One tough old man!

China -- An 81-year-old man fought back in self-defense was reportedly able to send eight young would-be robbers fleeing in Hong Kong, according to monstersandcritics.com.

The man, identified as Mak, had finished his morning exercise when he was pushed to the ground in an underpass.

This has got to be one tough old guy... After all, three of the teenage attackers - between the ages of 15 and 19 - is said to have been given treatment at a hospital for cuts and bruises after the Sunday incident.

I sincerely hope these young punks have learned a lesson. In any case, I salute you, Mr "Mak Attack".

Martial arts and self-defense

There are so many cases where people have signed up for what they thought were the greatest martial arts/self-defense combo - only to find this is not the case.

When you have signed a contract for yourself and/or your child, then basically, you're stuck.

My advice? Be very wary of what sort of art you seek out, and above all - check all the fine prints before signing anything.

Here's a case from orlandosentinel.com which ought to drive the point home...

A scary list

Idaho -- A convicted Ontario sex offender has allegedly made a list of 32 girls to "look up" once he gets out of jail. Now parents worry for their children's safety as the man is soon to be released.

One parent talked about how their kids in effect were prisoners. "we don't know what to do to make it better for them," the parent said.

Sheriff's deputies reportedly found a list the man had written. It was titled "people to look up". 32 local girls between the ages of 6 and 17 were on the list, including his original 15 year old victim.

In order to come up with his list, authorities alleges the man read newspaper articles about the girls. It is said the list is so detailed it that had everything short of an address to look these girls up.

And still we somehow tend to hang on to this all-to-prevalent idea about 'random violence'...

Make some noise!

"Jump up and down, scream and holler, do whatever – just remember, the more noise you make, the safer you will be!" This is a lesson given to five-year-old elementary school kids by an Ohio resource officer.

Recently, remembering the methods she learned at school, a young girl (9) escaped an abduction attempt in Middletown, Ohio, according to wlwt.com.

The girl's mother credits Officer Mike Davies with saving the girls life after she fought off the 6'8", 300-pound would-be abductor on June 6.

The mother said her daughter kicked and screamed and punched, and did everything she was told to do.

Apart from being a great story about the ability to fight back - this story also raises the question as to how and how early children should learn about this issues.

Some say children should be allowed to be children. It's hard to disagree with that, really. However, at one time these lessons has to be taught, and they should be presented in some shape or form - the earlier the better.

A secret password

Minnesota -- Two young Rochester students (first and second grade) said a man approached them Wednesday afternoon as they were walking to their day care after school according to kttc.com.

The unknown man reportedly told Isabel and her friend that they were supposed to go home with him. The two young girls ran away and made it home safely.

The youngest girl's mom says a code word may actually have saved the girls' lives. When the man told the girls they were supposed to go home with him, the second grader asked 'what's my password?' when he provided the wrong answer she started screaming and they ran away.

The girl and her mom picked out the code word just in case someone other than she had to pick her up.

The "puppy trap"

local6.com in Florida has conducted an experiment which shows how easy it is to lure children away using puppies. A chilling read indeed.

Story:
A controlled experiment outside Central Florida homes found that a stranger with puppies could easily lure children into leaving inside a van.

Armed with a van filled with hidden cameras, a producer posing as a stranger with two puppies pulled into a Seminole County neighborhood.

With the parents' permission and blessing, they began a stranger danger test. The first test involved a large group of children ranging in age from 4 to 8 years old.

It took less than a minute before the children not only came close to the van but and then piled inside.

A bite out of crime

Florida -- An attempted abduction happened Monday in a quiet subdivision of Deerfield Acres. The 11-year-old was walking on the side of his street when the suspect pulled over in an older model car.

The boy told authorities the man grabbed him by the collar, then wrapped his arm around his face. That's when this potential victim fought back the best way he knew how.

The boy said when he put his arm around his face he bit him on the arm and that's what caused him to turn him loose.

The boy started screaming and ran to his grandmother's house. The perpetrator jumped in his car and took off.

