PRESS RELEASE

WomenOnGuard.com Donates Pepper Spray Again, This Time to Louisiana

WomenOnGuard.com donated pepper spray to the Metropolitan Center for Women & Children (Metro), in Jefferson, Louisiana. This is just the latest pepper spray donation of many since the Fall of 2007.

Indian Beach, NC August 18, 2008. WomenOnGuard.com donates self defense products to a different sexual assault women’s crisis center around the country on a monthly basis. WomenOnGuard.com is a website that sells non-lethal, self defense products such as Mace, pepper spray, stun guns, Taser products, personal alarms and home protection products. This website includes hotlines, safety tips, helpful links and a Blog.

Metro was started in 1986. They provide services to the survivors of stalking, rape and domestic violence victims. The Center, which is located in Jefferson, LA, provides services throughout the Greater New Orleans Area. Women can call their 24-hour line for emergency counseling and assistance. Metro staff and volunteers are trained in crisis intervention and can offer limited placement in emergency shelters and make appropriate referrals. Metro also offers individual counseling services as well as group, children’s counseling and emotional support. They also assist in legal rights and court proceedings.

Susan Eaton, Co-Owner of WomenOnGuard.com stated that the website chose New Orleans for their donation recipient of the month because of the escalating violent crimes in the city. Some information published not long ago by The Violence Policy Center in Washington, DC, ranked Louisiana as 3rd in rate of women murdered by men in the nation. Susan stated, “New Orleans has had days where 3 or more murders occur in their streets. Actually, pre-trial motions are expected to start for Louis Lamonica. He is a former pastor and one of seven members of the Hosanna Church who face rape charges.” In general, the state of Louisiana has had an increase in crime, especially after Katrina. She stated that women are unfortunately some of the victims of murder, sexual assault and domestic violence.

WomenOnGuard.com’s owners Susan Eaton and Martha Z. Martinez decided to start donating pepper spray, a year after their website was launched. Martha stated that it was just the most natural path to take for a company that sells non-lethal, self defense products. “We decided to donate pepper spray instead of money, simply because, victims would be able to use these products and protect themselves immediately. We wanted to help the victims directly. We have donated to 11 crisis centers so far and plan to continue donating for as long as we need to. Right now, our focus is on a different state each month.” She stated. Martha went on to say, “We want to spread the word to women, that they can purchase non-lethal, self defense products without having to walk into a gun shop. We also want to point out that we chose non-lethal products, because sometimes weapons are turned against the victims that carry them. It is better to be sprayed with pepper spray, stunned with a stun gun or tasered with a Taser, than to be killed by your own gun. WomenOnGuard.com stands for less crime in this country, not more crime.”

Message Boards Lack Women Crime Category

While surfing many forums and message boards on the internet for a while now, I've noticed that NONE offer crime related topics. I've noticed that all women targeted websites only have topics such as; beauty, health, parenting, relationships, dieting, etc. None of these female targeted websites offer a forum on crime or safety. Why is this? Don't they think that women should discuss this? Do they all assume that we are just interested in beauty and dieting and that our husbands are the only ones that can protect us? Women are being raped or killed in this country, in epidemic proportions! I don't know about you, but I think this topic should be discussed more often, especially on websites that advertise predominantly toward females.

Chef Julia Child was a Civilian Spy

Who would of thought that the ever so polite, talented chef, who always enjoyed a cocktail with her delicious meals, was also a spy for the US Government.

Back during World War II, when the Nazis were threatening other countries, our government had nearly 24,000 military and civilian personnel employed who were spying for our country. Julia Child was one of them along with many other well known people, such as a son of Ernest Hemingway, sons of President Theodore Roosevelt and others. The organization was called the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). It was to later become the CIA. It was created by President Franklin Roosevelt. The members of this organization were responsible for studying military plans, create propaganda, infiltrate enemy ranks and stir resistance among enemy troops. The OSS was so secretive that the members were not even allowed to tell their own families about their involvement.

Killing For Honor

I'm sure you have read or heard about Honor Killings before...

In England it is getting out of hand with some communities having women getting killed for shaming their families. These communities murder their daughters either because she will not agree to marry who her parents plan for her to marry, she is no longer a virgin, she changes her religion, etc. The reasons for this honor related violence is limitless. For these communities, family honor is more important than a child. The parents and families of these women have them killed and sometimes even assist in the killings. In England there have been reports that around 17,000 of these cases have taken place and in London, they are starting an awareness campaign against Honor Killings. There is even a group of women who want "Forced Marriages" to become a criminal offense.

I wonder how many Honor Killings have occurred here, in certain communities, in the USA?

Outdoor Summer Fun, Pepper Spray Precautions

There are many things going on in the summer and most of them take place outdoors. As always, when you go out, take a self defense product with you. Of course there are precautions you need to take with all self defense products. Pepper spray is at the top of the list for precautionary measures when it pertains to heat. Be especially aware during the summer, that the spray is in a pressurized container (just like hairspray) and if it gets too hot, it can expand and break through the container, spreading pepper spray everywhere! When at the beach or pool, make sure to keep your pepper spray covered from the sun, if it is going to be exposed for a long period of time. Most pepper sprays are OK if they get wet, but it is not recommended that you submerge them in water. Another thing to remember is if you leave your pepper spray in the car, it is better to place it in the glove compartment or a place that is shaded at all times. If your car gets way too hot in the summer, it is recommended that you NOT leave the pepper spray in the car. If you are going to fly on a plane, remember that you will not be allowed to carry it on board, so leave your pepper spray at home. This is due to the Homeland Security issues. This is also why when you purchase pepper spray from WomenOnGuard.com, it reaches you via UPS or USPS ground service instead of air. The only product that WomenOnGuard.com can send via fast air mail is the Guardian Angel Pepper Spray. Due to it's unique container, it is not pressurized and it is not affected by heat.

