A bit of research led me to the information that “house breaking” or burglary, is the number one crime on the world scene.  Burglary is a crime that can become very dangerous if an intruder is violent and one happens to be at home.  This can lead to assault or worse scenarios. When one returns home and finds his dwelling has been burglarized, it leads to a feeling of being violated and anxiety remains in the aftermath, since we all want to feel safe in our homes.

So why aren’t homes better protected by the homeowners?  I can’t supply that answer.  However, I can supply a couple of tips to make your home more secure, scare off intruders and protect your valuables while alerting you if you are inside when the intrusion takes place.

There is a wonderful device that only costs a few bucks and will protect any window when rattled or broken and is simply mounted with a self stick backing. Made by MACE, a company known for defense products.  Get yourself a Mace Window Alert or several of them and just slap one on any window for 95 decibel alarm protection. If any protected window is vibrated roughly or broken, the alarm sounds and will frighten any burglar away, since the last thing they want is to draw attention. This little gem will awake anyone in the house immediately as well, allowing one to call 911 or arm themselves.

Another is the Auto Dialer Intruder Security Alarm. This unit uses passive infrared monitoring to protect an area, an entrance or hallway for instance.  It is pre-programmed by the owner to dial 5 preset telephone numbers if any movement is detected.  It will simultaneously trigger a 105 decibel security alarm while it is dialing. So, you may pre-set it to call your cell phone, your work phone, your neighbor’s phone, a relative or the local police emergency phone.  It will call these numbers in order, until it is answered.

It is powered by an AC adapter which fits common wall sockets and uses a 9 volt battery as a backup power source.  It is wall mountable with an adjustable mounting bracket. It alerts you that motion has been detected in your protected area. This alert can be set to a chime mode in case you are around and simply want to be alerted that someone has entered the home or business.

Check out these two superb items for an inexpensive solution to thwart home or business intruders.  An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

After reading about the death of a “temp” employee who was crushed and stomped to death in a “Black Friday” sale frenzy. It’s getting to make even more sense to find gifts you want online with a bit of search engine shopping from an infinite number of commercial websites.  One can zero in on quality products and find deals that aren’t available in traditional “brick and mortar” stores.  Read the terms regarding shipping or even call the number on a website and ask a few questions to clarify any loose ends, then simply type in your info and credit or debit card info into SSL pages and voila, within a few days your Holiday gifts are at your door!

You or your husband may have always wanted to take pictures while on his scuba or snorkeling forays, you can find a waterproof digital camera case and have it delivered in just a few short days.

Maybe your daughter is at college and their have been reports of stalkers and even a rapist operating on or near her campus.  No problem there, you can purchase an inexpensive, yet high quality Mace Pepper Spray online in just a few minutes. They are legal just about anywhere and if some cretin would attempt to assault her, he would end up having a very bad day.  This stuff really hurts and certainly puts a damper on sexual desire.

Your wife might like to take her dog for a walk after dinner but is apprehensive about meeting up with the local neighborhood bully pooch.  A very nice tool for stopping a dog attack is a stun baton, which offers the advantage of not getting your hands in the  fight and allows her to pinpoint the attacking dog for a possible jolt of painful electricity, while avoiding a bite or touching her dog in the process.

Internet shopping is big and getting bigger every day. Why not save yourself some time, money and have your products delivered right to your front door this year? If the address bar has an “https” during the checkout procedure, then you can be assured that your personal information is being encrypted as you type it in and only goes to the online store, so don’t be afraid to enter your info, it’s needed to process your order.

Try it you out this year, you may just come to love it!

Many of us know young women who have left home for college in another city or State. Many have daughters who I’m discussing right now. There’s so much to put together that has been done already. Finding the school, admissions, choosing a course of study, finding suitable living arrangements and finally they’re gone. The house feels emptier and the pangs of separation start to set in. Many of us begin to worry about the safety and security of those young girls who have left the safety of our homes.

One way to let your daughter or that special young lady know that you really care and are concerned foremost with their safety, is to send them a gift package of inexpensive but extremely potent self defense products. You may be sending them something that will save them from being assaulted or worse.

My recommendation for security measures or gifts will be what we bought our daughter, off to her first semester of college this fall. For starters, we purchased her a canister of Pepper Gel from Mace. This stuff shoots 18 feet in one solid stream and sticks like glue. If an attacker tries to rub it off they only grind the OC pepper further into their skin. Also it has no ambient particles, so there’s no worry about wind or about actually using it in a car or a room.  It only burns what it hits!

