Slashdot Mirror
The Urban Geek As A Mugger Magnet?
CGP314 writes "I live in London and whenever I travel around, I feel like a huge target for muggers. Usually I take my laptop, iPod, cell phone and occasionally a PDA around with me. As with many geeks, these items hold within them far more value to me than anything I leave behind in my apartment. So I would like to know what my fellow urban geeks do to try and keep their valuables safe while traveling with them. I've switched my iPod headphones from the distinctive white to a boring black as a means of camouflage; are there any other suggestions?"
I've felt this way many-a-time during middle and high school. I used to have locks on EVERYthing to prevent my stuff from being stolen.
Your ad here.
>"are there any other suggestions?"
Martial arts
btw; First post
Im not kidding get a Carry Concealed Weapon Permit.
Ditching the white earphones was a good first step - I would also suggest not using a fancy case to carry around your laptop - those leather targus bags just scream "look at me! expensive stuff here!"
It's not what you have, it's whether you look like an easy target or not. Look around as you walk, be alert, notice people and make sure they know you notice them, but don't stare. Don't slouch and stare at the ground.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Or at least a self-defense course.
People all over the world should be given the right, nay, the duty to defend themselves with lethal force from the worthless scum of the world.
I've been mugged several times myself, so please excuse my bitterness.
Is it more important to you to have these items on you while you're out, or is it more important to you that they be safe?
If the answer is that you must have them on you, then try to avoid "bad parts" of town and accept the fact that you're putting yourself in a dangerous position. Pray to your deity. Consider carrying a tazer.
If the answer is that you'd rather hang on to them for the long run, leave the damn things at home.
Living in cities with anything like a decent crime rate, I view mugging and / or damage to equipment that I carry regularly as inevitible, and plan accordingly. The data that my equipment carries far exceeds the cost of the equipment itself, so I try to keep backups of data on another machine at my house or in another location entirely.
I will say though, I was working at a convenience store a few years ago, and got held up at gun point while developing on my powerbook. All I could think about while handing them the money from the register was to position myself in exactly the right place so that the gunman couldn't see my laptop directly behind me. Ever since that close call, I've stuck to my "guns" when it comes to regular backups.
I totally agree, right now hoping to get a Glock 26 for CC. However, he lives in London. The UK has enacted a total gun ban, and consequently, violent crime rates have gone up. Way up. London, along with Paris, are now the crime capitals of the Western world. As a previous poster said, the best thing to do would be to leave London. I'd say not only leave London, but move to a region where self-defense isn't a crime.
Slashdot: Playing Favorites Since 1997
Exercise your 2nd amendment rights and obtain a concealed carry permit. Oh, wait..
Sorry guys, I couldn't resist, having noted that most of the early posts went the same way. I enjoy having mine. It's not the posessions so much as your life - Remember, when seconds count, help is only minutes away.
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
Life is too short to walk around worrying about muggers.
I think this has to be the worst ask slashdot yet.
How about not using your Ipod when you're walking around? You have to be less aware of your surroundings if you're drowning out the city noise with music, and any experienced mugger is going to know it. Crank the music up and anyone can easily sneak up behind you.
The other obvious thing is to not be obvious. Don't wear your PDA and Ipod and cell phone where it's obvious you have them. Buy a non-descript bag and carry all your stuff in that. And be sure the bag is securely attached to your person. Don't make it easy for someone to snatch and run.
Simply put, don't be a target. Carry yourself with the attitude that you aren't anyone's target, you belong exactly where you are, and know exactly what's going down.
Know what's going on around you at all times. Walking around any kinda of area where you could get mugged wearing any kind of earphones tells those watching that you have NO awareness of much of anything except what's right in front of you. Since you're a geek, maybe not even that.
Use the senses you were born with... if you hear something behind you, move first, ask questions later. See something that makes the hair on your neck bristle ahead? MOVE to the other side of the street. Don't take that shortcut down the isolated alley.
Vary your routes if you think you need to..
Above all, be aware of what's going on, and who's around you at all times.
Sig??? I don't need no stinkin Sig!
you know, i'd rather have my stuff stolen than live with shooting someone... even a crook.
