Thursday, June 11, 2009
BulletBlocker Products Take the Heat!
Just came across another great video of BulletBlocker's My Child's Pack being put through some serious testing. This video shows a live fire test of a BulletBlocker backpack being shot with a 9mm handgun for the Armed American Report published by the United States Concealed Carry Association by Cody S. Alderson
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Threat Response
What can you really do when someone does have a gun and is shooting?
I'll start with a story. When our group first arrived in Iraq, we were treated with a nearly constant barrage of warning sirens - indicating an incoming rocket or mortar attack. If you hear the siren, per official instructions, you are to grab your personal protective equipment (PPE) and head immediately to a bunker. The sirens don't tell you when or where something is going to hit, just that something will hit, somewhere. After a solid eight hours of this, no one in our group had heard a single explosion. Night time. The sirens continued into the night. Gradually, fewer and fewer people were grabbing their stuff and going to the bunker. Once everyone got in bed, almost no one was going to the bunker. At about 2330 - Very, very big BOOM - followed by our tent getting sprayed with dirt. No one was hurt, but in five seconds everyone had their PPE on and they were sitting in the bunker. Yeah, that got our attention. Getting concerned after the fact does not help very much - though it certainly impacts how you respond to every future incident. But, all it takes is one time of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
According to iCasualties. org, there have been 4,311 military deaths and 31,169 military injuries in Iraq since we first went in (2003). Civilian casualties are not tracked. Civilians from the United States and other countries with contractors in Iraq are not quite as exposed, though there are certainly exceptions to that general rule - especially in the case of truckers - the guys who are the lifeblood of everyone there. However, it is appropriate to bear in mind that this reflects cumulative casualties over a six year period in a zone of conflict. The burden has been enormous on Iraqi citizens. Iraq was not particularly a safe place even before this war, the threat just changed names. I have no intention of diminishing the value of any single life - military or civilian, American or Iraqi or Indian (lots of Indian workers in Iraq), or those from any other country. I've worked with them, they are all good, hardworking people.
Over six years, military deaths stand at an average of 718 per year, combat related injuries at 5,195 per year. That is for a whole country, close to the size of California, in a conflict zone, where Americans are targets and stand out like a sore thumb. In contrast, Detroit experienced nearly 24,000 violent crimes in 2007, of which 418 alone involved murder or non-negligent manslaughter. One city for one year has over half the fatalities associated with violence as the entire country of Iraq.
Wikipedia's statistics on fatalities from automobile accidents is also a good comparison where the average number of fatalities for handgun related causes also tops 40,000 per year. We have mandatory seat belt laws and air bags, but our chances of dying in an automobile accident or about the same as our chances of actually getting shot. Or, we can look at drowning - 7,000 deaths per year, and yet it is mandatory for every boat to have a life vests and floatation devices.
Point is, that you don't know when someone is going to freak out and go on a rampage at school, in a mall or simply just drive by and pop one off. There are some who take precautions and are prepared for situations when they happen, and they have a fighting chance. Leastwise, if you hear a gun shot, and you are still standing, you can take action to defend yourself. Get down, low to the ground, reduce your chance of being seen, reduce your profile in the case that you are seen. The military trains soldiers to use cover and concealment, but also to crouch and crawl. But, you can also get the equivalent of a safety belt or life preserver, by getting some bullet resistant protection. Nothing is completely bullet proof, but when something has a 97% chance of stopping a bullet from virtually any handgun from hitting your vital organs - you do feel much safer.
You do what you can. But, to say this is hype or over-reaction? It is when nothing happens. It is not when something does happen. America likes to react to things after they happen - like this global financial crisis. We've been talking and talking about the growing amount of household and government debt since at least the 1980's. Did we do anything about it? Only after it became a massive crisis. We like to laugh at the people who warn us - like Roubini and Celiente. After it happens, after it gets personal - that's when we get concerned. Or, we can look at the trends, look what is happening, and maybe take a reasonable step or two to prepare for them before the problems do get up close and personal.
I'll start with a story. When our group first arrived in Iraq, we were treated with a nearly constant barrage of warning sirens - indicating an incoming rocket or mortar attack. If you hear the siren, per official instructions, you are to grab your personal protective equipment (PPE) and head immediately to a bunker. The sirens don't tell you when or where something is going to hit, just that something will hit, somewhere. After a solid eight hours of this, no one in our group had heard a single explosion. Night time. The sirens continued into the night. Gradually, fewer and fewer people were grabbing their stuff and going to the bunker. Once everyone got in bed, almost no one was going to the bunker. At about 2330 - Very, very big BOOM - followed by our tent getting sprayed with dirt. No one was hurt, but in five seconds everyone had their PPE on and they were sitting in the bunker. Yeah, that got our attention. Getting concerned after the fact does not help very much - though it certainly impacts how you respond to every future incident. But, all it takes is one time of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
According to iCasualties. org, there have been 4,311 military deaths and 31,169 military injuries in Iraq since we first went in (2003). Civilian casualties are not tracked. Civilians from the United States and other countries with contractors in Iraq are not quite as exposed, though there are certainly exceptions to that general rule - especially in the case of truckers - the guys who are the lifeblood of everyone there. However, it is appropriate to bear in mind that this reflects cumulative casualties over a six year period in a zone of conflict. The burden has been enormous on Iraqi citizens. Iraq was not particularly a safe place even before this war, the threat just changed names. I have no intention of diminishing the value of any single life - military or civilian, American or Iraqi or Indian (lots of Indian workers in Iraq), or those from any other country. I've worked with them, they are all good, hardworking people.
