Mass public shootings on the rise, but why?

[FuXnDajenariht]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18249724/:

"NEW YORK - Mass public shootings have become such a part of American life in recent decades that the most dramatic of them can be evoked from the nation’s collective memory in a word or two: Luby’s. Jonesboro. Columbine.

And now, Virginia Tech.

Since Aug. 1, 1966, when Charles Whitman climbed a 27-story tower on the University of Texas campus and started picking people off, at least 100 Americans have gone on shooting sprees.

And all through those years, the same questions have been asked: What is it about modern-day America that provokes such random violence? Is it the decline of traditional morals? The depiction of violence in entertainment? The ready availability of lethal firepower?

Northeastern University criminologist James Alan Fox blames guns, at least in part. He notes that seven of the eight deadliest mass public shootings have occurred in the past 25 years.

“I know that there were high-powered guns before,” he said. “But this weaponry is just so much more pervasive than it was.”

Responding with legislation
Australia had a spate of mass public shooting in the 1980s and ’90s, culminating in 1996, when Martin Bryant opened fire at the Port Arthur Historical Site in Tasmania with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing 35 people.

Within two weeks the government had enacted strict gun control laws that included a ban on semiautomatic rifles. There has not been a mass shooting in Australia since.

Yet Grant Duwe, a criminologist with the Minnesota State Department of Corrections, said the availability of guns was not a factor in his exhaustive statistical study of mass murder during the 20th century.

Duwe found that the prevalence of mass murders, defined as the killing of four or more people in a 24-hour period, tends to mirror that of homicide generally. The increase in mass killings during the 1960s was accompanied by a doubling in the overall murder rate after the relatively peaceful 1940s and ’50s.........."

so what are your thoughts on it? :confused:

[FuXnDajenariht]

this part of the article really intrigued and surprised me though...

"Remarkably, violence in today’s media seems to have little to do with mass public shootings. Only a handful of them have ever cited violent video games or movies as inspiration for their crimes. Often they are so isolated and socially awkward that they are indifferent to popular culture."

do you think the mental health industry bears a tiny bit of responsiblity for what happened at V.Tech? or would you point the finger at the courts and PC bureacracy being too lenient and for tying the hands of mental healths professionals trying to give him serious treatment?

what do you think could of been done to help someone like the Korean kid, who seemed to be too far gone for any effective treatment, in a humane way short of locking him up for the rest of his life? i highly doubt prescription drugs would have had any winning results either.

even his family acknowledged that from day 1 that he was alittle off as a child. i watched a news report that stated it was taboo to speak about mental illness and that in most cases its just swept under the rug and ignored. do you think his family bears some responsibility for what ended up happening?

ya think maybe the kid just needed to get laid?

[SPJ]

there are so many things to do or act in life.

a trip, a lesson/class, a movie, a novel, a music/concert, judo, ping pong, --

we all have our rebellious, confused moments/periods in life--

especially, precocious teens having questions about life, and everything.

--

it is a phase, we all have to live and pass and move beyond--

-

find something to strive for, or set goals to achieve,--

--

give meanings to our "existence/life".

--

of course, not involving hurting ourself, and others especially the ones we love, parents, family, schoolmates, teachers. they are parts of our lives.

--

shoot all you want in a video arcade or firing range.

--

hurting others would hurt yourself more.

--

:eek:

[SPJ]

little things that we like or cherish.

I was saddened by a movie, can't sleep the whole week.

It was a movie about a girl that was dying of cancer, and losing hairs and all.

the boyfriend and her liked to visit nite market in hongkong.

they used a paper net to catch goldfish. if you may catch one, you keep the fish. the girl liked to eat red bean icee or smoothie.

the very last moment of the girl--

she woke up in a dream, she was having fever due to infection and became dilirium. she had leukemia. she wanted to go the nite market to have red bean icee or hong dou bing again. she was too weak to walk.

so the boyfriend in tears, and comforted her, that he would go and get her the icee.

the boy went over the nite market, could not find the vendor. b/c the old man that sells the icee was sick and abscent.

the boy was frustrated and yelled at everyone .

by the time the boy came back to the hospital, the girl (played by yuan yong yi) was gone.

--

is it her last wish was to eat the red bean icee or did not want the boy friend to see her leaving this world.


--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5qN6GQzUq4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6QU1ChgZq4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWljDHZyIeg&NR=1

there is a remake TV drama series coming, bu liao qin forget me not.


:confused: :(

[Yao Sing]

"I know that there were high-powered guns before,” he said. “But this weaponry is just so much more pervasive than it was.”

I seriously doubt this statement. Guns don't kill, people kill. I guess with this logic then before there were guns there was no murder, or mass murder.


Australia had a spate of mass public shooting in the 1980s and ’90s, culminating in 1996, when Martin Bryant opened fire at the Port Arthur Historical Site in Tasmania with an AR-15 assault rifle, killing 35 people.

Within two weeks the government had enacted strict gun control laws that included a ban on semiautomatic rifles. There has not been a mass shooting in Australia since.

Guess the people that have been stabbed to death feel much better about that.


Duwe found that the prevalence of mass murders, defined as the killing of four or more people in a 24-hour period, tends to mirror that of homicide generally. The increase in mass killings during the 1960s was accompanied by a doubling in the overall murder rate after the relatively peaceful 1940s and ’50s.........."

Again, it's the people doing the killing regardless of the weapon used.


do you think the mental health industry bears a tiny bit of responsiblity for what happened at V.Tech? or would you point the finger at the courts and PC bureacracy being too lenient and for tying the hands of mental healths professionals trying to give him serious treatment?


i highly doubt prescription drugs would have had any winning results either.

Not yet substantiated yet but he may have been treated with anti-depressents like the Columbine killers and others. But that's not important since the goal is to outlaw guns, not FDA approved money-makers.


ya think maybe the kid just needed to get laid?

Prostitution (only recourse the the society challenged) is illegal. Better to have frustrated psycotics than have a girl make a buck on a BJ.

[Mega-Foot]

Let's face it. The rise in public shootings is directly linked to a lack of self-discipline, over exposure to violent depictions of killing in the media (honestly, how can this not be? This kid lived out the average FPS video game on the market), and discontent at home and abroad concerning the state of tension and oppression in the Koreas.

[Fu-Pow]

I think that a phenomenon so complex requires a multidimensional analysis. It should include psychological, cultural, societal, technological and biological perspectives.

People want to blame guns in the US. Well other countries have more guns per capita than the US and less murder.

People want to blame the "culture of violence" in the US. Well other countries watch many of the same movies, TV shows and video games that we do.

People want to blame the shooter because he was just "wrong" or "pscyhologically disturbed." Some want to say that his mind was out of his control that it was a biological "chemical imbalance."

People point to these cases and say there is a certain "social profile" to these cases. That people who are socially awkward, from the lower middle class, etc. Well not everyone in that social profile goes around killing people.

All perspectives have some degree of truth to them but shouldn't be looked at in isolation.

In the case of Virginia Tech we have a mentally disturbed, probably chemically-imbalanced individual that fits a certain social profile and lives in a "culture of violence" where it is fairly easy to purchase fire arms.

Its hard to put the blame on any one factor. They all contributed to this "eruption" of violence. Nothing occurs in a vacuum. They all need to be addressed (though the pundits and politicians would have you believe "the cause" is whatever their pet issue of the moment happens to be.)

I don't have an answer. I'm just saying that we can't conveniently point the finger squarely on one thing as we'd like to.

FP

[Mega-Foot]

I blame the media mostly. I still think that fantasizing about killing 33 people is a lot like rampaging through a video game, slaughtering thousands of living creatures**albeit virtually**in a fist person manner. Not to mention the movies. Just think: Doom, Texas Chainsaws, Hills Have Eyes, Only the Strong. They're just sick movies filled with graphic violence, sex, and blood and gore.

