In The News Today...just interesting articles found in the news

[orchidchild]

PLEASE READ-Through a Rapist's Eyes (No Joke)
When this was sent to me, I was told to forward it to my lady friends, but I forwarded it to most everyone in my address book. My men friends have female friends and this
information is too important to miss someone.
Please pass it along and share it with your children. //cb
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1) The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed . They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair . Women with short hair are not common targets.

2) The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look forwomen who's clothing is easy to remove quickly . Many of them carry scissors around specifically to cut clothing.

3) They also look for women on their cell phone ,searching through their purse, or doing other activities while walking because they are off-guard and can be easily overpowered.

4) Men are most likely to attack & rape in the early morning, between 5: 00a.m. and 8:30a.m.

5) The number one place women are abducted from/attacked is grocery store parking lots . Number two: is office parking lots/garages. Number three: is public restrooms.

6) The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to another location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

7) Only 2% said they carried weapons because rape carries a 3-5 year sentence but rape with a weapon is 15-20 years.

If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouragedbecause it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9) These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas , or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

10) Several defense mechanisms he taught us are: If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question , like what time is it, or make general small talk: 'I can't believe it is so cold out here,' 'we're in for a bad winter.' Now you've seen their face and could identify them in a line-up; you lose appeal as a target.

11) If someone is coming toward you , hold out your hands in front of you and yell STOP or STAY BACK ! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back .
Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

12) If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes) , yell I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

13) If someone grabs you , you can't beat them with strength but you can by outsmarting them If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the
arm (between the elbow and armpit) OR in the upperinner thigh VERY VERY HARD . One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands - the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it - it hurts.

14) After the initial hit, always GO for the GROIN . I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble and he's out of there.

15) When the guy puts his hands up to you , grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible . The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

16) Of course the things we always hear still apply.Always be aware of your surroundings , take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, go with your instincts!!!

You may feel a little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

1 Tip from Tae Kwon Do : The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in  New Orleans  . If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc.) DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head  DO NOT DRIVE  OFF, repeat:  DO NOT DRIVE  OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

5 A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot or parking garage:

A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control,ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times. And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.RUN, preferably in a zigzag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP! It may get you raped or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well-educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her 'Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.' He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it , but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby ----This
should be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned onAmerica's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer inLouisiana .

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

 

 

[trishmj40]

Thank you for sharing--very thoughtful of you!   

[orchidchild]

NO PROBLEM-I KNOW IT IS LONG-BUT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

[jlb001]

NO PROBLEM-I KNOW IT IS LONG-BUT KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

great info.

however.... APPLIED knowledge is power.

knowing everything in the world doesnt do you one bit of good unless you use it.

 

[Administrator]

Augusta is still not a statistically significant sample size.  We're arguing semantics since neither of us have provided proof that crack itself is the cause of urban degradation.  But really, you have to examine the reason that they're turning to drugs in the first place...

[jlb001]

Augusta is still not a statistically significant sample size.  We're arguing semantics since neither of us have provided proof that crack itself is the cause of urban degradation.  But really, you have to examine the reason that they're turning to drugs in the first place...

OH MY GOD, YOURE A LIBERAL.
 
i NEVER said crack was THE cause for urban degradation.... but denying the affect that crack has had on the (mostly) poor.... while implying that cokes destruction on society is equal... is silly at best.... and reeks of "feel good" politics at worst.

i know that you dont like personal stories to make a point.... so, i'll just ask you a question.

have YOU ever lived in a crack neighborhood?

seriously.

i have.

have YOU sat on the toilet and listened to the cops shoot your neighbor in the *bleep* while on a drug bust?

i have.

have YOU ever had to think.... each and every time you walked out of your door, there was a chance you might have to fight someone?

i have.

have YOU looked out into the parking lot.... in front of your apartment and see young teens/20 somethings walking around with guns clearly tucked in the front of their pants?

i have.

CRACK..... its a whole different world, my friend.

