Officials: Gunman dead after bloody campus rampage

Officials: Gunman dead after bloody campus rampage

POSTED: 6:06 p.m. EDT, April 16, 2007

Story Highlights

• NEW: University officials say 33 dead, including gunman
• Four hospitals report 29 wounded
• Attacks mark deadliest school shooting in U.S. history
• Student describes situation as "mayhem"; says 2 students jumped from window

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BLACKSBURG, Virginia (CNN) -- At least 33 people, including a gunman, were killed Monday during shootings in a dorm and a classroom building at Virginia Tech, university officials said.

Two people were killed at a dormitory about 7:15 a.m., while another 30 people were killed about two hours later at Norris Hall -- the engineering science and mechanics building -- university officials said.

University police Chief Wendell Flinchum said police were still investigating whether the two incidents are related. Investigators are not ruling out a second shooter, Flinchum said. (Watch the police chief explain where bodies were found )

The death toll at Norris Hall makes the incident the deadliest school attack in U.S. history, surpassing attacks at Columbine High School in 1999 and at the University of Texas in 1966.

The gunman at Norris Hall, who police say took his own life, was not carrying identification and has not been identified.

"Norris Hall is a tragic and a sorrowful crime scene, and we are in the process of identifying victims," university President Charles Steger said.

Asked why the campus, which has more than 26,000 students, was not shut down after the first shooting, Flinchum responded that police determined "it was an isolated event to that building and the decision was made not to cancel classes at that time."

Steger added, "We had some reason to believe the shooter had left campus."

Spokespersons for hospitals in Roanoke, Christiansburg, Blacksburg and Salem told CNN they were treating a total of 29 injured people from the shootings.

Sharon Honaker with Carilion New River Medical Center in Christiansburg said one of the four gunshot victims being treated there was in critical condition.

Scott Hill, a spokesman for Montgomery Regional Hospital in Blacksburg, where 17 wounded students were taken, said he wasn't expecting any more victims. (Map of Blacksburg)

The first reported shootings occurred at West Ambler Johnston Hall, a dormitory that houses 895 students. The dormitory, one of the largest residence halls on the 2,600-acre campus, is located near the drill field and stadium. (Campus map)

Amie Steele, editor-in-chief of the campus newspaper, said one of her reporters at the dormitory reported "mass chaos."

The reporter said there were "lots of students running around, going crazy, and the police officers were trying to settle everyone down and keep everything under control," according to Steele. (Watch police, ambulances hustle to the scene )

Kristyn Heiser said she was in class about 9:30 a.m. when she and her classmates saw about six gun-wielding police officers run by a window, apparently responding to the Norris Hall shooting.

"We were like, 'What's going on?' Because this definitely is a quaint town where stuff doesn't really happen. It's pretty boring here," said Heiser during a phone interview as she sat on her classroom floor.

Another student, Tiffany Otey, said she and her classmates thought the gunshots were construction noise until they heard screaming and police officers with bulletproof vests and machine guns entered her classroom.

"They were telling us to put our hands above our head and if we didn't cooperate and put our hands above our heads they would shoot," Otey said. "I guess they were afraid, like us -- like the shooter was going to be among one of us."

Student reports 'mayhem'

Student Matt Waldron said he did not hear the gunshots because he was listening to music, but he heard police sirens and saw officers hiding behind trees with their guns drawn.

"They told us to get out of there so we ran across the drill field as quick as we could," he said.

Waldron described the scene on campus as "mayhem." (Watch a student's recording of police responding to loud bangs )

"It was kind of scary," he said. "These two kids I guess had panicked and jumped out of the top-story window and the one kid broke his ankle and the other girl was not in good shape just lying on the ground."

Madison Van Duyne said she and her classmates in a media writing class were on "lockdown" in their classrooms. They were huddled in the middle of the classroom, writing stories about the shootings and posting them online.

The university is updating students through e-mails, and an Internet webcam is broadcasting live pictures of the campus.

The shootings came three days after a bomb threat Friday forced the cancellation of classes in three buildings, WDBJ in Roanoke reported. Also, the 100,000-square-foot Torgersen Hall was evacuated April 2 after police received a written bomb threat, The Roanoke Times reported.

Last August, the first day of classes was cut short by a manhunt after an escaped prisoner was accused of killing a Blacksburg hospital security guard and a sheriff's deputy.