[SPJ]

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1613417,00.html?xid=site-cnn-partner

:(

[FuXnDajenariht]

""While Kim's family has not been harassed since the tragedy, neighbors haven't exactly gone out of their way to console the shame-ridden family. "We didn't want them to know, but then they found out," she says. And with almost a sigh of relief, the diminutive Kim adds, "After killing so many people, it is good he committed suicide."

lol d-mn....grandma is a gangsta.

[Scott R. Brown]

Keep in mind that headlines are designed for the specific purpose of getting people to read the article or in some cases to get people to ignore the article and just accept the misstatement (read: LIE) contained in the headline as a statement of fact.


Duwe found that the prevalence of mass murders, defined as the killing of four or more people in a 24-hour period, tends to mirror that of homicide generally. The increase in mass killings during the 1960s was accompanied by a doubling in the overall murder rate after the relatively peaceful 1940s and ’50s.........."

"tends to mirror" means to occur in conjunction with, that is: "at the same time as". A rise in mass homicides is occurring "at the same time as" a rise in homicides, therefore it "appears" they are more prevalent because more are occurring. According to straight numbers they are increasing, but according to statistical percentage there is no demonstrated evidence of this within the article. So we don't really know if more are occurring as a statistical percentage or not.

The above paragraph reveals the headline to be clearly misleading. The headline may be a statement of fact in that mass murders are occurring in greater numbers, but with any rise in population all statistics of life occur more often. So just as there are more mass murders so are there more births, deaths, illnesses, deaths attributed to accidents, etc. The above paragraph states that the increase in mass murders coincides with the increase in murders. However, there is no evidence in the article that demonstrates the rise in number of mass killings to be statistically greater.

Here are some other statements made within the article:


In fact, Duwe found that mass murder was just as common during the 1920s and early 1930s as it is today.

Here the author demonstrates the inaccuracy (LIE!!) of his headline. How can something occur more often, but be “just as common” at the same time.


The difference is that then, mass murderers tended to be failed farmers who killed their families because they could no longer provide for them, then killed themselves. Their crimes embodied the despair and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, the sense that they and their families would be better off in the hereafter than in the here and now.

On December 29, 1929, a 56-year-old tenant farmer from Vernon, Texas, named J.H. Haggard shot his five children, aged 6 to 18, in their beds as they slept. Then he killed himself. He left a note that said only, "All died. I had ruther be ded. Look in zellar."

Despondent men still kill their families today. But public shooters like Virginia Tech's Seung-Hui Cho are different. They are angrier and tend to blame society for their failures, sometimes singling out members of particular ethnic or socio-economic groups.

"It's society's fault ... Society disgusts me," Kimveer Gill wrote in his blog the day before he shot six people to death and injured 19 in Montreal last year.

The common denominator here is an inability of some to cope with failure which results in a sense of hopelessness. The conclusion then is that SOME people have inadequate coping mechanisms which results in acting out with violence against others.


[Section edited out for brevity]

Even so, the small-town America of yesteryear wasn't completely immune. On March 6, 1915, businessman Monroe Phillips, who had lived in Brunswick, Georgia, for 12 years, killed six people and wounded 32 before being shot dead by a local attorney. Phillips' weapon: an automatic shotgun.

Remarkably, violence in today's media seems to have little to do with mass public shootings. Only a handful of them have ever cited violent video games or movies as inspiration for their crimes. Often they are so isolated and socially awkward that they are indifferent to popular culture.

Ultimately, it is impossible to attribute the rise in mass shootings to any single cause. The crimes only account for a tiny fraction of homicides.[Bolding is mine]

Once again the rise is a small percentage of all homicides and contradicts the implication of the headline! This article appears to be nothing more than the author's attempt to capitalize on the sensationalism presently occurring in all the media in regards to this crime!

[Nick Monticello]

In fact, Duwe found that mass murder was just as common during the 1920s and early 1930s as it is today.

Yeah, but for different reasons. back then the Mob was in it's hey day, and mass killings and mass hits between them were the in thing to do. They killed as part of some sort of urban warefare turff fights to controll territory, or avenge various slights.

If you took all the mass Mob killings out of the picture, was there ANY mass Killings similar to what we have now?

The type of killings we are seeing now alll seem to be lone, dispondent, social outcasts lashing out in the most perverse and violent way possible. It's totally different than the 1920's and 1930's mass hits/killings.

[SevenStar]

I heard on the news over the weekend (I think, it may have been early this week) that a guy had people held hostage somewhere in houston. They said the door was chained shut (sound familiar?) I never heard what happened with it though.

[Nick Monticello]

He killed the male hostage, and let the female go. He also killed himself. Rummur has it that it was a Love triangle.

[Mr Punch]

Yeah, but for different reasons. back then the Mob was in it's hey day, and mass killings and mass hits between them were the in thing to do. They killed as part of some sort of urban warefare turff fights to controll territory, or avenge various slights.

If you took all the mass Mob killings out of the picture, was there ANY mass Killings similar to what we have now?

The type of killings we are seeing now alll seem to be lone, dispondent, social outcasts lashing out in the most perverse and violent way possible. It's totally different than the 1920's and 1930's mass hits/killings.Good point.

Also, as Scott managed to quote just after his claim that the author was sensationalist, without realizing it disproved his allegation:


The difference is that then, mass murderers tended to be failed farmers who killed their families because they could no longer provide for them, then killed themselves. Their crimes embodied the despair and hopelessness of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, the sense that they and their families would be better off in the hereafter than in the here and now.

On December 29, 1929, a 56-year-old tenant farmer from Vernon, Texas, named J.H. Haggard shot his five children, aged 6 to 18, in their beds as they slept. Then he killed himself. He left a note that said only, "All died. I had ruther be ded. Look in zellar."

Great Depression dustbowl family killings and mobsters. Completely different to angry unlaid types who off 20 strangers.

[Mr Punch]

My personal belief is that the reason more and more people can't cope with modern living and get really unhinged is simply the reality gap:

between what people are lead to believe (anything) they can achieve and what they actually can achieve (nothing without hard work and responsibility)

between what they are taught is right behaviour (protect the environment, tidy up; don't fight; own up for what you've done) and what they see adults doing (driving SUVs; constant wars and terrorism; public figures shirking hard work and responsibility, failing to apologize, lying cheating and stealing - and the consequent tacit acceptance of moral mediocrity by ALL adults)

And the fact that this reality gap is constantly shown to everyone from a young age through the mass media... it is obvious to children especially.

[David Jamieson]

I find it interesting that whenever an event like this takes place, may the victims rest in peace, it inevitably turns into an argument on why guns should be kept or why they should be done away with.

[Yao Sing]

Agreed. Nobody seems interested in the root cause of the actions, just the results. Kind of treating the symptoms and not the desease.

Problem is we're breeding to many of these nutcases because we're too busy looking in (being pointed to) the wrong direction,

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjEGqLmIvLE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfwq_5SJQ3s&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbXI5uL3nCs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t98t9maMXsQ

I like this song very much.

the lyrics is about a girl remembering when she was crying and upset, grandma always sang the sky is dark and it looks like rain.

when she grows up and met a guy and think that he is the whole world.

then she found out that she has been misunderstood and lied to.

wondering if there is always a defect behind every adult (life).

--

she was hurt. she remembered the song : ti o o or the sky is dark.

what grandma meant is to embrace life and be brave no matter what even if it is raining,--

she is tired and thinks of the little perfect world and little happiness in childhood.

--

any way, she is going home.

--

:)

[SevenStar]

this and other crime is on the rise because religion is being taken away from the public eye.

[Scott R. Brown]

this and other crime is on the rise because religion is being taken away from the public eye.

