Posted by Scott on February 28th, 2007 — Posted in Self-Defense Advice
Morné Swanepoel, Health24’s self-defence and tai chi expert, offers some tips for your protection:
- Do not get completely inebriated and incapacitated and when you go out. Unfortunately people may take advantage of your inability to think clearly.
- Make sure someone knows where you are and when you will be home.
- Be wary of strangers.
- Keep your drink in eyesight so no one has an opportunity to drug you. Keep an eye on your friends too. People do stupid things.
- If you find yourself in a threatening situation, evaluate the threat. A drunk with soaring testosterone levels is usually not worth the effort, and if he really bothers you, leave or look for a bouncer.
- Never go out alone.
- Always be aware of your surroundings. Most criminals look for soft targets.
- Get fit. Not only for fighting, but also for running.
- Go for reality based self-defence courses regularly.
Do not get arrogant. Even if you can protect yourself, do not put your life in jeopardy for the sake of proving something.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 27th, 2007 — Posted in News, Politics & Commentary
Rick Malwitz writes that murder rates in the United States rival those of soldiers in Iraq:
“…it is not difficult to find conditions equivalent to combat in American cities,” Preston wrote, in a report published by the University of Pennsylvania Population Studies Center. “In Philadelphia the death rate for black males ages 20-34 in 2002 was 4.37 per 1,000, 11 percent higher than for troops in Iraq.”
Philadelphia had 406 murders in 2006, giving it the highest murder rate of major American cities. Six of the victims were under the age of 1.
The United States military suffered 821 deaths in Iraq in 2006. About 600 were hostile deaths. Philadelphia alone had nearly two-thirds the number of hostile deaths in Iraq.
But the deadliest event in Pennsylvania in 2006 was not even in one of its cities. That event took place at a schoolhouse in Amish country in October, when a gunman killed five girls before turning the gun on himself.
Most of the soldiers sent to Iraq are in support missions. The risk of Marines going to door-to-door in Fallujah is obviously higher than young men walking on Broad Street in North Philly.
But the fact that we can even begin to compare Iraq with the streets of Newark and Philadelphia, and one-room schools in Amish country, is a reflection of the mean society we live in.
Read entire article by Rick Malwitz.
It shocked me to read that Philadelphia’s young black men have a higher death rate than the troop in Iraq. Imagine the innocent little children growing up in Philadelphia, trapped in a warzone. I expect that, thanks to those dangerously violent conditions, the children that survive often turn into violent criminals themselves.
If the United States stopped wasting tons of resources on needless wars, perhaps the Untied States could put those resources into stabilizing its own country. With so many people getting raped, murdered, and victimized on our own soil, we need to stop that with our resources; not start trouble elsewhere.
How can we have trillions of dollars to waste futilely trying to stabilize other countries, and yet we cannot (or just don’t) stabilize our own. We need to stop the over 24 million victimizations that occur on our own soil yearly.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 26th, 2007 — Posted in Child Protection
Five simple self-defense rules for children:
1. If in doubt, out. Always trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
2. My safety first, their feelings second. It’s OK to be rude sometimes. Do what you have to and make yourself safe.
3. Don’t be fooled. Adults don’t generally ask kids for help. They ask other adults for help.
4. If confronted, bolt and run. Follow these four steps: No, Go, Yell and Tell. Scream out “No!” Run as fast as you can toward people. Scream. Don’t keep what happened a secret, even if the attacker threatens to hurt someone else if you do.
5. If grabbed, stun and run. Never forget: No, Go, Yell and Tell.
Source: Mike Wilson, Bill Taylor’s Bushido School of Karate
It’s very important to protect children by educating parents and children about children’s safety, because nearly 800,000 children (younger than 18) are reported missing yearly in the United States.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 23rd, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Marie-Louise Connolly reports on the male victims of domestic violence:
Men experiencing domestic violence is rarely reported.
But according to the government and various voluntary agencies there has been a dramatic increase in the number of calls received by men who claim to be suffering physical and mental abuse at home.
Many men are too afraid and embarrassed to admit to being victims of domestic violence.
The Men’s Advisory Project in Belfast says it has had a considerable increase in the number of calls from men who want help. But with a lack of resources - very often there is no one there to answer the phone.
Support worker, Maxine McCutheon says domestic violence against men needs to be recognised more by the government.
She says men also need refuges where they can go and facilities that can help them with for instance legal aid.