Over six years, military deaths stand at an average of 718 per year, combat related injuries at 5,195 per year. That is for a whole country, close to the size of California, in a conflict zone, where Americans are targets and stand out like a sore thumb. In contrast, Detroit experienced nearly 24,000 violent crimes in 2007, of which 418 alone involved murder or non-negligent manslaughter. One city for one year has over half the fatalities associated with violence as the entire country of Iraq.
Wikipedia's statistics on fatalities from automobile accidents is also a good comparison where the average number of fatalities for handgun related causes also tops 40,000 per year. We have mandatory seat belt laws and air bags, but our chances of dying in an automobile accident or about the same as our chances of actually getting shot. Or, we can look at drowning - 7,000 deaths per year, and yet it is mandatory for every boat to have a life vests and floatation devices.
Point is, that you don't know when someone is going to freak out and go on a rampage at school, in a mall or simply just drive by and pop one off. There are some who take precautions and are prepared for situations when they happen, and they have a fighting chance. Leastwise, if you hear a gun shot, and you are still standing, you can take action to defend yourself. Get down, low to the ground, reduce your chance of being seen, reduce your profile in the case that you are seen. The military trains soldiers to use cover and concealment, but also to crouch and crawl. But, you can also get the equivalent of a safety belt or life preserver, by getting some bullet resistant protection. Nothing is completely bullet proof, but when something has a 97% chance of stopping a bullet from virtually any handgun from hitting your vital organs - you do feel much safer.
You do what you can. But, to say this is hype or over-reaction? It is when nothing happens. It is not when something does happen. America likes to react to things after they happen - like this global financial crisis. We've been talking and talking about the growing amount of household and government debt since at least the 1980's. Did we do anything about it? Only after it became a massive crisis. We like to laugh at the people who warn us - like Roubini and Celiente. After it happens, after it gets personal - that's when we get concerned. Or, we can look at the trends, look what is happening, and maybe take a reasonable step or two to prepare for them before the problems do get up close and personal.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
More Twitter Apps, More Coffee and Dirty Harry
If you have not done so already, go check out what Mark Shaw is doing, and check out his free 19-page Twitter for Business E-Book. Then you can follow it along, or you can scroll down a bit on this page and see the first six applications covered. Twitter without 3rd party apps is like a cup without coffee, or sugar. That's my feeling anyway. The more you understand how to use third party applications, the more you will love Twitter. Following on my previous posts, I want to introduce you to a few more applications that are also covered in Mark Shaw's book.
Okay, so that's three... Going to get another big coffee. Incidentally, in Europe - it is not a always easy to find places that have big coffee. Their big is like a small cup in the United States. The waitress always looks at me strange when I try ordering a pot. You've been to restaurants where they leave the whole pot - right? Well, they used to leave the whole pot. I don't care what I do here, they won't leave the whole pot. So, I got smart, and now bring my own 64 ounce mug with me and ask them for 8 cups of coffee. Believe it or not, that does work.
Now, if you are going to come over to Europe and plan on staying for a while - two options. A) Bring your own Mr. Coffee with you. or B) Buy one when you get here. I bought three. Also, I know there is another crew getting ready to deploy to Iraq - there's one awesome thing about Iraq during the summer, it gets so hot that you never have to worry about your coffee getting cold. If you set it down at 0800, it will still be hot at 1400. Never let coffee go to waste. Just pick out the flies first.
So... now that I've got my fix again, we're gonna do one more.
MrTweet.com - First, make sure you are following MrTweet with your Twitter account. Next... wait a little while after you sign up. Then... Okay, well - there's what it says it does, but I don't believe anything until after it has happened. Even then, some things defy imagination. So, tomorrow - I'll come back to MrTweet after I've seen Mr Coffee again, and tell you all about what this does and what it is good for.
- Tweetake.com - Now, if you followed the video along yesterday on Tweetdeck, you probably note that you don't want to push the "x" on your groups - cause that deletes everything. Everything. I hate it when that happens. But Tweetake.com lets you back things up - your followers, favorites, direct messages, friends, tweets...and everything. Is that cool? That's cool. It gives it to you in one nice neat Excel file that you can save on your hard drive and another storage back up... just in case. Just make sure to put your secondary storage unit someplace away from your computer. You never know when there'll be a flood taking out your fourth story apartment. Okay, that is a little extreme, but you get the idea. If it's really important, it's best to keep it in a secure second location in a different building.
- Twitbiz.com - Another very easy to use and add your listing Twitter Busines Directory. I just did it in like 15.375 seconds. I will be back to add more to it, but easy-easy, if it was any easier, it would already be done...so go do it. Now.
- Tweetbuzzer.com - Give this one 15.376 seconds to load and it will start retweeting the top 100 buzzing brand names. Down on the left hand corner, you will see some small text. Try clicking on it, it does something. Otherwise you might be watching the screen for a while. If your favorite brand name is not bee-ing buzzed, then go ahead and submit. I don't know what happens after that...but it never hurts to try. Well. Sometimes it does.
Okay, so that's three... Going to get another big coffee. Incidentally, in Europe - it is not a always easy to find places that have big coffee. Their big is like a small cup in the United States. The waitress always looks at me strange when I try ordering a pot. You've been to restaurants where they leave the whole pot - right? Well, they used to leave the whole pot. I don't care what I do here, they won't leave the whole pot. So, I got smart, and now bring my own 64 ounce mug with me and ask them for 8 cups of coffee. Believe it or not, that does work.
