Nowadays, anyone of us could be a victim of crime. You can’t stop a criminal from being a criminal instead, you will have to stop him from choosing you as a victim. Personal safety can be viewed as a pyramid. Each level not only increases your safety, but builds upon the level under it to create a cohesive and consistent whole. This way you have a solid structure, rather than a patchwork of “do this for this situation and that for another” answers for personal safety. Such a fragmented approach requires excessive work, inconvenience and, often, drastically altering your lifestyle. What’s worse is it still leaves opportunities and openings for you to be attacked. This pyramid is designed to work with your lifestyle, not change it.

Start from the bottom and work your way up. Each level takes you higher and keeps you safer. It does this by creating a consistent network that works simultaneously on several fronts. What will stop a burglar will also foil a stalker or a break-in rapist. What works to stop a mugger will also foil a serial rapist or carjacker. This consistency closes the gaps left by a fragmented approach gaps that crime and violence come through to enter your life.

The foundation that the pyramid stands upon is knowledge and understanding. This means knowing how the criminal and violent people think and what they need to succeed . Without this fundamental understanding, there can be no cohesiveness in what you do to protect yourself as well as your property.

Walk-aways are things that you do once and just walk away from. These are security measures that, once in place, serve as both deterrents and safeguards. Generally, these are things you can do around your home or business to discourage and foil break-ins. It does not only keep your home safe from burglary when you are not there, but serve as an early warning system against break-in when you are home. This becomes a critical element if you are in a stalker situation as home security walk-aways are your first line of defense.

Habits are those repetitive actions taken daily to ensure your safety. They are simple acts you train yourself to do that significantly decrease the chances of a criminal choosing you, or your property, as his target. They can range from remembering to enable your “walk-away” security measures (i.e. locking doors, windows and closing your drapes when you leave), never leaving your car running and unattended, to not leaving valuables in plain sight, to looking around when you enter a fringe area or before you reach your car Such habits are not difficult to ingrain and within a week or two become automatic.

Awareness is born of a blend of habits and knowledge. One part would be knowing where a mugger would lurk in a parking garage in order not to be seen by security personnel or potential victims. Having the habit of looking around and seeing if anyone is loitering in that spot when you enter the parking structure is the other. If you see known danger signs, turn around and go back, don’t walk into the lion’s jaws.

Maneuvering and positioning are knowing where you don’t want to be. There are positions from where an assailant can (and probably will) successfully attack you. If he (and his cohorts) can achieve these positions, your chances of effectively defending yourself are slim to none. And Slim left town. The violence will be swift, intense and aimed at your weak spots. Unless you are willing to commit extreme physical violence in self-defense do not allow this situation to develop. Positioning is a strategy game. It is the criminal trying to put you where he wants you and you moving so he can’t.

Knowledge of self-worth and boundaries is essential to not becoming the victim of crime and violence. Even if you have decided that you are not willing to use physical violence to defend yourself, until this point the pyramid still works. It is now however, important to realize that no matter what your decision about using physical self-defense to protect yourself that you have come to a crossroads. Aside from the obvious implications, when we use the terms knowledge of self-worth and boundaries, we also are including knowing how you think and how you are coming across.

Verbal boundary enforcement is communication. It is letting a would-be assailant know that you are aware of what is occurring and that you are committed to doing whatever it takes to protect yourself.

Physical self-defense is the last ditch effort. If it gets to this point through all the other levels, it has been forced here. You are justified to do what it takes to stop him. While some people choose not to participate in violence in order to defend themselves, others have no such qualms. Either choice carries responsibilities.

Source: Pyramid of Personal Safety

Shows you how to create a home security system on a shoe-string budget.

Your Home should be a safe place for you and your family. So, you must learn how to protect it from burglars through these simple steps:

1. Blend in. Conform to your neighborhood’s house and landscaping profile. Looking like the most expensive and elaborately designed home will call attention to burglars.

2. Put up visible deterrents. Post warning signs like “Beware of Dog” or “This Property Protected by XYZ Security System.” Install storm windows that are double-paned and difficult to break. Place lights, preferably motion-sensor types, in strategic corners around the house.

3. Get an alarm system. The monthly subscription is well worth the peace of mind.

4. Install sturdy locks and deadbolts, and use them. Remember to check if all the doors and windows are secure and properly locked. Pay close attention to bathroom windows, backdoors, cellar doors and garage access doors.

5. Use automatic timers to turn lights and radios on and off when you’re not home. This gives the impression that someone is home and deters intruders from breaking in.

