Self-Defense is Not Only Physical But Mental

I had never been afraid to live on my own, even at the age of 21, until someone tried to break into my single wide mobile home at 3:00 in the morning. Not having any self-defense weapons in the house, nor any self-defense training, I could not believe this was happening to me. After he had tried and failed to open any windows, he blatantly knocked on my front door, demanding I let him in. Not knowing who it was, I refused to open the door, at which he became ballistic and pulled up on one of the roll out windows on the door, breaking it. I had just received the operator after dialing 911, but I panicked after hearing the window break, dropping the phone. My German Shepherd was chained up several feet away from the back of the house. I ran out the back door, flew across the gravel and let her loose. She had already been barking, so she knew he was in the front and she ran around the house towards him. The intruder yelled something as he jumped off the front porch, ran to his car in the vacant lot next door and took off.

I did not even have a self-defense mentality. I merely acted out of panic and hope that my people friendly dog would actually protect me. I was lucky in this case.

I experienced a period of shock afterward, shaking uncontrollably. It left me angry and bitter towards men who choose to use their brawn to terrify and try to control women and intrude on their private refuge. I didn't realize at the time that a preplanned out strategy of self-dense could have given me the upper hand. It could have saved me years of being afraid to live alone again.

As it was, I was totally helpless mentally because I had not prepared myself for any self-defense situation coming my way. I did not see the possible assailant's face, causing me to look at every man for many weeks afterward as the potential perpetrator. The vicious sound of his voice demanding "LET ME IN" stayed in my head for several years. It was a long time before I started trusting men again.

There were actions I could have taken to possibly insure a positive outcome in this situation that I was not even aware of at the time. Instead, I did several things wrong:

1. Thinking anyone would ever want to break into my house and do me bodily damage had never entered my mind before this incident. I was really simple minded at that age to believe this, considering myself rather plain and tomboyish, and believing that only "beautiful" women were singled out for such an attack. The self-defense action here would have been to have a previous plan in place if this were ever to happen so I would be mentally prepared.

2. I didn't finish the call to 911. I didn't realize that to get through the door, the intruder would have also had to break through the screen, reach in and unlock the door, giving me plenty of time to make sure the police were on their way. The self-defense action here would have been to stay on the line with the operator until help arrived. Also, I should have known how secure my doors and windows were.

3. Although I trusted my German Shepherd to protect me, she was really not a protection dog and I should not have gone out the back door in case someone else was waiting out there. It was a bit of a run to the safety of the dog. The self-defense action here would have been to stay in the house and again stay on the phone until help arrived.

4. The only self-defense weapon in the house was a knife. It may have stopped him if he had gotten in, but chances are he would have over powered me, taken it away and possibly used it on me. A stun gun or pepper spray would have been a better self-defense weapon, causing an immediate debilitating effect on any intruder. Having some kind of non-lethal weapon or alarm system on hand or in place would have been the self-defense action that was missing. That action alone could have given me the confidence to know that if the intruder actually did get in my house, he would have regretted it.

I could have had a personal alarm system in place on the windows, a motion alert alarm or a door guard alarm set to scare off anyone touching the door knob. Any of these self-defenses could have saved me years of fear, given me confidence and security and might possibly have helped catch the perpetrator.

Today we have these means of protection. They are affordable and pepper sprays and stun guns are legal in most cities and states. However, be sure to check your local and state laws before buying. If a woman wants to live alone, she should and can feel safe and secure without the need to own a lethal gun. Some of the keys to self-defense are:

a. Plan ahead and even have back-up plans.

b. Have a non-lethal self-defense weapon easily accessible and know how to use it.

c. Have your dog in the house with you at night, and

d. Practice, practice, practice. Come up with possible scenarios and practice how to use your self-defense weapon until it becomes second nature. Know that IF a perpetrator WERE to invade your home and sanctuary while you are home alone, HE would regret it and wind up being the victim, not you.

Karleen Lindsey is a proponent for women's safety without the use of deadly weapons. To receive 20% off of your first purchase over $10, check out her products to protect women and particularly home safety, using coupon code 3254

Tags: defending self, home security, keep women safe, non lethal self defense products, non-lethal self defense weapons, non-lethal weapons, pepper spray, safety products, self defense, self defense products, self-defense actions, stun guns, women's safety

March 01 2010 | home security | No Comments »

Consider Night Vision CCTV For Home Security

Seeing in the dark outside at night is never going to be a real skill that a human can attain, unfortunately. Our eyesight is limited within the electromagnetic spectrum which we know and recognize as visible light. We can only see outwith this range by utilizing equipment that allows us to capture non-visible sources of electromagnetic radiation referred to as infrared light.

Several CCTV cameras today are able to project infrared light utilizing several LED illuminators. Any time this power is joined with CCD sensors effective at recording the infrared light spectrum, you accomplish what is refered to as nighttime vision.

CCTV cameras utilizing nighttime vision features permit you to see in total darkness. Quite a few night vision cameras are designed for delivering detailed video irrespective of lighting conditions. When required, night time vision security camera systems automatically switch to infrared mode without the need of human involvement.

Generally there are 4 considerations to make note of when handling night time vision security camera systems. Distance, resolution, light pollution and also sensor category.

Numerous cameras list their capability to project infrared light at great distances. Prior to paying out money on a camera that boast such feats, understand that even tough a camera can illuminate an item which may be far away, it's likely that you are not going to manage to make out what that object might be (unless you are utilising a camera which has a zoom function). It is actually better to invest your hard earned money on a higher resolution camera which has a lesser infrared functionality.

A car will need to get inside 50 feet of a night vision camera in order to properly establish the actual make and design (forget about color with an infrared security camera, the vehicle will consistently be a hue associated with green). An individual must be inside of Twenty five feet of the security camera to form an effective Identification.

The majority of security camera systems with IR illumination will have a reach that is at least twenty five feet - meaning that focus really should be upon bumping up your image detail or resolution so as to have a much better chance of identifying the subject.

Bear in mind the resolution of the camera must be matched with a recording system that has the capability of recording it. If your camera features 480 lines of resolution, whilst your Digital recording device can only record 320 lines of resolution, you will be losing the benefit of the larger resolution.

Another matter is light pollution. Many open-air areas can be lit during the night time. At times by rather robust light sources. Be cautious not to set your night vision security camera close to such light sources, as it will interfere with the actual sensors and could generate undesirable artifacts in the recorded video.

Night time vision can be a crucial function for any out of doors CCTV application. In picking your camera, make certain that it features built-in infrared illumination as well as a CCD sensor.

Cameras with CMOS sensors don't be as good in the dark, as a result I would recommend that you avoid these for out of doors applications. In addition look for a camera with an IP55 designation that indicates that your camera is very well suitable to be used in moist and also dusty conditions.

Learn more about the night vision cctv and night vision camera.

Tags: cctv, cctv cameras, home security, night vision, night vision cameras, night vision cctv, security

March 01 2010 | home security | No Comments »