Now, if you are going to come over to Europe and plan on staying for a while - two options. A) Bring your own Mr. Coffee with you. or B) Buy one when you get here. I bought three. Also, I know there is another crew getting ready to deploy to Iraq - there's one awesome thing about Iraq during the summer, it gets so hot that you never have to worry about your coffee getting cold. If you set it down at 0800, it will still be hot at 1400. Never let coffee go to waste. Just pick out the flies first.
So... now that I've got my fix again, we're gonna do one more.
MrTweet.com - First, make sure you are following MrTweet with your Twitter account. Next... wait a little while after you sign up. Then... Okay, well - there's what it says it does, but I don't believe anything until after it has happened. Even then, some things defy imagination. So, tomorrow - I'll come back to MrTweet after I've seen Mr Coffee again, and tell you all about what this does and what it is good for.
Twitter, Law Enforcement & Social Networking: Now and... Tomorrow?
At the London G-20, the Guardian, the Telegraph, Al-Jazeera and other mainstream media used Twitter to provide continuous updates on how things were going. So did the protest organizers. And, so did the police...and the secret agents?
Per the Telegraph, "In the weeks leading up to the G20 summit, the police have been monitoring these sites in an effort to stay one step ahead of the protesters. One senior officer warned it could turn in to a "cat and mouse" game around the streets of London, with police trying to stop incidents, organised hastily and online, as they flare up... Marina Pepper, one of the organisers of G20 Meltdown, said that Twitter was a key tool in terms of “mobilising people and shifting them around”, because it allows people to file and read updates via their mobile phones."
What we saw in London, however, was a police force that knew what was coming, had trained and prepared for it, and was no stranger to very large and disruptive protests. So, what happens when something similar happens where there is no training or preparation? Moldova. Twitter's role is under debate, but there is consensus that a variety of social media was used by protest organizers. An extended article on Moldova is not intended, social media was used. To protest anywhere in Eastern Europe requires a more guts than it does in the west, as the police have no qualms whatsoever about using excessive force.
So, for the above to happen, even if violence was not the objective of the organizers, is more than noteworthy. These films don't show all of the damage that was done to the parliamentary building, suffice that the entire first three floors were pretty much dismantled. If they don't have computerized records, it will take decades to get all of their paperwork back in order. Police and Fire departments throughout the United States have started using Twitter and other social media to connect with their communities. That's realistic and progressive, something you would expect to see in the United States, Moldova's response was simply to shut down local internet service providers, thereby cutting off the majority's access to Twitter messages. In the United States, doing that might actually cause a riot...
The point is, that organizationally, it is increasingly important for someone to have their thumb on the pulse of social networking tools, techniques and methodologies, now. Thirty years ago, the idea of a small business having a computer was unbelievable. In 1998, even into 2001, people still thought the Internet was just a fad, and early on said the same about some social networking venues. Yet, the Internet has effectively brought down some of the most prestigious mainstream newspapers in the country, is pulling revenue from both radio and television. If you really want to get deep into the understanding of technological bellcurves, development and proliferation, you might try to pick up Ray Kurzweil's "Age of Spiritual Machines" to see exactly where we are headed. Here are some excerpts. He's quite possibly one of the most intelligent people you will ever learn about, alongside Stephen Hawking, working in the development of Singularity University, a joint effort between Google and NASA.
Whatever is going on with the Internet now will only be more pervasive in five years, the names may change, but the essential dynamics don't. Observe the trends and think how they will play out in five more years. Yes, there's enough to worry about the way things are today, but it is the fixation on the near term that really got us into this global financial mess - and it is so big that it will require a lot of long-term planning to sort out.
Per the Telegraph, "In the weeks leading up to the G20 summit, the police have been monitoring these sites in an effort to stay one step ahead of the protesters. One senior officer warned it could turn in to a "cat and mouse" game around the streets of London, with police trying to stop incidents, organised hastily and online, as they flare up... Marina Pepper, one of the organisers of G20 Meltdown, said that Twitter was a key tool in terms of “mobilising people and shifting them around”, because it allows people to file and read updates via their mobile phones."
What we saw in London, however, was a police force that knew what was coming, had trained and prepared for it, and was no stranger to very large and disruptive protests. So, what happens when something similar happens where there is no training or preparation? Moldova. Twitter's role is under debate, but there is consensus that a variety of social media was used by protest organizers. An extended article on Moldova is not intended, social media was used. To protest anywhere in Eastern Europe requires a more guts than it does in the west, as the police have no qualms whatsoever about using excessive force.
So, for the above to happen, even if violence was not the objective of the organizers, is more than noteworthy. These films don't show all of the damage that was done to the parliamentary building, suffice that the entire first three floors were pretty much dismantled. If they don't have computerized records, it will take decades to get all of their paperwork back in order. Police and Fire departments throughout the United States have started using Twitter and other social media to connect with their communities. That's realistic and progressive, something you would expect to see in the United States, Moldova's response was simply to shut down local internet service providers, thereby cutting off the majority's access to Twitter messages. In the United States, doing that might actually cause a riot...
The point is, that organizationally, it is increasingly important for someone to have their thumb on the pulse of social networking tools, techniques and methodologies, now. Thirty years ago, the idea of a small business having a computer was unbelievable. In 1998, even into 2001, people still thought the Internet was just a fad, and early on said the same about some social networking venues. Yet, the Internet has effectively brought down some of the most prestigious mainstream newspapers in the country, is pulling revenue from both radio and television. If you really want to get deep into the understanding of technological bellcurves, development and proliferation, you might try to pick up Ray Kurzweil's "Age of Spiritual Machines" to see exactly where we are headed. Here are some excerpts. He's quite possibly one of the most intelligent people you will ever learn about, alongside Stephen Hawking, working in the development of Singularity University, a joint effort between Google and NASA.