You are just saying that because you are the god of war! You are missing all that sacrificing of virgins and stuff!

[SPJ]

this and other crime is on the rise because religion is being taken away from the public eye.

can't agree more.

religion or some kind of belief system or core values about how to be and how to interact with others---

the other point I was trying to make is friends and family.

the grandma would know grand child.

ma would know daughter.

da would know son.

family would support and provide comfort or consolations.


--

friends in the neighbor and school are also something we would fall back on when things seem no better. we talk about it over e-mail, cell phone--

--

:)

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a6iNZwa8N8&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYpTAiWr5YI&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I11sOW-miwA&mode=related&search=

a liter of tears.

for me tons of tears.

--

love is about to give and care for--

love is not about taking--

--

:(

[FuXnDajenariht]

yea well there might be a void that religion once filled now, but we'll adapt soon enough, and we'll be that much better for it.

people can and should develop other coping mechanisms besides "G-d ordained it so", or by begging for miracles.

[Mr Punch]

Religion has something to do with it, but again I think it's because of a realism deficit.

In the old days, even if the pastor or the priest was immoral in some way or if the general behaviour of the religious superiors was repugnant (eg, the Inquisition), the teachings of the church could be corrupted to cover for them. Nowadays with mass media there is no option to continue with such bull. Hypocrisy (religious or political or even just lackadaisical parents) becomes immediately noticeable and yet still people get away with it scott free.

Without wishing to go into the rights and wrongs of Iraq or whatever again, if you say that this or that regime is barbaric and then imprison people without trial in dubious states of wellbeing, whether you can justify it to yourself is one thing - whether you can explain it to kids is another.

Who is there to lead by example to young people, when it's easy to see double standards and when it's easier to play video games?

[SPJ]

can't speak for others.

my father is ex military and tibetan buddhist. my mom was a 3rd gen christian. we grew up with strong influences of both religions.

a lot of self dicipline and self exam I supposed.

each one of us needs to have certain set of values about ourself and how to deal with things and others.

music, play, poetry, history etc etc.

they are all part of cultivations about our character and personalities.

or even learn a new foreign language would open up our door to be acceptable to other things.

--

have a big heart, wider views of the world and things.

--

and yet sometimes the sky is big enough, we still not see us or find things we like to find.

--

if we narrow our views and perceptions, or drilling thru the bull's horn, narrower and narrower, then lost sight of everything else;

--

then extremes of things happen.

--

:confused:

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwDaTabOymA

listen to this.

the music describes mountain and river.

12 girl band introduced some twists to it.

I like the faster and faster beats at the end.

--

different than I am used to.

--

but I like it a lot.

--

;) :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pIdM_HJEf0&mode=related&search=

X'mas music with chinese musical instruments. how odd!

--

[SPJ]

if I am tired or emotional stressed or fatigued;

I usually dun want to talk about it or even think about it--

I just go to a persian, morrocan, turkish or arabic restaurant and watch belly dancing--

something about the belly and twisting of the hip--

I am bewitched.

--

I forgot about all my worries, depressions etc

--

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0i8-VnELYs&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN-LxJGNmIU&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHsErY-5rNs&mode=related&search=

:D

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmMLCXnNCI8&mode=related&search=

ti o o the sky is dark with the flute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46lQnYA5a5Y

by piano.

soorry to derail the thread of why the mass shooting increased into personal resolutions to difficulties in life--

in general, me think if people learn how to deal with events and things in life especially relative to others;

then all the violences will be reduced--

better for us and everyone else--

--

:D

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFQoW381BXI&mode=related&search=

I was told it is a very good story about a guy and 2 girls, love triangle.

swordplay, fairy tales and all.

--

I yet to get a copy of dvd to view.

:)

[SevenStar]

yea well there might be a void that religion once filled now, but we'll adapt soon enough, and we'll be that much better for it.

people can and should develop other coping mechanisms besides "G-d ordained it so", or by begging for miracles.

possibly. But the presence of religion, if nothing else, gives some people something to strive for, and others something to fear. Either way, both scenarios lead to a more peaceful environment.

[Faruq]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18249724/:

"NEW YORK - Mass public shootings have become such a part of American life in recent decades that the most dramatic of them can be evoked from the nation’s collective memory in a word or two: Luby’s. Jonesboro. Columbine.

And now, Virginia Tech.

so what are your thoughts on it? :confused:


The Book on Bullies
By Michele Santos

The profiles of school shooters Seung-Hui Cho at Virginia Tech, and Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold at Columbine High School, show a disturbing commonality: They were bullied by their classmates, sometimes for years.

Virginia Tech gunman Cho was bullied in high school, former classmates say, because of his race and accent. Cho's family emigrated to the United States from South Korea. In class, other students laughed and said "Go back to China" when he spoke.

"The best study ever on school shooters was done by the Secret Service," says Dr. Michele Borba, an educational psychologist and author who regularly appears as a parenting expert on "The Today Show."

"They looked at every school shooter to see if they could profile who the next shooter would be," she says. "Almost always they were boys. Almost always they were middle class. They had an easy accessibility to guns. The only commonality for every kid was that he'd been unmercifully bullied from a very early age."

Although many children who are bullied don't act out against others, they are at higher risk for depression and suicidal thoughts than other children.

If your own child has been victimized by a bully, know that you and your family are not alone. One in seven children gets bullied, Borba says.

Says Borba: "We need to learn a lesson from this. All I hear is how are we going to stop it at the college level. But we need to rewind it and put our priorities in the mental health of children, and teach them to stop the cruelty before it escalates."

The key to helping your child cope with a school bully is to believe him or her when they tell you about the bully. Take it seriously, and don't ignore your child; listen to the whole story.
After that:
• Don't blame her. Explain that she's not alone—lots of kids get bullied for different reasons. Don't assume he did something to provoke the bully; don't say, "What did you do to aggravate the other child?"
• Never tell your child to ignore the bullying; it's a serious problem and needs to be confronted. Often, ignoring the bullying can make it worse.
• Find out when and where the incidents took place, how often they occur and how your child reacted.
• Show empathy. Tell your child you're glad he was brave enough to tell you about it. Tell her you will think about the situation and take action.
• Teach "bully-proofing" skills. Coach your child on assertive strategies. She can stand tall and, with a strong voice, say "Stop making fun of me" or "I want you to leave me alone."
• Teach your child Borba's CALM approach—Cool down, Assert yourself, Look your bully in the eye, and Mean it.
• Urge your child to stay with others. It's safer to be in a group, with the support of friends.
• Tell your child to, if possible, avoid locations where the bully may be.
• Don't promise to keep it a secret. You may need to report the bully.
• Don't give your child all the responsibility for stopping the bully. You may need to take action by talking with a teacher or principal at your child's school. When you meet with school authorities, give plenty of facts about your child's experiences.
• Talk regularly with your child and the school staff to see if the bullying has stopped. If it persists, contact school authorities again.
• Help your child meet new friends outside of school.
Source: Materials from Dr. Michele Borba, author of "Building Moral Intelligence: The Seven Essential Virtues That Teach Kids To DoThe Right Thing"; and "Stop Bullying Now!" a program from the Health Resources and Services Administration.

For other tips, go to www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov
LET'S HEAR IT: Has your child been bullied? Share your experiences here.

Michele Santos lives in Austin, Texas. She has written about architecture, real estate, health, fitness and other lifestyle trends for more than 10 years. Her articles appear in The Dallas Morning News, the Austin American-Statesman and other publications.
Also from MSNBC: Full coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings
More articles from MSN Lifestyle: Men

[SPJ]

high school peer pressure to fit in or misfit is almost unavoidable.

however, a college dude so close to graduation?

there are 3 things/fortunes most important in life.