[texans08]

Thank you so much ORCHIDCHILD, i will most definately pass this along.

[Cuppycake]

Hehe I made my own ringtone

Me too ! I love making my own so I can have w/e I want and not have to pay for it!

[LendaL]

(CBS) Alton Logan doesn't understand why two lawyers with proof he didn't commit murder were legally prevented from helping him. They had their reasons: To save Logan, they would have had to break the cardinal rule of attorney-client privilege to reveal their own client had committed the crime. But Logan had 26 years in prison to try to understand why he was convicted for a crime he didn't commit.

Logan, still in jail, speaks to 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon in his first interview for a report that also includes the lawyers which will be broadcast this Sunday, March 9, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.

"Yes. Sympathize with [the lawyers’ dilemma], yes. Understand it, no," Logan tells Simon. "If you know this is an innocent person, why would you allow this person to be prosecuted, convicted, sent to prison for all these years?" asks the 54-year-old inmate.

Lawyers Jamie Kunz and Dale Coventry were public defenders when their client, Andrew Wilson, admitted to them he had shot-gunned a security guard to death in a 1982 robbery. When a tip led to Logan's arrest and he went to trial for the crime, the two lawyers were in a bind. They wanted to help Logan but legally couldn't.

"The rules of conduct for attorneys, it's very, very clear…. We're in a position to where we have to maintain client confidentiality, just as a priest would or a doctor would. It's just a requirement of the law. The system wouldn’t work without it," says Coventry.

They watched Logan’s trial to see whether he got a life or death sentence. "We thought that somehow we would stop at least the execution," Coventry tells Simon. "Morally, there’s very little difference and we were torn about that, but in terms of the canons of ethics, there is a difference -- you can prevent a death."

Logan doesn't see it that way. "There is no difference between life in prison and a death penalty, none whatsoever. Both are a sentence of death," says Logan, who pointed out that it is easy to be murdered in a dangerous prison.

The lawyers say it was hard on them mentally. "There’s nothing you can say [to Logan]," says Coventry. "It's been difficult for us. But there’s no comparison whatsoever to what it's been for this poor guy," he says "Alton, whether or not you can understand it, we’ve been hurting for you for 26 years," says Kunz. "How often did I think about it? Probably 250 times a year. I mean I thought about it regularly."

It’s little consolation to Logan. "Everything that was dear to me is gone," he tells Simon.

The lawyers did get permission from Wilson, to reveal upon his death his confession to the murder Logan was convicted for. Wilson died late last year and Coventry and Kunz came forward. Next Monday, a judge will hear evidence in a motion to grant Logan a new trial. It's the first step in what could be a long process. "They are quick to convict but they are slow to correct their mistakes," says Logan.

Coventry is satisfied with his decision. "In terms of my conscience, my conscience is that I did the right thing. Do I feel bad about Logan? Absolutely, I feel bad about Logan."  

Logan doesn’t know when he will be exonerated and released, but when that time comes, he has a plan. "To leave this state on the quickest thing I can get. I want nothing more to do with the state of Illinois," he tells Simon.

...and i dont blame him one damn bit....sons of bytches...smh

[Cuppycake]

Artificial Muscle Heals Itself, Charges IPod
Eric Bland, Discovery News

Closer to the Real Thing
 

March 19, 2008 -- Researchers in California have created an artificial muscle that heals itself and generates electricity.

The research, parts of which are already being used in Japan to generate electricity from ocean waves, could be used to make walking robots, develop better prosthetics, or even charge your iPod.

"We've made an artificial muscle that, when you apply electricity to it, it expands" more than 200 percent, said Qibing Pei, a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and study author. "The motion and energy is a lot like human muscles."

Artificial muscles have been around for years but have essentially hamstrung themselves. Some artificial muscles get so big they tear, developing uneven film thickness and random particles that cause muscle failure.

The researchers used flexible, ever-more ubiquitous carbon nanotubes as electrodes instead of other films, often metal-based, that fail after repeated use.