Whatever is going on with the Internet now will only be more pervasive in five years, the names may change, but the essential dynamics don't. Observe the trends and think how they will play out in five more years. Yes, there's enough to worry about the way things are today, but it is the fixation on the near term that really got us into this global financial mess - and it is so big that it will require a lot of long-term planning to sort out.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Networking & The Best Gourmet Coffee Shop in Iraq
Did anyone tell you that networking takes time? Okay, well it does take time. There's a few things to keep in mind with... Everything. A little bit of effort toward anything every day, consistently, will yield results. Moreover, the more you work at it, the more efficient and effective you get.
Starting out at anything is kind of scary. Starting out with Social Networking is kind of scary. My moving out of my comfort zone is kind of scary... but, you can sit there and do nothing about it and complain that nothing's happening, or you get proactive. When I went to work in Iraq, the team I was with arrived at a totally new work site to support the Marines. Marines will be the first to tell you they don't get many luxuries - it's the basics and that's about it...if they are lucky. It's better today, today they are elite - first on the ground just about everywhere. They guard our embassies - and it's not just because they have the sharpest looking uniforms.
So, Iraq in the summer easily gets up to 110 - 120 degrees Farenheit. That's acceptable if you're out on the sand trying to get a tan. It's something else if you happen to be wearing 30 pounds worth of personal protective gear which was contracted by KBR for all of their civilian contractors and subcontractors. Ours consisted of an ugly blue vest with two very large, very heavy metal SAPI plates. Depending on your size, it ranged from 20 - 30 pounds. After six weeks of wearing those while working... I lost a good 30 pounds. In the heat, my record was drinking 18 liters of water in one day - and going to the bathroom once. Evaporates as fast as you can drink it. When we first got there, there weren't many refrigerators, virtually no air conditioning anywhere. We had warm water, sometimes hot - whatever it was, we had to drink it.
Terry, one of the guys in our group (he's on the left, that's me on the right), decided he would refurbish the basement of one of the old Iraqi bunkers. The basement amounted to a single dark set of stairs leading down 10 ft x 10 ft cement room with an air shaft that leads to the roof. It was filled with lots of old trash that had been sitting there for a good year... about two dozen bats and lots and lots of bat guano. That's poop. Bat poop. Cleaning that out? Gotta start somewhere - and he did. At first no one really helped, but the more he went at it the more others started lending a hand. Soon, Terry had a clean 10 x 10 room. Then he went about the requisitions process of trading a piece of copper wire for a favor, then he traded the favor for a small broken refrigerator... and so on and so on.
Two months later? Best Gourmet Coffee Shop in Iraq - for marines and civilians, even some army, to sit someplace cool, out of the sun, and have some cold water or some hot gourmet coffee. He had to fight for it, but soon everyone was fighting for it. There's nothing like seeing a grizzled old US Marine Sergeant Major, mean and tough as nails, who never smiles... get a nice cup of coffee, good coffee, and smile. We had pictures of it, sure they are still floating around somewhere - hard drive crash took mine out, might go looking for my backups. But, that's one story of thousands world wide - a little bit of effort, day by day, builds into something meaningful.
Now... about those 30 pound "bullet proof vests" - BulletBlocker's vests can do the same thing with the same level of NIJ Threat Level IIIA protection for under five or six pounds depending upon your size. Pretty close to the same weight that the Marines used, except better.
Starting out at anything is kind of scary. Starting out with Social Networking is kind of scary. My moving out of my comfort zone is kind of scary... but, you can sit there and do nothing about it and complain that nothing's happening, or you get proactive. When I went to work in Iraq, the team I was with arrived at a totally new work site to support the Marines. Marines will be the first to tell you they don't get many luxuries - it's the basics and that's about it...if they are lucky. It's better today, today they are elite - first on the ground just about everywhere. They guard our embassies - and it's not just because they have the sharpest looking uniforms.
So, Iraq in the summer easily gets up to 110 - 120 degrees Farenheit. That's acceptable if you're out on the sand trying to get a tan. It's something else if you happen to be wearing 30 pounds worth of personal protective gear which was contracted by KBR for all of their civilian contractors and subcontractors. Ours consisted of an ugly blue vest with two very large, very heavy metal SAPI plates. Depending on your size, it ranged from 20 - 30 pounds. After six weeks of wearing those while working... I lost a good 30 pounds. In the heat, my record was drinking 18 liters of water in one day - and going to the bathroom once. Evaporates as fast as you can drink it. When we first got there, there weren't many refrigerators, virtually no air conditioning anywhere. We had warm water, sometimes hot - whatever it was, we had to drink it.
Terry, one of the guys in our group (he's on the left, that's me on the right), decided he would refurbish the basement of one of the old Iraqi bunkers. The basement amounted to a single dark set of stairs leading down 10 ft x 10 ft cement room with an air shaft that leads to the roof. It was filled with lots of old trash that had been sitting there for a good year... about two dozen bats and lots and lots of bat guano. That's poop. Bat poop. Cleaning that out? Gotta start somewhere - and he did. At first no one really helped, but the more he went at it the more others started lending a hand. Soon, Terry had a clean 10 x 10 room. Then he went about the requisitions process of trading a piece of copper wire for a favor, then he traded the favor for a small broken refrigerator... and so on and so on. Two months later? Best Gourmet Coffee Shop in Iraq - for marines and civilians, even some army, to sit someplace cool, out of the sun, and have some cold water or some hot gourmet coffee. He had to fight for it, but soon everyone was fighting for it. There's nothing like seeing a grizzled old US Marine Sergeant Major, mean and tough as nails, who never smiles... get a nice cup of coffee, good coffee, and smile. We had pictures of it, sure they are still floating around somewhere - hard drive crash took mine out, might go looking for my backups. But, that's one story of thousands world wide - a little bit of effort, day by day, builds into something meaningful.
