How many more...

The Executive Vice President of America's National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, held a press conference today, if you could call it that, considering that he gave a prepared speech and refused to take any questions. Mr LaPierre's speech was the first official response to last week's school-shooting tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut from the powerful firearms lobbying group.

He argues that the media should be blamed for this, with their violent films, television and video games. This may be true. However, there was no doubt that this speech was a disingenuous attempt to point the finger elsewhere. It blows my mind to think that there are actually people out there who agrees with Mr LaPierre when he says that this would not have happened had Sandy Hook Elementary School had armed guards and thus, the answer to our problems is more guns, not less. Really? So, the fact that there were armed guards at Columbine is moot? What about the fact that the person that Adam Lanza killed first, his own mother, had a fairly big gun collection? That didn't save her life.

There is no doubt that mental illness played a part in all of this. People with that kind of capacity suffer from a type of emotional detachment that allows them to commit such heinous crimes. What guns allow is the facilitation and manifestation of these people's violent fantasies. Sure, even without guns, people who want to hurt and kill will come up with other ways to hurt and kill but we should not be making it easier for dangerous people to carry out their plans with easy access to firearms. People need to make a change in the world. What would you rather be - to feel more secured through the possession of guns or to feel safer knowing that nobody owns one?

There will be flood

Thailand is currently battling the worst monsoon season in about 50 years. About a third of her provinces has been affected. As per usual, the Thai government's priorities are to protect the interest of the rich and that means focusing on keeping the floods out of capital, at great cost to surrounding provinces. However, since a couple of days ago, Bangkok could no longer fight the inevitable and parts of Northern Bangkok (including Sai Mai, where my mother lives) are now flooded, with the floods expecting to reach more and more parts of the city.

I remember from my childhood in Thailand being really excited whenever there was a flood because it was like living in some sort of fantastical water world but now, as a grown up, all I think about is how scary this situation is and how much damage it will cause, to ordinary people, to their homes, their livelihood and income, to the economy, etc. I worry about my poor mother everyday even though she sounds like she's taking it in all in stride as she prepares for the inevitable. A disaster like this really accentuates what I love about Thai people - their good spirits. They know that it is a dire situation but all that they can do is try to prepare for it, no matter how futile their efforts may prove to be (there is only so much that sandbags can do), and soldier on...usually with a smile.

It's a crisis that some experts are blaming on the myopia and poor planning of water management officials, government-sanctioned deforestation and reckless urbanization. On top of everything else, you have a government that seems completely overwhelmed and ill-equipped to dealing with a natural disaster on such an epic scale, led by the inexperienced Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra (the first woman elected to this office in Thailand, voted in just two months ago, who happens to be the younger sister of ousted former PM and political fugitve Thaksin Shinawatra).

From watching all the news footage, I feel this sense of pride about the way the people of Thailand are handling this nightmare situation and their generosity of spirit; the way people are looking out for and helping one another, whether they be friends, family or strangers. Nobody gets left behind....not even that poor little puppy in the video below! The full impact of this monsoon season cannot be measured but what I can be sure of is that Thailand will get through this, as it has before with other tough times. Nobody knows what the situation will be day-to-day, let alone week-to-week but in my heart, I pray that Thailand will be able to put this chapter behind her in the next 2-3 weeks, just in time to come together and celebrate Loi Krathong, which is, ironically enough, a traditional Thai festival that has its roots in the practice of paying respect to the spirits of the waters.

Another fallen dictator

By now, the whole world will have heard the news of the demise of former Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi. After 42 years of autocratic rule, the people of Libya are on the path to becoming a democracy. Of course, this all depends on Libya's National Transitional Council fulfilling its promise to hold elections. What fascinates me is the media's eagerness to report the news using graphic images and video footage. Mainstream media outlets around the world, including in the US and UK, have been airing footage of Gaddafi being captured and dragged by Libyan rebels. Not that I have much sympathy for a man who came to power through a military coup and ruled with disregard for civil liberties or human life but all of this jubilant hysteria over his violent death reminds me of the excitement that people expressed back in 2003, when Saddam Hussein was executed, and it leaves me with a sense of unease about the human need for retaliation and tendency for violence.

I am certainly not above this primal thirst for justice at all costs. I don't feel holier than thou because just like everyone else, I'm glad the man's dead. He was, to use a label that is so incendiary that it has now become absurd, almost to the point of being comedic, an evil dictator - a rotten human being, through and through. However, I feel like those of us who live in the free world need to evaluate our standing as an enlightened people. A part of me feels like there is a lot of poetic justice to the way this atrocious excuse for a human being being finished off at the hands of the very people that he inflicted on much suffering upon for over four decades. As someone who appreciates good storytelling, this is definitely a much better dramatic climax than, say, the way the world had to observe some bogus fair trial after Saddam Hussein was captured before he met his violent fate. Still, we all need to reflect on this moment in history and look to the NTC's next moves to ensure that history does not repeat itself...as it almost invariably does.

Safety vs. Convenience?

Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull volcano's second eruption in a month last Wednesday has caused most of Northern Europe's airspace to shutdown due to safety concerns. Experts fear that the the volcanic ash in the sky could fly into the engines of airplanes. The grounding of flights departing from and arriving at the affected airspace has extended from Thursday til Sunday evening and it is likely that the ban will continue well into the week ahead. Airlines are calling for the flights ban to be reviewed and are even conducting their own flying tests.

The economic impact of this unprecedented ban can only be estimated but beyond the losses that must be absorbed by the air travel industry, I feel a great deal of sympathy for many travelers who have been hit by this, especially the ones who are unable to return home. As much as it would suck to have to postpone or cancel your holiday plans because you can't fly out, I would say that it would suck a great deal more to be at the other end of your holiday and not being able to return home. Imagine having to spend night after night at the airport as you restlessly await the announcement that flights are resuming, which many people are having to do since they either can't get a hotel room or can't afford the extra nights of accommodation added to their trips.
Are the aviation safety authorities being overly cautious or are we are all being too cavalier and too impatient in demanding that flights resume immediately. After all, would I really want to get on a plane if I was more clear about the risk and implications of flying at this time. Take a look at the picture above - would you want to fly through that? Perhaps what this all boils down to is the failure of the safety authorities to fully communicate to the general public the severity of the hazards of air travel in the event of volcanic ash dispersion. Spread the word, not the ash.