After the Monday shootings, students were instructed to stay indoors and away from windows, according to a university statement. (Watch a student describe living through a "college Columbine" )

The university has scheduled a convocation for 2 p.m. ET Tuesday. Classes also have been canceled Tuesday. In Washington, the House and Senate observed moments of silence for the victims and President Bush said the nation was "shocked and saddened" by news of the tragedy

"Today, our nation grieves with those who have lost loved ones," he said. "We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today."

Before Monday, the deadliest school shootings came in 1966 and 1999.

In the former, Charles Joseph Whitman, a 25-year-old ex-Marine, killed 13 people on the University of Texas campus. He was killed by police.

In 1999, 17-year-old Dylan Klebold and 18-year-old Eric Harris -- armed with guns and pipe bombs -- killed 12 students and a teacher before killing themselves at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/16/vtech.shooting/index.html

Manure power goes live in Texas

By Michael Kanellos, Staff Writer, CNET News.com

A new source of gas has been tapped in Texas.

Microgy, which makes and runs facilities that turn manure into natural gas, has started to ship gas from its Huckabay Ridge facility over pipelines.

Six of the eight digesters--large silos that effectively employ heat and microbes to transform the manure into gas--are up and running. When the facility is fully operational, it is expected to be capable of producing 650,000 million cubic feet of gas, or BTUs of heat, a year. That's the equivalent of 4.6 million gallons of heating oil. (About 1,000 cubic feet of natural gas can produce 1 million BTUs.)

The gas is being bought by the Lower Colorado River Authority, which will also get carbon-trading credits in the transaction.
_____________________________________________________________

Sound Off: Is manure power innovative, or a waste of time?

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The shipment, which was delayed, marks another milestone in the pursuit of making alternative sources of energy more mainstream. Farmers, mostly in Europe, have been using digesters that turn manure into gas for a few years. The farmers, however, consume the gas for their own purposes.

By contrast, Microgy, a division of Environmental Power, takes the manure from thousands of cows at different dairy farms, processes it and then ships the gas over commercial pipelines.

It's a small amount, compared with the overall consumption of natural gas. In 2003, the world used 95 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

Getting natural gas from manure has commercial and environmental benefits, according to Microgy. Harvesting manure efficiently could help reduce natural gas exploration and imports. The carbon dioxide produced in the process is also considered renewable: alfalfa sucks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; cows eat it; and when it gets released from the biogas, some portion gets reabsorbed by plants. The process doesn't add additional carbon from the middle of Earth to the environmental cycle taking place on the surface.

Manure is also nobody's friend. It can cause algal blooms--an increase in algae in aquatic systems--and other problems. The stems and other solid matter left over after the gas is produced can also be used for cow beds.

Demand for energy and mandates to cut emissions are expected to drive the alternative-energy markets.

Microgy originally hoped to start shipping gas last fall. The company, however, experienced difficulties in getting the machinery that cleans and compresses the gas for commercial shipments.

Manure doesn't directly turn into gas. First, it gets turned into a substance called biogas, which is a mixture of methane (natural gas), carbon dioxide and sulfur compounds. The machinery removes the carbon dioxide, sulfur and any water vapor that happens to get into the mix.


http://tech.msn.com/news/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4594657&GT1=9332

Allergy Treatments: Wake Up and Smell the Alternatives

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

By Dr. Manny Alvarez

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Foxnews.com Health Managing Editor Dr. Manuel Alvarez

Every spring the clocks jump ahead, and our desires to shed the oppressive layers of winter takes hold. We breathe in the fresh spring air and it overtakes us, literally. It happens as soon as we fling open our windows.

We are seized by uncontrollable sneezing, itchy eyes, and an uncomfortable tickle gripping the back of our throats. These physical reactions let us know loud and clear that another season of the year has arrived -- allergy season.

The same blooming flowers and trees we dreamed of enjoying over the last four months now make us teary-eyed, running straight for the tissue box. This is the unfortunate irony of spring - beautiful but miserable.

According to a recent article in the U.S. News & World Report, allergies are plaguing up to 30 percent of all adults and 40 percent of all children in the United States. In other terms, 26.1 million Americans experience hay fever symptoms each year. That's a lot of nose blowing, and the numbers only seems be increasing.

Allergy Alternatives

Contrary to some conventional medical beliefs, which claim the best way to control your allergies is to avoid the very things that are causing them, many alternative sciences such as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine believe the true keys to allergy prevention are treating underlying causes while building up the body's immune system.