1. graduation from college.

2. marrying day or nite.

3. having a baby/kid. (to become a father or a mom)

--

well one may have different lists.

--

bullied or not. had oppertunity to education, to almost completion.

--

:confused: :eek:

[FuXnDajenariht]

possibly. But the presence of religion, if nothing else, gives some people something to strive for, and others something to fear. Either way, both scenarios lead to a more peaceful environment.


is peace bred out of fear somehow a good thing?

thats exactly how dictators keep control of their subjects too.

and people can strive for being more compassionate to their fellow humans beings as an act of their own free will. it shows true sincerity when the threat of eternal ****ation isn't hanging over your head.

[NJM]

Why the rise in school shooting? Emos.

[SPJ]

religions do act out of fear. but we may also focus on forgiveness/pardon and love.

1. buddhist. karma, you reap what you sow. do something bad, you may be demoted in the next life.

2. the wages of sins is death. judgement day comes , we all arise from death and face the final judgement.

--

1. buddhist. do something good and accumulate your credit in karma, one day you will be promoted to buddha hood.

2. repent and have faith in god. only thru him, may we be reconciled with the father.
love others, love thy neighbors, serve others as if you serve god.
--

:D

[SPJ]

the other thing is that the realization of thesis and anti thesis.

or there is yin and yang of everything.

and nothing lasts forever.

--

with our brief several decades of existence on this planet!

what would we really do about the time that we have!

--

we can not have everything our ways or the way we want. we may wish. but we may not "enforce".

--

to love some one, is to give, and care for him or her.

--

being bullied or not, we do not need to diminish our self recognition or self esteem/respect/confidence. we are what we are. nothing somebd else said or did will change that.

--
to have conscience. we may not take a life. we may not take whatever do not belong to us or not meant to be. other's lives are other's to keep.--

--

--

:D

[SPJ]

my point was that if it is mine, it is not going anywhere.

if it is not mine, not meant to be, then it is not mine to take.

--

I drink green tea and now white tea is popular and said to be with a lot of vitamine c.

I do not do well at all with coffee. a little bit kepts me awake. a little bit more I started to vomit.

so do I have to force myself to drink coffee. probably not.

so if someone does not care for you any more, could you force others to care for you, probably not.

--

:D

[SPJ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-4f7Myc68M&mode=related&search=

if you are bullied in school.

thinking about hurting yourself or others.

--

remember and listen to what your mother said.

study hard and complete school work.

--

dun hurt your mother-- remember her gray hairs and how she raised you.

--

:D :)

[dougadam]

Looking at the big picture. Satan was cast to the earth having great anger. So we can expect the world at present to be in this situation.

[SPJ]

a general that kyll 5000 people on the battlefield and asked a monk;

will I go to heaven or hell, since I fought bravely for the country and fended off the enemy and invaders.

the monk said hell.

the general was infuriated and said you know I would have kyll you, too.

--

the monk said the door of paradise/heaven is now open for you.

--

the difference between path to hell and heaven/paraside lies within a thought/choice.


--

:D

[charp choi]

From over here in the UK everyone gets the impression that ALL Americans are "obsessed with guns and killing"
This is obviously not the case but it does seem rather easy to by handguns.Is this true?
Or is that just the way the MEDIA have reported it?

Your informed opinions will be appreciated :)

[GeneChing]

Sheriff: OC shooting was motivated by hate; victim was 'hero' (https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/crime/1-dead-5-injured-orange-county-church-shooting/509-00e264d8-b393-486b-a6b4-17413ca8cad1)

Congregants used an extension cord to hogtie the shooter and held him down until deputies arrived, authorities said.

https://media.cbs8.com/assets/KFMB/images/e634ab5e-e0b6-43a7-8731-6705c57ad6dc/e634ab5e-e0b6-43a7-8731-6705c57ad6dc_750x422.jpg
Credit: CBS 8
Author: CBS 8 Staff
Published: 2:28 PM PDT May 15, 2022
Updated: 1:00 PM PDT May 16, 2022
Facebook Twitter
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. — A man who opened fire inside a Laguna Woods church, killing one person and injuring five others, had no connection to the Taiwanese congregation or anyone in it, but was a Chinese immigrant motivated by hate due to political tensions between China and Taiwan, Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes said Monday.
David Wenwei Chou, 68, of Las Vegas, Nevada, remains jailed on suspicion of one count of murder and five counts of attempted murder stemming from the 1:25 p.m. Sunday shooting at the Geneva Presbyterian Church at 24301 El Toro Road.
He is accused of walking into the church as a Taiwanese congregation was holding a post-services banquet to honor a visiting pastor, barricading the doors so those inside could not escape, then initially mingling with parishioners but eventually opening fire, killing one person and injuring five others.
Barnes said Chou also placed four incendiary devices inside the church, similar to Molotov cocktails. Investigators also found bags that Chou brought to the church containing additional ammunition.
Dr. John Cheng, 52, a physician with South Bay Medical Group in Aliso Viejo, was killed when he charged the gunman and attempted to disarm him, Barnes said. Cheng is survived by a wife and two children.
"Dr. Cheng is a hero in this incident," Barnes said, adding that the doctor's actions bought time for other parishioners to subdue the suspect and eventually hogtie him.
"Without the actions of Dr. Cheng, there is no doubt there would be additional victims in this crime," Barnes said.
The sheriff said investigators have determined the shooting was an isolated incident carried out solely by Chou, and the shooting was a "politically motivated hate incident." Barnes said the suspect "was upset about political tensions between China and Taiwan."
Investigators were still working to determine why Chou, who was a licensed security guard in Nevada, chose the Orange County congregation to target, since he had no known ties to anyone connected with it.
When the shooting erupted, parishioners took quick action. Cheng charged the gunman when he paused to reload his weapon. The pastor also threw a chair at the gunman, Barnes said, and others advanced on him, held him down and hogtied him with electrical cords.
In addition to Cheng, five other people were shot:
-- a 66-year-old man;
-- a 92-year-old man;
-- an 82-year-old man;
-- a 75-year-old man;
-- and an 86-year-old woman.
None of their names have been released.
Two semi-automatic handguns were taken from the attacker. Federal officials said Monday that Chou legally purchased the weapons in Las Vegas, one in 2015 and the other in 2017.
Chou is expected to appear in Orange County Superior Court on Tuesday. He is facing a variety of possible state charges, but the FBI has also opened a federal hate crime investigation.
Congregant Jerry Chen, 72, told the Los Angeles Times he was in a nearby kitchen at the church just before 1:30 p.m. Sunday when he heard the shots.
"I heard the gun sounds," he said. "Then, I heard two or three more gunshots. He was just randomly shooting."
Chen told the Times he then saw the pastor, Billy Chang, hit the gunman with a chair when the shooter paused to reload his weapon. That's when other members of the congregation tackled him.
The Los Angeles branch of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent special agents to Laguna Woods to assist the OCSD with its investigation.
Laguna Woods is an age-restricted community for people 55 and older. It opened as Leisure World in 1964.
Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett of the Fifth District said the board was making sure mental health professionals would be made available to those impacted by the shooting.
"A shooting at a church in Laguna Woods has left multiple people injured and one deceased. This is upsetting and disturbing news, especially less than a day after a mass shooting in Buffalo," said Rep. Katie Porter, D- Irvine, whose district includes Laguna Woods. "This should not be our new normal. I will work hard to support the victims and their families."
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn also weighed in, releasing the following statement regarding deadly gun violence in both Buffalo, New York and Orange County. "We cannot be a nation where multiple mass shootings in a single weekend is normal, where gun violence and the hate that so often drives it is tolerated. We need Congress to do something and pass the same, commonsense gun laws that every other modernized democracy has in place, and here in L.A. County, I am committed to getting as many guns off the street as I can."
The office of California Gov. Gavin Newsom tweeted the following statement:
"We are actively monitoring the shooting at a church in Laguna Woods and working closely with local law enforcement. No one should have to fear going to their place of worship. Our thoughts are with the victims, community, and all those impacted by this tragic event.
The shooting came one day after a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, was targeted by a heavily armed shooter who killed 10 people and wounded three others. Authorities arrested an 18-year-old man in that crime, which they said was racially motivated. Eleven of the 13 victims were Black.
Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, issued a statement extending his "thoughts and prayers," adding, "It is almost unthinkable that one of the safest places in the country would be hit by the specter of gun violence."
"We should refuse to accept these tragedies as the new normal in our schools, our houses of worship or anywhere," Min said.
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, issued a statement, saying, "It is horrifying to be grieving yet another tragic shooting in just 72 hours -- another weekend in America defined by senseless violence.
"Tonight, my heart is with the congregants of Geneva Presbyterian Church and the entire Laguna Woods community as they mourn and pray for their loved ones. My heart is also with those in Buffalo, in Milwaukee, and every community torn apart by gun violence."
Schiff concluded by adding, "I will never accept this bloodshed as unavoidable. It can be stopped. But as we've seen over the past few days, months and years, unless we take immediate action on gun safety measures, history will repeat itself. Again and again. Enough is enough. We must act."