If an area of the carbon nanotube fails, the region around it seals itself by becoming non-conductive and prevents the fault from spreading to other areas.

"During long-term tests with the new device the actual material experiences a number of events but still worked," said Pei.
By "events" Pei actually means they stabbed the artificial muscle with pins. Any other artificial muscle would have failed, but their model kept operating.

The self-healing muscle is also energy efficient.

"It conserves about 70 percent of the energy you put into it," said Pei.

As the material contracts after an expansion the rearranging of the carbon nanotubes generates a small electric current that can be captured and used to power another expansion or stored in a battery.

Scientists in Japan charge batteries from ocean waves using the same idea. Other scientists have speculated that the artificial muscle could be used to capture wind energy.

"The way he's put these carbon nanotubes together is really quite innovative," said Kwang Kim, a material scientist at the University of Reno who was not involved in the research. "Some people want to use this to charge their batteries."

The research appeared in the January issue of Advanced Materials..

[LendaL]

I swear i found this on CBSnews.com

Things You Didn't Know About Your *bleep*

Mar 18, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(WebMD) Here are some things you might have wondered about your *bleep*, but were
afraid to ask.

No. 1: Your *bleep* Does Have a Mind of Its Own

You've probably noticed that your *bleep* often does its own thing. You may remember times when it was completely inappropriate to have an erection; and yet you couldn't wish it away.

It's true that you have less command over your *bleep* than body parts like your arms and legs. That's because the *bleep* answers to a part of the nervous system that's not always under your conscious control. This is called the autonomic nervous system, which also regulates heart rate and blood pressure.

Sexual arousal usually isn't voluntary. The conscious mind is complicit in it, but a lot of sexual arousal goes on in the sympathetic nervous system. In addition, impulses from the brain during the REM phase of sleep cause erections, whether you're dreaming about sex or about a test you forgot to study for. Heavy lifting or straining to have a bowel movement can also produce an erection.

Just as the *bleep* grows without your consent, sometimes it shrinks. "The flaccid *bleep* varies in size considerably within a given man," says Drogo Montague, MD, a urologist at the Cleveland Clinic. Exposure to cold water or air makes your *bleep* shrink. That's a function of the sympathetic nervous system.

Psychological stress also involves the sympathetic nervous system, and stress has the same effect as a cold shower, Montague says. When you're relaxed and feeling well, your flaccid *bleep* looks bigger than when you're stressed out.

The *bleep* is "kind of a barometer of the sympathetic nervous system," Montague says. So the greeting, "How's it hanging?" is more apt than you might have realized.

No. 2: Your *bleep* May Be a 'Grower' or a 'Show-er'

Among men, there is no consistent relationship between the size of the flaccid *bleep* and its full erect length.

In one study of 80 men, researchers found that increases from flaccid to erect lengths ranged widely, from less than a quarter inch to 3.5 inches longer.

Whatever the clinical significance of these data may be, the locker-room significance is considerable. You can't assume that a dude with a big limp *bleep* gets much bigger with an erection. And the guy whose *bleep* looks tiny could surprise you with a big erection.

An analysis of more than thousand measurements taken by sex researcher Alfred Kinsey shows that shorter flaccid penises tend to gain about twice as much length as longer flaccid penises.

A *bleep* that doesn't gain much length with an erection has become known as a "show-er," and a *bleep* that gains a lot is said to be a "grower." These are not medical terms, and there aren't scientifically established thresholds for what's a show-er or a grower.

Kinsey's data suggest that most penises aren't extreme show-ers or growers. About 12 percent of penises gained one-third or less of their total length with an erection, and about 7 percent doubled in length when erect.

No. 3: Your *bleep* Is Shaped Like a Boomerang

Your *bleep* is shaped like a boomerang. Just like you don't see all of a big oak tree above ground, you don't see the root of your *bleep* tucked up inside your pelvis and attached to your pubic bone.

