Hurricane Katrina Stopped Rising Crime

Since Katrina struck the southern coastline of the USA, both the prison population and crime rate have dropped in the state of Louisiana and Prof. Austin expects this trend to continue into the future.

“The prison population in Louisiana was 37,500 just before Katrina hit, now it’s 35,000 and what’s even more interesting is that it was projected to be about 38/39,000 so if you really figure in those terms we’ve seen a 4,000 drop in what it used to be. And further declines are going to happen now because of the budget problems the state’s going to reduce the prison population even more in the next coming year.”

“What happened with Katrina is that the courts stopped sending people to prison plus there is a large group of people who are on probation and parole who in essence became absconders, when they evacuated they lost track of them and they have not been found since… people have relocated and the question is now going to be how do they assimilate within the new population? Are they going to be involved in activities that will get them arrested? Or are they going to be able to avoid that and become good citizens?”

I suppose only time will tell, but the argument for the slow down on crime in Louisiana, seems to accurate. If you dismantle the Justice System then no criminals will be sentenced and incarcerated until things get back on track and the infrastructure of the city has been restored. See full story!

Mixed Martial Arts is a Sport!

Welcome to the wild and wooly world of “MMA” – mixed martial arts. Many have said that these are the “baddest men on the planet”. “MMA is the real thing.” I’ve heard it and have watched tons of MMA fights, but I beg to differ.

I have practiced and taught traditional Karate for 30+ yrs. and then about 18yrs of Muay Thai and Escrima – most recently Yang Tai Chi Chuan. In the many fights I’ve witnessed between martial arts practitioners, there have only been a handful of “anything goes” fights, and I’ve been fortunate to have participated in a couple of them. Even in the most grim circumstances, such as grudge matches, or just for kicks, the fights between martial artists have always had rules of some sort. At the very least – no strikes to the throat or neck – no kicks to the legs against the natural movement of the legs – no eye strikes etc.. These types of fights can be very damaging and the blood flows quickly in such matches. You have to drive an elbow or have one driven into your face, nose, or eyes to really appreciate the brute force and lethality of such blows. Have you ever been in a clinch – for a moment – and long enough for an opponent to drive a knee or three into your chest, stomach or face? Trust me – it’s not a pleasant way to be touched! I have thrown and been struck with spinning backfists, ridgehands, spinning axe kicks and more – again not a good way to be struck in a match.

Before martial arts training I carried a pistol, after a couple years of that, better sense caused me to downgrade my self defense arsenal to a balisong or butterfly knife which are very safe and sturdy in combat situations. When holding the grips tightly together while in use, the lock is nice to have, but even without it engaged, the design of the knife won’t allow it to close on your fingers – a long time fear of mine and a reason that I only own a couple of Balisongs now and have begun purchasing full tang, fixed blade knives. I plan on keeping all of my digits in order.

Since becoming relatively proficient in unarmed combat, all I carry with me now is a 24 inch section of rattan in the car. There’s no worry about the repercussions of getting “busted” with a handgun or the danger of getting cut in a knife fight, whether by the opponent or by accident. But a very resilient and extremely lightweight baton will take out even the most determined attacker with ease, short of an assailant armed with a gun. Knives, baseball bats, tire irons, multiple opponents beware of the man who faces you calmly with a rattan stick spinning in his hands – you’re probably about to be headed to the Hospital for a visit or possibly the morgue. Yes, they are that dangerous when employed by a skilled escrimador!

See, I’ve been leading up to this point: “there are absolutely no rules in the streets”!! Only the strongest (not how much weight you can lift but “how strong your game is”) and the best fighters walk away unscathed in the streets.

I’ll grant you that I (in my prime) would never want to walk into the cage against a Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes or GSP, but they train religiously within the rules set up by the UFC, or another sanctioning body, for that matter. There are a lot of no no’s – RULES! No knees to the head when an opponent is down, break when the referee calls for it. No poking the eyes, no punching/kicking in the groin, no striking an opponent who is down and so on… If I get mounted and begin to get punched out, I can roll out and let my opponent have my back or an arm, so I can tap out of the match quickly w/o any real damage being done to me. I can give a UFC fighter an arm – like bait – and they’ll swing into an armbar and I can tap out and avoid a horrendous beating – and not lose face! So are they the baddest dudes on the planet? I don’t think so.

A few of the weapons I’ve had to face in the street are handguns, knives, a walking stick, one two oz. shotglass, an ashtray, and once – an old fashioned straight razor. The guys I’ve had to actually fight in the street have been usually larger (bully types) BUT not stronger, since they had no cardio training. Sixty seconds of hard fighting, 90 seconds tops, and they’re through, ready to have a stroke from being so out of shape. Make them work for a minute or two without sustaining a serious injury and they can be blown away like dry leaves. The best part about the street fight is there are no rules!