Dr. John Cheng was a well known Kung Fu man. I didn't know him personally, but I knew of him.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=0sqJ3jczpFw

[GeneChing]

Hero who stopped California church shooter grew up in East Texas (https://tylerpaper.com/news/local/hero-who-stopped-california-church-shooter-grew-up-in-east-texas/article_8bb23296-d5f3-11ec-a9e9-4f3c19d507ac.html)
By Jessica Payne and Scott Brunner jpayne@tylerpaper.com sbrunner@news-journal.com

May 17, 2022 Updated 10 hrs ago

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/tylerpaper.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/51/351196f6-d5f4-11ec-adef-03a51af36497/6283bc1a1289b.image.jpg?resize=749%2C500

A man being heralded as a hero for intervening in a recent hate-fueled shooting in California spent his formative years in East Texas.

Dr. John Cheng, who graduated from Marshall High School in 1987 and whose best friend runs a martial arts business in Tyler, died Sunday after tackling a man who had opened fire on parishioners during a lunch at a Laguna Woods church.

According to the Associated Press, the gunman chained the doors to the church Sunday and put super glue in keyholes to seal it. He was armed with two handguns and three bags containing incendiary devices and extra ammunition. He began shooting and in the ensuing chaos, the 52-year-old Cheng tackled the shooter, allowing other parishioners to subdue him and tie him up with extension cords.

Cheng died and five people were wounded.

Laguna Woods Sheriff Don Barnes called Cheng’s heroism “a meeting of good versus evil” that probably saved the lives “of upwards of dozens of people.”

Brandon Jones, who owns Tyler Kung Fu & Fitness, had been friends with Cheng since the pair met at David Crockett Elementary School in Marshall. He said the hero moniker for his closest friend is one that does not surprise him.

“It’s completely befitting for John to be known as a hero,” Jones said. “He would have been embarrassed about it and he would have shrugged it off if he were here today, but that’s what a real hero does.”

https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/tylerpaper.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/6/d7/6d7b15ee-d5f4-11ec-b96f-2f52e566d5c7/6283bcd63c50c.image.jpg?resize=540%2C708
Dr. John Cheng, left, and Brandon Jones, right, pose with kung fu instructor Thomas Leverett.
Courtesy

Jones said Cheng was at the church in Laguna Woods to honor his mother.

“And he did so but in the most ultimate way — saving her and so many others,” he said.

Jones said Cheng moved with his family from New Jersey to Marshall when he was 9 years old.

“We became friends in fourth grade,” he said. “He was sitting behind me. He was drawing like Batman and Superman characters. He was a good artist.”

The trait led to a fast friendship. Jones said he was a writer, while Cheng was an artist. So, Jones would create stories around the pictures “of the heroes” drawn by Cheng.

“There we were meeting together over fictional heroes Batman and Superman, and now my friend died being a hero,” Jones said.

Jones and Cheng graduated in the same class from Marshall High School. Afterward, Jones said he went to Stephen F. Austin State University, and Cheng went to Baylor before becoming a doctor and moving to California.

Jones said martial arts training had been important to him and to Cheng since they were young. They met their kung fu teacher when they were 10 or 11 years old, he said.

“My fondest memory is of us training in martial arts together in his backyard, and then watching kung fu movies at night while we ate his mom’s wonderful food,” Jones said.

The training, Jones said, had prepared Cheng for a situation just like the one he encountered at a lunch held by Irvine Taiwanese Presbyterian Church, which worships at Geneva Presbyterian Church in the community of Laguna Woods, as a shooter motivated by a hatred toward Taiwan attacked.

“We spoke often of active shooter situations and dealing with those dangerous situations — of course, never thinking we would actually have to deal with it,” Jones said.

The Harrison County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday released a statement about the former Marshall resident’s actions during the California church shooting.

“If not for Dr. Cheng’s quick bravery Sunday, many more would’ve been injured or killed,” Sheriff BJ Fletcher said. “Although Dr. Cheng had moved on from our community, we still mourn a hero that sacrificed himself to safe others.”

Jones called Cheng one of the “kindest, gentlest people I know.”

“My heart is grieved. He was my best friend,” Jones said. “We cried, sweated and bled together. His family was my family, and my family was his. I’m grieved for his children and family, his mom and his brother.”
My social media is full of tributes to Dr. Cheng from martial friends and associates who knew him.

[GeneChing]

I'm splitting this off of our Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46006-Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why) thread into its own indie - Kung Fu Hero Dr. John Cheng (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72318-Kung-Fu-Hero-Dr-John-Cheng)


Support Dr. John Cheng's family (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-dr-chengs-family?)

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Funerals & Memorials
Dr. John Cheng was a pillar in our community and dedicated his life to protecting and healing those around him. He was a family man with a passion for medicine and teaching. This drive helped him build a thriving medical practice that has been the cornerstone of our community for over 20 years. He was well-loved by both his patients, peers and treated everyone around him like family. He was admired as a beacon of compassion, respected for his medical expertise by both colleagues and patients, and a paragon of courage

He touched the lives of many through his countless acts of service. Taking the time to know each and every patient, going above and beyond to find solutions and care for the whole person. When he was not caring for patients, he was at home with his wife and two children, serving at his church or teaching martial arts. Outside of his clinic, he also volunteered at local high schools and was Medical Director for the health center at SOKA University. He loved to teach and share his love of medicine, fostering the next generation of health care providers.

His heroism saved so many people NOT only at that church but throughout his career. His family is grief-stricken by this loss which comes only three months after the loss of Dr. Cheng's father. Dr. Cheng was the sole provider supporting his two children in high school and his wife. They are heartbroken and reeling from the loss of their father. As his colleagues, family and community, we want to honor his life by supporting his family during this difficult time. All proceeds will go to funeral costs and help his family.

[GeneChing]

There's a vid behind the link too.


Richmond native shares experience with kung fu teacher helping victims during Highland Park shooting (https://www.nbc12.com/2022/07/05/richmond-native-shares-experience-with-kung-fu-teacher-helping-victims-during-highland-park-shooting/)
Two members of the Highland Park Temple of Kung Fu helped victims during the Fourth of July Parade shooting this weekend

By Desiree Montilla and Emily Pasquinelli
Published: Jul. 5, 2022 at 3:36 PM PDT|Updated: 14 hours ago
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - This weekend marked the return of Highland Park, Illinois’s annual Independence Day Parade and was the first since the pandemic, but the celebration quickly turned into a horrific scene as a gunman opened fire on the crowd.