Now... about those 30 pound "bullet proof vests" - BulletBlocker's vests can do the same thing with the same level of NIJ Threat Level IIIA protection for under five or six pounds depending upon your size. Pretty close to the same weight that the Marines used, except better.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Police Security Expo 2009
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Start Time: Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 9:00am
End Time: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 at 5:00pm
Location: Atlantic City Convention Ctr./Trump Taj Mahal
Street: 1000 Boardwalk at Virginia Ave.
City/Town: Atlantic City, NJ
Phone: 1-866-966-4044
Cost: No Admission Fee - Register Online
Open to: Industry Professionals
We've all seen movies where some gun-toting hooligan tries sticking up a restaurant that just happens to be the local hang out of the entire off-duty police force. That's why sites like the Darwin Awards were created, and why we will be doing our own Darwin nominations here on the BulletBlocker Blog! The Police Security Exp 2009 is definitely the last place on the planet you would want to try to hold up.
On June 23, 2009, law enforcement and security professionals from all around the country (and beyond) will be gathering for a two day event to see the latest and greatest new equipment, systems and techniques from the security industry. This Expo has been running since 1987, so it is the largest, most reputable, and most widely-attended trade show of its kind in the United States.
Who will you see at the Expo? Over 7,000 industry professionals are expected to attend including sheriffs, police chiefs, state police, federal and state agencies, and just about everyone else concerned with law enforcement and security. Specialists in corporate security, first responders, hazmat coordinators, city management, private security, risk management, and emergency response coordinators will also be there. Police Security Expo 2009 will also be a great way to meet up with suppliers and find customers.
What will you see there? Namely, all of the latest and greatest technology to help our law enforcement, security, government, safety and first-responder professionals to "serve and protect". Over 750 exhibits will be presenting products including bullet proof vests and body armor, uniforms, weapons, surveillance products, forcible entry tools and a whole lot more. You know that guy "Q" from James Bond? He shops here when he's not on the test range with BulletBlocker. Numerous seminars are also scheduled for things like GPS based tracking systems, wearable video recorders, bulletproof vests and body armor, real time data sharing, government grant opportunities, combined tactical systems and more.
Now, if you can't make it to the Police Security Expo 2009, but are still interested in the same high quality personal protection used by professional law enforcement, check out the BulletBlocker store! Bulletproof vests, the original "My Child's Pack" with Bulletproof Threat Level IIIA integrated panels, and all kinds of affordable high tech personal protection is available - and you don't need a ticket to get in.
Wondering if Tom Cruise will be at the expo? How should I know? What I can tell you is that if he plans to go, you probably won't recognize him - there's that mask thing that he does. One word of advice though, this is not the kind of place where you would go and try to pull off anyone's mask.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Workplace violence takes toll on workers
At BulletBlocker, our original concept of bullet proof backpacks was meant to help prevent unnecessary deaths of school children at the hands of random gunmen in their schools. As former law enforcement officers we knew, first hand, that the stats were being skewed by school boards and law enforcement reporting organization across the country to down play the fear that the real information would create about our schools, colleges and universities. In the development and subsequent sales of our product we have become even more aware, by the shear volume of customers that buy our products to protect themselves in places other than schools, that school violence is only the tip of the iceberg. Millions of regular people are in potentially violent situations every day. The streets of America are violent, but the workplace of America is a high risk place as well. This is especially true as we watch the economy put even more stress on all of us. It's even easy to say "the economy" but we all hear and see what is happening: The average person has accumulated too much debt. That brings on a whole set of undermining psychological issues like depression, worthlessness, feeling stupid, frustrated, hopelessness and often a sense of being victimized. Now add in some anger towards the government for not bailing out the people but rather bailing out the banks so that they stay solvent long enough to put the squeeze on the borrowers. Then add in some job losses or cut-backs while the ceos have salaries that average about 100 times more than the average employee, and you have all the ingredients you need for people to act out. Even if only 1% of 1% of the population is borderline, that means hundreds of thousands of people are at work at least wanting to act out. This type of analysis led us to the idea that we need to make products for more than just school safety. We need to offer protection for everyone. What was once only available to law enforcement officers needs to be made available to everyone, both in design and price.
Think about this: The sheriff's dept. where I worked for over 11 years had 500 deputies/officers +/-. In the 200+ years of it's existence no officer had been shot in the line of duty. Yet every officer is issued a bullet proof vest (body armor). That same statistic stands true around the nation. Towns, counties, states and the feds all spend millions of dollars to protect their officers based on the fairly slim chance that someone will get shot. Where do those millions of dollars come from? You and I pay for it every year in income taxes and property taxes. Do I think it is wrong? No.
