The Kenya Mall Mass Shootout—My Thoughts On This

I had said it before in my previous blogs regarding mass shootings and the need for  gun control/regulations. It will happen again and so far, one area considered as a ‘soft’ target had already been ground zero for yet another mass shootout.

The soft target this time is in a shopping mall called the Westgate Mall,located in Nairobi,Kenya. This happened last Saturday and it took a while ,in fact,only yesterday I believe for the authorities to get the volatile situation under control. Considering that there were numerous and unidentified Somali men involved as the perpetuators and all  the uncertainty , chaos and sudden nature of the shootout, it was a delicate balance on trying to get the guilty parties and to save the lives of any victims,even possible hostages.

So far, several theories and discussions had come out regarding the gunmen and the trail of terror that ensued as well as the debate for more shopping mall security.

Considering that the Christmas shopping season will be upon us soon,perhaps,mall security is something worth looking into

. Frankly though, I feel that enforcing  100 % mall security will be a long stretch since physical logistics may become unrealistically obtainable.

We as the consumers need to be hypervigilant during our shopping trips and report anything suspicious to the mall security staff or call 911 if necessary.

Shopping mall shootouts had already happened here in North America . In my 12-12-12 blog, I mentioned the shootout  in the U.S.,at the Clackamas Center in Portland ,Oregon,the Westroads Mall in Omaha,Nebraska and in Canada, the Toronto Eaton Centre Mall in Toronto,Ontario.

However,bear in mind.that in all these 3 malls, it usually involved only 1 gunman in each case.

For someone like me who loves to shop, this latest mall shootout makes me realize that this is the new normal now to shop not only for great deals but also to look out for any signs of danger and to act accordingly within the realms of the law.

The pleasure of shopping has been taken to a new level now and to think that it’s not enough to be wary of pickpocketers. Now,, we have to be wary of gunmen!

Sigh!

Josie

Mass Shootout At The Washington Naval Yard

At 8:15 am EST today, there was a mass shootout at the US Naval Yard in Washington,DC. After so many news updates, the gist of the story was that at this time, 13 people were shot and killed(including the gunman later identified as 34 y/o Aaron Alexis, an African-American who was a former employee of both  the Naval Yard of a few months’ duration(due to a discharge out of misconduct) and in Fort Worth,TX. 12 other people were also shot but wounded.

Aaron Alexis apparently based on his prior history of having minor criminal incidents of shooting as a result of anger management issues when dealing with perceived life stressors. A former Fort Worth resident,fluent in Thai and a practicing Buddhist, his few friends were shocked to hear what he did and have a different perception of him as a person. He also apparently is considered mainly as a  loner and has hardly spoken to his family.

For sure in the coming hours, we’ll get to know more about him and what his motives were in terms of orchestrating the shooting. So far, he reportedly was able to enter the facility  perhaps with an employee ID and since there’s no metal detectors on site,it may explain why there was a long gun found by authorities amidst the carnage. Security concerns will come up for sure and what changes need to be done to prevent future occurrences.

There’s still unconfirmed reports of a 2nd,unknown gunman at large.

In the coming hours and days, we’ll have a clearer picture on what had happened at the highly secured naval facility.

Some facts are sure: this is the worst gun shooting episode since what had happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,Connecticut and in the military base in Fort Hood,TX.

In spite of ongoing political bickerings on the need for gun use regulation, nothing has been done concretely for the public good so far.

In retrospect, I guess that if one wants to use a gun to send a message or to bring a desired outcome to fruition, one will find a way to do it.

Such a sad state of affairs,indeed!

Josie

Living In A World of Ongoing Crisis

With the tenacious situation in Syria still looming and with  tensions in other parts of the world still existing, it makes me think that life is going on as it is even in a world of ongoing crisis. The Sept. 11 terrorists’ attack on the U.S (12th. anniversary) is arriving soon and a constant reminder of being part of a world crisis.

As a citizen, I watch all of these from a distance as a bystander, always thinking as to how it’ll all turn out. I may have my opinion as to how things should work out but I’m not a government official in any capacity to do something about it on a public platform.

I hope that all concerned officials do what’s necessary for the common good and to restore world order to a realistic level as much as possible without any vested political interests involved.

It may sound Pollyanna-like , I know but I can dream and hope for it, can’t I?

Without hope, there will be despair and life can really be a drag. Just existing and not living.

Just look at Japan having won the 2020 Summer Olympics bid in spite of their ongoing struggles to rise above the after-effects of the tsunami/earthquake a few years ago. That’s a hopeful moment. Knowing the Japanese people being humble,industrious and disciplined, I’m pretty sure that they’ll host the Olympics once again with a bang. The last time that they hosted was in 1964.

There’s an old Chinese saying that every crisis is an opportunity. Hopefully, the opportunities to solve world tensions will be found.

As they say, in life,there’s always hope.

Josie

September Is Here Once Again!

As an old song goes, “And I’ll see you in September, when summer is gone, have a good time but remember, come back to me when summer is gone”. Sorry , mon ami, for digressing a bit but in context,excluding the romantic theme of that song phrase, it just goes to show that we’re back to the daily grind of life and business.

Fall season will start officially before the end of September and the weather gradually becomes cooler. This also means that the remaining quarter of the current year has arrived. A whole bunch of holidays will be coming in due time and the stores will be reminding us of that as well——(X’mas,Halloween,Thanksgiving,etc). Ah,yes,all for the bottom line!

The color of the leaves should eventually  change to more vibrant colors before they all fall down upon Father Winter’s arrival.

September is really here once again!

Josie

Labor Day

Labor Day is celebrated worldwide as a day of tribute to all workers of all professions ,the observance of the dignity of labor/work, the recognition of safe working conditions ,the   importance of workers’ rights as well as their economical and social contributions to society.

As to when it’ll be celebrated, it depends on the country that it’s celebrated on.

For example, here in both Canada and the United States, it’s celebrated every first Monday of September. In both countries, the Labor Day weekend is considered as the last summer weekend  even though the fall season  officially starts before the end of September.

Reasoning behind this is because everybody has to go through the daily grind and all summer fun will be officially over by then. The coming of the cool weather is a reminder of this as well. Very soon, folks will be transitioning to wearing jackets and other thicker pieces of clothing to keep warm. The old adage of not wearing anything white after Labor Day perhaps meant to be not wearing bright colors especially white once winter sets in. It would probably make one appear to have disappeared in a blizzard! Frankly, I’d rather wear anything with a non-white color in case I get buried in the snow so someone can spot me right away. Just a thought!

Nevertheless, we make the most of the Labor Day weekend having final summer barbecues,picnics and other summer activities as well as saluting all our workers!

Josie