A word about safety

Remember if you are going out en-femme to the rest of the world, which includes the predators, you appear to be woman and to a large extant, because of your high heels or that restrictive dress your wearing, are just as vulnerable .

The advise below was sent to us by a friend of my wife's. Before going out alone I suggest you read it, it could save your life.

The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close
 enough to use it, do! If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,
 kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start  waving like crazy. The driver won't see you but everybody else will.  This has saved lives. Last night I attended a personal safety workshop,  and it jolted me. It was given by an amazing man, Pat Malone, who has  been a body guard for famous figures like Farrah Fawcett and Sylvester  Stallone. He works for the FBI, and teaches police officers and Navy  SEALS hand-to-hand combat. This man has seen it all, and knows a lot. He focused his teachings to us on HOW TO AVOID BEING THE VICTIM OF A  VIOLENT CRIME. He gave us some statistics about how much the  occurrences of random violence have escalated over the recent years, and  it's terrible. Something like 99% of us will be exposed to, or become a  victim of a violent crime. Here are some of the most important points
 that I got out of his presentation:

 (1.) The three reasons women are easy targets for random acts of
 violence are:

(a.) Lack of Awareness You MUST know where you are &  what's going on around you.

(b.) Body Language Keep your head up, swing  your arms, stand straight up.

(c.) Wrong Place, Wrong Time DON'T walk  alone in an alley, or drive in a bad neighborhood at night.

 (2.) Women have a tendency to get into their cars after
 shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or  making a list, etc.). DON'T DO THIS!

The predator will be watching  you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in the passenger  side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU  GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

a.) A few notes about  getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: Be aware:  look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in  the back seat.

(b.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car  from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by  pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into  their cars.

(c.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your  vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat  nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and  get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE  SAFE THAN SORRY. (Better paranoid than dead.)

(3.) ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs.
(Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot.)

(a.) Do not get on an elevator if there is a weirdo already on there.
(Of course bad men don't always look bad.)

(b.) Do not stand back in the
 corners of the elevator; be near the front, by the doors, ready to get
 off or on.

(c.) If you get on the elevator on the 25th floor, and the
 Boogie Man gets on the 22nd, get off when he gets on and wait for
 another elevator.

 (4) If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control,
 ALWAYS RUN!

(a.) Police make only 4 of 10 shots when they are in range  of 3-9 feet. This is due to stress.

(b.) The predator will only hit  you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely  WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

 (5.) As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT!
 It may get you raped, or killed.

(a.) Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was  a good looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies  of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often  asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he  abducted his next victim.

(b.) Pat Malone told us the story of his  daughter, who came out of the mall and was walking to her car when she  noticed 2 older ladies in front of her. Then she saw a police car come  towards her with cops who said hello. She also noticed that all 8  handicap spots in the area were empty. As she neared her car she saw a  man a few rows over calling to her for help. He wanted her to close his  passenger side door. He was sitting in the driver's side, and said he  was handicapped. He continued calling, until she turned and headed back  to the mall, and then he began cursing at her. In the meantime, she  wondered why he didn't ask the 2 older ladies, or the policeman for  help, and why he was not parked in any of the empty handicap spots. As  she got back to the mall, two male friends of hers were exiting, and as  she told them the story, and turned to point at the car, the man was in  the back seat, and quickly moved back to the front and sped away. DON'T  GET CAUGHT IN THIS TRAP.

 (6.) Tips to saving your life, if you have gotten into a violent
 situation:

(a.) REACT IMMEDIATELY. If he abducts you in a parking lot,  and is taking you to an abandoned area, DON'T LET HIM GET YOU TO THAT  AREA. If you are driving, react immediately in the situation, and crash  your car while still going 5 mph. If he's driving, find the right time,  and stick your fingers in his eyes. He must watch the road, so choose  an unsuspecting time, and gouge him. It is your ONLY defense. While he  is in shock, GET OUT. (This sounds gross, but the alternative is your fault if you do not act.)

(b.) RESIST. Don't go along with him: run, if  you are able: DON'T EVER GIVE UP! You DO NOT want to get to a crime  scene.

(7.) Always keep your distance when walking past strangers on  the street or in dark areas.

(8.) GET A CELL PHONE.

(a.) There are packages for $9.95 a month that allow you to program only 911 into the dialing out program. (This is an alternative for parents who say it is too expensive for  their kids to have a cell phone.) All cell phones whether they are hooked up to a service or not, will connect to 911.

(9.) BREAK DOWNS: Make every effort to avoid this by ALWAYS keeping your car in good working order.

(a.) If your car breaks down and you have a cell phone: LOCK YOUR DOORS. Then call for help.

(b.) If you don't have a cell phone: (shame on you) keep a blanket, warm clothes, a pair of boots, and a flashlight in your car always, for
 emergencies, and...

(c.) If it's noon on a business day in a populated area, you may want to put your hazards on and walk to safety.

(d.) If  it's 2 am near a populated area, put on your warm clothes, and walk to a lighted area. You are a perfect target if you are sitting in your car when it's broken down. Predators search the highways for easy targets like you.

(e.) If you're on a desolate road: walk away from the car (in your warm clothes) and go to some bushes, or some area AWAY from your
 vehicle. It will be cold, and uncomfortable, but you DO NOT want to
 stay in your car, and there are no psycho bogeymen waiting in the bushes who just knew you were going to break down there and then.

(10.) Physical defenses that we can use against the violent
 predator:

(a.) The EYES are the most vulnerable part of the body. Poke
 him there. HARD. It may be your only window of opportunity.

(b.) The neck is also a vulnerable spot, but you MUST know where to grip, AND HAVE THE STRENGTH to cut off his breath.

(c.) The last place is the KNEES. Everyone's knees are very vulnerable, and a swift kick here will take anyone down.

* A cautionary note about these things. If you do not do these things
 right the first time, you are in trouble, because it will only anger the
 individual, and that anger will be TAKEN OUT ON YOU. I'm not saying don't attempt them (it may be your only hope), but be forceful when you do.

 (11.) If you are walking alone in the dark (which you shouldn't
 be) and you find him following/chasing you:

(a.) Scream "FIRE!", and not "help." People don't want to get involved when people yell "help," but "fire" draws attention because people are nosy.

(b.) RUN!

(c.) Find an obstacle, such as a parked car, and run around it, like Ring Around the Rosie. This may sound silly, but over the years, 5 women have told Pat Malone that this SAVED THEIR LIVES.

(d.) Your last hope is getting under the car. Once you are under there, there are tons of things to hold on to, and he will not be able to get you out unless he comes under after you (which makes it easier for you to escape or fend him off). Usually they give up by this point.

(12.) Never let yourself or anyone that you know be a "closer" in any type of business (bar, store, restaurant, gas station). Pat knew Danielle, who was a girl that just died from being shot point-blank by
some kids while she was closing at the local gas station. He talked
 with her the night before she died, and asked whether it ever scared her
 to close alone. She said yes, but said, "I'll be all right, Pat. I'll be all right." She wasn't. Our world is not as safe as we pretend that it is, and living in our fantasy worlds WILL get us in trouble, sooner or later. Pat Malone said, again and again, that the women who die
EVERY MINUTE from violent crimes expected to go to bed tonight, and get up tomorrow. No one expects it, we must but be prepared and be aware so that we HAVE A PLAN. BE PREPARED TO ACT! AND ACT HARD! HAVE A PLAN!