We’re at the tail end now of Stalking Awareness Month and I’ve realized that I haven’t said much explicitly about it, although the discussions we’ve had about escaping violent ex-partners, worrying about people who may be following us, performing realistic risk assessments, understanding boundaries, and the like are all relevant. As with all crimes, anyone …
“This is going to hurt just a little bit” Ogden Nash was talking about the dentist’s common reassurance, but we’ve all heard it in many other contexts. And we know it’s often a false promise, a little white lie. Maybe a big one. Even so, we let ourselves be talked into believing it. Why? I …
How many of you drive on a regular or semi-regular basis? Have your own car or a car that you share responsibility for? Take road trips, even in a borrowed or rented car? That probably covers most of you at some time or another in your life. I love getting on open highways or winding …
As I was skimming the news the other day, I ran across a truly awful story. A young woman, Victoria Strauss, died with her head trapped between her car and car door, after hitting a parking garage payment kiosk. It looks like she dropped her credit card, leaned out of her car to get it, …
The Internet is full of help, whether you ask for it or not. In the world of self defense and personal protection, we see it everywhere both online and off. Whether it’s a member of a group you’re part of, or an instructor you’re taking a class from…whether you should listen is a different story. …
Let’s talk about risk assessment and balancing risks. Life is about balancing the costs and benefits of many competing demands. When it comes to self-defense, there’s a lot of tunnel vision and mythology though, perhaps because it’s so core to our very existence. It’s not just deciding if we’ll be warm enough if we wear …
Last night was the “Preparing for Job Layoffs” webinar I talked about last week, from Condition Orange Preparedness. Brenda brought up a great point about keeping your resume up to date at all times. I see why it’s important for being ready to hit the ground running if you need to start job hunting in …
Let’s throw back today to a few concepts that everyone should remember, and that we often need constant reminders about: Self-defense is a human right. Anybody, everybody, has the right to defend themselves against those who would try to take away their lives. That includes the right to access, possess, and carry the tools that …
Last week, I attended John Hearne’s webinar, “How Paranoid Are You?” He covered, among other things, topics relating to how much violent crime really is happening in the United States, how much we as individuals might be at risk of being victimized by violent crime, and what we can do about that potential. It was …
So I hear there was some violence in Washington, DC the other day. Everyone is on edge, between the current political landscape of the United States and the continued spread of COVID. The fact that it’s cold outside and we’re all cooped up inside doesn’t help. Historically, warm weather usually correlates more with street violence, …
