For all three of you that haven't received a safety e-mail with this information I thought I would post it here. There are some things here that I hadn't thought of that are good to know.
Tip #1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :
The elbow
is the strongest point
on your body.
If you are close enough to use it,
do!
Tip # 2. Learned this from a tourist guide
in New Orleans
If a robber asks
for your wallet and/or purse,
DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM
Toss it away from you....
chances are
that he is more interested
in your wallet and/or purse
than you,
and he will go
for the wallet/purse.
RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!
Tip # 3. 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.
Tip # 4. 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
on 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.
and... If someone
is in the car
with a gun
to your head
DO NOT DRIVE OFF,
repeat:
DO NOT DRIVE OFF!
Instead gun the engine
and speed into anything,
wrecking the car.
Your Air Bag will save you.
If the person is
in the back seat
they will get the worst of it .
As soon as the car crashes
bail out and run.
It is better than having them
find your body
in a remote location.
Tip # 5. A few notes about getting
into your car in a parking lot,
or parking garage:
A..) 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. (And better paranoid than
dead.)
Another tip i was resently given concerning cars, if you are ever locked into a car and the keys are in the ignition obviously drive that van away from there... fast! BUT if no keys are in the ignition jam it with something like a boby pin (break it in there) or even a wad of chewing gum... remember, leaving the primary location is the worst situation possible, if he cant start his van... he is going to have a much harder time transporting you.
Tip #6. ALWAYS
take the elevator
instead of the stairs.
(Stairwells are horrible places
to be alone
and the perfect crime spot.
This is especially true at NIGHT!)
Tip # 7. If the predator has a gun
and you are not under his control,
ALWAYS RUN!
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,
Preferably, in a zig -zag pattern! (This was confirmed in the K.C. Star)
Tip # 8. As women,
we are always trying
to be sympathetic:
STOP !
It may get you raped,
or killed.
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.
************* Here it is *******
Tip # 9. Another Safety Point:
Someone just told me
that her friend heard
a crying baby on her porch
the night before last,
and she called the police
because it was late
and she thought it was weird.
The police told her
"Whatever you do,
DO NOT
open the door."
The lady
then said that
it sounded like the baby
had crawled near a window,
and she was worried
that it would crawl
to the street
and get run over.
The policeman said,
"We already have a unit on the way,
whatever you do,
DO NOT open the door."
He told her that they think
a serial killer
has a baby's cry recorded
and uses it to coax
women out of their homes
thinking that someone
dropped off a baby
He said they have not verified it,
but have had several calls
by women saying that
they hear baby's cries
outside their doors
when they're home alone
at night.
Please pass this on and
DO NOT
open the door
for a crying baby ----
This
e-mail should probably
be taken seriously because
the Crying Baby theory
was mentioned on
America 's Most Wanted
this past Saturday
when they profiled
the serial killer in Louisiana
another tip i was sent earlier:
Know how much money you take into stores/gas stations.
It is a new trend that predators will see someone get into their car, and knock on their window. Then they will show them a $5 or $10 bill and tell them they dropped it on the way back to their car. After the woman thanks the kind man, and opens her door, he will grab her. It almost happened to one woman, but she knew she only too $5 with her into the gas station, so the change was not hers, another woman got raped by that man though.
also, if you are ever pulled over and aren't sure if the "cop" pulling you over is really a cop you can call 911, do not roll down your window until other police men arrive at the scene... the police man who pulled you over should understand this as it is part of their training.
Tonight I came home after seeing a client. Jeff had made dinner. We ate and chatted, then remembered I had left one of my cake pans that I needed tonight at his mom/grandma's place, and headed over to get it. While we drove we chatted about what we have been thinking and events of the days. Francine stuck her head out the window and smiled that happy doggie in the car smile. We got home and had a heart to heart - it's where one of us talks for 15 minutes while the other listens and then we switch. (We actually set a timer for the 15 minutes. Ya, we're nerds. But that's what happens when you're married to a therapist...) It gives us a chance to talk on a deep level about what's in our hearts. We love it. But back to the night. After that I searched out all my favorite Christmas cds and baked a homemade chocolate cake. I was singing the Messiah and melting chocolate and drinking eggnog and then I thought,
I have set a new goal to spend time praying for each of my clients that I will see at the start of the work day. Prayer is such an amazing mystical thing. After praying for my clients today I definitely felt more in tune to their spiritual needs. Maybe God is opening my eyes to see their needs or maybe He is answering the prayer to meet their deeper needs. Either way, I am so grateful to have the creator help me as a counselor. I can't imagine bearing the burdens of others without my higher power. And I can't imagine anything more exciting than participating in and encouraging someone's healing and reconciliation to God. 
I woke up this morning feeling down. Depressed. Lonesome in my soul. Missing God. I realized how out of balance my life has been the past few weeks. I have not made time for the things/people that matter most to me. God. Jeff. I have been out of town a lot and off schedule. I realized I have not had a day of rest at home in weeks. 
Jeff and I are giving a relationship enhancement marriage seminar on Saturday in Dalton, GA. We had a couple last minute cancellations and so we still have a few slots available if you want some last minute marriage fun. Let us know asap. 
One of the impressions I had of Manhattan is how easy it is to become consumed with image. 
It's been a busy time for me (remember? new job?) so I have only been able to read the first couple of chapters in Blue Like Jazz. Um, it's only the beginning but I have to say, "wow." 
