist militants in Pakistan after a significant increase in bloodshed in late 2009.

Officials have linked the reduction to the suspected death -- still not confirmed -- of TTP leader Hakimullah Mehsud and military offensives that have disrupted militant networks.

Washington says militants in Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt are supporting the war in Afghanistan, where more than 120,000 NATO and US troops are battling a deadly Taliban insurgency.

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Study: Americans Don't Get Enough Sleep - digtriad.com

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 10:56 AM PST

All Americans are struggling to get more snooze time, but a report out Monday shows that race and cultural differences play a role in sleep-related habits.

Today, the National Sleep Foundation releases its annual "Sleep in America Poll," which reveals how much sleep Americans are getting, what their bedtime habits are, and who's seeing the doctor and taking medications when sleep is elusive. This year, for the first time, the report explored differences in the sleep habits of different ethnic groups: Asians, African Americans, Hispanics and whites.

"We expected culture would have an effect, but the differences between cultures are probably bigger than the genetics of people," says Thomas Balkin, chairman of the foundation's board.

Overall, no one's getting enough sleep, he says. Fewer than half - only about four in 10 - of respondents from each ethnic group say they get a good night's sleep on most nights.

That African Americans report the least amount of sleep and that they report needing less sleep each night to perform best during the day bears more research, Balkin says. He points out that inadequate sleep is starting to be associated with obesity, heart disease and diabetes, diseases that are more prevalent among African Americans.

Though praying is more common among African Americans and sex is more likely among blacks and Hispanics before bedtime, watching television rates tops as the favorite pre-sleep activity for all groups.

"I don't find these sorts of cultural background breakdowns nearly as interesting as the fact that we all appear to be in the same sleep-deprived boat," says otolaryngologist and sleep expert Craig Schwimmer, medical director of The Snoring Center in Dallas.

"We're really good about bedtime rituals for our kids - a bath, a story, a kiss - but not for ourselves."

Treat sleep problems like other health concerns, says Michael Thorpy, director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, N.Y.

"Many put up with them until they have a motor vehicle accident or are close to losing their jobs," he says.

USAToday.com

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TRC Awarded Contract by New Mexico State Office of Bureau of Land ... - Forbes

Posted: 08 Mar 2010 06:24 AM PST


BusinessWire - TRC Companies, Inc. (NYSE: TRR) today announced that it has been awarded a five-year contract by the New Mexico State Office of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide archaeological and cultural resource services in New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas. If completely filled by task orders, the contract will be worth in excess of $5 million.

"We look forward to continuing our work with the New Mexico State Office of BLM," said TRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Chris Vincze. "This contract award is representative of the quality of our services and the strong relationships we maintain with our customers."

TRC's archaeological experts will assist the BLM in complying with the National Historic Preservation Act when they undertake land development activities in the project area. TRC's scope of work includes surveying and documentation of sites, testing of archaeological or historic remains found or previously known, data recovery to offset or mitigate negative effects on the cultural resources, and Native American consultation on Traditional Cultural Properties.

About TRC

TRC creates and implements sophisticated and innovative solutions to the challenges facing America's energy, environmental, and infrastructure markets. The Company also is a leading provider of engineering, consulting, and construction management services to commercial and government customers across the country. For more information, visit TRC's website at www.TRCsolutions.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release may be forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as "may," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," "believes," "estimates," or other words of similar import. You should consider statements that contain these words carefully because they discuss our future expectations, contain projections of our future results of operations or of our financial condition, or state other "forward-looking" information. We believe that it is important to communicate our future expectations to our investors. However, there may be events in the future that we are not able to accurately predict or control and that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the expectations we describe in our forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those discussed as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, the availability and adequacy of insurance; the uncertainty of our operational and growth strategies; circumstances which could create large cash outflows, such as contract losses, litigation, uncollectible receivables and income tax assessments, including potential payments related to our ongoing IRS audit, if not resolved successfully; regulatory uncertainty; the availability of funding for government projects; the level of demand for our services; product acceptance; industry-wide competitive factors; the ability to continue to attract and retain highly skilled and qualified personnel; and general political or economic conditions. Furthermore, market trends are subject to changes, which could adversely affect future results. See additional discussion in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and other factors detailed from time to time in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE: TRC Companies, Inc.

Company Contacts: TRC Companies, Inc. Angela Cincotta, 978-656-3594 acincotta@trcsolutions.com or Catherine Stanley, 978-656-3538 cstanley@trcsolutions.com or Investor Contact: Sharon Merrill Associates 617-542-5300 trr@investorrelations.com

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Apology offered in black cultural center incident that roiled Missouri ... - Los Angeles Times

Posted: 05 Mar 2010 03:53 PM PST

In this undated photo provided by the Boone County Sheriff's Department via the Columbia Daily Tribune, Sean Fitzgerald is shown. Sean Fitzgerald and a fellow student were arrested March 1, 2010 on suspicion of a hate crime after allegedly dropping cotton balls outside the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, Mo. Charges have not been filed. (AP Photo/Boone County Sheriff's Department via The Columbia Daily Tribune) (Boone County Sheriff's Department, AP / March 5, 2010)
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