Our second choice was a very powerful compact stun gun – the Hot Shot from Stun Master, a leader in stun gun technology. This model packs a 975K volt charge, has an on off switch with an led light to let you know it’s armed and on top of it’s ergonomic design for holding in the palm of your hand is the discharge button. Very small, comfortable and the controls are mounted for minimum fuss. It has a belt clip or is small enough to drop in a jacket pocket. I chose this model since I’ve owned one for 2 years and the batteries lasted over a year and anyone (my sons and friends) who have volunteered to take a hit from it – didn’t want another and their arm was quickly withdrawn.

Finally, we got her a small personal alarm.  Small enough to hang on your keychain but having the power, at 120 db, to draw a lot of attention to a bad situation, and possibly get someone to come for help.  This model also came with a door knob attachment, so if it’s hung around a door knob and turned on, any jiggling of the door or handle will set it off and hopefully scare away intruders, plus it will definitely wake up anyone sleeping and give them a warning.

If you’re stumped on a birthday or Christmas present or would just like to send a gift that says you care. Consider these choices or similar models to protect that special young lady while she’s away at school.

Yes, in a country where the population growth has been growing steadily, there comes further encroachment of mankind into the home ranges of almost every species of animal.  Most notably, the large portions of territory that are required for carnivores to roam. There’s not a day that passes by when we can’t flip a channel and see animals – most particularly mountain lions, bears, wolves and coyotes that have attacked and/or killed young children, women and men who either ran afoul of them or were just stalked and attacked out of hunger, disease like rabies or other unknown reasons.

We have just the items in mind that you should have at hand when you either reside in such an area or if going out hiking in the wild.  Have we become so deluded to think that we can peacefully co-exist with such dangerous animals or are people just plain dumb?

I think the answer is both and add to that the repeated times that irresponsible human beings have either fed such animals or left untidy campsites behind for animals to sift through and find some goodies. In both cases the animals have associated mankind with the “dinner bell” and therfore gravitate toward people as a source of food. If we get next to bears, lion and wolves – that menu could include us or our family members.

It’s my opinion that a canister of Bear Pepper Spray will work wonders in evening your odds of surviving a bear attack for instance.  The same can be said of mountain lion and wolf attacks. A solid blast of Guard Alaska Bear Spray will open a world of opportunity for a person to escape or shut down the attack completely. This stuff is good, it’s been field tested in real episodes and yes, it works! The same would apply to the sensitive noses, eyes, and mouths of other large predators as well.

We believe that a canister of pepper spray, together with a very loud alarm sound like an electronic whistle will stop most dangerous animals and send them on their way.

Canine pepper spray and in the case of extremely aggressive feral dogs, that canine pepper spray may not be enough in every case.  For these stubborn dogs, after hearing the stories from first hand witnesses, what they would have had the best results with, would be a stun baton, like the Telescopic Stun Baton for example. It rides on your belt in it’s custom made case and is ready for action in the blink of an eye. This baton gives you additional 21 1/2 inches of reach and pinpoint accuracy – so you won’t contaminate yourself or your pet but they will deliver 800K volts of electric shock to the target aggressor. They also include a flashing light and a high pitched and loud alarm to confuse the attacking dog as well.

We love pets and animals but we love people more and find no remorse in making these recomendations, since the products are non-lethal and very effective at saving people from injury. If you get the feeling that we might be describing a situation you have or may encounter, we encourage you to spend a few dollars and protect yourself and others from a brutal, life threatening animal attack.

In what turned out to be California’s first murder conviction for a death caused by a dog mauling, Marjorie Knoller was recently sentenced. In addition to the 3 years that she has already served, she was handed an additional 12 years to serve before she is eligible to apply for parole.

The mauling and subsequent death of neighbor / victim Dianne Whipple in 2001, played into the additional time that Knoller received. During the 10 minute attack, Knoller did nothing to assist her – not even a 911 call.  The initial involuntary manslaughter charges were handed back to the ruling judge by a higher court for this reason and also because of repeated problems and warnings that Knoller received to have the dogs trained.

We have always advocated the use of Mace Canine Pepper Spray or a Stun Baton for those who feel at risk for a dog attack.  It is so unfortunate to hear this news and know that a very inexpensive self defense product would have saved a victim from being mauled – leading to lasting physical and mental scars – not to mention in some cases from being killed.

Anyone who watches “Discovery Channel” or “Animal Planet” – two popular TV channels which feature attacks by various animals – including bears, wolves, mountain lions and more, can see that as we encroach ever further into the home ranges of wild animals, it would behoove us to prepare for these kinds of encounters.  Who hikes in Grizzly bear country without Bear Pepper Spray?  The people we see on these programs every night of the week, on “animal attack” segments. Why they do it is beyond my comprehension.