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"The long term solution to getting rid of allergies is to not just quell the symptoms but to delve into the root cause of them", claims Danny Arguetty, an alternative health counselor and nutritionist at the Kripalu Health Center in Lenox, Mass. "To do this", he adds, "you must strengthen your immune system, which is often sluggish and taxed from over indulging during the winter months. However, it is important to do this before allergy season kicks in, and then maintain a healthy life- style in order to effectively withstand allergens."

Spring Cleaning for Your Body

Naturally flushing your body of the toxins responsible for dampening your immune system - making you less adaptable to seasonal and climate changes - should be viewed similarly to cleaning your house or taking your car for a tune-up. Bodies will function optimally when they are cleaned and cared for.

"You don't have to do an extreme fast or detox to rekindle your immune system", says Arguetty. "There are many easy life-style and diet alternatives that you can implement that will help your body better adapt to the change of seasons and ultimately keep you allergy free."

Danny's top five things to avoid before and during allergy season:

1) Heavy, cold, hard to digest foods such as: ice cream, ice-cold food and drinks, heavy desserts, oily or fried foods, red meat and hard cheeses

2) Pre-packaged, canned, frozen or processed foods of any kind

3) Consuming caffeine and alcohol

4) Extreme temperature contrasts, for example, going from a very warm or hot environment to a very cold environment

5) Going to bed late and sleeping in late

Alternative Therapies to Treat Allergies

1) Eat a light nourishing diet of cooked, lightly spiced organic fresh vegetables, sweet ripe fruits, whole grains and legumes/beans for protein

2) Season your food with immunity enhancing and anti-allergic spices such as, turmeric, fennel, coriander, black pepper, and fresh ginger root. Danny recommends cooking these spices in a little bit of olive oil or ghee (clarified butter) to help release the spice's flavors and medicinal properties

3) Sip plain hot water and detoxifying teas such as, echinacea, ginseng, dandelion and ginger, throughout the day

4) Keep your house and office on the cooler side, so your body will transition easier to the outside temperature without sending your body into shock

5) Install an air purifier and a water purifier in your house or office. Alternatively, keep air-purifying plants, such as spider plants or holy basil

6) Get plenty of rest at the right times of day -- it is best to go to bed before 10pm and get up before 7am.

Arguetty concludes, "Going into allergy season with a strong immunity will decrease your likelihood of being vulnerable to all the beauty that nature has to offer us this time of year, which no one should have to avoid."

So why not make your life more active rather than reactive this allergy season? Use this time of year as an opportunity to cook delicious fresh seasonal foods and spice them up with "medicine" that tastes great as well. Cleaning out all the dusty corners of your body will allow you totruly enjoy spring - all while building long-term health.

FoxNews.com health writer Kyle Ellen Nuse contributed to this report.

For more great information on living healthy through every decade of life, click here to check out Dr. Manny's book The Check List (Harper Collins, 2007).

Dr. Manny Alvarez is the managing editor of health news at FOXNews.com, and is a regular medical contributor on the FOX News Channel. He is chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Additionally, Alvarez is Adjunct Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at New York University School of Medicine in New York City.

Good news for slackers: naps can help the heart

Daytime snooze cuts risk of fatal heart attack by 37 percent, study finds

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• Benefits to napping at work Feb. 13: Research shows midday snoozes at least three times a week, benefit the heart by reducing stress. MSNBC.com's Dara Brown has the story. MSNBC.com

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Updated: 10:45 a.m. CT Feb 13, 2007

CHICAGO - Office nappers now have the perfect excuse: New research shows that a little midday snooze seems to reduce the risk of fatal heart problems, especially among men.

In the largest study to date on the health effects of napping, researchers tracked 23,681 healthy Greek adults for an average of about six years. Those who napped for about half an hour at least three times weekly had a 37 percent lower risk of dying from heart attacks or other heart problems than those who did not nap.

Most participants were in their 50s, and the strongest evidence was in working men, according to the study, which appears in Monday’s issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

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The researchers said naps might benefit the heart by reducing stress, and jobs are a common source of stress.

It’s likely that women reap similar benefits from napping, but not enough of them died during the study to be sure, said Dr. Dimitrios Trichopoulos, the study’s senior author and a researcher at Harvard University and the University of Athens Medical School.

Heart problems killed 48 women who were studied, six of them working women, compared with 85 men, including 28 working men.

Janet Hamlin / AP

A daytime siesta has long been part of many cultures, especially those in warmer climates. Mediterranean-style eating habits featuring fruits, vegetables, beans and olive oil have been credited with contributing to relatively low rates of heart disease in those countries, but the researchers wanted to see if napping also plays a role.