In an MRI picture, the *bleep* looks distinctly boomerang-like, as noted by a French researcher who studied men and women having sex inside an MRI scanner.

One method of surgical "*bleep* enlargement" is to cut the ligament that holds the root of the *bleep* up inside the pelvis. This operation may give some men a little extra length if more of the *bleep* protrudes from the body, but there are side effects. This ligament, called the suspensory ligament, makes an erection sturdy. With that ligament cut, the erect *bleep* loses its upward angle and it wobbles at the base. The lack of sturdiness can lead to injury.

No. 4: You Can Break Your *bleep*

There is no "*bleep* bone," but you can break your *bleep* all the same. It's called penile fracture, and it's not a subtle injury. When it happens, there's "an audible pop or snap," Montague says. Then the *bleep* turns black and blue. And there's terrible pain.

Penile fracture is rare, and it typically happens to younger men because their erections tend to be quite rigid.

Here's how to avoid penile fracture: don't use your *bleep* too roughly. A common way that penile fracture happens, Montague says, is when a man is thrusting too hard and fast during sex, and slams into his partner's pubic bone. Also, a woman who moves wildly while on top of a man during sex can break a man's *bleep*.

Peyronie's syndrome is a related condition that tends to show up more in older men, Montague says. An older man's erection may not be as rigid, but still is hard enough for sex. Over time, if the *bleep* bends too much a certain way during sex, small tears in the tissue can form scars, and the accumulated scar tissue gives the *bleep* an abnormally curved shape.

Not all *bleep* curvature is a problem, however. "There is a lot of variability in what normal is," Cummings says.

No. 5: Most Penises in the World Are Uncut

A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV /AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that worldwide only 30 percent of males aged 15 and up are circumcised.

Rates vary greatly depending upon religion and nationality. Almost all Jewish and Muslim males in the world have circumcised penises, and together they account for about 70 percent of all circumcised males globally.

The United States has the highest proportion of males circumcised for non-religious reasons. A whopping 75 percent of non-Jewish, non-Muslim American men are circumcised. Compare that to Canada, where only 30% are. In the U.K. it's 20 percent; in Australia it's merely 6 percent.

The practice of circumcising baby boys for medical and cosmetic reasons has become controversial in the U.S. But recently the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UUNAIDS recommended circumcision for adult men, based upon evidence that men with circumcised penises have a lower risk of being infected with HIV.

The CDC estimates that about 65 percent of all newborn boys get circumcised in the U.S.


..i dont think i have read so many crazy comments on an article in my life!..

[I have a tatoo on my unit. Sometimes it says "Shorty". And sometimes it says "Shorty''''''''s Bar and Grill Tallahassee, Tennessee" ]
[Posted by shanev137 at 05:26 PM : Mar 19, 2008]

what''''s the size of the typeface?

Posted by bobnjersey at 05:35 PM : Mar 19, 2008
Must be 4 pitch, but nobody reads fine print anymore!

LOL! (just kidding shane).
****************************************
It is the only organ that can be wrinkle free
in seconds.

Posted by rushlimpdrug at 05:12 PM : Mar 19, 2008

*****************************************
Mine is only 2 inches.....
....from the FLOOR!

Posted by easeup at 04:46 PM : Mar 19, 2008
I won''t lie, mine is only 6 inches.

of course where I come from we measured across not length.

Posted by Klingon69 at 04:57 PM : Mar 19, 2008

*************************************************
OK. Well, I''m sure there are thing''s that Mr.Whoopie does''nt know about me either, but we both appreciate a vertical smile so we get along just fine.

Posted by generey at 04:27 PM : Mar 19, 2008
****************************************************
..and my all time favorite:

Only in America, can an ordinary "D!ck"
grow up to be President!