A very noble statement - potentially taking the life of another human is a very sobering situation to have to consider living with.
As for myself, if I ever feel as if a threat to my life exists (i.e., violently accosted by a stranger), I've thought through and made my decision already...
I'm filling the sucker full of lead. My life is more important than a would-be criminal's.
...learning to walk properly.
There's a way of walking that just cries out "Oooh! I'm a victim! Pick me, pick me!"
There's another way of walking that says you know where you are and what you're doing. It says you're capable and confident. And it says that you're probably not going to roll over when mugged, and probably will make it more hassle than it's worth for what little you probably have on you.
You might find it enlightening to sit on a bench and watch the people pass by. Identify which ones look like targets, and which don't. Learn the difference.
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Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
I'd say not only leave London, but move to a region where self-defense isn't a crime.
Excuse me ?
This is the most stupid post I've read in weeks, and I have to reply.
First, I don't know where you have found your statistics, but if you ask anyone in the streets (take someone in Sweden or Italy if you want them to be neutral), they will tell you that they are much more afraid of violence in countries that allow people to carry weapons around (e.g. the USA) than in countries where it is not allowed, no matter what the Official Crime Rate is.
Personnally, I've already walked alone in Paris and in its subway at night. Whereas I would not say I was totally confortable (but even here in Switzerland, you can be aggressed if you are really not lucky), it is nothing compared to the feeling I'd get if I were to walk in streets where half the people would carry guns.
The second thing is, self-defense is not restricted to carrying guns. I'd be interested to know how many times people really defend themselves with their guns (and what is the ratio against "gun accidents" for instance). Plus, if all the "Honest People" carry guns, why wouldn't your aggressor ? Then if both have guns, who wins ? Do you start a duel in the middle of the street ?
There are many different kind of self-defense, and weapons are probably the most stupid one (because violence triggers violence). You can learn how to defend yourself physically (kick the balls, aim at the throat or the eyes, etc). You can carry non-deadly weapons (pepper spray, etc). You can try to always be part of a small group of people. You can run (no, really).
But don't come and tell us that deadly weapons such as guns make for a more secure, less violent city !
theefer
"One of the most serious problems in our schools in this country today is gang violence and the increasing frequency with which children are bringing guns to school. But then again, why WOULDN'T kids bring guns to school when we've always got the National Rifle Association telling us that the only way to protect yourself against crime is to always carry a gun with you everywhere you go."
In the old days, kids brought their rifles to school without problems. I guess it's the guns fault that they're having problems today.
Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
Agreed. It's all about attitude and confidence, and learning to project them both even if you don't actually *feel* confident the whole time.
I never use my mobile whilst I'm walking. If I get a call when I'm out, I take it but I stand to one side, just so I'm aware what's going on around me. I've also got a fairly naff MP3 player. Who really wants to carry their entire music collection around with them every day in an iPod?!
I've lived in London for ten years, travelled thousands of miles in the US by Greyhound, and spent a great deal of time in New York. I don't *feel* confident in most of those situations, but I've learned that looking pissed off is a useful way of projecting "don't come near me" at any wannabe attackers. If you've got that slight 'unknown' about you, they'll generally look elsewhere. I'd be fairly useless in any attack situation, but they don't *know* that, so I've avoided trouble to-date.
I've got an iPod, but I almost NEVER use it while walking. I tend to use it exclusively on the train or at work.
While walking, or for that matter cycling, I prefer to be tuned-into my surroundings.
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
What you want to do is to carry all your gadgets in a diaper bag. Yes, I'm serious. This is a time-tested technique. Nobody wants to steal a baby-blue or pink cute little bag full of shit.
Are you adequate?
The fundamental difference is that in Europe people don't fear the state. The state is something that they have selected and is there to look after them, provide healthcare etc. In the US the state is seen as a negative force mainly because all it does is provide an alphabet soup of agencies who send armed agents out to meddle in the lives of the people.
France has a standing army and a nuclear deterrent, and any nation with a permanent seat on the UN security council is a "relatively significant power".
Now, while i'm not in favour of just handing all our sovereignty over to the EU, I'd rather Britain were a founder member of the US of E than just another state in the US of A.