I have had talks with many “competition minded” Black Belts from various disciplines of martial arts and I always ask them why they want to compete? They invariably tell me “I like to compete and also test my skills”. “Hogwash” I think, as I point out to them that the martial arts are not taught to us to start “fight clubs”, they are not being realistic. Why do I say that? It’s because we learn martial arts to use for self defense, not to gauge our progress against other skilled fighters. But, let a drunk or a bully pick a fight with a highly trained martial artist and they’ll usually end up on their backs or worse. That is what we train to defend ourselves against – attackers who expect little or no resistance to their advances. What a surprise they get when they’re punched or kicked to the ground and followed up with a continuous barrage of strikes – breaking facial bones, ribs, noses and more!

I love MMA fighting. It’s the best we can offer within a structured environment, to see great fighters put on great fights, but are they real? Of course they are – within that environment, but certainly, they can not be fairly compared to fighting in the streets – there won’t be a referee and a few extras on hand, to rip a fighter off of a downed opponent – out there you’re on your own!

A Door and Window Alarm May be Your Solution!

Many of us have watched shows on TV featuring burglars effortlessly breaking into homes – usually through a door or window, left unlocked, or cracked open just a 1/2 inch for a little fresh air right? Burglars sniff out these flaws like bloodhounds and can quickly enter and steal all of your valuables or heaven forbid, your life as well. I have read accounts and seen numerous video clips of homeowners walking in on a burglar, who quickly hides in a shadow behind the chair or around a darkened corner. If you stumble into him he’s going to try and run right over you in your surprised state and if they are ruthless or desperate for drug money, they may take you completely out, by killing you and eliminating any threat at all.

There is a great door or window alarm for doors, windows, sliding glass doors and uses magnetic affinity to trigger the alarm. Simply attach the alarm to the door or window frame and the actuator connects to the door or window. The alarm can now be turned on safely. If a burglar or other intruder tries to move the door or window, the magnetic affinity is broken and the alarm sounds. This can be a life saver. By the time your intruder has made his way inside you can call 911, or get a self defense weapon prepared for the worst, maybe scare them off by the commotion that he hears as he attempts to gain entrance. Burglars hate loud noise (alarms) and lights. If you protect yourself with one of these inexpensive alarms, you may not lose a single item, or have to fight it out until the police arrive. Chances are they’ll be long gone when the alarm goes off. The alarms even come in colors to blend in with your decor.

How many people go to bed in crime-ridden areas where the threat of intrusion is more likely with each passing day? When we think of the “ghetto” or “the projects” we envision hubs of criminal activity. From the child “slinging dime bags” on the corner, to the main guys who control the flow of poison like heroin and cocaine, we must remember that there must exist a customer base right? Yes, any race, color or creed can cruise these areas and score the drugs they want, with complete impunity, as long as they are cautious. I don’t want to give the flavor of anything racial – dope is not racist – it kills it’s users slowly after milking them dry of every cent they can earn, borrow, prostitute or steal to obtain. It pervades the user’s life, family and the entire community like a dark cloud – bringing with it the promise of sickness and death to all. Where do these addicts get the money to support their habits? By preying on the community of course, and you can make yourself less of a target by using common sense items like door and window alarms.

Cut to suburbia; where behind the doors of these newer suburban homes a false sense of security is easy to adopt. No longer hearing gun shots at night, police and rescue squad alarms piercing the still night air, it might be tempting to turn down the survival alert a notch or two. Don’t do it!! That could prove to be very costly and even deadly. Just like the drug addict or professional burglar – a tough alarm is hard to beat!

Truck Toilet Patent Dispute Ends in Murder!

Joe Jackson fatally shot three people in a law firm’s office before he was finally killed by police. Jackson apparently felt cheated over an invention, a “crapper” for use in trucks.

He took a guard at gun-point with him to the 38th floor offices of Wood, Phillips, Katz, Clark & Mortimer, a law firm that handles intellectual property and patents. He was strapped like Rambo with a revolver, knife and hammer in a large manila envelope. He also chained the office doors shut, according to the police.

The disgruntled inventor – Jackson, age 59, told witnesses that he had been cheated over a toilet he’d invented for use in trucks, according to police authorities.

Well, Jackson apparently tossed his life into “the toilet” – as local SWAT officers gunned him down after he had shot several people. Talk about your day turning into s***! The man was obviously deranged or he would have done what 99.9% of the population would have done – hire a better attorney!

