Personal Safety Information

[sallyhoffman]

Hi everyone! I made a New Year`s Resolution to get myself more educated on the topic of personal safety. I recently read a book called "A Girl`s Gotta Do What a Girl`s Gotta Do: The Ultimate Guide to Living Safe & Smart" by Kathleen Baty (aka "The Safety Chick"). The book talks about how to keep yourself safe in various situations - going out at night alone, making sure your drink doesn`t get tampered with at a bar/party, things you can do to your home to make it safer from burglars, how to stay safe on the Internet, how to protect your private information so you are not a victim of identity theft, etc. This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to every female, especially for young ladies going off to college or moving out of the house for the first time.

Check out the Safety Chick`s website at:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now].

A few other key websites mentioned in this book include:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - info on what to do if you are a victim of fraud or identity theft

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - tips you can use to help prevent identity theft

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - info on what to do if you are a victim of domestic violence

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - info on finding a reputable locksmith or security company

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - to file a report or learn
more about Internet crime

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - Computer Crime and Intellectual Properties Section of the Department of Justice

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] info on personal safety products

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAIIN)

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) - info on what to do if you are a victim of stalking

Kathleen Baty`s book also mentioned a book called "Defend Yourself: Every Woman`s Guide to Safeguarding Her Life" by Matt Thomas - Matt Thomas is the man who developed a self defense class specifically for women called "model mugging" (more about model mugging in a minute...). "Defend Yourself" is another excellent resource to help keep yourself safe. I`m only 1/4 of the way through the book, but it is well worth purchasing or checking out from the library.

Matt Thomas has also written a book called "Protecting Children from Danger" - I am only part way through this book but I'm already learning valuable safety tips!

OK, back to the topic of Model Mugging. Model Mugging is a specialized women`s self-defense program which teaches women, teens, and kids self-defense and personal safety, including verbal, mental, emotional, and physical techniques. The philosophy of the program emphasizes empowerment and the belief that self-defense is best learned in an environment of emotional safety.Two (or three) specially trained instructors, a female who leads the students and one (or two) male instructors in padded suits, teach the class. Students practice realistic techniques and learn how to "knock out" an assailant during various types of attacks.

I first learned about Model Mugging while reading the book "Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Woman and Girls" by Ellen Snortland. This book focuses more on why women should take this type of self defense class rather than providing in-depth details of the techniques used in Model Mugging.

If you are planning on taking a class (my goal is to take the basics class sometime in 2004), consider reading the books "Defend Yourself" by Matt Thomas and "Her Wits About Her - Self Defense Success Stories by Women" by Denise Caignon before actually taking this class. These books might help you gain greater insight and understanding of the principles and philosophies of the class, as well as some basic techniques.

To learn more about Model Mugging, please check out the following websites:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - discusses full-force, full-impact classes and what they are

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] - talks about the Kidpower children`s self-defense classes.

My all-time favorite personal safety author is Gavin de Becker, one of our nation`s leading experts on violence prediction and prevention and threat assessment. His company, Gavin de Becker and Associates, helps provide security protection to high profile people like Hollywood celebrities and all of our country`s Supreme Court Justices.

Gavin de Becker has written a number of best-selling books, including "The Gift of Fear", "Protecting the Gift", and "Fear Less: Real Truth About Risk, Safety, and Security in a Time of Terrorism". One of the main themes in the first two books is to trust your instincts when you are in a situation that makes you feel uncomfortable - some call it "intuition", others call it "their inner voice" or "gut feel" - whatever you call it, it is your body`s way of telling you to be aware of what is going on around you. I have become a firm believer in what Gavin de Becker writes about in his books - yes, the Hoffman family owns almost every book he has written (some are out of print, but I keep hoping I`ll eventually find them...).

To learn more about Gavin de Becker, please check out his website:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now].

A few good resources for keeping yourself and your children safe while on the Internet include the following websites:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]

My community hosts an all-day Saturday conference every other year called "Together for Kids" - this conference focuses on ways
parents/educators/child care providers can work together to strengthen our relationships with children and includes a keynote speaker and a variety of child/education-related workshops. I have spoken with one of the people on the Together for Kids Conference planning committee about the possibility of having Gavin de Becker or Kathleen Baty as possible speakers for future Together for Kids conferences - I don`t know if it will ever materialize, but at least their names have been mentioned and are being considered.

I highly recommend reading the following books dealing with the topic of personal safety:

"A Girl`s Gotta Do What A Girl`s Gotta Do: The Ultimate Guide To Living Safe & Smart" by Kathleen Baty

"How To Be Safe In An Unsafe World" by Harold H. Bloomfield

"Her Wits About Her: Self-Defense Success Stories by Women" by Denise Caignon

"The Safe Zone: A Kid`s Guide to Personal Safety" by Donna Chaiet

"The Get Prepare`d Library of Violence Prevention for Young Women" by Donna Chaiet

"It Takes a Village" by Hillary Rodham Clinton

"Women of Ideas" by Spencer Dale

"The Gift of Fear "by Gavin de Becker

"Protecting the Gift" by Gavin de Becker

"Fear Less: Real Truth About Risk, Safety, and Security in a Time of Terrorism" by Gavin de Becker

"Humane Pressure Point Self Defense" by George Dillman

"How To Understand People and Predict Their Behavior – Anytime, Anyplace – Reading People" by Jo-Ellan Dimitrius

"I Know What You’re Thinking – Using the Four Codes of Reading People to Improve Your Life" by Lillian Glass

"Emotional Intelligence" by Dr. Daniel Goleman

"Surviving a Stalker" by Linden Gross

"How to Make the World a Better Place for Women in Five Minutes a Day" by Donna Jackson

"Safe Child Book" by Sheryl Kerns Krazier

"Way of the Peaceful Warrior" by Dan Millman

"Predicting Violent Behavior" by Dr. John Monahan

"Reviving Ophelia" by Mary Pipher

"Real Boys" by William Pollack

"Why It`s Great to Be a Girl: 50 Eye-Opening Things You Can Tell Your Daughter to Increase Her Pride in Being Female" by Jacqueline Shannon

"What Should I Tell the Kids? A Parent`s Guide to Real Problems in the Real World" by Ava L. Siegler

"Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Woman and Girls" by Ellen Snortland

"Options for Avoiding Assault a Guide to Assertiveness, Boundaries, and De-escalation for Violent
Confrontations" by Mary Tesoro

"Defend Yourself" by Matt Thomas

"Protecting Children from Danger" by Matt Thomas

"The KidPower Guide for Parents and Teachers" by Irene van der Zande

"Raising Safe Kids in an Unsafe World" by Jan Wagner

"Child Lures" by Kenneth Wooden

Ok, I`ll get off my personal safety soap box now! I was just so excited about these books I`ve discovered I wanted to share.......

Have a nice day everyone.
Sally

[sallyhoffman]

A local TV station did a segment on WAMM, Michigan's only Model Mugging women's self defense organization, on their 11pm news broadcast last night - check out the story on:

[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now].

Click on the "Featured Videos" button within the article to see film footage of class participants demonstrating their skills (I'm guessing this was filmed during the graduation ceremony of the class recently held in January). May this news story inspire women to learn more about self defense and perhaps even sign up for a model mugging class!