I would try to get into the habbit of backing up important files on something like a pen drive. You can easily slip it into your pocket and often the data on the computer is more valuable than the machine itself. CD and DVD burners are great but if you use a CDRW be sure to remove the disk between back ups. You don't want to be saying after it is stolen at least I backed it up only to realize the disk is still in the drive.
Last week a police officer was killed (stabbed by a suspect he was chasing) in the line of duty in Birmingham, UK. It was the biggest news story (front page of all papers, lead item on TV news, etc) for 24 hours.
In the US, how many police officers would have to die in a single incident to get that level of blanket news coverage? How many are shot and killed every week?
Yet somehow most Americans buy into the myth that Britain is a more violent society than their own? Ignorance is bliss.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
1. wear a used arny jacket !!
...(i have a gym and a surfer backpack, the both suck for laptop)
... (i also bikeride a lot and it's just better not to rot into your helmet)
..
... or look like a geek that might carry a remote controlled nuke in the backpack ...
... speaking hungarian (especially our tasty cursing ) seem to make some people think ...
... .. or whatever ...
... i never wash it, and try to keep it dirty (it's easy, just leave the sand in it from the beach, and throw chocolat papers and other crap on the floor)
...
.. i know i got into one once... and i wasn't the one who left the place running :)
:)
-warm with liner isn't without, looks crappy enough, but can look stylish (eg US alpha jacket - black)
2. use a crappy looking backpack, that hides the form of a laptop (my toshiba can be spotted in most of my backpacks
3. go to the gym/martial arts stuff (i am 6.3'' and 87kilos (194pounds for all you ignorant non metrics)
4. shave your head -or wear very short (no i am not a skinhead) but it gives a nice aggression-level-boost to the most babyfaced person
5. wear your watch upside down if you have something high tech or a rolex - so only the belt shows
6. combat boots help, but even a pair of martens give a boost (the round nose ones) in the UK they are dirt chep at markets, even new (i do not like the metal insert martens - just gives you a too aggressive look, also only punks bouncers and alik wear them where i am from)
7. don't look like a geek
8. shout in a foreign language
and if it gets tight just hand it over and run
i agree an ipod or laptop does not worth getting stabbed, blinded, beaten
here in cr i also try to keep a low profile, i keep my bike dirty, and never change decals/stickers, the shittiest it looks the most likely no one touches it....
same with cars
on the other hand I am riding hours in the middle of nowhere and i know if someone comes with a gun i just take a walk home and not try to get into troubble, on the other hand if i see the opportunity to fight i will take the slightest chance to kick the hell out whoever tries to take my stuff
I know on the streets of london it is not an option, but protective gear (motocross) helps a lot in a fistfight
--
is it just me or are all the car drivers are asses
when you look from a bike
Better a live serf than a dead cowboy?
I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six!
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Bite Me Fanboy!!
Heh heh... This is why most geeks have problems getting hot dates! What you fail to understand is that if girls think you're already taken, that makes you more valuable, and therefore, more wanted.
In other words, if you're hanging with a bunch of guys at the local bar, you'll find it much more difficult to pick up a date than if you're there with a girl. So just go with some girl who's "just friends" with you, wait until she goes to the bathroom or something, and then go talk to that hot potential date who's there. I don't know why this works. After all, girls get pissed when you cheat on 'em, but if they think you'll dump some other girl for them, that turns 'em on. But then, girls don't make any sense anyway.
Yes I admit we owe you for your support in WW2, especially as it was so timely!
The nice life the French have was bought and paid for with Russian blood and don't kid yourself. The USA lost 500,000 men in the entire war, both in the Pacific and Europe. Russia lost over 13 million against Germany alone.
Likewise the European powers lost over 2 million, not including civillians.
Furthermore, your economy only started to recover from its disasterous nosedive thanks to the start of the war and the corresponding increase in European military spending.
And, as for the level of safety felt by most Londoners. I have lived there all my life and visited New York, and the difference in atmosphere was negligible, both were equally safe in my view, the difference being that I know that the majority of people do not carry guns;
Fewer guns=lower probability of being shot
In shepards bush/acton you can't swing a cat without hitting 3 or 4 antiopodean backpackers (young people from SA, NZ, AU). These areas are very safe, I used to live there. Finsbury, Streatham.... well, you have a point there!