A truck toilet would be an amazing accessory, saving lost man hours and always being ready for that next unexpected, internal explosion. Mr. Jackson waited a little too long – and took things a little too far down “Crazy Avenue” to expect to walk out alive. What a pitiful, meaningless, loss of human life, and all over a mobile crapper no less. This world never fails to amaze me.

I suppose he was so enraged because he felt his mobile crapper would be his retirement “nest egg”. Oddly enough this became a reality for him as the police sharp-shooters “retired him” in short order. My advice is never do something that’s borderline crazy until you’ve had a long night’s sleep and a couple of cups of coffee. This guy seemed to have just simmered and hated until he erupted into a murderous killer. I wish more people would forget the dollars and find a life. Geesh!??

Stop Them Cold – Go to the Groin?

I was asked to visit a Karate school in a neighboring town recently. Oddly enough, the Sensei (teacher) of this school, runs a highly profitable Karate Dojo (school) mainly due to the fact that he is located in a small but well populated town and the inhabitants are largely employed by large Union factories paying very good wages.

There are many young couples and lots of kids – and the kids’ classes are what earns the money. In fact every successful Sensei I know, runs a large children’s program. They are also really outgoing in their personalities and do very well with the kids – chatting with Mom and Dad about little Jeanie or Bobby and how much they love karate. Compare this to the BEST teachers I have ever trained with from Asian to American, who taught only high level, no-nonsense kind of guys. This is not to say that they were not amiable, but each in his own way was demanding and accepted nothing but the best effort from the students he chose to instruct. These men were not financially successful due to their teaching fees but they are very successful at turning out top notch martial artists.

If any martial artist reading this post to this point, is wondering about the title and “putting attackers away with a groin shot?” Me too, since I see this target pointed out constantly, religiously, with no real understanding about the outcome and subsequent melee which may continue. You don’t snap a round kick to the groin and knock guys out cold, just like that! Let’s discuss ok? I have landed solid blows to the groin in real fights and let me be the first to say that they don’t knock a man out 98% of the time. In fact there is a good delay period, which I can’t describe in seconds, since I have only been a combatant and never planned to bring a stop watch along to time things : ) In almost each case the opponent came on like a steamroller, after the well placed knee or shoe struck squarely and was a significant threat for a few long moments. After this delay, they become very easy to overpower and defeat when the shock travels to the brain and shuts down certain functions due to the trauma. Pain, followed by nausea, loss of strength and confusion are common after a well placed kick or knee to the groin of an attacker.

In conclusion, after almost scrapping this post, because groin shots don’t always stop anyone immediately, even if well placed – I thought that all things being equal, what more natural of a strike to teach a woman for self defense. It’s a relatively easy target to hit and if they can withstand the moments of determined assault by their attacker – they will have achieved a great opportunity to escape, or in extreme situations, to mount a counter attack that will take their attacker completely down and out!

Mace Sports Alarm Protects You at Night!

A Mace 130db personal alarm with flashing strobe light is a superior quality personal alarm that has extra features as well. Most of us know or have heard of Mace. Less interested parties usually acquaint the name of Mace with the chemical defense sprays that they manufacture. Many of us know that Mace makes a whole range of self defense deterrent devices, from pepper sprays, foam, gels, foggers (in combination with tear gas too) as well as, home alarms, personal alarms, door braces and much more. Mace has built a reputation of producing efficient, dependable and affordable products.

The Mace Sports Alarm with Flashing Strobe Light can also be used as a stand alone flashlight. It also comes with an attachment to convert this pocket size alarm into a door alarm or window alarm. Let’s recap; 130db personal alarm, flashing strobe light which activates along with the alarm, can be used as a flashlight, and includes an attachment that converts it to a door or window alarm for a safe night’s sleep. That’s a lot of protection for a paltry $19.95 (MSRP) I’d say! Models can be found at a discount at some outlets, making the purchase of one of these little dynamos a sure bet.

Who would want one of these? Women of all ages can benefit from carrying a personal alarm, joggers and cyclists might use them for the protection and the flashlight feature. Do you travel for business and stay in strange Hotel rooms? It would be nice to have one to set under your door, to be sure that no one enters while you get your much needed rest. Are you a medical worker in a facility with patients who might become violent and find yourself alone doing rounds, or in the office? One of these alarms is loud enough to bring everyone running to help you if needed – just activate the alarm. Many parents of “at risk” youths purchase them to use as window or door alarms, to be sure that there child doesn’t sneak out at night after Mom and Dad go to sleep, by using the attachment for the window and door alarm modes. You’ll certainly know if your teenager tries to take off in the middle of the night. The Mace Sports Strobe Alarm will see to that!

I would rate the Mace Sports Alarm with Flashing Strobe Light, as a 5 out of 5 stars product – you can’t go wrong with one of these multifunction alarms!