Scientist Might be Able to Make Things and People Invisible

Scientists are stating that they are getting one step closer to making people and objects invisible! That's right, you read correctly. It has to do with some artificially engineered materials that redirect light around objects.

This might have a huge impact on military equipment and numerous other applications. I, of course, thought about how this might possibly be applied to civilian self defense products. I really don't know what the steps would be to accomplish this, but if it is simple, once they figure it out, the potential of this substance is enormous! Just think, anything could be made to be invisible... again, not just limited to objects, but people too. Cops could be observing you, without you knowing it, criminals might get a hold of it, people might start carrying invisible guns or weapons... Well you get the picture.

If you are interested in reading where I got this info, click on the title of this post.

Real Estates Agents Can Be Easy Targets For Attackers

With all the housing market stories flowing around, WomenOnGuard continues to bring attention to the issues that real estate agents face on a daily basis, sometimes several times a day. As you know, agents are always out and about and show houses to potential buyers all the time. Carrying self defense products is essential for this line of work.

The situation of real estate agents is unique in many ways. Talk about risky jobs, this is definitely one of them and where self defense products might come in handy. First, they usually don't know the person that they will be showing a home to. Second, more often than not, they show it alone without a partner or assistant. And third, many times the homes are unoccupied. These three circumstances can add up to a potentially dangerous job description for real estate agents, who become agents because they consider themselves good sales people and knowledgeable in the housing market. This danger is not very often spoken about, but is always on the minds of the real estate agents, while showing homes.

When the agent is a woman, it is even more of a safety issue. This danger is increased considerably if she is showing a home to a male buyer. As mentioned above, she usually would not know anything about this man, and she would usually show the house to him alone. Showing an empty house or condo is a perfect place for an assailant to commit a crime. They don't have to worry about witnesses and if they actually kill the agent, they don't have to worry about where to leave the body, since an empty house is the perfect place.

Occasionally you will hear in the news of cases where a real estate agent was raped or killed. This is no surprise, considering their unique situation. A real estate agent should always be conscience of their safety when showing homes and should always carry self defense products. This applies to male as well as female real estate agents and in small towns as well as large cities.

Sexual Assault Incidences are More Common Than You Think...

Rapes or sexual assaults are so common in this country, that the media doesn't bother to report them, unless it is a slow news day. I wondered how many stories were in the news today on "Sexual Assault". So I went to a website that I frequent to check on the news, Topix.net. I did a search for the words "Sexual Assault" and noticed that just in the stories posted within the last one hour there were 39 stories about sexual assaults. After that 39th story, the 40th story was posted over an hour prior to me seeing the list of my search result. There were all types of sexual assault stories. Some were stories of just reported sexual assault incidents, others were rulings in court cases, pedaphile cases, predator cases, phychiatrist assaulting patient, State Representative charged with sexual assault, the list goes on and on... 39 stories made it to the news in a time span of just one hour.

What is really sad, is that most cases are not reported, let alone, make it to the news! What is even more sad is that this is constantly going on and the public is so used to it, that nothing is done to resolve this problem. People say, "It just exists, there is nothing we can do about it...". As stated in WomenOnGuard.com's home page, "Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted." This information comes from RAINN.org (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network).

Obviously, something has got to change. We are in the 21st century and these incidences are as predominant today as they were centuries ago or maybe even worse. We need to have tougher laws and sentences for these assailants and not let these horrific crimes continue to affect future generations of women, children and also men.

Why Use Non-Lethal, Self Defense Products?

People's response to this question is usually the first obvious one; you don't kill your attacker. This is correct, but there is an even more important reason to use non-lethal, self defense products. This reason is not thought of as often but it is the most important of the reasons for me.

When a criminal attacks a person, most of the time, that person is not carrying a self defense weapon. But sometimes a potential victim does carry an item he or she uses to protect themselves and attempts to use it in self defense. Sometimes, potential victims that are armed with a self defense weapon or product, are overtaken by the attacker's strength and have their weapon taken away from them. This can obviously be a dangerous situation and one that you obviously want to avoid. But, it does happen and this is where having a non-lethal, self defense product becomes a better choice. More often than not, attackers will use your weapon against you. I'm sure you know the ending of this explanation... If you carry your non-lethal, self defense product such as a Taser and it is turned against you, you will NOT be killed. If you had a lethal weapon, such as a gun, in your possession, then you have a chance of being killed by your own weapon and it will probably only have your fingerprints on it.

There are other advantages to using non-lethal, self defense products:

The accidental discharge of the product or weapon by an innocent person or a child or by your own carelessness. Again, this is where it is important that the product you carry be non-lethal.

Another good reason to carry a non-lethal product is that if you unlawfully or carelessly use it on someone, the legal consequences aren't as harsh as if you would have killed someone!

You don't need a special permit to carry a non-lethal, self defense product. Firearms require you to get a conceal carry permit.

And last but not least, non-lethal, self defense products are usually cheaper than fire arms.

I don't know about you, but non-lethal, self defense products get my vote, hands down!

Man Arrested For Impersonating Marshal, Sexual Assaults

Reporter: Cayle Thompson

Wichita police have arrested a man they said impersonated a U.S. Marshal and sexually assaulted at least two women. Police discussed the arrest with reporters this morning.

Police believe 51-year-old David Gage met the women on "Craig's List" in the personals section. Officers said once the people met in person Gage would produce a badge and handheld scanner, then coerce the victims into having sex.

While police know of two cases, they believe there could be additional victims. If women have information about similar incidents they can call the Wichita Police Sex Crimes Division at (316) 268-4156.