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I know what you mean. It seems like all of a sudden I have 5 friends battling breast cancer, a friend's sister fighting cervical cancer, my Dad's prostate cancer has finally gone into remission (yipee!!) and another friend's brother has bone cancer. Add to the mix a couple of relatives who have survived cancer recently, and wow! I guess it's the age we've reached, but I honestly can't remember my parents friends going through all this when they were in their mid 40's (I was in my 20's then and I'm sure I'd remember). Just makes me more determined to eat healthy, exercise and get my check-ups on time.. and most of all, to enjoy life as much as I can.

Dreamer - sorry to hear your friend's back in hospital. Hope she recovers soon.

I know what you mean. I had no idea what had happen today until one of my students started crying in class for no reason. At first I didn't know what was going on and then one of her friends told me abou the Virginia Tech incident and that this students brother was at the VT. I was at a loss for words then it hit me that my own daughter will be going away to college next year and I started thinking maybe I should keep her home. I just don't understand why there is so much violence out there. stressed

As a parent of a Virginia Tech senior and engineering student, I'm very thankful and relieved that my son is safe and sound. He wasn't feeling good yesterday (sinus infection) and decided not to attend class yesterday morning. Had he done otherwise, he would have been within 100 yards of Norris Hall at the time the shooting was happening.

The Virginia Tech today is now being swarmed by the media circus which is no longer interested in the facts, but rather looking for scapegoats (where there are none) and intruding on the grieving campus which wants privacy in the aftermath of this senseless tragedy.

The media is not reporting the story accurately. They are ignoring the vast numbers of students who believe the campus and police did everything within their power and resources to deal with the situation at the time.

The shooting at the dorm was first called into the EMS as a fall from a bunk head. No one in the dorm went into the room until the paramedics arrived. The dorm was immediately locked down (this is a dorm that houses nearly 900 students) and the police searched it floor by floor. The scene was ruled as domestic violence and there was no reason to suspect any other shootings on the campus would occur. Who can read the mind of any sick, insane person?

While the police were investigating the scene at the dorm across campus, the shooter waited until classes started in Norris Hall. He went through the building chaining nearly all the doors to enter the building. Then he went into the classrooms. Within minutes of the first 911 calls from Norris, the police went across campus to Norris Hall, unsuccessfully trying to gain access to the building, calling in additional police support, and attempting to safeguard the lives of students outside and near the vicinity. This was a monumental undertaking in the best of circumstances.

Additionally, the media failed to report that the unversity had and activated a new public PA emergency system that was heard throughout the campus, alerting the students, etc, of an emergency situation and instructing them to go immediately inside and check the campus website for further instructions (VT is heavily online). Several minutes before the shooting was reported on the media, my son called me from his cell phone at his apartment just off campus. I actually heard this PA message blaring in the background. The media also neglected to report that the campus was sending out updated e-mails via the website about every 10 to 15 minutes, according to my son and his friends.

There is no way to completely safeguard any university/college campus, or any place else, from this type of senseless, insane, violent action.

It does not help the media is trying find scapegoats, point fingers of blame, and blatantly intrude on the grief being experienced on the VT campus. Before yesterday, this campus was a quiet college campus tucked away in the Virginia mountains. Today it's a grieving campus which doesn't want to be a part of this media attention.

Keep the people of VT and its surrounding town of Blacksburg in your thoughts, hearts, and prayers while they struggle through this terrible time. As a mom of a VT student, I thank you all for your support.

Thanks, dreamer!

Kevin got home this evening after attending the memorial service this afternoon at VT. Classes have been canceled till Monday, April 23. It was so good to give him a hug when he arrived. He may be 23 but he will always be my baby (as well as his younger brother, age 20, at Clemson). My heart breaks for the families who won't get to embrace their loved ones anymore.

Rhiannon2006 thanks for posting your experiences. I'm glad your son is okay. It's such a horrible thing to have happen. I've been watching a little bit of the alledged "news" coverage, and it's made me angry. Because it's not really about finding out the truth, it's about ratings. The melodramatic sympathy of the reporters, the leading questions... it's all so typical of what journalism has become these days. Why report facts when you can report speculation and rumor. It's a horribly sad situation, and the witch hunt to blame the police and university don't help. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by this tradegy.

It was a horrible, horrible tragedy and my heart goes out to all whose lives will be affected forever by these events. Thank you for posting the link to the closing words - short, moving, and strong.

something a friend of mine pointed out about the news on VT:

33 people killed(including himself), with two 9mm hand guns...each gun holds 8 bullets, and there are no reports of extra cartriges... that's 16 bullets, and appearntly majority of the shots were to the head. something just doesn't seem right.


non-the-less, it's a tragedy...

I'm not sure what article or source you read but this is yet another case of the media misinformation. The shooter had two handguns abd multiple clips for each, all of which were recovered at the scene by law enforcement. Nothing has been released as to where the victims were shot. But as you said, it's a tragedy.

Rather than focusing on the hows and whys this very disturbed person did what he did, redirect your thoughts and prayers to the families and the campus community of Virginia Tech during their time of profound grief and a slow, but sure, recovery. Thanks!