It's not practical to think that we should all be walking around wearing concealed bullet proof vests. Even if we bought them we probably wouldn't wear them because they are generally not comfortable, hot and make us look too fat. So at BulletBlocker we decided to take our child safety concept one step further: We expanded our development to bullet proof briefcases, bullet proof panels (bullet proof inserts that you can put in your own bag, pack, case, etc.), bullet proof carry on luggage, and emergency bullet proof vests that lie flat at approx. 1/2 inch thick and can be kept in your briefcase, pack or bag just like a thicker version of our panels. Our idea was to make a practical, lightweight product that could offer protection from 99% of the bullets that are used in random violence situations; handguns. At the same time we realized that some people will actually want the full protection offered by traditional law enforcement body armor. So we offer 2 lines of full concealment bullet proof vests. The difference with our vests is that we do not price to the government budget. We price for the public. It means a smaller profit margin but it also exposes our primary product line of practical, lightweight dual purpose bullet proof consumer products. The results so far have been outstanding. Our products aren't cheap, but starting at $35 for bullet proof notepads and ranging up into our bullet proof vest lines that start at $275 for sale at our discount price, we offer anti-ballistic products at a fraction of the cost per square inch that can be found anywhere else.
Furthermore, we only use new materials. Old bullet proof vests / body armor can be found on eBay for under $100. The problem is that all of the manufacturers rate vests as having a lifespan of about 5 years. Moisture (sweat) and sunlight both act to break down the effectiveness of the material. Personally I might buy an ebay vest to take to the gun range to shoot for experimental purposes to understand how the stuff works but I would never put my life on the line with a used bullet proof vest or anything made from anti-ballistic materials that aren't new.
If you want protection that you can take with you, check out our line of bullet proof products at BulletBlocker.com.
This is a great story about workplace violence from "The News-Sentinal":
Violence at work takes worker toll
Violent crime has occurred at 5.3% of private U.S. companies, survey says.
Bartender Paula Richardson likes her job and can't afford to retire, so quitting wasn't an option when she was shot by a man during an attempted robbery at the Office Tavern on Nov. 20.
“I can't let that little creep run me away from my job,” said Richardson, who returned Jan. 5. “I'm 60 years old. I have to work for my wages.”
While work can take a crime victim's mind off being victimized, it's a lot tougher when the victim's place of work is where the crime was committed. A 2005 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found workplace violence had occurred at 5.3 percent of the 7.1 million private U.S. businesses in the prior 12 months.
The majority of the violence in larger establishments involved co-workers, customers or domestic disputes; but in small businesses such as the Office Tavern, while incidents were rare, they were just as likely to involve criminals.
While nearly a third of the businesses where incidents occurred reported they had a negative impact on workers, the majority of businesses did not change their workplace violence-prevention procedures; 9 percent had no policy or procedures.
Workplace violence led to increased absenteeism, decreased productivity and more job turnover, but the biggest increase was often in fear. Richardson, who fought the robber before being shot - “I figured he was going to shoot me anyway” - said she's vigilant since the shooting. The shooter has not been arrested, and Richardson asked that The News-Sentinel not photograph her due to safety concerns.
“I'm more cautious of my surroundings when I'm here” said Richardson, a bartender for about 39 years. “I just look at things different now than the way I did.”
“That'll be something she'll have to deal with every day,” said Lynnice Hamilton, head of the Fort Wayne Police Department's victim assistance unit. “‘Is my next customer going to rob me? Am I in jeopardy?' Those are feelings and real issues she has to deal with.”
Hamilton said most people expect to be safe at work. “Trying to regain the sense of safety and security (is) a big issue,” she said. She said workplace victims often rely on counseling, friends, family, religion or a combination to cope. Some leave their jobs. Emotional recovery varies depending on the victim.
The bureau found that more than 70 percent of businesses don't have a formal program or policy addressing workplace violence. Hamilton said employers without plans need to create them, and some that have them need to improve them.
“We are surprised by workplace violence, but we really shouldn't be,” Hamilton said. “… That's why we all have to be concerned about it. It affects us all.”
By Evan Goodenow
of The News-Sentinel
Any questions? Contact us at BulletBlocker.com or make a comment here.
Think about this: The sheriff's dept. where I worked for over 11 years had 500 deputies/officers +/-. In the 200+ years of it's existence no officer had been shot in the line of duty. Yet every officer is issued a bullet proof vest (body armor). That same statistic stands true around the nation. Towns, counties, states and the feds all spend millions of dollars to protect their officers based on the fairly slim chance that someone will get shot. Where do those millions of dollars come from? You and I pay for it every year in income taxes and property taxes. Do I think it is wrong? No.
It's not practical to think that we should all be walking around wearing concealed bullet proof vests. Even if we bought them we probably wouldn't wear them because they are generally not comfortable, hot and make us look too fat. So at BulletBlocker we decided to take our child safety concept one step further: We expanded our development to bullet proof briefcases, bullet proof panels (bullet proof inserts that you can put in your own bag, pack, case, etc.), bullet proof carry on luggage, and emergency bullet proof vests that lie flat at approx. 1/2 inch thick and can be kept in your briefcase, pack or bag just like a thicker version of our panels. Our idea was to make a practical, lightweight product that could offer protection from 99% of the bullets that are used in random violence situations; handguns. At the same time we realized that some people will actually want the full protection offered by traditional law enforcement body armor. So we offer 2 lines of full concealment bullet proof vests. The difference with our vests is that we do not price to the government budget. We price for the public. It means a smaller profit margin but it also exposes our primary product line of practical, lightweight dual purpose bullet proof consumer products. The results so far have been outstanding. Our products aren't cheap, but starting at $35 for bullet proof notepads and ranging up into our bullet proof vest lines that start at $275 for sale at our discount price, we offer anti-ballistic products at a fraction of the cost per square inch that can be found anywhere else.