Read entire article by Marie-Louise Connolly.
All victims, regardless of gender, deserve equal recognition, especially concerning the horror of domestic violence. Too many current institutions give lopsided and sexist support to victims of domestic abuse.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 22nd, 2007 — Posted in News
Jamie Malernee reports on violence against homeless people:
Florida is the most dangerous state in the country for homeless people, with 48 attacks last year, about one-third of all attacks registered nationwide, according to an advocacy group’s report.
The report also found that violence against homeless people is rising across the country. It was the second year Florida ranked first in the statistics complied by the National Coalition for the Homeless.
Read entire Freep.com article.
Society’s general view towards homeless people creates an atmosphere conducive to victimizing these people. By dehumanizing homeless people, this makes them targets. Unfortunately, if these people cannot even afford a home, they probably cannot afford self-defense amenities including self-defense products, classes, or security.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 21st, 2007 — Posted in School Safety
Ruby Aragon writes about the danger for students on college campuses:
College campuses are full of learning experiences both in and out of the classroom. Unfortunately, college campuses can also be very dangerous - especially for young students who thrive on their new-found independence which often brings with it an “It won’t happen to me” attitude.
College students are at risk. It’s important to remember that the college campus itself can be a dangerous place. First of all, campuses are often open to the public which means virtually anyone can be on the campus at anytime. Second, the large concentration of people on the campus makes them prime areas for predators to find victims. Last, college students often travel to and from study groups, class and the library late at night.
She also offers the following self-defense tips:
- Know where the emergency call boxes are and know how to use them to call for help if something does happen.
- Avoid traveling alone. If that is not possible, inform a roommate or friend where you’ll be and when you’ll be home.
- Avoid wearing headphones. Wearing headphones prevents you from being completely aware of your surroundings and makes you more vulnerable to an attack.
- Stay prepared. Carry your identification, you cell phone and even pepper spray (and know how to use it).
Ruby started RubyStone Enterprises to help keep you and your family safe and secure. RubyStone.com offers a wide range of Free Safety tips, Newsletters, free guides as well as the very latest in unique safety and security products.
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Posted by Scott on February 18th, 2007 — Posted in Rape & Sexual Assault
Rekha Basu writes recently wrote an article about violence against women:
Sexual assault is the most under-reported crime of any indexed by the federal government’s crime statistics. The closer the victim-offender relationship, the less likely it is to get reported.
Because of that, according to experts, most people don’t realize how prevalent it really is.
Read entire article by Rekha Basu.
I highly recommend reading the above article by following the link above. In it, Rekha Basu explains many of the misconceptions about sexual victimization, and also explains some of what society needs to do to stop these serious social ill.
To help increase the reporting of rape, I can think of two major suggestions. First, we need to educate potential victims about what constitutes a sexual crime, and the importance of reporting incidences of it. Second, court-enforced privacy during trials regarding sexual victimization would help, because many victims do not press charges because they do not want to deal with a trial and testifying.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 14th, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
T.W. Budig recently reported on the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women’s press conference:
A Princeton high school senior approached the television cameras at the Capitol and said [domestic violence] must end.
Tony Hallin, founding member of Teens Against Dating Abuse, spoke at the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women press conference on Feb. 7 and explained that ending the domestic abuse means starting early.
“We want to end domestic violence because it doesn’t stop when teens become adults,” said Hallin. “Our hope is that future domestic violence is eliminated everywhere in Minnesota.”
Speaking after the press conference, Hallin said he has heard “horror stories” from friends about incidents of date abuse that had happen to them.
Hallin, who will be an instructor at a teen leadership summit in late February in St. Paul, views the problem of date violence as affecting all high schools.
“High schools are all different,” he said. “But in ways they’re all the same.”
Read entire article by T.W. Budig.
I agree that domestic violence must stop, and we need to educate and protect children so that they learn to both not abuse others and protect themselves from abuse.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 13th, 2007 — Posted in Child Protection, Internet Safety
Dibya Sarkar wrote an article about an internet safety group broadening its mission:
The explosion of social networking sites such as MySpace.com and Second Life, along with free video sharing sites like YouTube.com, is making it increasingly difficult to protect children surfing the Internet, says Stephen Balkam, who founded a voluntary website rating system seven years ago.