Among the thousands in the crowd, Raymond Goode, a Richmond native, was preparing to walk with his group from the Temple of Kung Fu and do a demonstration in front of the spectators.

Goode recently joined the school and was with his instructor, Sifu Richard Baron.

As soon as the Temple of Kung Fu group started walking, they began to hear gunshots ring off in the distance.

“We hear, you know, pop, pop, pop, in the distance, and I’m thinking to myself, ‘I hope that’s fireworks,’” said Baron. “The crowd starts moving backwards; someone is yelling active shooter.”

Goode described the scene as “chaotic” moments after hearing the shots ring out.

“This was chaotic cause there’s people running everywhere,” he said. “There’s people who’s looking for their children.”

As gunfire erupted along the parade route, Goode joined his instructor and another student to lend a helping hand.

“Being a part of Kung Fu and learning from Sifu, you don’t think. We practice and practice over, over a thousand times for that one moment to step in,” said Goode. “As soon as we heard active shooter, we was already engaging. It wasn’t a thinking kind of thing. When a fellow American is being hurt, you instantly go help.”

As this group ran towards the scene to help victims, the two men described helping people caught in the crossfire.

“We immediately came upon a gentleman who had been grazed in the head and had been shot in the back of the shoulder, and we rendered aid,” said Baron.

”One of our students took off his shirt and wrapped it around his head so we can keep pressure on the wound,” Goode said. “He was still in shock.”

The men also encountered a panicked mother looking for her 8-year-old daughter in the crowd. Goode and Baron said that it was nearly impossible to search the area because of the swarm of people running around in an attempt to take cover. The streets became increasingly crowded as more EMS personnel arrived.

At this point, no one knew for sure if the shooter was still active, but this didn’t stop them from trying to assist people and controlling the crowd.

“Telling people to take cover, just screaming directives because when something happens, you have to do something,” Goode said.

This mass shooting rocked a community Baron said is loving and compassionate.

“This person tried to disrupt America’s birthday. He tried to disrupt our democracy,” he said. “He’s trying to put fear in all our hearts.”

In the wake of this tragedy, both men hope this mass shooting will encourage people to unite and fight against fear.

“We feel strongly that there is a whole lot of people trying to scare us all the time, and we can’t let them win,” said Baron

“Bad people do things, and good people have to stand up,” Goode said. “Everybody loses if we don’t protect our humanity.”

The two men also offered their sympathy for the families of those who were injured or killed at the parade.

[GeneChing]

Are You Truly Ready? READ Kung Fu Versus an Active Shooter (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/ezine/article.php?article=1652) by Jason Brick

http://www.kungfumagazine.com//admin/site_images/KungfuMagazine/images/ezine/6457_KF-vs-Active-Shooter_Lead.jpg

[GeneChing]

Lunar New Year mass shooting in California traumatizes Asian Americans already on edge (https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2023/01/22/lunar-new-year-shooting-monterey-park-devastates-asian-americans/11102454002/)
Families who started the night celebrating a major Asian holiday in Monterey Park, California, are now devastated by trauma and grief.
Dion Lim Opinion contributor

As we grapple with the tragedy of 10 killed in a mass shooting during Lunar New Year celebrations in Monterey Park, California, I encourage the public to see horrific events like these through a different lens.

Whether this is deemed a hate crime or not, there are families grieving on what is supposed to be a day symbolizing a new, prosperous beginning. No matter who the shooter was, families who started the night celebrating a major Asian holiday are now shattered with trauma and grief.

This attack is not helping the Asian American community already on edge from hate violence that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and is still continuing. The best we can do is to continue the momentum of sharing these stories and continuing the oftentimes painful discussions so that not just our community, but also those who do not look like us, understand that the virus of hate is still alive in America today.


Lunar New Year celebration brought thousands to Monterey Park

Monterey Park, a city of 60,000 east of Los Angeles, is 65% Asian American, 27% Latino and 6% white, according to census data.

Authorities on Sunday released photos of the male Asian suspect who hit the Star Ballroom Dance Studio on Saturday night, killing five men and five women. Ten survivors were rushed to the hospital, some in critical condition. The shooting took place shortly after a Lunar New Year celebration brought thousands of people to the city, where many shops feature signs in English and Chinese.

https://www.gannett-cdn.com/presto/2023/01/22/USAT/2790234b-65b3-45f5-a958-ab8db981d9f1-XXX_sdNews__Lunar_New_Year_mass_shooting_in_Los_An geles__5729.J.jpg?width=660&height=440&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp
People watch police near the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif., on Jan. 22, 2023, the morning after a gunman killed 10 and injured 10.

About 20 minutes after the shooting, L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna said, a male Asian suspect with a firearm walked into another dance hall in the neighboring suburb of Alhambra. Patrons wrestled a gun from a suspect who fled in a van.

This weekend had marked the first time Monterey Park had held its Lunar New Year celebration since before the pandemic. While the shooting took place away from the city-sponsored event, officials canceled the two-week festival’s second-day events as a precaution.


'The nail that sticks out gets hammered down'

Reflecting back on the past several years, being on the forefront reporting on the attacks on Asian Americans and the #stopaapihate movement, I know we have come a long way in raising awareness. But there is an astronomically long way still to go.

In the Asian culture, it’s commonplace for many, especially those from an older generation, to adhere to the adage of “the nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” Meaning, speaking or acting out of turn, such as when tragedy or trauma strikes, is dishonorable and looked down upon.

However, I am encouraged by the number of youth who buck tradition and understand the importance of sharing their stories, no matter how painful. They’ve seen how a simple interview can make a major impact.


Just a couple weeks ago, a Chinese woman shared with me a surveillance video of her 78-year-old father being senselessly assaulted and knocked to the ground while walking down the street in broad daylight. While I was relieved and grateful to be trusted with her story, I couldn’t help but feel anxious at the same time.

Would the public continue to care? Could I get this story approved to bring it to a widespread audience?

Dion Lim is an anchor/reporter for ABC7/KGO-TV in San Francisco.
Not to mention that comments from the public such as “it seems like it’s getting better” were becoming more frequent. I’m afraid of frequency fatigue, and that this woman’s father could become “just another victim.”

Dion Lim is an anchor/reporter for ABC7/KGO-TV in San Francisco and the author of the upcoming book "Not Your Model Minority" (Third State Books). Follow her on Twitter: @DionLimTV

Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46006-Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why)
2023-Year-of-the-Rabbit (http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?72390-2023-Year-of-the-Rabbit)

[GeneChing]

Half Moon Bay shootings: Gunman kills 7 people in the second California massacre in 3 days (https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2023-01-23/half-moon-bay-shooting-multiple-victims)

https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5d6895e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3960x2921+0+0/resize/1200x885!/format/webp/quality/80/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbf%2F1c%2F556dd60142 b89812f72516b9101d%2Fap23024088042639.jpg
Law enforcement personnel converge on the scene of a shooting Monday in Half Moon Bay.(Jeff Chiu / Associated Press)
BY SALVADOR HERNANDEZ, SUMMER LIN, SUSANNE RUST, BRITTNY MEJIA
JAN. 23, 2023 UPDATED 10:57 PM PT

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — At least seven people were killed in a pair of related shootings that have rocked the beach-side community of Half Moon Bay, an act of violence that comes just two days after 11 people were killed in another mass shooting in Monterey Park.
A 67-year-old resident of the community is suspected of opening fire at two rural locations about a mile distant, shooting some of the victims in front of children who lived nearby and had recently been released from school.

“This kind of shooting is horrific; it’s a tragedy we hear about too often,” San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus said. “For children to witness this is unspeakable.”

