For any parents who have children moving or returning to Boston for college or grad school, there is one back-to-school product that can be called truly essential: MAP BOSTON. The Motion Affair Planner (MAP) BOSTON was created in 2006 by students and recent grads, for students and recent grads, and combines the utility of a city guide for locals with the necessity of a weekly planner, featuring over 100 off-the-beaten-path locations, maps of city streets and public transportation and academic calenders.

As of 2:20 pm, the Virginia Tech shooting death toll stands at 32, according to MSNBC TV.

I typically don’t jump into the second guessing fray until I have immersed myself in facts and commentary from opinion makers whom I respect. But I am too damned bothered by one thing about this shooting: the first shooting occurred just after 7:00 am – the second shooting occurred after 9:00 am in a building where classes were being held. Why the hell was the campus conducting business as usual two hours after the initial shooting?