The challenge of preventing violence is not just an American problem
Commentary John Monahan and Jeffrey Swanson Sunday April 22, 2007 The Observer One of the largest mass killings in American history was carried out last Monday at the hands of a 23-year-old university student with mental illness. The reverberations of the events that ended the lives of 32 students and faculty staff at Virginia Tech - and of the offender as well - are shaking the already wobbly mental health system. This American tragedy surely holds lessons for the UK as it considers the revision of its Mental Health Bill. The scientific challenges of predicting violence, and the legal challenges of preventing it, transcend national borders. Both UK and US look first to mental health professionals. But how good are psychiatrists and psychologists at distinguishing which people with a mental illness will be violent? Research shows professionals are better than pure chance, but not much. Predicting harmful behaviour is like predicting bad weather. An inaccurate prediction doesn't necessarily mean the clinician or the meteorologist has 'missed something'; it may just mean the science of forecasting has a long way to go. Tools to aid mental health professionals in the task focus on proven risk factors: characteristics that define the person (e.g. young, male); disorders that a person has (e.g. a major mental illness, a personality disorder, and alcohol or drug abuse); what the person has done (e.g. past violence); and what has been done to the person (e.g. being raised by violent or substance abusing parents, and being physically abused as a child). These risk factors can distinguish patients with a low risk of future violence from patients with a high one. What can be done to preclude anticipated violence? If people need treatment, don't want it, and might do something harmful if they don't get it, can the state override their right to refuse? The law of civil commitment - being hospitalised against one's will - in almost every US state focuses on two things: whether the person is seriously mentally ill and whether they are likely to be imminently violent to self or others. Many states have recently struck the word 'imminently' from their statutes as being too restrictive. There are many state laws authorising 'outpatient commitment', or in Britain 'community treatment orders', requiring certain people to get treatment in the community rather than, or in addition to, in a hospital. Cho himself had received a judicial order in December 2005 to 'follow all recommended treatment'. In Virginia, however, such an order is effectively unenforceable. Civil libertarians see these laws as an Orwellian intrusion on the freedom of people with mental illness, most of whom will never be violent, to make their own decisions about treatment. But family members often argue that their relatives are so sick they don't realise they're ill and won't accept treatment voluntarily, or will stop taking their medication or therapy when they feel better. They argue that some people have to be required by law to accept outpatient treatment, or they won't get any treatment at all, sometimes with catastrophic effect. In Cho's case, opponents will argue that the outcome proves a judicial order to community-based treatment cannot prevent murder and mayhem; proponents will say that these statutes need more 'teeth'. But this controversy raises the question of whether the policy actually works: can legally enforced outpatient treatment prevent violence? Evidence is mixed. However, one study found that if people with mental illness were on a community treatment order for at least six months, they were much less likely to be violent than people who were not on outpatient commitment or on it only briefly. As the science of violence risk assessment improves, and clinical interventions to reduce that risk become demonstrably effective, there will be no avoiding trade-offs among cherished Anglo-American values of autonomy, social responsibility, privacy, and security. Our advice is to beware all those who find these trade-offs easy. In the process of defining the rights and responsibilities of those among us with mental illness, we define ourselves. John Monahan is a psychologist and University of Virginia professor. Jeffrey Swanson is a sociologist and associate professor at the Duke University School of Medicine. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2062866,00.html
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11.15am Media reports portray Cho Seung-hui as a troubled boy with a murderous imagination Michelle Pauli Wednesday April 18, 2007 Guardian Unlimited Just one face stares out of the front pages of the papers today. With the naming of the perpetrator of the Virginia Technical College massacre, all attention is focused on Cho Seung-hui, the South Korean loner who shot dead 32 of his fellow students and professors. The Telegraph and the Mirror both use the killer's own words as their headline: "You made me do this." The line comes from the note left behind by Cho, which also rails against "rich kids", "debauchery" and "deceitful charlatans". The picture that is emerging of Cho is of a troubled loner with a history of mental health problems. Roommates at the dormitory where he lived called him "weird", while fellow students in his creative writing class describe being frightened by his "morbid and grotesque" plays. The Washington Post has an interview with the head of the English department, Lucinda Roy, who had taught Cho in one-to-one sessions after a colleague had been disturbed by his work. According to the Post, Roy said she warned school officials. "'I was determined that people were going to take notice. I felt I'd said to so many people, 'Please, will you look at this young man?' " The question of whether Cho could have been stopped - if not before the first two killings then in the period before the further shootings - continues to be examined. The Guardian says that "angry" students want to know why the campus was not locked down and classes cancelled and why it took more than two hours for them to be sent a warning email. Details from those two and a half hours "remain sketchy" says the paper but it is believed that the police thought that the first two shootings were a domestic murder committed by someone who had then left the campus, leaving them surprised when the second shootings occurred. "The university has blood on their hands," says one student, Billy Baston, in the Guardian. But what about the gun vendors? As attention, in the UK press at least, turns once again to America's gun laws, it was revealed yesterday that the pistols used by Cho had been bought legally on March 13. "It was a very unremarkable sale," says the owner of the shop. And, the assumption is, such sales will continue to be unremarkable in America. The National Rifle Association is too potent a foe for any party to take on, says the Guardian, which