This Week

Sunny Friday afternoon here in Seattle. So much has been happening this week and anniversaries of events that almost coincide with the stories happening. This whole week has been about Virginia Tech's tragedy and the troubled killer, the mailing of a package, the controversy of gun control as well as censorship in media. Now my teen mind is full and almost confused with the problems surrounding this massacre; how a young man could develop his mind into a troubled and sick head, how idiots will try to politicize the grief and sadness of family and friends, and how a world can support the people hurt in the tragedy. Yes this is the world we live in, full of so much grief and joy, tragedy and triumph.
I was thinking of giving "Over the Rainbow" but I decided to give a song I'm sure you know.

(Found on YouTube)


Have a great weekend...

Day of Mourning

Last night on ABC's World News, Charlie Gibson introduced a short memorial slideshow of the victims killed by the boy with a troubled mind in Virginia Tech. I thought it was quite moving.
Tonight World News' Persons of the Week are the killed students of Virginia Tech. Today was an official day of mourning in Virginia and people are displaying their suppport by wearing the VT's colors of maroon and orange. This morning on "Good Morning America", Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts were wearing maroon/orange in support; I've been wearing orange today too.
Be sure to read "When the Networks Do the Right Thing" on ABCNews.com .
Today was also the eighth anniversary of Columbine. Ironic but the troubled boy probably wanted it like that.
Anyways...
Later

For Whom the Bell Tolls

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a
part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as
well as if promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine
own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and
therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

Last night ABC aired a special edition of "Primetime" with Diane Sawyer and Chris Cuomo. And the rich and heartfelt notes from the trumpet playing during transitions was courteous to the moment and the feelings across the nation and around the world.



Killer Seung Cho-Hui had a troubled mind. He was one the many killed on April 16 but he himself was a victim of his own doing and I cannot place his name with the names of those killed in this tragedy, which I believe have been revealed and the grieved family and friends notified.

These are the names of the victims killed in the massacre at Virginia Tech:

Ryan Clark

Emily Hilscher

Ross Abdallah

Jamie Bishop

Brian Bluhm

Rachael Hill

Jarret Lane

Minal Panchal

Erin Peterson

Michael Steven Pohle, Jr.

Matt La Porte

Julia Pryde

Austin Cloyd

Henry Lee

Mary Karen Read

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak

Reema Samaha

Waleed Shalaan

G. V. Loganathan

Daniel Perez Cueva

Liviu Libreschu

Kevin Granata

Partahi Lumbantoruan

Leslie Sherman

Matthew Gwaltney

Lauren McCain

Maxine Turner

Nicole Regina White

Dan O'Neil

Juan Ortiz

Jeremy Herbstritt

Caitlin Hammaren .

It is they for whom the bell of sadness tolls.

VT On the 'Net Effect

As I've been looking at pages and surfing throughout the Internet, mainly Flickr, YouTube, and other sites, I can see how this Virginia Tech tragedy has affected all of us. Seeing the crystal clear pictures on Flickr of the convocation and memorial events at VT. I saw this photo of what looks like a stereotypical local news reporter at the scene as well as another of Dan Rather on the spot. I remember seeing a photo of a reporter from Asian network TV Asahi just arriving at the scene of new developments yesterday; it looked rather odd seeing the reporter running to the scene and I laughed. I saw another photo of the convocation and a newspaper in the forefront. Yet one more deep photo of photographers and students gathered around the large VT letters and memorial. And finally was a photo of the American, Virginian, and VTech flags at half staff in Blacksburg.
This tragedy affected us all and touched us all, and we have got to respect that.
Not only that, but a phrase we hear now "We're all Hokies now." Now because of this tragedy it has brought the world together in such a way.

Virginia Tech Quote

Now I remember this quote from the convocation by Nikki Giovanni earlier this afternoon at Virginia Tech; a very strong quote.

"We are the Hokies. We will prevail... We are Virginia Tech!"

Later...

In Wake of the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Sorry I haven't been able to blog for several days now. So much has been happening in the news and the tragedy and feelings of grief upon all of everyone in America and the world right now.

I'm sure you know what you want to know of the Virginia Tech massacre so I won't repeat it again.
It was this morning that we learned the killer was Cho Seung-Hui and students were said to say he was known as a "loner."
I just can't understand why this had to happen but all I can do is pray for the family and friends of the dead.



In this tragedy, were stories of courage and comfort. I'm sure you know that Facebook was used as a means of communication between isolated students.
What I don't like about this tragedy is how people are trying to politicize the shootings and how it could have been prevented by increasing or decreasing the right to carry weapons. Idiots all of them, making darn politics out of sadness.

This week is a week full of history and has so many differences and similarities between then and now:
April 15 1961: the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred and ended on unsuccessfully on April 19.
April 15 1989: Students held demonstrations in the Tiananmen Square protests.
April 18 1906: Major earthquake in San Francisco resulting in a large death toll.
April 19 1993: the Waco Siege with David Koresh ended after 51 days.
April 20 1999: Two teenagers killed 13 other persons in the Columbine High School shooting.

Last night I was watching "World News With Charles Gibson". Charlie usually ends with "I hope you've had a good day..." but last night he ended "I wish I could say it's been a good day; it hasnt..."
Tonight Charlie is reporting from Virginia, be sure to watch him.
You can see excerpts of this on ABC News Now which is presently reairing it intermittently. Click on the link on the front page of ABC News.

We must think to realize that Cho Seung-Hui was a person with feelings and a heart but made a hurting choice that resulted in this.
We must also remember that those killed in this tragedy are humans and they had families and they deserve the right to rest in peace, without politics.
Here is a photo slideshow from ABCNews.com of those killed.

It's a sunny yet hard and rough evening here in Seattle but the sorrow and grief from across the nation in Blacksburg, Virginia can be felt everywhere today and in the days to come.

To the families and friends of those killed at Virginia Tech, all I can say is this verse from the Book of Numbers.