Stupid passengers trying to get guns onto planes ... Mexico/Kenya warnings

How is this even remotely possible?

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration says it found a few firearms in suitcases last year. Um, more than a few. As in: 1,238 of them; almost four per day across the United States.

I guess you could say that's not so bad given the number of Americans who own guns (why they have them is another matter not suited to a travel blog, but suffice to say I was born and raised in the U.S. and don't get it). But, my goodness, four PER DAY?

I mean, are you people really so stupid and naive that you don't know about Sept. 11 and the not-so-new rules of flying?

"Clearly just the fact that we are getting four to five guns every day indicates that there are people who are not focused on the security protocols," TSA Administrator John Pistole (isn't that a great name for this subject matter?) told Congress in November, a month when officers found nine guns in a single day.

Most guns are found in carry-on bags. But Pistole says full-body scanning machines also detect contraband hidden beneath passengers' clothing, including a .38-caliber handgun in one idiot's ankle holster in Detroit.

Makes you despair for the future of the world, doesn't it?

MEXICO AND KENYA TRAVEL ISSUES

Once again, Mexico Tourism officials are going on the offensive, telling Canadians and others that it's quite safe (most of the time, in most of the places) to visit their country.

The latest assurances come after a couple of high-profile deaths of Canadians in the sunny south last week

Mexico authorities say a Canadian is more likely to be killed in Canada than they are in Mexico. And he may be right. But it doesn't look that way to many folks.

The Canadian government has issued a warning to those travelling to Mexico, warning Canadians to exercise a high degree of caution "due to a deteriorating security situation in many parts of the country."

B.C. resident Taara Chan told the CBC that she's taken holidays in Mexico in the past but won't be doing so again any time soon.

"In light of recent events, and just overall with the political things that have been going on over the last few years ... I can't say I would," she said. "I loved it there and I have fond memories, but now we have kids, too, and I just don't feel like it's safe."

Meanwhile, British officials have issued a warning about the threat of a terrorist attack in Kenya.

After an alert from the Kenyan authorities about a heightened threat of an attack in Nairobi, the British Foreign Office is urging tourists and expats in Kenya to be extra vigilant in hotels, shopping centres and beaches.

"We believe that terrorists may be in the final stages of planning attacks," it said. "Attacks could be indiscriminate and target Kenyan institutions as well as places where expatriates and foreign travellers gather, such as hotels, shopping centres and beaches. We strongly advise British Nationals to exercise extra vigilance and caution in public places and at public events."