“My advice is if you can (nap), do it. If you have a sofa in your office, if you can relax, do it,” Trichopoulos said.

Exactly how stress is related to heart disease is uncertain. Some researchers think it might be directly involved, through unhealthy effects of stress hormones, or indirectly by causing people to exercise less, overeat or smoke.

INTERACTIVE • Stages of sleep

The researchers in the latest study factored in diet, exercise, smoking and other habits that affect the heart but still found napping seemed to help.

Too stressed for a siesta
Previous studies have had conflicting results. Some suggested napping might increase risk of death, but those mostly involved elderly people whose daytime sleepiness reflected poor health, Trichopoulos said.

His research team studied a broader range of people, ages 20 to 86, who were generally healthy when the study began.

Still, it’s possible that study participants who napped “are just people who take better care of themselves,” which could also benefit the heart, said Dr. Marvin Wooten, a sleep specialist at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee.

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Vote: Would you take a siesta? Quiz: Are you getting enough sleep? Naptime at work? Maybe soon in France Discuss: Do you ever nap at work?

“The guy ... who doesn’t take time out for a siesta in their culture is probably the guy who is extremely driven and under a lot of pressure,” which could increase heart risks, he said.

Siestas aren’t ingrained in U.S. culture, and napping usually is equated with laziness in the high-charging corporate world, said Bill Anthony, a Boston University psychologist and co-author of “The Art of Napping at Work.”

Still, some offices allow on-the-job naps, and many workers say it makes them more, not less, productive.

Energizing snooze

More news from MSN Health • Fatigue: When to rest, when to worry • How to get the best nap • Heart disease prevention: 5 strategies

Yarde Metals, a metals distributing firm, built a nap room at its Southington, Conn., headquarters as part of an employee wellness program. With two leather sofas, fluffy pillows, soft lighting and an alarm clock, it’s the perfect place for a quick snooze, engineer Mark Ekenbarger said.

Ekenbarger, 56, has an enlarged heart artery and said he frequently takes half-hour naps on the advice of his doctor to reduce stress.

“It really does energize me for the rest of the day,” Ekenbarger said.

“It would be really encouraging if employers across the country really embraced that philosophy that napping is a good thing. It makes a big difference in my life.”

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17115245/wid/11915773/

Creatine May Limit Brain Damage

By Elaine Zablocki
WebMD Medical News

Reviewed by Jacqueline Brooks, MRCPsych, MBBCH

Nov. 2, 2000 -- The dietary supplement creatine is widely used by athletes to increase muscle mass and performance. Now a new study, conducted in animals, suggests that it may also protect against damage due to brain injury in people.

"Professional quarterbacks in the NFL sustain many concussions, with less damage than we might expect," senior author Stephen W. Scheff, PhD, tells WebMD. "That could be because they're taking creatine." Scheff is professor of anatomy and neurobiology at the University of Kentucky School of Medicine and associate director of basic research at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, both in Lexington.

In this study, published in the November issue of The Annals of Neurology, researchers fed rats and mice a diet high in creatine, and then simulated a concussion. They found that rats who ate a creatine diet for four weeks had a 50% reduction in brain damage, compared to rats on a normal diet. Mice who received three days of creatine pretreatment had a 21% decline in damaged cells, while those who received five days of creatine pretreatment had a 36% decline.

This doesn't mean you should eat creatine ahead of time before having a concussion, because concussions obviously aren't planned. But because these animal studies show creatine works by increasing energy production in the part of the brain cells responsible for generating the body's energy, called the mitochondria, it may be possible to find a substance that has a similar effect if taken soon after a concussion or brain injury. Scheff and other researchers have looked at several substances and are now conducting tests on one promising possibility.

Just as important, creatine may be valuable in several diseases where mitochondrial dysfunction plays a role. According to Sinclair Smith, ScD, many previous studies have indicated that creatine has the capacity to protect nerves. These reports have shown that it has good results in Lou Gehrig's disease (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS) and multiple sclerosis among others, he tells WebMD. Smith is an assistant professor of physiology in the occupational therapy department at Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.

He believes creatine could potentially assist in treatment of diseases involving nerves and muscle. "I don't expect it will be a cure, but it may slow the disease process. Future research needs to focus on how creatine works in humans, and how it works in conjunction with other treatments. This is a hot area right now."