Posted by exCoachKen at 02:14 PM : Mar 19, 2008

[jlb001]

I swear i found this on CBSnews.comNo. 4: You Can Break Your *bleep*

There is no "*bleep* bone," but you can break your *bleep* all the same. It's called penile fracture, and it's not a subtle injury. When it happens, there's "an audible pop or snap," Montague says. Then the *bleep* turns black and blue. And there's terrible pain.

happened to a friend of mine..... at the time, i thought he was lying... but, later found out it does happen.

but as he and his wife was being intimate..... she was on top and facing him.... then, without warning... fell backwards (i guess in was in the heat of the moment)

but he said there was a pretty loud "pop" sound.... along with some terrible pain.

put him out of commission for some MONTHS.

BUT, YES..... SHE BROKE HIS WEE-WEE.

[fire_fighter_rick]

did anyone here about the manta ray that jumped into somebody's boat and killed the lady?

[LendaL]

Money Lost In Internet Scams Hits New High

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2008
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(CBS/AP) Money lost in Internet crimes hit a new high last year, topping about $240 million, according to a government report showing increases in scams involving pets, check-cashing schemes and online dating.

The number of reported Internet scams dropped slightly from previous years, but the total lost jumped by $40 million, according to the report released Thursday by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

The report, based on data from the Internet Crime Complaint Center, shows that more men than women were scammed over the Internet. The average loss for men was $765; for women, $552.

The report also shows the amounts lost increased with age. Victims in their 20s lost $385 on average while people over 60 reported lost an average $760 per scam.

The jump in money lost online might be due to new scheming techniques and generally more expensive electronic items being purchased online, said John Hambrick, a spokesman for the Internet Crime Complaint Center.

"Contrary to what a lot of people think, you're more likely to be tricked into giving up your money than hacked," says CBS News technology analyst Larry Magid. "While there are ways for crooks to break into your computer, the more likely scenario is for them to trick people into giving up passwords, donating to fake charities or buying products that are worthless or will never be delivered. Basically it's old fashioned low-tech crime being applied to a high-tech environment."
The report cites repeated increases over the years in pet scams, online dating fraud, unsolicited e-mail known as spam and "phishing," in which scammers send phony e-mails to retrieve consumers' personal or financial information.

The most common crime reported was auction fraud, in which consumers did not get the right merchandise they paid for.

A consumer might "pay $25 for a DVD that somebody actually recorded in the back of a movie theater," said FBI spokeswoman Cathy Milhoan.

The second most common crime was through non-delivery of a purchased good, followed by confidence fraud, in which scammers ask consumers to rely on them, resulting in a financial lost.

Many cases of crime involve scammers asking for charity relating to natural disasters or crises. Milhoan said scammers tried to profit from the Interstate 35 bridge collapse in Minnesota last year, in which 13 people were killed.

"The scammer tries to prey on victims who are kind of in tune with what's going on in the world," she said. "The scam changes, but ultimately they're preying on the good will of people."

Among complaints of a reported money loss, more than half involved a loss of less than $1,000. About a third reported losses between $1,000 and $5,000.

[LendaL]

wow here is a nice phishing scheme..dont even use BOA..smh
Subject: Bank Of America Online Alert : Verify Your Information
From: "Bank Of America INC." <security.bankofamerica.com@host98.hrwebservices.net<
Im guessing their email addy really doesnt look like that
Date: Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:54:06 -0400

..-All scammers need to have spell check on their pc's or they should at least take lessons on how a letter should be written-

Dear  member
  During our usual security enhancement protocol, we observed multiple login attempt error while login in to your online banking account. We have believed that someone other than you is trying to access your account for security reasons, we have temporarily suspend your account and your access to online banking and will be restricted if you fail to update.
 
 To get started :
 
  > Log on to  https://www.bankofamerica.com/privacy/update.jsp <riiiiiiiiiiight...

 Please Note:
If we do no receive the appropriate account verification within 48 hours, then we will assume this  Bank account is fraudulent and will be suspended. The purpose of this verification is to ensure that your bank account has not been fraudulently used and to combat the fraud from our community.(not mentioning they are perpetrators of said fraud