Furthermore, we only use new materials. Old bullet proof vests / body armor can be found on eBay for under $100. The problem is that all of the manufacturers rate vests as having a lifespan of about 5 years. Moisture (sweat) and sunlight both act to break down the effectiveness of the material. Personally I might buy an ebay vest to take to the gun range to shoot for experimental purposes to understand how the stuff works but I would never put my life on the line with a used bullet proof vest or anything made from anti-ballistic materials that aren't new.
If you want protection that you can take with you, check out our line of bullet proof products at BulletBlocker.com.
This is a great story about workplace violence from "The News-Sentinal":
Violence at work takes worker toll
Violent crime has occurred at 5.3% of private U.S. companies, survey says.
Bartender Paula Richardson likes her job and can't afford to retire, so quitting wasn't an option when she was shot by a man during an attempted robbery at the Office Tavern on Nov. 20.
“I can't let that little creep run me away from my job,” said Richardson, who returned Jan. 5. “I'm 60 years old. I have to work for my wages.”
While work can take a crime victim's mind off being victimized, it's a lot tougher when the victim's place of work is where the crime was committed. A 2005 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found workplace violence had occurred at 5.3 percent of the 7.1 million private U.S. businesses in the prior 12 months.
The majority of the violence in larger establishments involved co-workers, customers or domestic disputes; but in small businesses such as the Office Tavern, while incidents were rare, they were just as likely to involve criminals.
While nearly a third of the businesses where incidents occurred reported they had a negative impact on workers, the majority of businesses did not change their workplace violence-prevention procedures; 9 percent had no policy or procedures.
Workplace violence led to increased absenteeism, decreased productivity and more job turnover, but the biggest increase was often in fear. Richardson, who fought the robber before being shot - “I figured he was going to shoot me anyway” - said she's vigilant since the shooting. The shooter has not been arrested, and Richardson asked that The News-Sentinel not photograph her due to safety concerns.
“I'm more cautious of my surroundings when I'm here” said Richardson, a bartender for about 39 years. “I just look at things different now than the way I did.”
“That'll be something she'll have to deal with every day,” said Lynnice Hamilton, head of the Fort Wayne Police Department's victim assistance unit. “‘Is my next customer going to rob me? Am I in jeopardy?' Those are feelings and real issues she has to deal with.”
Hamilton said most people expect to be safe at work. “Trying to regain the sense of safety and security (is) a big issue,” she said. She said workplace victims often rely on counseling, friends, family, religion or a combination to cope. Some leave their jobs. Emotional recovery varies depending on the victim.
The bureau found that more than 70 percent of businesses don't have a formal program or policy addressing workplace violence. Hamilton said employers without plans need to create them, and some that have them need to improve them.
“We are surprised by workplace violence, but we really shouldn't be,” Hamilton said. “… That's why we all have to be concerned about it. It affects us all.”
By Evan Goodenow
of The News-Sentinel
Any questions? Contact us at BulletBlocker.com or make a comment here.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Cool article from school safety news
BulletBlocker doesn't just produce bullet proof vests and backpacks for school safety. We also make specific school safety products. We also promote open dialogue about school safety issues. We want to share this story with you:
Lately it seems there has been a lot of interest in schools and colleges instructing teachers to fight back when confronted with an armed attacker. Certainly the thought of having teachers (and even students) being told to throw books and fight back against a gunman is incredible and counter-intuitive. Luckily no one ever told by Ryan Crowley, Jake Ryker, Josh Ryker, Douglas Ure, Davis Ure, Ada Walberger, Joshua Pearson and Travis Weaver not to fight back against a school shooter. In 1998, these seven students prevented an attacker from killing more of their schoolmates.
On May 20, 1998, 15year-old Kipland (Kip) Phillip Kinkel was expelled from school for possessing a loaded firearm. His father, Bill Kinkel, a 59 year-old Spanish teacher picked him up from the police station, where they stopped at a Burger King on the drive home.
Follow up:
This was not Kip’s first mishap and his obsession with guns was well known to his parents. In fact, his Dad even purchased him numerous weapons for Kip despite disturbing tendencies such as building bombs, torturing neighborhood cats, throwing rocks of freeway bridges and treatment for mental disorders that included hallucinating and hearing voices.
Bill Kinkel’s inability to grasp just how dangerous Kip was concluded around 6pm that day when Kip shot him in the back of the head while his Dad was seated at the Kitchen table. A little later that evening, Kip waited in the garage for his mother Faith’s return. After helping her unload groceries from the car, he shot her twice in the back of the head. Upon realizing she was still alive, he shot her three more times in the face and once more in the heart.
That night Kip prepared himself for one final attack; arming himself with three guns, two knives and enough ammunition to kill over 1,000 people. To ensure this was indeed his last stand, Kip taped one .22 and one 9mm caliber to his chest. This last reserve of bullets was to guarantee he would be able to kill himself regardless which weapon was in his when the time came.
Kip drove his mother’s Ford Explorer to Thurston High School, where he arrived in time to reach the cafeteria by 7:55 am; the time it was the most crowded. On his approach to the cafeteria, Kip warned a friend not go to into the school. Seconds later, just outside the cafeteria, Kip shot Ben Walker in the back of the head.
Less than 20 yards away, Kip zeroed in on his next victim; shooting Ryan Atterberry in the side of the face. Despite, being shot in the face at point blank range, Ryan would survive. Moments later Kip was inside the cafeteria that was packed with over 250 students. Using a semi-automatic .22 caliber rifle, Kip fired nearly 50 rounds; wounding 25 people. After the initial spray of gunfire, Kip started selecting his targets, killing Mikael Nickolauson.