A simple lesson

I bet these Texas parents are more than happy they had their 9-year-old daughter Misty watch a self-defense lesson they saw on TV.

She remembered the lesson well, and a simple kick to the groin may possibly have saved her from being kidnapped, molested or even killed.

The young girl was approached by a man Tuesday at a playground in Allen, Dallas. She fought back hard when the perpetrator grabbed her - kicking, punching, screaming and running away.

The brave girl ran to a friend's house a few blocks away. "I ran. I ran as fast as I could. When I got to her house my heart was pounding so dang hard," the girl said.

You go, girl!

Source: Cbs11tv.com

A man of God ...

No jail?
I suppose it's because this religious man/creep is called Love (what a "fitting" name) ...

Story:
Alabama -- A Circuit Judge sentenced a 51-year-old Huntsville man to 15 years on each of three first-degree sodomy charges. But she followed the prosecutors' recommendation, ordering the man to spend five years on probation and undergo treatment in a sex offender program.

The an unordained minister pleaded guilty to charges of sodomizing three young boys he and his wife adopted. In exchange for the guilty pleas, the prosecution dropped ten counts of sodomy and three counts of sexual abuse against Love.

The man allegedly abused the boys multiple times over several years. The boys are now 13, 14 and 16.

Source

A brave lad

We can always argue if it is smart to fight back against armed robbers. Still, this is one brave young man!

Story:
UK -- A boy fought off a gang of masked robbers who burst into his home and attacked his father with Samurai swords.

15-year-old Craig smashed a glass coffee table over the back of one of the raiders as he slashed at his father. The father was struggling with the robber after three men burst into his home in Freehold, Rochdale.

The robbers, wearing balaclavas and dressed all in black, slipped into the house through the unlocked front door at about 10:30 p.m. But they fled empty-handed after being tackled by Craig.

Source

Teenagers face curfews

UK -- Teenagers could be subjected to curfews in London in an attempt to curb the surge in fatal stabbings, police revealed yesterday.

Ben Hitchcock became the latest victim of a wave of knife attacks affecting the capital and other inner-city areas when he was beaten and stabbed in a fight between two groups of youths in south London, over the weekend.

The 16-year-old died after being attacked by a gang of 20 youths after he and a group of six friends had been banned from a party.

The officer who is heading the murder investigation, revealed yesterday that the imposition of curfews was "an option being considered" in an attempt to tackle the mounting violence.

Source

Offenders are getting younger

California -- Courts have seen the number of sex offense cases involving juvenile offenders rise dramatically in recent years, an Associated Press review of national statistics found, and treatment professionals say the offenders are getting younger and the crimes more violent.

Some psychologists blame the increase - 40 percent over two decades - on a society saturated with sex and violence and the fact that many of the accused were themselves victims of adult sexual predators. Others say there aren't more children committing such crimes, there is simply more awareness, better reporting and a general hysteria about sex offenders.

The number of children under 18 accused of forcible rape, violent and nonviolent sex offenses has steadily risen, from 24,100 children in 1985 to 33,800 in 2004, the AP's analysis found. Violent offenses include attempted rape and sexual assault, while nonviolent offenses including fondling, statutory rape and prostitution.

Source

Police recommend self-defense

UK -- Police recommend self-defence lessons after pupils admit to feeling fearful of being attacked.

Self-defence lessons should be offered to young girls who live in daily fear of being beaten up, according to police, following a survey of 12 and 13-year-olds in North Wales.

The results, published last week in the report Young People as Victims of Crime, show that girls worry more about becoming victims than boys.

Police claim that young girls' stress is largely unfounded, with pupils more likely to be threatened than attacked.

Source

Shout!

New York -- A man yanked a 9-year-old girl off the street in Melville Thursday evening, drove her a quarter of a mile, then released her, Suffolk County police said.

Police said they weren’t sure why the man released the girl, but they surmised it was because the child was screaming loudly.