Violent attacks usually start with a clothesline from behind -- you fall on your face, crushing your nose and breaking some teeth. Then you're in so much pain that you can't fight back. This goes for muggings, rapes, and good old-fashioned assaults. But if you can break your fall, you're in a much better position to defend yourself.
yes but the probability game is best played in the specific case; namely, it doesn't matter a whole lot to me if there is a lower probability of getting shot in GB if I'm still in the P(get_shot) == true pile; I'd rather assure that my probability is as low as possible. [selfish American!]
Enter our beloved 4th Amendment.
That probability goes way down with handgun ownership.
This is true across America: communities where there are CCW laws have consistently lower crime rates.
PS: Once we saw the Zimmerman Memo, we were in. And there you go again... if we defer til we are certain, then we get snipped at by the Euros. If we step forward where we are concerned of a gathering threat, again(!), we get sniped at by the Euros. Just. Can't. Win.
Seriously.
What can you do? Camouflaging your equipment isn't going to make the way you handle and treat those items any more inconspicuous.
And trying to fight them off will get you hurt or your equipment damaged.
You can only run, and the faster you are the better.
Either that, or stop carrying so much expensive shit around
your thin skin doesn't make me a troll
I'm pretty sure this has all been said before, but I'll try to put it in one place. This is an issue I think about a fair bit, because I'm a computer science grad student and wannabe photographer. Which is to say that I have some stuff that's worth stealing, but am also broke enough that I'd really miss it.
1. Don't carry valuables in a way that makes them identifiable. For example, don't use computer bags, iPod cases, and whatnot. Get a protective sleeve for your laptop and toss it in an ordinary backpack. Stick your iPod (or, in my case, ancient Rio) in a pocket. A backpack crammed with expensive electronic toys looks the same as one full of books and old tin cans.
2. Don't act or look like a good victim. Carrying yourself properly is a whole discussion in itself, so I won't even really try to cover it.
3. Don't dress or act like you've got money. You should be above status symbols anyway, but if you're not, here's another incentive.
4. Remember that your data's probably worth more than your equipment. Always keep good backups, especially for mobile devices. If your data is sensitive, either keep in encrypted or don't put it on portable devices in the first place.
5. Get insurance. Find out what your homeowner's (or renter's) insurance covers, and fork over the extra for "scheduled item" coverage on your portable valuables. I do a lot of photography, and it's infinitely more relaxing to know that if something happens to my stuff, I don't have to worry. The extra cost is somewhere around a couple % of the insured value anually, and the peace of mind is worth it. Good policies even cover accidental loss and breakage, so you're protected from your own stupidity up to a point.
6. If someone *does* mug you, just give them the damned stuff. It's not worth getting hurt over. If you've done 4 and 5, it won't even be that big a deal. But even if you haven't, it's just stuff.
This will sound a bit nuts, but I went to school in the inner city. I used to get my butt kicked on a regular basis having to go through rough neighborhoods because of the color of my skin.
Then an old man in that neighborhood gave me some good advice:
"Run, never walk. If you're running they'll either be too slow to react to mess with you or they'll think you're running from the cops and don't want anything to do with you"
I tried it, it worked. The same thing is true of any other sketchy place in the world I've been.
It'll get your lazzy hump into shape quick. Not the most practical in dress shoes, but kept my butt from being black and blue.
1) Backup your data
2) Get Insurance
3) Profit!
Seriously, no matter how depraved the criminal, it comes off as equally as depraved to value your iPod more than a human life -- after all, isn't that what you're ostensibly defending against -- someone who values your iPod more than YOUR life? If it really was your life they were after, that's an even trade, but clearly, what they're after is your stuff, not your life, so taking a life in order to protect your gizmo is the same trade the criminal is making.
Get insurance, take reasonable precautions (like, maybe, don't carry around $6,500 in electro-goodies at 3:30AM in Brixton) and when someone tries to mug you, look at it as an upgrade opportunity. That's what insurance is for and it's cheaper than the lawyer it will take to keep you out of pound-me-in-the-ass-prison when the muggers family sues you for manslaughter.
