These personal safety tips were just forwarded to me through an e-mail and I wanted to share them with you. Hopefully you won't need them, but just in case, here's the email:

We can now add to the list of victims the retired 77 yr. old
> TCU professor from Ft Worth whose body was found last week in
> Oklahoma--and the 11yr. old in Sarasota, FL. Because of these recent
> abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to
> do in an emergency situation...
> This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children,
> everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to
> someone you care about.It 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!

> 2. Learned this from a tou! rist guide in New Orleans. If a robber
> asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM . Toss! it
> away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet
> and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE
> MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

> 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 mak! ing 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 GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.
> a. If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE
> OFF, repeat: DO NOT DRIVE OFF! Instead gun the engine and speed
> into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the
> person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as
> the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find
> your body in a remote location.

> 5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or
> parking garage:
> A.) Be aware: l! ook around you, look into your car, at the
> passenger side floor, and in the back seat
> 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. This is
> especially true at NIGHT!)

> 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, Preferably ! in a zig -zag pattern!

> 8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP . 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.

> ********** Here it is *******
> 9. Another Safe! ty Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard
> a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the
> police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police
> told her "Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." The lady then said
> that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she
> was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run
> over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever
> you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial
> killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of
> their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby He said they have
> not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they
> hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at
> night. &n! bsp; Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying
> baby.
> ---This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying
> Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday
> when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.
> 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. 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 to be safe than sorry.
>
> Shannon LaForge
> Courtroo! m Deputy to Judge Robert Junell
> U.S. District Court for the Western District