flags up the $14m donated by the lobby group to politicians over the last 14 years. "Once again the rest of the world will look on in amazement as America proves itself unable to defend its ordinary citizens from armed maniacs," says the paper. Elsewhere, commentators generally agree that little is likely to change in the area of gun law. And why should it, asks Richard Wolffe from Newsweek, in the Independent. You can't take the guns out of American life and you can never really stop another Virginia Tech, he says. Magnus Linklater in the Times thinks that "probably" tighter gun control would have prevented the Virginia Tech shootings but that banning guns is a salve rather than a solution. "What is needed s a wholesale shift in the national culture - and that will take rather longer than an arms ban," he comments. The Telegraph, meanwhile, has a rather odd comment piece from David Frum, a former speechwriter for George Bush. Headlined "No policy can outwit the Grim Reaper", Frum argues that we must blame the criminal not the gun culture. "Death lies waiting around the corner for us all," he remarks and "no public policy can rescue us from that grim human fact". Along with profiles of the perpetrator and the analysis of how he could have been prevented, the third area of focus in the pages and pages of coverage of the tragedy are, of course, the victims. And, among the tributes, the papers pay particular attention to Liviu Librescu, a 79-year-old professor of engineering who had survived Nazi death camps but died saving the lives of several of his students by blocking his classroom's doorway as Cho approached. Professor Librescu has emerged a hero, says the Telegraph, which describes how he barricaded the door of his classroom and told his students to jump from the second floor window. Many leapt to safety. He was shot dead. "It is worth reflecting on the significance of Professor Librescu's life of quiet heroism, which encompassed the Holocaust, a career of internationally admired teaching and research, and a final act of sacrifice that saved at least nine other lives," says the Times in its leader. The Guardian describes how friends of the victims are gathering online to remember the students through videos, blogs and message boards. An instant memorial to Emily Hilscher, the first victim, has been created on the social networking site Facebook. The page asks "everybody that joins to post one or more things that made Emily cooler than you". The paper reports that within a day of the shootings, more than 120,000 people have joined a discussion group to pay tribute to the victims. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2059933,00.html
Ewen MacAskill Wednesday April 18, 2007 The Guardian A survivor of the Holocaust died trying to save his students from the Virginia Tech gunman, it emerged yesterday. Liviu Librescu, 76, who survived the Nazi killings, later escaped from communist Romania to become a respected aeronautics expert. "My father blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," his son, Joe Librescu, said from his home outside Tel Aviv. Student Alec Calhoun told the Guardian how Mr Librescu's bravery bought him precious seconds after the killer started shooting in the next room. "I thought I was going to die. I started to make a barricade of desks." Mr Calhoun went to jump out of the window. It was then he saw Mr Librescu. "I hung on to the ledge. The professor was trying to hold the door closed. I was the last one out that was not wounded." When he finally forced his way in, Mr Librescu threw himself in front of the attacker, a student told Israel's Army Radio. "He was killed but thanks to him his students lived," the student said. Messages were posted on the web praising the professor. "No act could be more selfless." one poster wrote. On Guardian Unlimited Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings Gun violence in the US Gun violence in Britain Full US coverage Related articles Virginia massacre gunman named Unofficial list of shooting victims emerges Massacre on campus Q&A: US gun laws World news guide North American Media Media CNN New York Times Washington Post Government Virginia state government portal US government portal White House Senate House of Representatives Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2007. -- Original Source:http://www.guardian.co.uk/usguns/Story/0,,2059729,00.html
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Israel Professor, Murdered Saving Students At Virginia Tech, Buried in Ra'anana
By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Jerusalem ----April 19...... In a remarkable act of sacrifice and bravery, a 75-year-old Israel professor and Holocaust survivor was murdered in the massacre at Virginia Tech on Holocaust Memorial Day, Monday when he leaped between the crazed gunner and his students. According to eye witnesses the heroic action of Liviu Librescu, a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, saved the lives of an unknown number of students in his class. Asael Arad, an Israeli Virginia Tech student told Israel Army Radio that "all the students lived - because of him,". The last person to see Professor Liviu Librescu alive appears to have been Alec Calhoun, a student at Virginia Tech who turned as he prepared to leap from a high classroom window to see the elderly academic holding shut the classroom door. The student jumped, and lived. Minutes later, the professor was shot dead. Librescu's wife told the NRG Web site that her husband had loved his job with "all his heart and his soul." Librescu was a gifted scientist in Romania, and the government tried to prevent him from moving to Israel. He was eventually allowed to leave the country after then Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin made a special appeal to President Nicolae Ceausescu, Ynetnews reported. Librescu immigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978 but moved to Virginia in 1986 for his sabbatical and had remained their ever since. The professor has two sons, one named Arieh who lives in Israel, and another, Joe, who resides in the US. Librescu was described by his colleagues as a "true gentleman." He was one of 32 people murdered in what has been described as the biggest single shooting attack in US history. Between his first and second bursts of gunfire, the Virginia Tech gunman mailed a package to NBC News containing pictures of him brandishing weapons and video of him delivering a diatribe about getting even with rich people. NBC said that a time stamp on the package indicated the material was mailed in the two-hour window between the first burst of gunfire in a high-rise dormitory and the second fusillade, at a classroom building. Thirty-three people died in the rampage, including the gunman, 23-year-old student Cho Seung-Hui from South Korea, who committed suicide. The package included a manifesto that "rants against rich people and warns that he wants to get