At the end of the day there's a simple equation: carry around only what you are willing to lose either by accident or by force -- essentially, nothing worth more than you'd be comfortable carrying in your wallet. If it's insured, assume you're carrying your deductible, so $10,000 in stuff is like $500 in cash. When it comes down to $500 or a human life, you'd have to be an absolute barbarian to kill for it.
The comments here so far have concentrated on face-to-face encounters with muggers, but pickpockets are probably a bigger threat in London. If you pull out your wallet, gameboy, PDA, etc on the Tube, sooner or later someone will notice where you stashed it in your bag, get behind you on the escalator, and pilfer it. You will never know. Pickpockets are good at what they do, even some of the most streetwise Londoners I know have been pickpocketed.
Maybe you should get one of those belt chains that were fashionable for wallets a while back, and use them for your PDA and Ipod. Use some superglue and one of those things they use to secure computers to desks if there's no other way to attach it. It won't stop muggers (and if you're too flashy about the chains, it might attract them), but it will stop pickpockets and grab-and-run thieves, including those gypsies that come up to you when you're at a restaurant with some card that explains their sob story (which is just a distraction to pour the objects on the table into their bag).
Everyone I knew in London (myself included) has been a victim of crime there. Chances are, you'll eventually join their ranks.
>All of this is pure bullshit.
Researchers have shown videos of people walking on the street to imprisoned muggers. The researchers asked each mugger which pedestrian he would pick as a target.
The muggers's answers were almost perfectly correlated. Like any predator they begin by sizing up their target. Like any businessman they want transactions to go smoothly. They will target people who are unaware of their surroundings and likely to freeze like a deer in the headlights.
TWO MAJOR RULES
1. Try to avoid the fringes of populated areas. The middle of a crowd is full of witnesses and obstacles. The deserted area far outside a crowd doesn't have enough targets. Muggers will cluster in that in-between zone.
2. If you get an irrational feeling of danger, for no perceptible or logical reason, ACT ON IT. Your mind does tons of processing outside your conscious awareness. Don't stay in a situation because you "know" it's OK if your instincts tell you otherwise.
Over and over, victims of violent crime report that they felt uneasy or had a hunch something was wrong before they were attacked. Those feelings come from a security mechanism with hundreds of millions of years of R&D behind it. Honor that mechanism.
If you're out with a significant other, make a deal ahead of time that if either of you whispers "we need to leave here *now*" you'll zip out with no discussion.
.. you discover that you're a fat, balding computer geek who get's out of breath when climbing the stairs! The mind might be willing but the body sure as hell won't! :-)
- Move to a safer neighbourhood
- Don't carry all my stuff around with me
Just a thoughtMost people only seem to consider two options- 1) Blow muggers head off 2) Give them your cash
Heres my advice.
The first thing to do when walking in bad areas late at night is to strut. Get yourself into the frame of mind of "I'm a sex God", and try and act like it. If you can pull it off, most men will become subservient to you. (... and woman will see this and find you attractive, regardless of how ugly you are).
This works because you are essentially conveying the message that you are an Alpha Male, and has a huge low level psychological effect on other men. You can't fake this (as it relies on many subtle things like pheremones), but if you can get yourself into the right frame of mind it works. (Not to mention woman will start to chat YOU up)
Chances are, most slashdot geeks have been on the receiving end of it, so you know how it affects you physically and psychologically . (In my case it helps that I'm 6'5 and work out at the gym).
As a plan B, I carry a fake wallet around with about $10 in it and some old expired credit cards etc. Since I carry nothing else of value on me (Except my Nokia 3315, which is only worth $AU99), I can just throw the wallet a few metres away (to distract them) and run. Both partys win.
Lemme see if I've got this right.
You are more offended at the idea that the parent assumed that most geeks were white than you are at the idea that by darkening one's skin, one would be less likely to be a victim?
Bizarro.
Maybe this'll help you sleep at night: the short answer to your question is, "yes, the vast majority geeks are Caucasian (which includes Indians) or Asian; there are very few black geeks (relatively speaking)." There are also very few female geeks (relatively speaking) but you don't hear the girls crying every time someone refers to some imagined (geeks == male) tautology.