6. Draw curtains, blinds or shades at nightfall; when it’s dark outside and the indoor lights are on, passersby (and thieves) can see inside and notice your expensive items and possessions.

Tips & Warnings
* Replace hollow doors with solid wood or reinforced steel, and install professional-grade door locks and deadbolts. Make your doors the toughest ones to kick in.

* Install several automatic timers in different rooms set at different hours to simulate the times you turn your lights on and off during the night. You can use them even when you’re at home.

Source: eHow Expert

What is automatic renewal?

The contract will renew unless the customer tells the business before the cancellation deadline.

Who uses them?

Home-security monitoring, magazine subscriptions, satellite radio, computer security software, office equipment leases, lawn maintenance and apartment rentals. Some cell phone contracts will automatically extend the contract length if a customer upgrades service.

How do I cancel?

Look in the contract for the deadline. Typically, the customer must send notice by certified mail one to three months before the end of the term. To avoid missing the deadline, mark your calendar right away when you first sign the contract.

Why do businesses use automatic renewals?

It’s easier to keep customers on board. Customers don’t have to go through the paperwork hassle of extending the contract, and they’re less likely to shop around with competing companies.

What if I’m moving soon?

Look closely at the contract to see whether you must pay a cancellation fee or be on the hook for the entire term of the contract renewal. If the renewal term will be for a year and you think you’ll be moving in three months, try to negotiate a shorter renewal term. Make sure you get it in writing.

Source: Florida Times-Union Jacksonville.com

Keeping burglars outside is an important concern for most homeowners. That’s why it is very important to put a most secured locks and bolts on your doors and windows since these are their major source of entrance upon invading your home.

The following are the secured locks for your doors and windows:

Sliding window lock

Keyed sash lock

Window latch

Sliding window latch

Keyed patio door lock

Patio door pin

Patio door bar

Deadbolt

Source: Home Tips

Laptops are being banned for travelers between US and United Kingdom. So it is advised it should be packed and checked with the rest of the luggage where it will be out of your sight, and tossed around without regard for its contents. To ensure it is protected and will arrive at your destination safe. The following are the tips for your laptop’s protection:

1.Pad The Laptop: Make sure the laptop is packed as close to the middle of your luggage as possible. You should surround it with soft, cushiony clothing to buffer any bumps and collisions it may go through. For added protection, you can wrap it in bubble wrap or some other packing material.

2.Lock Your Luggage: To ensure your laptop doesn’t ‘accidentally fall out’ of your luggage en route, or otherwise find its way out of your luggage, you should use a TSA-approved luggage lock to secure your suitcase.

3.Back Up Data: Perform a backup of all critical or sensitive data before departing. Just in case your laptop does become damaged or lost, you don’t want to also lose your important files and information. You can buy a new laptop, but it is much harder to replace lost data.

4.Encrypt Your Data: Just in case your laptop should fall into unauthorized hands, you should make sure your hard drive is encrypted. If your company has not implemented any sort of enterprise-wide encryption solution, you can use an open source solution such as TrueCrypt to protect your data.

5.Document Identifying Information: In case your laptop does end up lost or stolen, you should be able to provide detailed information about the make, model, serial number and any other identifying information. You may need the information to file a claim with the airline or your insurance company, or to provide law enforcement.

6.Use Strong Passwords: Follow the advice in Creating Secure Passwords to make sure that your passwords can not be easily guessed or cracked if your laptop falls into the wrong hands.

7.Use a BIOS Password: Protecting your laptop with an operating system login and password is a good idea, but there are ways to circumvent that protection and gain access to the data still. For better protection, you should enable password protection at the BIOS level so that the laptop can not even be turned on without the correct password.

8.Implement Remote Data Protection: Another step you can take to make sure your data does not fall into the wrong hands is to look into products that will allow you to remotely destroy or erase the data on your laptop if it is lost or stolen. These products generally require that the unauthorized user connect to the Internet first in order for them to do their work though, so they are not a guarantee.

9.Use Portable Storage: To make sure you have the business critical PowerPoint presentation or Excel spreadsheet that you need to show your business partners in order to seal the multi-million dollar deal (or whatever other important files and documents might be on your laptp) you should carry a copy on a USB thumb drive or some other type of portable storage that you can hopefully carry on the plane with you.

10.Just Leave The Laptop At Home: When it comes to all of the hassles and all of the issues that can arise by checking your laptop as luggage, consider whether you really need to take it. You can carry your data or files on portable storage such as a CD, DVD or USB drive, or you can just email or FTP the data ahead of you. Then, you can borrow a desktop or laptop system once you are safely on the ground and at the office site you are visiting.