Head injuries predispose people to early onset of Alzheimer's disease, though no one knows why. This suggests creatine might also possibly slow Alzheimer's progression, Scheff speculates. "We don't know if it will stave off the disease, but it might be worth investigating."

However, since creatine is a nutritional supplement, it isn't regulated by the FDA, and it hasn't been tested for safety in human beings. At the same time, lots of athletes are taking it, and lots of health food stores are selling it.

Last May, the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association released a statement warning about potential negative consequences of creatine. Although there have been no formal studies, observers say it may be linked to cramps, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, high blood pressure, and liver and kidney problems.

But Scheff says creatine is an inexpensive substance with no known side effects. "Three grams of creatine per day is a maintenance dose," he says. "I buy it at the local grocery store before I go skiing."

Edward J. Kasarskis, MD, PhD, agrees creatine may play a valuable role in fighting diseases of the nervous system. When mice with ALS are fed creatine, they live longer, he tells WebMD. Now studies are planned to test creatine in humans with ALS. Meanwhile, since creatine is readily available, many of these patients are already taking it on their own.

"When people are faced with a desperate disease that has no effective treatment, they don't worry about side effects. They're eager to try something that may prolong life. We don't encourage them; we don't discourage them. Is creatine safe and effective for this condition? We don't know," says Kasarskis, a professor of neurology at the University of Kentucky's Chandler Medical Center and a member of the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association's Subcommittee on Gulf War Veterans and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

http://www.webmd.com/news/20001102/creatine-may-limit-brain-damage

Creatine May Boost Brain Performance
Study Shows Intelligence, Memory Improvements With the Dietary Supplement
By Salynn BoylesWebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MDon Wednesday, August 13, 2003

Aug. 13, 2003 -- Creatine may not just be for jocks anymore. The dietary supplement that is widely used to boost athletic performance appears to help boost your brain's performance as well.

In a study from Australia, people who took creatine for six weeks scored better on tests measuring intelligence and memory than those who did not take it. The authors say the dietary supplement could help those who need a short-term boost in mental function, such as students studying for an exam. But a creatine researcher contacted by WebMD says there is virtually no evidence to back up that claim.
"It is a huge leap to say, based on this study, that taking creatine will help people perform better on tests," says Stephen W. Scheff, PhD. "That is very premature."

Performance Booster
Creatine is an amino acid produced naturally in the kidneys, liver, and pancreas. It is mostly stored in the muscles, where it becomes a source of energy and muscle growth. As a nutritional supplement, creatine has been shown to enhance athletic performance, and in a 2000 study, Scheff found that it protected against traumatic brain injuries in people who were already using it prior to being injured.

In this study, researcher Caroline Rae, PhD, and colleagues from the University of Sydney examined the impact of creatine supplementation on mental function. Forty-five vegetarian young adults received either 5 grams of creatine or a placebo powder for six weeks, followed by six weeks of no supplementation. The groups were then switched, and the placebo group received creatine for six weeks and vice versa. Standardized intelligence and memory tests were given at key points throughout the study.

Vegetarians were chosen because they tend to have lower overall creatine levels. The amino acid is produced naturally in the body and can come from eating meat, but a person would have to eat approximately four and a half pounds of meat a day to produce as much creatine as the study participants took.

The researchers found that creatine supplementation gave a "significant, measurable boost to brain power." In a memory test that asked participants to recall a string of numbers, people taking creatine recalled an average of 8.5 numbers vs. seven for people not taking the supplement. The findings are reported in the Oct. 22, 2003, issue of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences.

Creatine's Safety Unknown
Rae and colleagues warn that the health consequences of long-term creatine supplementation are not known. Classified as a nutritional supplement, it is not regulated by the FDA. Although short-term health effects appear minimal for most users, there is some evidence that taking creatine may be harmful for diabetic people and others with kidney problems.
The authors conclude that "creatine supplementation may be of use to those requiring boosted mental performance in the short term," and they cite University students as potential candidates for creatine loading.

"If you take it a couple of weeks before an exam, it might aid your memory while you are studying and then aid your memory recall while you are actually taking the exam," Rae tells WebMD. "This is really the first supplement that actually boosts cognitive performance with very few deleterious side effects."
Scheff says the brain-boosting potential of creatine may be worth further study but it has not been proved by the Australian study.

"There are lots of ways to test this, but it is really just a theory at this point," he tells WebMD. "Someone who wants to do well on an exam would be better off studying for 20 minutes a day, including Saturdays and Sundays."

http://www.webmd.com/content/article/72/81723.htm