I would never, ever consider moving somewhere where I couldn't. It just demonstrates a government's utter contempt for its citizenry. I guess we'll never be neighbors.
Actually, it demonstrates the British government's utter consideration it has for its citizens. Neither you, nor you gun, will ever move to London.
And when your nearest major city can get its gun related murders in a week down to England's yearly total for the whole country, then the English might start to believe the claims that a prevalence of firearms make the place safer.
First, the BoJ statistics end in 1996. The gun ban was passed in 1997. Ummm... let's ignore that link.
Second, compare things the gun ban will actually AFFECT. I'm talking about murder by handguns, etc. The UK rate is way lower, as I said. Burglary and what not (how most people are affected) probably won't change as most burglars aren't going to rob a house when anybody's home to actually use the gun.
It's really easy to throw around misleading statistics (as you did) but when you look at the statistics that are affected by the gun ban you'll see an entirely different picture.
No sig for you.
Here's something from your link :
Criminologists believe that a note of caution needs to be introduced into analysis of the data, because of the different ways in which UN member countries record crimes.
So FWIW, this study is not worth much.
How will you lose any of your own self respect if you hand over your possessions to avoid being injured? It's up to you whether you respect yourself or not. If another person can take it away from you - or you need a gun just to feel it - then you've got issues dude.
Policeman dying in the US may be a common occurance, when one considers the vast SIZE of the US, but when you view individual areas of the US, you get a whole different story.
The area where I live is not a bustling population center, but it has a fairly large population, and as such, a fairly large police population. In the past, I'd say, six or eight years, five officers have been killed in the line of duty. Two were gunned down while serving a warrant on a drug lab and three shot to death while investigating a car that turned out to have been involved in a robbery.
Not only did these killings make the front page of all the papers, and become the primary stories on the evening news, but they STAYED front page/top story material for about three days, and even after were not far from the spotlight as the killers were found and brought into custody. The community mourned the loss, and even helped to search for the suspects, helped to provide money to one of the widows, etc.
Similarly (sp?), in the same six or eight years, there have been, all told, perhaps 10 homicides, and only about 12 very violent assaults. Violent crime simply does not occur with all that frequency. I live less than three hours drive from several major East Coast cities, and there's plenty of traffic from all of them through my area, so it's not as though we're isolated here, and free from criminal activity; drugs, theft and vandalism are big problems, particularly drugs, as the location makes the area a crossroads for transporting things all through the area.
When taken as a whole, yes, the United States is rife with violent crime, but when considered per capita, I highly doubt that it's as severe a problem as you seem to think.
Here's my 2 cents (for the record I'm female, a geek and have studied psychology):
The reason that women prefer a guy they see in a bar with another woman over a guy with his (male) mates is that they want a "reference". The message our subconscious minds receive is that the guy with a woman (friend OR romantic interest) must treat women well enough that he's worth spending time with. He is perceived as being a "quality" kinda guy because we trust the other woman's judgement.
The criminal, by definition, has already decided that. By violating the laws of the society in which he lives, the criminal has decided that those laws are of no value. Those laws are what codify the value of life in that society. Those laws could protect him, too, but if he chooses to act outside of those laws, then that protection is forfeited (IMHO). Your statement seems to imply that it's OK for someone to go through life feeling victimized. [Sob..sniffle..sob]
And spare me the granola-crunching b.s. about how *all* life everywhere is valuable -- go tell it to the Chinese, whose troops fired on unarmed kids in Tienamien Square, and whose policy is to off babies as they're being born when their parents exceed some gov't quota.
Remember, this isn't about the 19-year-old who gets caught sipping a beer in a place where the drinking age is 21. We're talking about violent criminals here.
Guns are so C20th
Here is an idea: take all the money you would spend on the gun and training and administration and spend it on some insurance. Then IF you get mugged you get to say "here you go, enjoy the ipod, I really like the 1st track on the third album, have a nice day" and then upgrade all your gear, your laptop will be 25% faster, larger and generally better and all the crap you have been meaning to delete of the HDD for months will be gone.