even," according to a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case. Late Wednesday, MSNBC showed a photo from the package of Cho glaring at the camera, his arms outstretched with a gun in each hand. He wears a khaki-colored military-style vest, fingerless gloves and a backwards, black baseball cap. "NBC Nightly News" planned to show some of the material Wednesday night. Virginia Tech reported shootings on two sides of the 2,600-acre campus, the first at about 7:15 a.m. at a co-ed residential hall called West Ambler Johnston, and resuming about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building. According to students, at around 7:15 a.m. the gunman appeared in West Ambler Johnston and began searching rooms for his ex-girlfriend. He killed two people, Ryan Clark, and a freshman identified by students as Emily Hilscher. In the second attack, the gunman shot professors and students in classrooms and hallways of the engineering building, killing around 30 people. The carnage ended Monday with the gunman shooting himself in the face. There were 33 deaths in total. Students complained that the university did not adequately warn them about the gunman until over two hours after the first incident and around the time that the second round of killings began. At that time, an e-mail was sent. Virginia Tech President Charles Steger defended the university, saying authorities believed the shooting at the dorm was a domestic clash and an isolated incident. They also mistakenly thought the gunman had left the campus. "We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur," Steger said. He added, "We can only make decisions based on the information you had on the time. You don't have hours to reflect on it." Steger explained that it was difficult to inform everyone at Virginia Tech because there were thousands of people arriving to the campus on Monday morning. "Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," Steger said. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified." In his speech at the United State Holocaust Memorial, US President George W. Bush paid tribute to Liviu Librescu, the aeronautics engineering professor who died while trying to save students during the shooting spree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. "That day we saw horror, but we also saw acts of quiet courage. We saw this courage in a teacher named Liviu Librescu. With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety. On the Day of Remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others might live. And this morning we honor his memory, and we take strength from his example." President Bush said. Liviu Librescu's body was transported to Israel, on Wednesday, to be buried at the cemetery of the central Israel town of Ra'anana. Marilena, his wife, also flew also from New York Wednesday and due to arrive in Tel Aviv today, 37-year-old son Arieh told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in a telephone interview. -- Original Source:http://www.israelnewsagency.com/liviulibrescuvirgintechheroraananaisrael48041907.html
Joel Leyden,Publisher;israelnewsagency@gmail.com
Photo: INA / Andy Princz The body of Liviu Librescu, wrapped in a white and black prayer shawl according to Jewish tradition, shown prior to his April 20 funeral in Israel. Librescu will be buried at the Kfar Nachman cemetery of the central Israel town of Ra'anana. -- Original Source: Israel News Agency http://www.israelnewsagency.com/liviulibrescuvirginiatechherofuneralisraelholocaust48042107.html
Joel Leyden, Publisher; israelnewsagency@gmail.com
Tears, Pride for Holocaust Survivor, Virginia Tech Librescu At Israel Funeral
By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency Jerusalem ----April 21...... "Daddy, tell me the story again," said the 6-year-old girl. "Tell me how he saved the big children." It had been hours earlier in this pristine, palm tree lined Ra'anana cemetery that hundreds stood mourning and praising Holocaust survivor and Virginia Tech hero for sacrificing his life so that his students would live. "He was a good man," said Amanda. "Will he come back to life now?" she asked. It was this young girl's first trip to a cemetery. I explained to her that in life we are born in hospitals, live our lives and then we are buried in cemeteries. "We will all be buried in a cemetery, but some people die from old age, others from diseases, but this man - he was a hero. He was buried here because he gave life to the big children in Virginia," I told her. A link to exclusive INA video of the Liviu Librescu funeral in Ra'anana appears here I had promised my daughter when picking her up from her mother's home that we were going to visit a real hero. Heroes come and go. Moshe Dayan is credited for many acts of bravery, including opening up the City of Jerusalem with Yitzhak Rabin in 1967. David Ben-Gurion had the wisdom and leadership to win Israel's battle for independence, creating the modern Jewish state of Israel. But Dayan and Ben-Gurion, who became myths larger than life, had also been criticized. Ben-Gurion for attacking an Irgun ship - the Altalena and Dayan for stealing and selling archaeological treasures from Israel soil. They had both been in the public spotlight for many years. Their achievements were many. Their faults were few but still they were mere mortals. But Liviu Librescu was a hero with no baggage. He had survived the Nazi holocaust, he had survived persecution in communist Romania. Only to find peace and tranquility teaching in the hills of Virginia - until last Monday. In a remarkable act of sacrifice and bravery, the 75-year-old Israel professor and Holocaust survivor was murdered in the massacre at Virginia Tech on Holocaust Memorial Day, when he leaped between the crazed gunner and his students. According to eye witnesses the heroic action of Liviu Librescu, a lecturer in the Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, saved the lives of an unknown number of students in his class. Asael Arad, an Israeli Virginia Tech student told Israel Army Radio that "all the students lived - because of him." The last person to see Professor Liviu Librescu alive appears to have been Alec Calhoun, a student at Virginia Tech who turned as he prepared to leap from a high classroom window to see the elderly academic holding shut the classroom door. The student jumped, and lived. Minutes later, the professor was shot dead. The professor was popular among students and colleagues alike, and his ultimate sacrifice on Monday will cement that reputation. The last stop on Cho Seung-Hui's killing spree was Librescu's classroom. The professor blocked the unlockable door with his body to hold out Cho while shouting for his students to escape through the classroom windows. Cho overpowered Librescu, pushed his way into the room and shot the professor in the head. All of his students survived. Librescu's wife told the NRG Web site that her husband had loved his job