Terrorists Hit Multiple Sites In Paris, Copycat Attacks Feared

Terrorists hit at least four "soft" targets in Paris, tonight.  The death toll now exceeds 153 persons.  Authorities are on guard for copy-cat attacks in other places.

Already, speculation is, ISIS is behind the attacks.  The speculation is based upon the nature of the attacks, completely indiscriminate, rather than targeted towards a specific religious group.  However, the speculation remains unconfirmed.  Authorities are overwhelmed attempting to sort out exactly what happened and who is behind it.

The basics are, shooting broke out in a variety of locations mostly at the same time.  The worst casualties were at the Bataclan Theater where an American band was playing.  The shooters seemed only interested in body count, not hostages for ransom or political demans, as the shooters summarily executed concert goers.

At another location, the Cambodian Restaurant, a witness said she found herself on the floor after a window shattered and shots rang out while she was inside.  The witness found herself holding onto the hand of a fellow patron of the bar.  When she looked up, she found the patron whose hand she was holding with a bullet hole in her chest.  The witness does not know if the female patron died.  The witness heard the shooters pause to reload over a 2 or 3 minute period, then spray the venue again.

A bomb went off at an international soccer game at the State of France sports stadium.  Most people seemed unaware what the noise was and the match continued.

French borders are closed.  The City of Paris is expected to be a ghost town tomorrow, as authorities attempt to make sense of the madness.

Information for this article was obtained from CNN, the Voice of America, the Daily Mail, and Slate and Billboard Magazine.  Most photos are from Slate.

Grenade Found In Carry-On Baggage In Denver-But Smells Good

Traveling by air requires special preparations.  It is always wise to think about what you are carrying on an airplane.  Even if you have the very best of intentions, you could find yourself in hot water with law enforcement if you are not careful.

TSA Week in Review

In Denver, Colorado, TSA agents found what looked like a grenade (3rd item from left) in the carry on luggage of a passenger.  It turned out, the grenade was full of cologne.  However, a flight crew might have a hard time ascertaining that fact in a heated situation.  No one can be sure their carry on baggage won't fall into the wrong hands on a flight.  Therefore, no matter your intentions, it is illegal to carry objects that resemble bombs and grenades.

You would think this is just plain common sense.  However, the TSA encounters these kinds of things all the time.  How about a loaded weapon with a bullet in the chamber?  Should that be allowed as a carry-on item?

TSA Photos

How about a knife concealed in a belt buckle?  In Kennedy Airport, a knife was recovered from a passenger.  An object like this could easily be used to threaten flight crew or passengers.  Although the TSA is tight lipped about who gets arrested and who gets a ticket, when items are concealed indicating the carry on of the item was not a mere accident, you can bet agents are more likely to arrest the person.

After GermanWings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, locked the captain out of the cockpit and steered the aircraft he was flying into a gradual descent until it crashed into the Alps, perhaps passengers have a stronger argument for arming themselves with certain tools while flying.  The better solution is for more safeguards to be put into place to prevent distraught pilots from taking similar actions.  Passengers with weapons are usually the least able to help in an emergency.  More likely, the weapon will be used for nefarious purposes.

The lesson here, don't bring weapons onto planes.  If you have a pistol that must be transported, along with ammunition, you must declare it.  The item, if approved for transport, must not be in your carry on luggage.