The suspect, believed to be a worker at one of the nearby farms or nurseries, was arrested about two hours after the shootings while sitting in a parked car at a sheriff’s substation.

The victims are also believed to be workers at nearby farms, officials said.

Deputies with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office first found four victims shot to death in the 12700 block of San Mateo Road in an unincorporated area of the county just before 2:30 p.m. A fifth victim was also found in the area and taken to Stanford Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement to The Times.

Minutes later, in an area about a mile away, in the 2100 block of Cabrillo Highway, deputies found three more victims dead of apparent gunshot wounds.

Corpus said the suspect was believed to have driven from one location to the next, shooting the unidentified victims at each site.

The motive for the shootings is still unknown, sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

The shooting suspect, identified as Chunli Zhao, was spotted sitting in his car at the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office substation in Half Moon Bay at about 4:40 p.m., officials said.

Video from ABC 7 showed deputies taking a man to the ground in the parking lot. The man was wearing a white cap, vest and red long-sleeve shirt.

The weapon believed to have been used in the incident, a semiautomatic handgun, was found inside his car.

“With no past knowledge of this gunman or his motives, we are shook and very eager to gain more information from the authorities and their investigations,” said Aaron Tung, the principal of Concord Farms, in a statement to The Times. Concord Farms operates the mushroom farm on Cabrillo Highway where one of the shootings took place.

“Our hearts,” Tung added, “are with the victims, their families and the Chinese American community — from Half Moon Bay to Monterey Park.”

Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga is founder and executive director of the San Mateo County nonprofit Ayudando Latinos a Soñar, which is based in Half Moon Bay. The organization works with farmworkers there. She said the ALAS team, which provides educational, mental health and social services, was on the Mountain Mushroom Farm, near one of the shooting sites, about an hour before the violence occurred. She said there are Spanish- and Mandarin-speaking farmworkers there.

“Our farmworkers give so much to us,” she said, “and to see this violence happening is just a tragedy.”

Hernandez-Arriaga was at the family reunification center, set up by the Sheriff’s Office on Main Street in Half Moon Bay, on Monday night, working to help those affected.

“We are all here waiting to hear together who were the victims,” she said, noting “the impact this is going to have on our lives.”

“Our little town,” she said, “has always been so safe and so protected.”

San Mateo County Supervisor Ray Mueller was also at the center Monday night. Mueller said he was a witness to one family finding out that their relative was among those killed. He estimated that, as of 7:30 p.m., there were 30 to 40 people at the center, many seeking counseling.

California has experienced three mass shootings in less than two weeks: the killing of six people at a home in Goshen, Calif., the Monterey Park massacre at a dance studio, and now the Half Moon Bay incident.

“This is tragic on multiple levels,” said San Mateo County Supervisor David Canepa. Noting that the victims were Chinese farmworkers, he said it was “horrific that it’s a Lunar New Year [and] you have people massacred both in Monterey Park and in the Half Moon Bay area. We should be celebrating, but instead we find ourselves — because of gun violence — burying innocent people.”

“Gun violence in this country has hit unacceptable levels,” said San Mateo County Board of Supervisors President David Pine, acknowledging the tragedy that occurred in Monterey Park on Saturday. “Our hearts are broken.”

The Half Moon Bay shootings rank among the deadliest in the San Francisco Bay Area, topped in recent memory only by the 2021 incident when a worker for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority shot and killed nine co-workers at a light rail yard.

Monday’s killings brought condemnation from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said on Twitter: “Tragedy upon tragedy.” President Biden said through his spokesperson that federal authorities were offering assistance.

Assemblyman Marc Berman (D-Menlo Park) noted the scale of violence to hit California: “Two hours ago I joined my colleagues on the Capitol steps for a vigil for the victims of the shooting in Monterey Park,” he said on Twitter. “Before we’ve even had a chance to mourn them, there is yet another mass shooting — this time in Half Moon Bay. In my district.”
Half Moon Bay is across the bay and the peninsula from Tiger Claw HQ.

[GeneChing]

More on Monterey Park (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46006-Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why&p=1324220#post1324220)


A kung fu school had a safe space at a revered dance studio. Then came the mass shooting (https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2023/02/07/a-monterey-park-kung-fu-school-had-a-safe-space-at-a-revered-dance-studio-then-came-the-mass-shooting/)
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LDN-L-MPSHOOT-KUNGFU-0206_21.jpg?w=1569
Kevin Leung, head instructor, leads a practice of the Kong’s Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association at Garvey Ranch Park playground in Monterey Park on Sunday, February 5, 2023. For years, Kong’s Siu Lum Pai had weekly lessons for interested kids and adults at the Star Dance Ballroom Studio. Head instructor Kevin Leung, who knew many of the victims, hopes to provide a free space for the community to heal, practice the kung fu arts, and not have to think about what just happened at their beloved studio. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)
By ALLYSON VERGARA | avergara@scng.com |
PUBLISHED: February 7, 2023 at 1:12 p.m. | UPDATED: February 8, 2023 at 6:55 a.m.

A major tragedy in their hometown won’t stop these martial arts students in Monterey Park from practicing kata, or their forms.

With every kick, swing and punch, these students at the Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association are learning forms of self-defense, rooted in traditional Chinese martial arts. In the school, students are taught the values of respect, tranquility under pressure, purpose through movement.

“It teaches confidence, humility, courage, focus, discipline,” said Eileen Greenberg, an assistant instructor with the traditional Chinese martial arts school. “We’re not training bullies, but to step up if you see someone who needs help, and defend your community.”

https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LDN-L-MPSHOOT-KUNGFU-0206_18-1.jpg?w=780
Kevin Leung, head instructor, leads a practice of the Kong’s Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association at Garvey Ranch Park playground in Monterey Park on Sunday, February 5, 2023. For years, Kong’s Siu Lum Pai had weekly lessons for interested kids and adults at the Star Dance Ballroom Studio. Head instructor Kevin Leung, who knew many of the victims, hopes to provide a free space for the community to heal, practice the kung fu arts, and not have to think about what just happened at their beloved studio. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Each week for over eight years, kids and adults were practicing kung fu and lion dancing at the Star Dance Ballroom Studio in Monterey Park. In between the studio’s regular ballroom lessons, music classes and social dances, students of all ages came for Chinese martial arts lessons and lion dance rehearsals, led by instructors at the Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu school.

In the days leading up to Chinese Lunar New Year, students were at the Monterey Park ballroom studio practicing for an upcoming lion dance performance. But later that weekend, on Jan. 21, what was once a safe, beloved space for the community became the site of a shooting massacre, where a gunman killed 11 dancers — all Asian seniors — inside.

Head instructor Kevin Leung said, in the days following, he felt “numb, like a zombie.” He had known several of the victims, including Star Dance studio owner Ming Wei Ma.

https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LDN-L-MPSHOOT-KUNGFU-0207-03.jpg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1
Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association students perform a Chinese lion dance at a Lunar New Year event at Westfield Century City Mall on Saturday, Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Leung)
“When we first started the kung fu school here (in 2015), we called around different places. Mr. Ma was the one who picked up the phone and said he would take us in; didn’t charge us a lot of money,” recalled Leung, a nurse and Monterey Park resident. “From then, Mr. Ma saw us grow from like five kids, to now a huge school with student competitors. He was always smiling, always very proud of us.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, Leung knew the younger students needed to keep practicing, to feel some sense of “normalcy” and a familiar routine after the tragedy. So he insisted on continuing the martial arts lessons and lion dance performances free of charge to the kids.

Leung has thought about renting a new, more permanent practice space, but would “definitely” go back to Star Dance, if possible.

Star Dance owner Maria Liang has said that she “doesn’t know what to do” when it comes to reopening the studio, but many of its instructors and patrons “want to continue to dance.”