If you are at risk from vicious dogs in your neighborhood or love to hike on countryside trails that are populated by bears, wolves and mountain lions, use some common sense and purchase a deterrent that will probably save your life!

Self Defense Products That Work!

We get many requests for self defense product recommendations but no question is quite the same. We are asked about pepper sprays mostly, with requests on personal alarms and their features being a close second. Finally, we are asked about deterrents against dog attacks quite frequently as well.

Not all pepper sprays are created equally.  Some come with a UV marking dye, while other are strictly a tear gas, or a combination with Tear Gas, Pepper Spray and UV Dye.

Pepper spray questions usually include apprehensive remarks about the spray possibly hitting an owner’s dog or the owner.  This is a normal worry but is easily worked around by selecting a pepper spray in “Stream Delivery” as opposed to “Spray Delivery”.  It is much more accurate and delivers the defense spray in a stream of liquid rather than a spray.  This offers greater control of the stream allowing it to strike the aim point accurately, and takes all but the stiffest wind “out of play”.  You can always position yourself, with a footstep and a small pivot to be in a position where the stream or spray won’t blow back into your face.

If a dog’s owner simply won’t take the chance and worry about their dog being accidentally hit with the defense spray, we then have no other choice but to recommend the use of a stun baton or telescopic steel baton.  In both cases you have about 18 to 26 inches of reach advantage, which will keep your hands out of a possible tangle between 2 or more dogs.  In the first case you  have the advantage of stun technology (non-lethal of course) and in the second case, you control how hard you must strike an offending dog, in order to get it to release your dog or your leg! 

We advocate using the 300,000 volt stun baton since it’s length make is very easy and nimble while in use or trying to maneuver it into position.  They also have electrified metal strips on the sides of the baton which assure you of making solid contact.

The biggest reason we recommend the 300K volt stun baton is that in every email we have received with feedback – the owner never had to do more than perform a standard, one second burst, test firing of the baton and the offending dogs stopped their approach immediately.  In future walks, problem neighborhood dogs only needed to “see” the baton and they ignored the customer and her dog or family members completely.  Dogs are awfully smart and a one second burst really emits an angry electrical snarl for them to consider.  So far, to my knowledge, no dog has decided to brave that arcing burst of blue/white electricity.

My first choice would be a standard pepper spray with “Stream” delivery option and followed with a 300k volt stun baton.  Between these two you’ll find your answer in defending yourself or your dog from being attacked by the local bullies that are sometimes allowed to roam the neighborhood without supervision.

Where’s the Best Place to Hide Valuables?

If any of you have watched the TV show “It Takes a Thief”, you have already seen expert burglars who expose the vulnerabilities of a home and clear out most of it’s valuables in less than 10 minutes.  We’re talking cash, collections, watches, rings, jewelry, laptops, paintings, vehicles and the list could go on forever. 

The theme of this show is to expose these vulnerabilities and to teach people the best ways to protect their valued possessions, including their lives, from unexpected home invasions. Key is speed and a trained eye.  The ability to work hard, fast and think like your victims, is just a little of what you see on the outside.  If you watch the program carefully, you’ll note that the burglars always zero in on the most obvious things, starting with valuables in plain sight.  They go first, followed by other goodies which begin to pile up as they methodically dump out the contents of all drawers onto a bed or the floor, for a quick look.  Another hot-spot is closets, which always seem to turn up a treasure trove of safes (never bolted down or even locked at times) and other hidden stuff, that people feel safe in securing there.

The office or den is another great place for pulling out boxes of credit cards, books of checks, bank statements and other very expensive memorabilia.  Paintings hanging on the wall are fair game too.  On to the kitchen where usually, the keys to a cool sports car or motorcycle in the garage, will be hanging there for the thieves to drive away in Dad’s prize, vintage, Corvette or other vehicle.

The two most important factors are speed “in and out” and experience. I have noticed that the burglars never waste time sifting through all of the “stuff” lying around, unless it has obvious value at first glance.  They don’t empty out the cereal boxes and other spots that could be holding the most sought after goods – like Dad’s Corvette or Harley Davidson keys or fistfuls of cash or jewels.

We have a solution for those items – cash, keys, jewels, certain medications and more.  The solution is called Diversion Safes!  They are replicas of the most common of items, like hollowed out cans of soda, spray starch, shaving cream or a jar of peanut butter and so on. They all look real, are labeled correctly and have the feel of the actual product if one is picked up and tossed out of the way.