I dress in a crappy jacket.
I hide everything in crappy bags.
I wear a Barbie hat.
I only shave once a week.
I am not ashamed to talk to myself in public while working out coding problems.
I look either insane or too poor to be worth mugging.
I have lived in the inner city for 20 years and I walk almost everywhere - even late at night.
It works.
Sadly, the tricks for avoiding muggers are in total opposition of the tricks for attracting potential mates. Do you wanna get mugged *and* fucked, or neither?
Number one you will not find more than $50 in my wallet.
Number two a nice walking stick note I don't need it it is a dress thing suit and a nice black walking stick with a gold trim(at the same point they use to break to display a sword).
Please note a Knife does not matchup to a walking stick most thiefs forget it. Note it is worse than a unbrella as it also has a large head and a small point at the other end that is great to slam on someones foot close to equal to a high head it can break bones in a persons foot stoping them in there track. Or driven into the chest will kill.
Note carrying a gun is not worth it Number one you have to draw it walking stick is already drawn. Walking stick beats knife walking stick is visiable no licence smart thief stays away stupid thief kicks walking stick before drawing weapon.(note I am not leaning on it with any force) Most case a person with a gun will draw it first by the time you draw yours you will be shot. If lucky a thief with get careless and a walking stick still wins.
Basicly learn how to fight with a walking stick you can beat the crap out of anyone who attacks first even if they have a walking stick execpt with a gun what you will not stand a chance against unless you get lucky.
Basic rules number one not a hidden weapon they can see so they can choose to aviod you where with a gun they can not see so they don't have the chance to pick aviod. The stick is part of the cloths I am wearing ie a suit and walking stick looks good some versions are also your seat verry handy at times. Also a suit provides a lot of internal pockets to hide stuff my hand held and my music system. Standard walkman headphones don't stand out due to leads running inside suit coat.
Also a simple switch link mobile phone head phones to a player only hearing half the music can save time just the same.
Oh, and I do realize this guy is from UK but I think the US should lead on this one as their laws are not already protected constitutionally as ours are. Texas is a good example of how this works as I walk around with an e805 with CF GPS on my waste with a cell phone and occasionally carry a laptop and I have yet to have a problem even in some rough areas because they don't know if I have a gun or not.
Hypothetical situation: 7 thugs armed with knives surround me with intent to rob and kill me (because dead men can't identify their attackers to the police). My S&W revolver only holds 6 rounds. Why do they not kill me? Because the first one to attack will be the first to die. None of them wants to be the first to die.
And they can protect themselves much more safely by just calling the police.
Find the post in this discussion about a 1974 ruling that says the police have no obligation to defend the public from criminals.
If I'm in a situation where my life is being immediately threatened by someone, yet somehow manage to pull out my phone and place a call to the police before I'm killed, I'll probably be put on hold for a while. If I manage to survive long enough, with the physical disadvantage of having one hand occupied holding my phone to my ear, I'll eventually get to tell some overworked dispatcher that I'm being attacked, and give them my location (if I know the address). Moving right along, I can now look forward to a 15-30 minute wait until one officer shows up to scrape my corpse up from the pavement. It should be nice and cool to the touch by then.
Or, I could just take a second or two to shoot my attacker, then pull out the phone and call the police.
It is better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
"Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms" should be a convenience store, not a government agency.
...those people had no idea that they were going to be murdered, or that by not fighting back, they would be "laying down like lambs" while thousands of others died.
your comments suggest that the people on those flights that hit the twin towers should have known, and could have prevented the deaths of thousands if only they would not have been so "tolerant of bad guys".
The terrorists who highjacked those flights certainly were lying, and intimidating the passengers - probably threatening the use of a bomb or the likes. It was not as if they were announcing to everyone that "Hey, myself and four others are going to uses these 1 inch razor blades and take on all 100 + of you passengers. We have plans of crashing this plane into the world trade centers and aim to kill thousands and thousands of your countrymen."
don't be such a god damned idiot.