“I’d like to continue to provide them the facility but right now …I’m still shocked. I cannot tell you what I plan to do,” Liang said last week.

While the future of the studio remains unclear, students practice their forms each week in an open field at nearby Garvey Ranch Park, where lessons took place during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The adults and parents are invited to join in, with many practicing at home or learning the movements on their own.

Leung realizes that continuing on is what a “sifu” — which translates to kung fu master in Cantonese — would do.

“At the first practice back, I wanted to bring up the shooting to the kids, but not really. I wanted that to be a conversation that they can have with their parents, but told them they can also come talk to me about what happened and decompress,” he said. “That’s one of the big things a sifu provides to this community; a kind of outlet where people can air out their problems.”

Getting back into practices and performances quickly was “a way for us to reclaim our Lunar New Year celebration,” said Leung, whose three children are also enrolled in the school. “We felt that we had this festive time and occasion taken away from us because of this tragedy. This was about being able to push forward, about triumph over tragedy.”

Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu was started in 1963 by grandmaster Buck Sam Kong, a leader in the global martial arts community. Over the years, Kong’s kung fu schools have since grown in California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Mexico and Germany — with students of all ages competing, learning self-defense, and performing cultural lion dances.

https://i0.wp.com/wpdash.medianewsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LDN-L-MPSHOOT-KUNGFU-0207-02.jpeg?fit=620%2C9999px&ssl=1
Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association students perform a Chinese lion dance at a Lunar New Year event at Westfield Century City Mall on Saturday, Jan. 28. (Photo courtesy of Kevin Leung)
“That’s what the lion dances symbolize,” Leung said. “To gather and celebrate, but to mourn and remember at the same time.”

A core belief in Chinese martial arts is having “chi,” a life force energy that helps bring one back into balance. The concept is not about destruction or beating someone up, but finding one’s center, calming the spirit, Leung said. That’s where the technique comes from — and it can be empowering, even after tragedy.

Leung reflected on the waves of anti-Asian hate crimes targeting the community in the wake of the pandemic.

“A lot of people felt helpless, like why is this happening to us. It was like that sense of control is just gone. And with this (shooting), we didn’t see this coming,” he said. “So being back out again feels like we’re still the masters of our own destiny, like we still have control over our lives. Even after tragedy, of course we need to mourn the dead, but at the same time not live in fear.”

Monterey Park resident Lawrence Fang enrolled his daughter, 7-year-old Kayla, in lessons with Siu Lum Pai a year ago, wanting her to connect with her Chinese roots and make new friends. Fang said it was hard to explain the events of the shooting with her, and he was initially afraid to bring her back in.

“But we’re not going to change our activities out of fear. It’s important to keep doing what we’re doing,” Fang said. Even though we’re scared — it could have been us. It could happen to anybody, and now it’s (happened) right in our backyard.”

https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/LDN-L-MPSHOOT-KUNGFU-0206_5.jpg?w=780
Kevin Leung, head instructor, leads a practice of the Kong’s Siu Lum Pai Kung Fu Association at Garvey Ranch Park playground in Monterey Park on Sunday, February 5, 2023. For years, Kong’s Siu Lum Pai had weekly lessons for interested kids and adults at the Star Dance Ballroom Studio. Head instructor Kevin Leung, who knew many of the victims, hopes to provide a free space for the community to heal, practice the kung fu arts, and not have to think about what just happened at their beloved studio. (Photo by Axel Koester, Contributing Photographer)

Instructor Mia Ferraro said that the teachers try not to talk much about the shooting with the younger students, “because they know what happened, and we have to move forward.”

Studio or no studio, Siu Lum Pai students will continue to practice, compete and perform for their community. It’s their way of healing and fighting forward, instructors say.

“Something bad can happen at a place, but you can’t let that take over its spirit. (Star Dance) is not defined by what happened,” Ferraro said. “We can’t let a senseless tragedy take away from everything our students have invested, in a place that’s good. Everywhere we dig our heels into is our home.”

Staff reporter Linh Tat contributed to this story.

[GeneChing]

Beyond Wonderland Shooting Suspect Told Police He Took ‘Shrooms’
"This is the end," James M. Kelly allegedly told his girlfriend before opening fire at the Washington EDM festival, leaving two dead and three injured (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beyond-wonderland-festival-shooting-suspect-five-victims-identified-1234775500/)
BY LARISHA PAUL, TOMÁS MIER
JUNE 21, 2023

https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/beyond-wonderland-gorge-shooting-suspect.jpg?w=1581&h=1054&crop=1
GEORGE, WASHINGTON - JUNE 11: The Highwomen perform at Gorge Amphitheatre on June 11, 2023 in George, Washington. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
Gorge Amphitheatre George, Washington, June 11, 2023 GARY MILLER/GETTY IMAGES

THE MAN ACCUSED of killing two people at Beyond Wonderland in Washington over the weekend told police that he was hallucinating on mushrooms and believed the world was going to end, according to court documents obtained by Oregon Live and King5.

James M. Kelly — a 26-year-old active-duty member of the U.S. Army — allegedly opened fire at the Beyond Wonderland EDM festival on Saturday evening, leaving two individuals dead and three others injured. Among those injured was his girlfriend Lily Luksich, 20, whom Kelly told “this is the end” before the alleged shooting spree, King5 reported.

According to the court docs, Kelly returned to the campgrounds from the festival proper, where he allegedly grabbed his handgun from his pickup truck, loaded it, and fired at Brandy Escamilla and Josilyn Ruiz, the engaged couple that died on the scene. He also shot at 31-year-old August Morningstar, who suffered a bullet wound in his shoulder and is now in stable condition after receiving treatment at a hospital.

According to the document, Kelly attempted to fire at a Grant County Sheriff’s Office drone, and later shot at his girlfriend in the foot and upper leg. “At multiple times, Luksich laid down on the ground and Kelly sat either on her, or sat next to her and leaned over her,” according to court records obtained by Oregon Live. “At one point Luksich began to walk north away from Kelly, turned around with her hands raised in the air, and walked back to Kelly.”

Kelly is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, and one count of first-degree assault domestic violence.

The update regarding his mental state comes just hours after the North Central Washington Special Investigations Unit identified the victims and shooter. According to a press release from the department, he was booked into Grant County Jail.

Another victim, 61-year-old Lori Williams, was treated on-site for injuries sustained in a Polaris Ranger UTV when she “was struck by a single bullet that penetrated the windshield and struck her in the right side of her face shattering her glasses and causing bruising and laceration.”

The incident occurred at approximately 8:23 p.m. PT in the campground area outside of the Gorge venue in Grant County, Washington. During the shooting, the event itself was occurring in the amphitheater, which had a walking distance of about 20-30 minutes away from the camping grounds where festival-goers had pitched tents and parked their cars for the weekend festival.

According to Grant County Sheriff’s Office public information officer Kyle Foreman, the suspect fired “randomly into the crowd” in the campground area and continued to do so until he was “eventually taken into custody” in a secondary location from where it all began.

“Officers located Kelly and Luksich in an agricultural field adjacent to the campground. Moses Lake Police Department Detective Edgar Salazar fired his duty weapon at Kelly striking him one time,” the statement continued. “Responding officers then quickly moved in and Kelly was taken into custody and received emergency medical aid from the officers.”

The second day of the festival was canceled following the incident. The shooter’s motive remains unclear. His next hearing is set for July 5.

This story was updated at 7:10 p.m. ET to include new information about the suspect’s alleged use of hallucinogens, along with additional details of the incident.

the-magic-of-mushrooms (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?56056-the-magic-of-mushrooms)
Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why (https://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?46006-Mass-public-shootings-on-the-rise-but-why)

[mickey]

Greetings,

Mushrooms and VIOLENCE??

BULLSHYTE!!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29807492/

mickey