car seat disposal recycle
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. We believe we should be aware of sexual assaults every month. According to the U.S. Department of Justice a woman is raped every 2 minutes somewhere in America. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. If you are a college age woman you are 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted. There were 248,000 sexual assaults in the year 2007. This is not a problem that can or should be ignored. The numbers speak for themselves. What advice can we offer to potential victims to protect themselves? How can you reduce your risk of sexual assault? We offer here a few tips for your safety.
Common sense is your first weapon in preventing assaults. Always be aware of where you are and where you are going. Stay out of what could be dangerous places. Always have a flashlight when you are out at night or in a dark building. You don’t need to lug around a big heavy light. There are many small lightweight strong flashlights that fit right on your key ring or around your neck on a lanyard where it is always quickly available. It will also help you find your keyhole at night so you can open your door as quickly as possible and enter safely inside. Combination personal alarms with flashlights are an excellent choice. A very loud alarm can alert help and discourage a potential attacker. If you do go out at night try to have a buddy or at least let a good friend know where you are going and how you can be reached. Make sure you have your cell phone charged and with you. If you don’t have your own car make sure that you have enough money for a taxi. If you insist on jogging at night do go in a group. (Don’t forget to wear reflective clothing or armbands.) Use elevators instead of dark stairwells.
Take extra care in parking garages. Try to park your car as close to the entrance as possible. Before you enter your vehicle look carefully in the front and back seats and front and back floors to make sure no one is hiding inside waiting to attack. Always have your keys in your hand when you approach you car so that you can quickly open the door and enter. Victims are especially vulnerable during those few moments while fumbling for keys. You may elect to have a small pepper spray attached to your key ring in the event of an attack. Key ring pepper ring is an excellent choice because pepper spray is only useful if it is in your hand and ready to use. Be aware of the vehicles parked around you. If you see a large van parked next to you then enter your car by the passenger side. Criminal assailants have been known to abduct victims who are entering their cars by pulling them into vans. Look at the car next to your driver side and see if anyone is in the driver or passenger seat. If there is a male sitting in the seat nearest your car it may be a good idea to go quickly back into the building and get a guard or policeman to escort you to your car. He may be innocent but why take chances? I was coming back to my car one day and a voice from the next car said “hello” and naturally I looked as I assumed that it was someone I knew. Much to my surprise it was a stranger with his pants off! And this was in broad daylight by the supermarket. Unfortunately there are creeps like this all around. When you do get into your car, lock all the doors and leave immediately and don’t sit to eat, read, or get organized. A potential criminal may be watching and waiting to put a gun to your head and take your car (and you with it).
Always be aware of your surroundings. Use common sense. Don’t take safety for granted. If someplace looks dangerous then don’t go there. Don’t be afraid to use your voice and scream if you think you are in danger. If you have to scream for help always yell “FIRE!” People will pay attention. Never open your door to strangers no matter what they tell you. If someone at the door says they are with the police or other government agency ask them to slide their ID under the door. Then phone the agency to verify their credentials. Stay on guard and use your common sense and you can reduce your risk of being assaulted.
Anne Reade is the owner and operator of http://www.tobesafeandsound.com dedicated to offering safety and security products for the home, family and business. Visit here to find self defense products for women.
Reusing is way more efficient and better for the planet overall than recycling. Recycling is great, don’t get me wrong, but it takes a lot of energy (people and resources) to recycle. Reusing anything makes more sense to me.
Cloth bags are a good example. I have 5 cloth bags that I keep in my vehicle for all my shopping trips. I use my bags not just for groceries, but for trips to the hardware store, the book store, and the yarn store. I can reuse them over and over and over, whereas a plastic bag can only be used a couple of times. My cloth bags were all freebies. They are all made from heavy-weight canvas cloth and have flat bottoms. They stand up by themselves and have long, durable handles. Some even have a pocket on the outside. I also own three nylon bags that I bought at our local market. These are also great for other uses such as holding my knitting projects. These particular ones fold into their own pocket and live in my glove box.
Most plastic bags are made in such a way that they get tears in the seams after one or two uses. And they don’t hold much weight. And they don’t break down in the landfill. Not to mention all the damage that plastic bags can do to the environment, animal, and plant life. Garbage on the side of the road is never pretty, but plastic bags hanging off bushes and trees are especially tasteless and pervasive, at least in these parts. The one thing that you can reuse plastic grocery bags is for lining small garbage cans. At least this saves on buying separate plastic garbage can liners.
Forming the habit of using your cloth bags takes a bit of work, as with forming any new habit. Here’s a TIP: Always put your cloth bags back into the vehicle after unpacking. Keep them in the front seat if you can; or if you have children and/or pets and must put them in the backseat or the trunk, put a sticky note on your dashboard to remind you. Many people don’t remember their bags until they are waiting in line to checkout, which is too late.
Now that I have the habit, I feel naked walking into a store without my own bags.
© Drea Harris 2009. All rights reserved world wide.
[http://www.reduce-reuse-and-recycle.com]
Small steps to making a difference! Tips and resources for reducing waste, reusing resources, and recycling materials.
Drug discount cards
Arlington Arlington residents have saved more than $14,000 by using a prescription drug discount card available at town offices and local pharmacies. Arlington Town Manager Brian Sullivan said 468 residents have signed up for the National League of Cities’ Prescription Discount Card, and cardholders are saving an average of 26 percent on prescription drug purchases. The discount card program …