with "all his heart and his soul." Librescu was a gifted scientist in Romania, and the government tried to prevent him from moving to Israel. He was eventually allowed to leave the country after then Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin made a special appeal to President Nicolae Ceausescu, Ynetnews reported. Librescu immigrated to Israel from Romania in 1978 but moved to Virginia in 1986 for his sabbatical and had remained their ever since. The professor has two sons, one named Arieh who lives in Israel, and another, Joe, who resides in the US. Librescu was described by his colleagues as a "true gentleman." He was one of 33 people murdered in what has been described as the biggest single shooting attack in US history. They all had died in the rampage, including the gunman, 23-year-old student Cho Seung-Hui from South Korea, who committed suicide. Cho, who had sent a package to NBC News between the first and second shooting attacks at Virginia Tech, stated in a manifesto that he hated rich people and warned that he would get even. These facts emerged from a law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about the case. Late Wednesday, MSNBC showed a photo from the package of Cho glaring at the camera, his arms outstretched with a gun in each hand. He wears a khaki-colored military-style vest, fingerless gloves and a backwards, black baseball cap. Virginia Tech reported shootings on two sides of the 2,600-acre campus, the first at about 7:15 a.m. at a co-ed residential hall called West Ambler Johnston, and resuming about two hours later at Norris Hall, an engineering building. According to students, at around 7:15 a.m. the gunman appeared in West Ambler Johnston and began searching rooms for his ex-girlfriend. He killed two people, Ryan Clark, and a freshman identified by students as Emily Hilscher. In the second attack, the gunman shot professors and students in classrooms and hallways of the engineering building, killing around 30 people. The carnage ended Monday with the gunman shooting himself in the face. Students complained that the university did not adequately warn them about the gunman until over two hours after the first incident and around the time that the second round of killings began. At that time, an e-mail was sent. Virginia Tech President Charles Steger defended the university, saying authorities believed the shooting at the dorm was a domestic clash and an isolated incident. They also mistakenly thought the gunman had left the campus. "We had no reason to suspect any other incident was going to occur," Steger said. He added, "We can only make decisions based on the information you had on the time. You don't have hours to reflect on it." Steger explained that it was difficult to inform everyone at Virginia Tech because there were thousands of people arriving to the campus on Monday morning. As controversy continues to grow regarding the apparent lack of proper security response to the first shooting, and why with a shooting suspect loose, was there no shut down of the Virginia Tech campus, many have started to heal their wounds, leaving the anger stage and moving onto grief. Now focusing on the positive aspects of humanity, the acts of courage and bravery which occurred during this bloody massacre. In his speech at the United State Holocaust Memorial, US President George W. Bush paid tribute to Liviu Librescu, the aeronautics engineering professor who died while trying to save students during the shooting spree at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. "That day we saw horror, but we also saw acts of quiet courage. We saw this courage in a teacher named Liviu Librescu. With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety. On the Day of Remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so that others might live. And this morning we honor his memory, and we take strength from his example." President Bush said. Liviu Librescu's body was transported to Israel last Wednesday, to be buried at the Kfar Nachman cemetery of the central Israel town of Ra'anana. Marilena, his wife, also flew also from New York Wednesday arrived in Tel Aviv Thursday, 37-year-old son Arieh told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in a telephone interview. The funeral was attended by some 500 friends, family members, foreign diplomats and others who came to this Israel cemetery to pay their respects to this Jewish hero. The funeral was to begin at 10 a.m. on a clear, sun drenched day. Speaking at the ceremony, Librescu's son Joe wearing a ripped black shirt, reflected on the questions he had never asked his father. It is Jewish custom to rip a part of your clothes when mourning a relative. "They're asking me today about your past, and I don't know what to tell them," he said. "I'm proud of you. I walk today with my head held high." "Sometimes I didn't hear you, but my ears are now wide open to your legacy," he went on. "I'm doing my best, reaching to the moon - I know I can reach it because of you." Librescu's wife, Marlena, had lost any remnants of composure. She spoke to her husband Liviu who was wrapped in a white and black prayer shawl according to Jewish tradition. "My sweetheart, I am in such pain. So much pain. I have lost not just a husband, but my best friend," she said. "I was blessed to be with him each day for 42 years - to learn from his wisdom, to receive his advice - and I thank you for giving me our two children. I'm now blessed to be with them," said Marlena. "It's so painful for me to think of your last moments, in which you suffered. I'll never know what went through your mind, but I hope very much that wherever you are, you will watch over your family," Librescu's weeping wife, Marlena, said. "I ask forgiveness from you for every time I upset you. I hope you will protect your family from where you reside now," she said, adding, "I have only the good left from you.... May it go easy for you, my sweetheart." The professor's other son, Arie, said his father had "always said to be strong." "Father, I believe that at this moment you're looking down on us from above and saying, what is all this crowing around? I only did what I had to do. From our childhood, you taught us to care for people, to work hard, to succeed, but you never taught us to be heroes. It is more theoretical a lesson than aerodynamics," he said. "A hero must have the right combination of certain attributes, and you had them." According to Arie, his father "used every spare minute to do what he loved." Speaking of his father's teaching, Librescu said that "the courses in aerodynamics have ended. On the 16th of the month, you started a new career, teaching a new subject - heroism - which millions of students are learning." Arie thanked family, friends and neighbors in Israel and around the world for all they had done for the family - and particularly for his mother - in their time of loss. He added special thanks for "a righteous man, an organization, Chabad, someone who drove five hours to mother [the day of the shooting] and made sure the body would come to Israel as soon as possible." Rabbi Danny Cohen, a Chabad representative in Hebron and a close friend of Arie, said at the funeral that "Librescu's last act lit a fire of unity throughout the world. This evening, tens of thousands of Jewish women will light Shabbat candles at the special request of Marlena." Librescu's wife stated that lighting Shabbat candles was his favorite mitzvah. Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Arie said his mother would now move to back Israel once she has completed the arrangements in the US. Gheorghe Angelescu, adviser to the president of Romania, presented Marlena Librescu at the funeral with the Grand Cross of Romania - the country's highest civilian honor, which was previously granted to the prime ministers of France and Italy. Librescu was given the award for his scientific achievements and the heroism surrounding his death. According to Angelescu, Librescu "was a very important scientist - not just for Israel or Romania, but for the world." Liviu Librescu was murdered on Holocaust Memorial Day and buried on Hitler's birthday. It appears that his act of bravery has reinforced one day and has overshadowed the other. A child in Nazi-allied Romania during Second World War, Librescu was deported along with his family to a labour camp in Transnistria and then to a central ghetto in the city of Focsani, his son said. According to a report compiled by the Romanian government in 2004, between 280,000 and 380,000 Jews were killed by the Romanian regime during the war. Librescu later worked as an engineer at Romania's aerospace agency under the postwar Communist government, his son recounted, but his career was stymied in the 1970s because he refused to swear allegiance to the regime. He was later fired when he requested permission to move to Israel. After years of government refusal, according to his son, Israel Prime Minister Menachem Begin personally intervened to get the family emigration permits. They moved to Israel in 1978. The family left Israel in 1985 for Virginia, where Librescu took a position teaching mathematics and engineering at Virginia Tech. "Daddy, who is worse, Hezbollah or Cho," my daughter asked as we stood over Liviu Librescu's grave. A small white sign bearing Librescu's name in Hebrew stood next to earth which was decorated with several colorful wreaths and flowers. "They are both bad. But today we are here to say thank you to a hero." My small daughter picked up a small white stone from a basket sitting next to the grave. She placed the stone on the freshly packed brown dirt. "Goodbye professor teacher who saved us. Goodbye." -- Original Source: Israel News Agency http://www.israelnewsagency.com/liviulibrescuvirginiatechherofuneralisraelholocaust48042107.html
Photo: INA / Andy Princz Liviu Librescu's sons Arie and Joe at their father's funeral, which was held in Israel on Friday, April 20. The funeral was attended by some 500 friends, family members, foreign diplomats and others who came to the Kfar Nachman cemetery of the central Israel town of Ra'anana to pay their respects to this Jewish hero. Joe's ripped black shirt reflects a Jewish custom of mourning a relative. -- Original Source: Israel News Agency http://www.israelnewsagency.com/liviulibrescuvirginiatechherofuneralisraelholocaust48042107.html
Photo: INA / Andy Princz Liviu Librescu's wife Marilena is comforted by their son Arie, while son Joe stands to the left, at Librescu's April 20 funeral in Israel. Librescu's body was buried at the Kfar Nachman cemetery of the central Israel town of Ra'anana. -- Original Source: Israel News Agency http://www.israelnewsagency.com/liviulibrescuvirginiatechherofuneralisraelholocaust48042107.html
View of the intermediate memorial in front of Burruss Hall. At the time of this photo, volunteers were cleaning up the site, moving some mementos to storage and others to the newly completed center of the memorial. Other parts of the memorial space were still under construction. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0
Daisies and mementos lay on the ground near the intermediate memorial construction site, on the drillfield in front of Burruss Hall. At the time of this photo, volunteers and staff members were cleaning up the area, moving some items to storage and other mementos to the newly finished center of the memorial. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
View of the intermediate memorial in front of Burruss Hall. In the foreground lay a pile of memento items. At the time of this photo, staff and volunteers - including the student shown in this photo - were cleaning up the site, moving some items to storage and others to the new center of the memorial, shown in the middle of this photograph. Other parts of the memorial were still under construction. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
A pile of mementos in front of construction fencing at the intermediate memorial site. At the time of this photo, staff members and volunteers were cleaning up the site, moving some items to storage and others to the newly completed center of the memorial. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
Bags of plastic flowers sit on a walkway at the new intermediate memorial. Hokie stones for Nicole White, Daniel O'Neil, and Seung-Hui Cho (unmarked) are visible to the right. At the time of this this photo, staff members and volunteers were cleaning up the site, moving some mementos to storage and others to this area, the newly completed center of the memorial. Other parts of the intermediate memorial were still under construction. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
View of the newly finished center of the intermediate memorial, on the drillfield in front of Burruss Hall. Hokie stones - one for each victim - are arranged in an arc. At the time of this photo, volunteers and staff members were cleaning up the area, moving some mementos to storage and other items to this area. Photo taken July 6, 2007. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0.
Legisladores sólo piden mayor control sobre las ‘personas peligrosas’ en EE.UU.
