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Fjords constitute the premier attraction of the Scandinavian countries. They are small, thickly-forested islands surrounded by sea. We visited the world-famous Little Mermaid statue, the Town Hall where the Nobel prizes are annually awarded, the small restored Viking sailboat (original), the church ingeniously carved out of a rock hillside.
We motored to
I think we received an overdose of briefly stated lectures about the history of so many buildings and their contents. At this point, I wished
As days rolled on some of us got tired of Scandinavian food. Fortunately, our hotels were located at the center of cities and worldwide McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Burger King were omnipresent to the delight of our stomach. Generally, the printed menu did not have English translation; therefore, sometimes we did not know what we were eating. Anyway, the food sank into our stomach – what could we do? We were told that we should not drink Russian tap water, not even use it to brush our teeth. That negative aspect is counterbalanced by Russian Cossack dances and the royal ballet which were spectacular performances.
Ah, shopping! A tour is not complete without that fever. Here the women (and a few men) went like crazy with the enthusiasm of firefighters responding to a fire alarm. Poor self, I could not race with them to department stores and sidewalk stalls. I’m sure I was the only one who guarded my wallet well like a fortress against shopping temptation that was as strong as the devil.
Even with all the joys and pleasures of this trip, I finally realized that there’s no place like home sweet home.
All 27 in the group said they tremendously enjoyed the guided tour of
Xian. Archeological discovery site of terracotta Emperor guards, many on horseback (life-size). Digging has continued for 21 years already.
Shanghai. The “Bund” (German for river bank) of
Hong Kong: Three-hour night train ride to
Since the first time (1984) we toured
Some are saying they would like to go back, primarily to shop! Some want to go to
On a chain of beautiful islands in the middle of nowhere, the following people are stranded:
- Two Italian men and one Italian woman
- Two French men and one French woman
- Two German men and one German woman
- Two Greek men and one Greek woman
- Two English men and one English woman
- Two Bulgarian men and one Bulgarian woman
- Two Japanese men and one Japanese woman
- Two Chinese men and one Chinese woman
- Two Irish men and one Irish woman
- Two American men and one American woman
One month later, on these absolutely stunning deserted islands in the middle of nowhere, the following things have occurred:
+One Italian man killed the other Italian man for the Italian woman.
+The two French men and the French woman are living happily together in a ménage a trois.
+The two German men have a strict weekly schedule of alternating visits with the German woman.
+The two Greek men are sleeping with each other and the Greek woman is cleaning and cooking for them.
+The two English men are waiting for someone to introduce them to the English woman.
+The two Bulgarian men took one look at the Bulgarian woman and started swimming to another island.
+The two Japanese men have faxed
+The two Chinese men have set up a pharmacy/liquor store/restaurant/laundry, and have gotten the Chinese woman pregnant in order to supply employees for their store.
+The two Irish men divided the island into North and South and set up a distillery. They do not remember if sex is in the picture because it get somewhat foggy after a few liters of coconut whiskey. However, they're satisfied because the English aren't having any fun.
+The two American men are contemplating suicide, because the American woman will not shut up and complains relentlessly about her body, the true nature of feminism, the equal division of household chores, how sand and palm trees make her look fat, how her last boyfriend respected her opinion and treated her nicer than they do, and how her relationship with her mother is the root cause of all her problems, and why didn't they bring a goddam cell phone so they could call 911 and get them all rescued off this god-forsaken deserted island in the middle of nowhere so she can get her nails done and go shopping.
You don't stop laughing when you GET OLD! You GET OLD when you STOP LAUGHING!
Through a rapist's eyes!
A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:
1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun, braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.
2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.
3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.
4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.
5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.
6] Number three is public restrooms.
7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.
8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.
9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.
10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.
POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:
1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can't believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter. Now that you've seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.
2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.
3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.
4] If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker, either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.
5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.
6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.
7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it. Go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.
FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ...
I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go "hmm I must remember that" After reading, forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.
2. Learned this from a tourist guide to
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS, LEAVE.
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side, peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. (DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB). b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars. c. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)
6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).
7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!
8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.
Paste and send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better safe than sorry.