To deal with this new Web terrain, Balkam relaunched his group Tuesday as the Family Online Safety Institute with a broader mission of improving online child safety and protecting free speech through public policy, education and events.
The institute, originally called the Internet Content Rating Association, or ICRA, was originally formed to promote voluntary self-labeling through a rating system.
We don’t believe labeling is some kind of silver bullet,” Balkam said. “Labeling is one tool in a range of tools that’s going to be needed to tackle this problem.”
Nancy E. Willard, who directs the Portland, Ore.-based Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use, said that blocking technology is largely useless because kids and teens can find a way around them.
“What we are doing is evaluating what exists right now,” Balkam said. “We’d love to see some government-funded research on what works and what doesn’t work.”
Balkam, who is the institute’s chief executive officer, said his group will host a series of round-table discussions involving educators, lawmakers and corporate executives in the United States, Mexico and Europe.
Read entire article by Dibya Sarkar.
Access to the internet provides a new danger for children. Firstly, it gives children access to inappropriate content. Even worse, it also gives predators another route to prey on and manipulate children and teens. These predators come not only in the sexual form, but also con men, thieves, and hackers.
The ignorance and inexperience of parents and guardians about the threat and about how to protect their children from it, makes the internet exceptionally dangerous. Most parents know to tell their kids not to take candy or rides from strangers at the playground, because playgrounds were around throughout the parents’ whole lives. In contrast, many parents do not know what advice to tell their kids about internet safety, nor do parents know what rules to set and how to enforce them.
Educating parents, guardians, and child supervisors (such as teachers) can increase internet safety.
I do not like the idea of state-funded research. I do not want the state to force anyone to pay to protect someone else’s children.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 12th, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
A YouTube user named wldldycat made the below video about domestic violence:
I liked this powerful video, but I wish it had included facts and statistics about domestic violence.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 11th, 2007 — Posted in Domestic Abuse
Editor’s note: The following information comes from the Web site of the St. Joseph County Police Department.
Myth: Domestic violence does not affect many people.
Facts:
- A woman is beaten every 15 seconds.
- Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women between ages 15 and 44 in the United States.
- Battered women are more likely to suffer miscarriages and to give birth to babies with low birth weights.
- Sixty-three percent of the young men between the ages of 11 and 20 who are serving time for homicide have killed their mother’s abuser.
Myth: Battering is only a momentary loss of temper.
Facts:
- Battering is the establishment of control and fear in a relationship through violence and other forms of abuse. The batterer uses acts of violence and a series of behaviors, including intimidation, threats, psychological abuse, isolation, etc. to coerce and to control the other person. The violence may not happen often, but it remains as a hidden (and constant) terrorizing factor.
- One in five women victimized by their spouses or ex-spouses report they had been victimized over and over again by the same person.
Myth: Domestic violence only occurs in poor, urban areas.
Facts:
- Women of all cultures, races, occupations, income levels, and ages are battered by husbands, boyfriends, lovers and partners.
- About one-third of the men counseled (for battering) are professional men who are well respected in their jobs and their communities. These have included doctors, psychologists, lawyers, ministers, and business executives.
Myth: Domestic violence is just a push, slap or punch. It does not produce serious injuries.
Facts:
- Battered women are often severely injured. Twenty-two to thirty-five percent of the women who visit medical emergency rooms are there for injuries related to ongoing partner abuse.
- One in four pregnant women have a history of partner violence.
Myth: It is easy for battered women to leave their abuser.
Facts:
- Women who leave their batterers are at a 75 percent greater risk of being killed by the batterer than those who stay.
- Nationally, 50 percent of all homeless women and children are on the streets because of violence in the home.
- There are nearly three times as many animal shelters in the United States as there are shelters for battered women and their children.
What do you think?
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Posted by Scott on February 9th, 2007 — Posted in Teen Violence
For the last day of Teen Violence Awareness and Prevention Week, I give you the following list from Focus Adolescent Services of risk factors that can condition children to violence.
Research studies have shown that violent behavior can be decreased or even prevented if these risk factors are significantly reduced or eliminated:
- Being the victim of physical abuse and/or sexual abuse
- Exposure to violence in the home and/or community
- Exposure to violence in media (TV, movies, etc.)
- Use of drugs and/or alcohol
- Presence of firearms in home
- Combination of stressful family socioeconomic factors (poverty, severe deprivation, marital breakup, single parenting, unemployment, loss of support from extended family)
What do you think?
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