Publicado por La Raza Newspaper 06-14-2007 Washington, D.C. (EFE).— Un comité creado por el presidente de Estados Unidos, George W. Bush, para estudiar la matanza en la Universidad virginia tech recomendó ayer controlar mejor a las "personas peligrosas", pero no pidió endurecer las leyes para restringir el acceso a las armas. El informe dice que todos los estados deberían enviar los datos de personas que no pueden poseer armas por problemas mentales a una lista nacional de la Oficina Federal de Investigaciones (FBI) denominada Sistema de Comprobación Inmediata de Antecedentes Penales (NICS). Actualmente, sólo 23 de los 50 estados del país envían esa información. El estado de Virginia no envió al NICS los datos de Cho Seung-Hui, un estudiante coreano de 23 años que había sido sometido a tratamiento psiquiátrico. Sus problemas mentales deberían haberle impedido comprar las dos armas que usó para matar en abril a 32 estudiantes y profesores en la Universidad Politécnica, pero Cho pudo adquirirlas legalmente porque su nombre no estaba en esa lista nacional. La Cámara de Representantes de EU aprobó ayer un proyecto de ley que obligaría a los estados a pasar al FBI de forma automática los nombres de personas como Cho. El informe, elaborado por los secretarios de Salud, Michael Leavitt, y Educación, Margaret Spellings, así como el fiscal general, Alberto Gonzales, también señala que existe "confusión sobre las leyes que regulan el intercambio de información" respecto de personas que pueden ser un peligro. El comité concluye que profesores, administraciones e instituciones no tienen claro cuándo pueden o deben alertar a las autoridades sobre estas personas para impedir que tengan acceso a armas. "Este miedo y malos entendidos probablemente limitan la transferencia de información", se explica en el documento. Asimismo, el comité recomienda poner en marcha programas para instruir a padres, alumnos y profesores sobre los signos de que una persona sufre desequilibrios mentales que le pueden llevar a la violencia. Además, insta a mejorar los servicios médicos para estudiantes que padecen enfermedades mentales. Por último, plantea que los planes para responder a emergencias a nivel local y estatal tengan en cuenta las necesidades de los centros educativos, y que los cuerpos de seguridad de las escuelas colaboren de forma más estrecha con la policía. El informe no habla en ningún momento, sin embargo, de la necesidad de endurecer las leyes para restringir el acceso a las armas en general, en un país donde sus ciudadanos poseen más de 200 millones de armas de fuego. En Virginia, por ejemplo, cualquier persona que no tenga un historial criminal puede comprar legalmente un arma por mes. Otras matanzas han sido cometidas por personas que no habían sido tratadas por problemas mentales, como por ejemplo la ocurrida en 1999 en la escuela secundaria de Columbine, en la que murieron 14 estudiantes y un profesor. -- Fuente Original: Diario La Raza - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=44534&clave=a%3A1%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A13%3A%22virginia+tech%22%3B%7D
Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August, 13 2007
Actividades en honor a los fallecidos marcan el regreso a virginia tech Publicado por María Luisa Azpiazu EFE 04-24-2007 Washington, D.C — Mucho dolor, impresionantes minutos de silencio y 32 campanadas en memoria de las víctimas de la peor matanza de la historia estudiantil de E.U. marcaron ayer el regreso a clase de los alumnos de la Universidad Politécnica de Virginia. Fueron miles los alumnos que regresaron ayer para rendir tributo a sus compañeros y profesores fallecidos. Justo una semana antes, Cho Seung-Hui, un estudiante coreano de 23 años, decidió cambiar el ritmo devida en esta Universidad del sur del estado de Virginia y mató a 32 personas. Las solemnes conmemoraciones comenzaron muy pronto. El primer minuto de silencio se guardó a las 7:10 de la mañana en el edificio en el que Cho cobró sus dos primeras víctimas. Algo más de dos horas después, la gran concentración se llevó a cabo en el campus central, donde los estudiantes colocaron miles de recuerdos, flores, velas y escritos en recuerdo de las víctimas. Entre los objetos, alguien puso una bandera de Perú y otra de Israel en memoria de dos de las víctimas, el estudiante peruano Daniel Pérez Cuevas y el profesor Liviu Librescu, quien, según testigos, bloqueó con su cuerpo la entrada a su clase del agresor y salvó la vida de varios de sus alumnos, aunque perdió la suya. La mañana fue brillante, soleada y cálida, lo que contribuyó a que el acto fuera aún más solemne. Los estudiantes portaron 33 banderas blancas que representaban tanto a las víctimas como al agresor. Una pequeña banda de música interpretó el himno "America the Beautiful" cerca del lugar donde se había instalado un semicírculo con 33 piedras en recuerdo de los fallecidos. Junto a la piedra del agresor, alguien colocó una carta en la que se asegura que este joven "subestimó nuestra fuerza, coraje y compasión" y en la que se asegura que "rompiste nuestros corazones pero no nuestros espíritus". Este es el resumen de un convencimiento que impera en esta Universidad, decidida a superar el gran trauma. "Tenemos que seguir adelante", aseguran desde las página del "Collegiate Times", el periódico universitario. que ha jugado un papel fundamental tanto en la ayuda a los estudiantes como en la información en los momentos posteriores de la tragedia. La consigna es clara- "Vamos Hokies¡¡", que es el nombre con el que se denominan los estudiantes de esta Universidad. Alumnos, familiares y profesores, escucharon, en medio de un gran recogimiento, las 32 campanadas. Una por cada una de las víctimas. Terminada la letanía, los estudiantes lanzaron 32 globos blancos al cielo seguidos de otros mil de colores naranja y marrón, la enseña de la Universidad. Muchos, todavía, no podían contener las lágrimas y, en declaraciones a medios locales, aseguran que aún no saben si volverán a la Universidad o darán el curso por terminado ya, dos semanas antes de lo previsto. La Universidad permitirá a todo aquel que no quiera volver a las clases repetir el semestre o quedarse con las notas que tenía hasta el momento.Para los que decidan volver, la Universidad tiene una batería de psicólogos que a ayudará a superar el trauma. Se están poniendo en marcha igualmente imaginativas terapias, como la que ha llevado a la Cruz Roja a llevar a este campus decenas de perros amaestrados para ser especialmente cariñosos, que acompañarán a los estudiantes. Se trata, en definitiva, de ofrecer calma y paz para evitar más episodios tristes como el vivido el fin de semana por la familia Soriano. Su hijo Jeff, un estudiante de Virginia Tech que había sobrevivido a la tragedia, se mató en la carretera el viernes, poco antes de llegar a su casa, en Norfolk (Virginia). Su padre, Enrique Soriano, asegura que su hijo es "la víctima número 33" de la tragedia. EFE -- Fuente Original: Diario La Raza - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=43429&pag=0