Her mother had taught the girl to make noise if she was in harm's way, and police said they believe this may have saved her.

Source

Alcohol

I may enjoy a drink or two now and then - more and more seldom I might add. Still I have no problem seeing the potential dangers connected with alcohol consumption.

Story:
Guam -- Alcohol is the number one drug of choice among Guam's adolescents, and used by more young adults than any other illicit drug.

According to recent studies published in the medical journal, The Lancet, alcohol ranks among the five most dangerous drugs in our society. It has been ranked as being more dangerous than illegal drugs like marijuana or ecstasy.

Source

Internet predators

The (Australian) federal government body NetAlert, along with ninemsn, have done a survey, showing that boys were more willing to share information and more trusting of people they met online than girls.

Subsequently they have warned parents their sons are just as likely to be preyed on by internet predators as their daughters.

A NetAlert spokesperson have stated that "(...) boys are just as much at risk from online dangers, including predators, as girls."

Source

A kid will remember

It could be wise to reflect on this story, next time an adult wonders if a child simply makes up a story. We may begin to wonder since a child seemingly remembers so many details.
Yes, a few kids make up a story to get attention, or cover up something else. Most however, do not.

Story:
On a Monday night in January, Mitchell Hults received a phone call from his friend's dad. "He called me and asked if I'd seen Ben or if Ben had been on the bus," says Mitchell, 15, of Beaufort, Mo.

Mitchell had seen Ben Ownby on the school bus. He also saw something unusual when Ben got off the bus -- a strange white pickup truck.

"I know pretty much all the cars that come down here," Mitchell says of the rural area in which he lives.

Mitchell told Ben's dad, and then the police, about the white pickup. He remembered it was a Nissan, and even knew the places where the truck had dents and rust. He also remembered what his friend was wearing when he disappeared.

Ben, 13, had been kidnapped, but was found by police four days after his abduction, along with Shawn Hornbeck, 15, who vanished four years ago. Michael Devlin was arrested for kidnapping Ben and Shawn, and is in jail awaiting trial. Mitchell's description was a huge help, and two officers recalled it when they saw Devlin's truck.

It may seem surprising that a kid could remember so many details. But safety instructor Tom Patire wasn't surprised. "Adults have so much going through their minds, they get mixed up in the description," Patire says, whereas a kid will remember.

Source

Shock waves

The number of attempted child abductions in Northern Ireland has rocketed by more than 50% in two years, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

Incidents reported to police as 'attempted child abduction' totalled a shock 71 last year, compared to 49 in 2005 and 42 in 2004.

The figures sent shock waves through the community last night - with calls for more action to be taken to protect children.

Source

Girl violence

Pittsburgh schools police Chief Robert Fazden remembers a fight more than 10 years ago at Peabody High School, involving hundreds of students in the parking lot.

The size of the fight was daunting enough, but even more surprising to Fazden was that girls fought other girls alongside the boys -- and just as violently.

"They pull hair, scratch, and girl fights are very, very hard to break up," Fazden said. "You don't want to pull them apart and hurt them, but you don't want them to kill each other, either. Girls can be just as violent, or more violent, than the boys. Girls fighting has always been an issue for us. We see it every day."

According to national statistics, girls today are more violent than they were just five years ago. Arrests of girls under age 18 nationwide for crimes including aggravated and simple assaults are up 15 percent from 2001 to 2005. Girls account for about a quarter of total assaults committed by juveniles, compared with less than 10 percent in 1980.

Source

Hazards at work, 15

Minnesota -- A 15-year-old was charged Tuesday in the rape and robbery of a Star Tribune newspaper carrier.

The woman, in her 30s, was returning to her car after delivering newspapers about 3 a.m. Aug. 13 in Brooklyn Park when the teenager confronted her on his bike, according to the charges. Telling her he had a gun, he took her debit card and sexually touched her, a court document said.

When she said no, Johnson became angry and ordered her out of her car. He then beat her with a stick like those used in karate, the document said.

Source