Starting at about $10 and up to $15 for a nice diversion safe, it makes sense to own one or more.  Why leave a roll of cash or several pieces of jewelry and gemstones lying in a pretty box, on the bedroom dresser, to be taken instantly!  Get a diversion safe and your cash, your stash, spare keys, and jewelry can sit right in the kitchen cupboard or the appropriate spot and never even be noticed or tampered with in any way.

Please use the link we’ve provided and check them out.  If you don’t take advantage of one or more of these inexpensive and superb diversion safes, we’d find it hard to be sympathetic and more prone to saying “we told you so”!

Best Self Defense Deterrent?

I like to read inbound links to our blog and see what products they’re selling or what sort of conversation in a forum post, prompted a link to a page on our site.  You never know what you’re going to find until you check it out and see.

Lately, I’ve read a few forum remarks and an “Expert” Advice blog, which were all discussing pepper spray as a self defense deterrent. There were the usual unfiltered and uneducated remarks, as well as some by “experts” that cited various “cons” of pepper spray, discounting it as the best deterrent. Some were so naive as to post, that a woman should use a stun gun which is much stronger than pepper spray. Nothing could be further from the truth!  This man was advising a woman to give up 8 to 10 feet of free space, in favor of a self defense device that calls for you to be in contact or grappling range to effectively use it and for several seconds as well.  I got tired of the baloney, so consider this:

IMHO, the best pepper spray isn’t truly a spray at all.  It’s a gel and it fires like “silly string” on steroids!  This gels fires to 18 feet and with pinpoint accuracy. Mace Pepper Gel is just the toughest customer in the defense spray line-up. Upon impact, it splatters and sticks to the face or head (for instance) like a sticky gob of glue.  The gel burns like the devil, so instinctively the attacker tries to rub it off, only to discover that he/she is rubbing it more deeply into the pores of their skin and increasing the pain and effectiveness of the Mace gel.

I’ve heard the old “watch out for the wind direction” argument (which wouldn’t dissuade me for a moment) in firing a standard spray in someone’s face who threatened to injure me.  Just fire it right in their face and hold your breath a split second and move to one side – no worries!

Well, Mace Pepper Gel took that worry “out of play” since there’s no concern about any cross-contamination at all! In fact we began selling this product to Policemen and Security Guards who worked in hospitals and needed a spray that worked without any contamination or ambient particles floating in the air and possibly flowing through air treatment systems.

What does this mean to the average gal or guy?  Simply put, you could be attacked by someone inside the confines of your car or in a room with your children or babies.  You can begin firing at 15 – 18 feet or two feet away and not have to worry about any spray left in the air and entering your skin, lungs or those of family and loved ones that you’re protecting.

Why would you even consider wrestling with a man or any tough assailant and probably getting hurt, while holding a stun gun to their stomach or chest for a few seconds?  Pull out your pepper gel and stop them in their tracks, coughing spasmodically with a fiery burning in their airways, impaired vision and skin that feels like it’s under a blow torch.  They will definitely be preoccupied with their unexpected surprise.

Like I always find myself typing – it sure is cheap insurance.  Use the link provided above to get your pepper gel today!

Bad Pain Medication Needs To Go 

A prescription painkiller sold under such names as Darvon and Darvocet is too risky to stay on the market, a consumer advocacy group argued Thursday in suing the Food and Drug Administration.

Public Citizen petitioned the FDA two years ago seeking a ban on the drug, calling it no more effective than safer painkillers and citing the accidental deaths of more than 2,000 people since 1981.

Thursday, Public Citizen filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington arguing that FDA has violated the law by not ruling on its petition within the required six months.

At issue is a narcotic known chemically as propoxyphene, sold by numerous generic manufacturers as well as under the brand names Darvon and Darvocet.

It is considered a relatively weak painkiller. Public Citizen’s Dr. Sidney Wolfe cited a recent review of research studies that found ibuprofen worked better for most kinds of pain.

Yet propoxyphene is addictive, and even when used properly it can cause slowed heartbeat and other serious cardiac side effects, the lawsuit says. In addition, Wolfe said it has been deemed inappropriate for the elderly because of other side effects, include sedation and confusion, that increase risk of falls and fractures.

British health authorities ordered the drug phased out there in 2005, saying at the time that it was associated with a few hundred accidental deaths and suicides a year.

In the U.S., propoxyphene remains one of the most widely prescribed generic drugs, with 22 million prescriptions filled last year.

Neither FDA nor one of the drug’s main manufacturers immediately responded to requests for comment.  Source: MSNBC