Por Jesús Dávila Corresponsal Publicado el 04-23-2007 San Juan — El féretro con los restos del ingeniero Juan Ramón Ortiz, muerto en la masacre de virginia tech el pasado día 16, fue transportado ayer sábado a Puerto Rico, pero su viuda, Lizelle Vega, y demás familiares pidieron a la prensa que les dejen en paz para poder comenzar el "proceso de sanación" luego de la tragedia. Vega hizo el llamado en una rueda de prensa en la que indicó que el velorio será en una funeraria de Bayamón, ciudad natal de su esposo, y el entierro tendrá lugar el martes en el cementerio católico Porta Coeli, del mismo municipio. La también ingeniero, quien junto a su esposo cursaba estudios avanzados en la universidad de Virginia, expresó agradecimiento para todos los que le han apoyado ante el dolor -tanto en Virginia como en Puerto Rico- además de hacer reconocimiento de la labor que han realizado los medios noticiosos. Pero, pidió que durante los próximos días se permita a la familia su espacio de intimidad y que no se hagan entrevistas en la funeraria o el cementerio. El pedido de Vega coincide con las instrucciones emitidas por la dirección de virginia tech de que a partir del lunes estará prohibido que los reporteros o fotógrafos entren a los edificios universitarios ni camiones de transmisión televisada podrán estar en el campus para dar espacio a que comience "el proceso de sanación". Las instrucciones especifican además que cualquier pedido de entrevistas a personas en el campus universitario respete los sentimientos de las personas. Vega dijo que no quería hacer declaraciones sobre lo que pasó y que sólo quería limitarse a recordar a su marido por su alegría. Sobre su futuro, indicó que todavía no ha tomado una decisión pero especificó claramente que no piensa demandar a la universidad, ni ahora, ni nunca. Entre las alternativas que ha ofrecido la universidad a los estudiantes afectados por la masacre está obtener la nota de fin de semestre con los trabajos realizados hasta el momento en los cursos. El día de los hechos, Vega se encontraba en el edificio donde cursa estudios en geotecnia, mientras Ortiz asistía a clases de hidrología avanzada en el edificio del frente, donde se produjo el segundo tiroteo. Según había narrado previamente, no escuchó los disparos y sólo vio el movimiento de los policías, luego de lo cual se enteró que su esposo era una de las víctimas fatales. © EDLP -- Fuente Original: Diario La Prensa - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=43410&clave=a%3A1%3A%7Bi%3A0%3Bs%3A13%3A%22virginia+tech%22%3B%7D
Intenta virginia tech volver a la normalidad
Las clases se reanudan hoy, aunque el edificio donde fueron asesinadas 30 personas permanecerá cerrada el resto del semestre Publicado por Servicios La Opinión 04-23-2007 Blacksburg - La universidad de virginia tech, donde hace una semana un estudiante mató a 32 personas y se suicidó, reanudará hoy sus actividades mientras prosiguen las investigaciones y debates en torno al incidente. Mientras, miles de estudiantes, profesores y demás afectados por la tragedia, tratan de encontrar valor para regresar al campus y volver a la normalidad, acción que fue impulsada ayer por el pastor de la Iglesia Bautista de Blacksburg, cuyo sermón estuvo centrado en la recuperación emocional de los sobrevivientes. La universidad espera el retorno de la mayoría de sus 26 mil estudiantes para la etapa final de los cursos de este año., mientras se completan los funerales de las víctimas del estudiante Seung Hui Cho. "Tenemos que seguir adelante. Haremos todo lo que podamos para reorganizar este sitio e impedir que algo como lo ocurrido vuelva a ocurrir", dijo el portavoz de la universidad, Larry Hincker. El edificio Norris, donde Cho dio muerte a 30 personas y luego se suicidó, permanecerá cerrado por el resto del semestre., y las autoridades han tomado medidas para aliviar la presencia de los medios de comunicación. Mientras, el pastor Tommy McDearis exhortó a los feligreses a regresar a sus actividades normales en la universidad de virginia tech luego de la matanza ocurrida en la institución. McDearis tuvo la penosa tarea de informar el pasado lunes a familiares de más de 20 víctimas acerca de la matanza causada por el estudiante surcoreano Seung Hui Cho. El pastor dijo a la congregación que "si cedemos ante esta situación, y cesamos de hacer todas las cosas que realmente importan en la vida porque hemos sido visitados por la oscuridad, entonces, terminaremos rindiéndonos ante la oscuridad". El pastor pronunció su sermón mientras los estudiantes que abandonaron virginia tech tras la matanza regresaban al campo universitario. El pastor contó la experiencia de un profesor que había quedado muy afectado por la muerte de varios de sus estudiantes en Norris Hall. El profesor dijo que en principio no deseaba retornar. Pero que lo haría, para no traicionar los recuerdos, las esperanzas y los sueños de las víctimas. Mientras se aprestaban a reanudar las clases, las autoridades universitarias invitaron a los centenares de periodistas que acamparon en predios de virginia tech, a irse del lugar a más tardar hoy. La vocera de la universidad, Liz Hart, dijo que las autoridades de virginia tech apreciaban lo que habían hecho los periodistas, pero era hora de ir hacia adelante. "La mejor manera de hacer eso es que la universidad retorne a la normalidad", señaló Hart. © Servicios -- Fuente Original: Diario La Raza - Chicago http://www.laraza.com/news.php?nid=43402&pag=0
Jorge Mederos Executive Editor La Raza Chicago Inc. jorge.mederos@laraza.com August 13, 2007
A Tribute to Professor G. V. Loganathan (Editorial)
(PDF, 36KB; full text copied below) EDITORIAL A Tribute to Professor G. V. Loganathan Arun K. Deb, Ph.D., P.E., F.ASCE Vice President (Ret.), Weston Solutions, Inc. E-mail: arundeb@msn.com April 16, 2007 started like any other day on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. Dr. G. V. Loganathan, a professor in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department at Virginia Tech left his home near the campus to teach a graduate class on Advanced Hydrology in room number 206 of Norris Hall. He never returned home. Loganathan, along with nine of his students, was killed by a gunman. It was the worst massacre on a university campus in the history of the United States. Very soon, the news started to flash on TV screens. I became concerned as I know quite a few faculty members at Virginia Tech, but never expected one of my dearest friends to be among the victims. I was stunned when I saw Prof. Loganathan's name on TV as one of the victims. I barely got over the shock when I received a call from one of my friends confirming the news. I opened my e-mail to see several messages in this regard. That is one dreadful day I will never forget in my life. Dr. G. V. Loganathan was born in 1954, in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. He completed his Bachelor of Engineering at Madras University, India in 1976. He earned his Master of Technology at Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and received his PhD from Purdue University. In 1981, Dr. Loganathan joined Virginia Tech to conduct research and teach in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. He focused his research in the areas of hydrology and hydraulic networks. It was about 20 years ago while attending an ASCE Conference of the Water Resources Planning and Management Division, that I first met Loganathan in the Water Resources Systems Committee meeting. After the meeting, he came up to me and expressed his interest in water distribution system analysis. At the time, he was a young