Women want what they can't have. A guy with a girlfriend immediately means that he:
1. is able to commit to some extent
2. Capable of some sort of relationship
meh
Yeah. I find it a bit odd that women are so calculating about dating. To often even women you're close to will judge you by how much money you make. It really bothers me actually. I don't care if I'm making a lot or a little.. I don't want my work life and my income to define who I am or my relationships. Funny me for wanting to base relationships off love and respect.
The effectiveness of flashing cash to pick up girls makes me wonder why prostitution is illegal. If a woman only goes out with you because you have money how is that any better than trading sex for cash?
At what price learning? At what cost wisdom? The price is a man's peace of mind, and the cost is his life.
> BTW, all cops, everywhere that I know
This just begs for a response. 'Everywhere that I know' happens to also include that part of the world thats not inside the USA (yet) ?
If it is then you are absolutely and completely wrong.
In quite a few places in Europe, icluding the part where I happen to live (the Netherlands), police is taught to shoot to kill ONLY if they had no other options whatsoever, and are taught to STOP what is going on usign the least amount of force possible.
Incidentely (check the CIA world fact book on it if you like) we also have:
1. less people killed in general
2. less people killed by police use of violence
3. less policemen killed by violence
4. less robbery with use of violence
5. lower crime rate in general then the USA.
And yes, we also have banned weapons from daily life, tho it is very well possible to have one for sports or hunting.
Interestingly, Spain follows a lot closer the rules as they are in the USA, and also turns out having by far the highest rate of violent robberies and people gettign killed by violence of all of western EUrope (actually, only Poland and some parts of eastern EUrope come close to it, and don't surpass it yet)
The point is that there is a statistical relationship between amount of violence and how a society deals with weapons.
That relation nowhere shows that places that have weapons readily available to civilians are safer, rather, it shows the exact opposite.
You may feel safer havign your conceiled gun permit, but realize it is tjust that, you FEEL safer, in fact you are not.
I again suggest reading up a bit on the numbers, the CIA factbook is a nice patriotic source for the Americans among you who say this is all just the bs from the anti-gun lobby.
Europe is quite a save place, a lot less murder/robbery etc. as in the USA on average AFAIK.
But we do get a lot of tourists, and all the mayor tourist attractions have a high pick-pocketing rate.
- Tourists tend to stand out from the crowd (both clothing and sound (another language)
- Their attention is focused on other things
- They are not at home in the surrounding and therefore less able to spot something out of the ordinairy
- Most tourists are comparitively wealthy ( they were able to travel and finance their accomodation)
- tourists carry around expensive equipement (camera's)
- tourists have a lot of money on them because the had to change their currency for the local one.
A few tips I have found usefull when visiting other countries:
- Dress like the local popupation, no shorts/t-shirt, when everybody wears a long sleeved shirt and long trousers.
- have two wallets, one reachable with a little money, that you use when in public, and one with your passport/main stash of money, that you cary on your body beneath your clothes.
- learn some of the local language. Being able to order your beer and pay in the local language makes a huge difference in how much you pay in a lot of places. And you do not stand out from the crown so much. And if you are lost in some african city, it helps a lot if you can ask directions (it did for me).
- Walk like you know where you are going. Do not have maps visible on you.
- Do not have your valuables in sight. Use a lockable backpack in preference to a shoulder bag, as it can not be grabbed as easily.
Even with a different skin colour, if you look like you belong somewhere you are a lot less likely to become a target IMHO.
OT.
Oh and one last thing to think about: a lot of people in poor countries tend to think all western people are increadibly rich, because the only ones that they see are the ones that could afford the 14 day african safari with ***** service.
RogerWilco the Adventurous Janitor
> Interestingly, Spain follows a lot closer the rules as they are in the USA
Which rules do you mean? Which part of Spain have you been to? Mexico? Colombia? You don't seem to know what you're talking about. Just quit smoking *that*.
Lift weights.
Carry less stuff.
Never be drunk or preoccupied in public.
Traverse all NEW routes ahead of time at least once (never carry valuables someplace you have never been).
Travel with buddies.
Have a fake valuable to hand over (throw down!) while you run off.
Always have a plan.
Never show fear.
Carry a weapon (loud noise maker, pepper spray, knife, roll of quarters, SOMETHING).
Use a walking stick - heavy, solid - e.g. oak.
Be prepared.