faculty member at Virginia Tech, full of energy and enthusiasm. He discussed with me his current projects on water distribution system research and his plans for the future. I impressed upon him the need to do some practical research for water utility personnel to help solve real water distribution system problems. He expressed his sincere interest to work with me on some future projects. We soon became friends and communicated frequently. He always informed me when he had new ideas or started to work on a challenging project. Quite often, we shared brainstorming sessions. Soon, I became involved in conducting water distribution system research under the American Water Works Association Research Foundation AwwaRF grants. In 1997, I had an opportunity to get Loganathan involved in one of my proposals on "Prioritizing Water Main Replacement and Rehabilitation" for AwwaRF. The success of that proposal was the beginning of a long working relationship with GV as he preferred to be called . He quickly became a part of our team. It was a complex project that involved Newland Agbenowski, a PhD student from Ghana working under the guidance of Loganathan. I, along with our project team, spent many weekend hours with him brainstorming and formulating the concept of development of a computer model. With the help of Loganathan and Newland, we developed guidance and methodologies for the collection of on-site real-time water main break field data and a modeling system incorporating these data to predict and prioritize candidate mains for rehabilitation/replacement. This model helps water utility managers assess the condition of water mains and develop strategies for long-term rehabilitation plans for their distribution systems. In 1999, while working on the previous AwwaRF project, Loganathan and I prepared another successful proposal on "Decision Support System for Distribution System Pipe Renewal." In this project Loganathan, with help from one of his graduate students, developed decision support system software to evaluate and identify suitable water main renewal technologies available to water utilities for renewal of a specific water main. Technologies considered include both open-cut and trenchless. A cost module was also developed for comparative cost analysis. By this time, I had developed an excellent personal and working relationship with Loganathan. Also, I was fortunate to have his and Virginia Tech's help in developing a prioritized water main replacement program for the Saint Louis County Water Company now Missouri American Water Company . The Saint Louis County Water Company was experiencing a large number of cast-iron water main breaks. In this project Loganathan and his graduate student formulated a computer program to analyze a large amount of water main break data on a pipe-by-pipe basis. An economic model was developed that predicted water main breaks, estimated costs of main break repair, and compared that with the cost of a replacement pipe to identify the optimum time to replace a pipe. Using this software, we developed an optimum water main replacement program for the Saint Louis County Water Company. In 2002, Loganathan and I had the opportunity to successfully submit another proposal on "Criteria for Valve Location and System Reliability" for the AwwaRF Loganathan and his PhD student Hwandon Jun, developed a software for the analysis of water distribution networks and a strategic valve management model to assist water utilities in developing a rationale for the proper location of valves and optimum valve and system reliability. This tool is suitable for water utilities to minimize impacts due to valve and pipe failures. A report on this project was published by AwwaRF in 2006. Loganathan prepared a paper entitled "Valve Distribution and Impact Analysis in Water Distribution Systems" which is included in this issue of the Journal. I am glad and proud to be associated with Loganathan's paper as a coauthor. Loganathan's work was recognized by ASCE with the Wesley W. Horner Award in 1996 for his paper, "Sizing Stormwater Detention Basins for Pollutant Removal." He was an excellent teacher and earned the outstanding teaching award four times. He also received the Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Civil Engineering Education. He was a very active member of ASCE and served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Hydrologic Engineering specializing in the area of stochastic hydrology. He also served in the Water Resources Systems Committee, Trenchless Installation of Pipeline Committee, and acted as Vice Chair of the Operations Management Committee of ASCE. He supervised more than 45 graduate students during his tenure at Virginia Tech. Students adored him. One student wrote in his memorial, "I regret not telling you that you are the best teacher I ever had." Another student wrote in his memorial posting, "Dr. Loganathan was an excellent teacher and mentor. I will always remember him for his kind heart and patience he displayed towards me and his other students." Jerry Snyder, a colleague of mine and a member of ASCE posted, "He was a dedicated professor and researcher and the most gentleman that I have ever known. I can only hope to live my life with purpose and humanity in the same manner as GV. It was a privilege to know him." Loganathan is survived by his wife, Usha and two daughters, Uma and Abhirami. The President of the ruling Congress Party of India, Mrs. Sonia Gandhi sent her heartfelt condolences to his wife Usha. During my long association with Loganathan, I found him a very polite, respectful, and humble man. In technical discussion, he respected opinions of all project team members, including his students. He always met deadlines, even if that meant working evenings and weekends. He was a complete gentleman. The last e-mail message I received from him was on April 9, 2007, exactly a week before his death. I will never forget him as long as I live. I express my sincere condolences to his family. Virginia Tech University has established an annual graduate fellowship in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department in memory of Loganathan. The best way to help continue his legacy is to contribute to this G. V. Loganathan Fellowship Fund by sending checks in favor of Virginia Tech Foundation with a memo to: G.V. Loganathan Fellowship at 902 Prices Fork Road, Suite 4000, Blacksburg, VA 24061. I would like to thank Dr. Ray Ferrara for giving me the opportunity to write this editorial. -- Archived with permission of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Original Source: Journal of Environmental Engineering © ASCE / August 2007
Xi Van Fleet Senior Manager, Information Services Publication Division American Society of Civil Engineers 1801 Alexander Bell Drive Reston, VA 20191 (703) 295-6278-FAX PERMISSIONS@asce.org
One week after the shooting,people set six flags on the lawn of the drillfield to mourn the victims.