Shortly after killing Mikael, Kip’s realized his magazine was empty when he attempted to shoot another student. This brief window of opportunity was exploited by Ryan Crowley, Jake Ryker, Josh Ryker, Douglas Ure, Davis Ure, Ada Walberger, Joshua Pearson and Travis Weaver. The seven students, two of whom were shot and injured in the process, overpowered Kinkel and stopped the killing.
Kip Kinkel murdered his parents, two students and wounded 25 others. He was sentenced to 111 years in prison without possibility parole. The very same day as Kips’ attack a plot by three six graders to carry out an ambush style attack was uncovered in St, Charles, MO.
Fighting back against an attacker should be taught as a last resort as part of a larger security strategy that includes threat assessment and physical security. All security procedures should be developed in conjunction with local law enforcement and trained experts.
From Schoolsafetynews.com
to see the BulletBlocker products that can help with school safety, click here
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Bulletproof Vests and Gear for school safety at sale prices
Protect you and your children: Bulletproof Backpacks and Classroom safety kits for survival in school shooting incidents and random acts of violence. Bullet proof Briefcases, computer cases, notebooks, bullet proof inserts and bulletproof panels that are affordable and great for school safety, work / workplace safety, travel and commuting. Teacher Safety seat is a seat cushion with integrated NIJ Threat Level 3A protection, from ammunition up to and including 44 magnum!All of our products are Threat Level 3A tested.
All of the BulletBlocker Safety Products are
Sale Prices and Free Shipping!
Peace of Mind at Affordable Prices
Check out these hot products:
All of the BulletBlocker Safety Products are
Independently Tested and Rated for
Threat Level 3a protection by the National Institute for Justice
NIJ Threat Level 3a standard.
This rating indicates effectiveness against handgun
ammunition up to AND including 44 Magnum!
-That's approx. 99% of all available Handgun ammo.-
These products are designed to be airport security and metal detector friendly. We have integrated the lightweight bulletproof material into products that can be used everyday yet provide life-saving protection from random violence.
Not available in stores.
These products are designed to be airport security and metal detector friendly. We have integrated the lightweight bulletproof material into products that can be used everyday yet provide life-saving protection from random violence.
Not available in stores.
Visit our online store at BulletBlocker.com to view our online catalog and learn more about protection from gun violence.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Clearance sale on new BulletBlocker Bullet proof vests: Bulletproof vests at super sale prices
BulletBlocker, the original manufacturer of the bulletproof backpack known as My Child's Pack, is offering a threat level 3a concealment body armor wrap around coverage vest for only $388! Plus you get an additional 5% off with the coupon code "save5" at checkout. Free shipping is also available for ground shipping orders. This is an incredible price! Threat Level 3a bulletproof vests usually range from $450 to $1,000 or more. BulletBlocker's low overhead and direct from the manufacturer pricing makes it possible for them to offer this incredible savings on this life saving, survival product. The Defender threat level 3a vest comes in sm, med., large, XL and XXL and is available in blue, white or black.
The Executive Vest is a bullet proof vest (aka bulletproof vest) that offers emergency threat level 3a coverage in a sleek and compact carrier and only costs $275 on sale! Plus free shipping. This is a one size fits all, discreet, front and back coverage vest for emergency survival situations and can be easily carried in any pack or briefcase. It weighs less than 4 lbs. and lays fat at under 1 inch of thickness!
Both of these vests complement the BulletBlocker line of products: Real life gear for real live people. This is the first time that law enforcement and military level protection has been offered, by any manufacturer, at a price the general consumer can afford. The line of backpacks, computer bags and do-it-yourself inserts is designed to be able to be used by real people in their everyday lives. Then, when the need arises, the protection is built in and ready to defend them from random violence. The threat level 3a protection is effective and independently tested up to and including 44 magnum, which is about 99% of all handgun rounds. Some of the ammo it will stop: 22LR, 22short, 25acp, 38 cal, 38+p, 380acp, 357 magnum, 9mm, 9mm FMJ,40 cal, 45acp, 44 magnum.
The bulletproof vest and emergency bulletproof vest, bullet proof backpacks, and bulletproof computer bags, bullet proof gym bags, and bulletproof panels and inserts offered by BulletBlocker are an inexpensive and innovative way to keep protection from random violence available when you need it.
The Executive Vest is a bullet proof vest (aka bulletproof vest) that offers emergency threat level 3a coverage in a sleek and compact carrier and only costs $275 on sale! Plus free shipping. This is a one size fits all, discreet, front and back coverage vest for emergency survival situations and can be easily carried in any pack or briefcase. It weighs less than 4 lbs. and lays fat at under 1 inch of thickness!
Both of these vests complement the BulletBlocker line of products: Real life gear for real live people. This is the first time that law enforcement and military level protection has been offered, by any manufacturer, at a price the general consumer can afford. The line of backpacks, computer bags and do-it-yourself inserts is designed to be able to be used by real people in their everyday lives. Then, when the need arises, the protection is built in and ready to defend them from random violence. The threat level 3a protection is effective and independently tested up to and including 44 magnum, which is about 99% of all handgun rounds. Some of the ammo it will stop: 22LR, 22short, 25acp, 38 cal, 38+p, 380acp, 357 magnum, 9mm, 9mm FMJ,40 cal, 45acp, 44 magnum.
The bulletproof vest and emergency bulletproof vest, bullet proof backpacks, and bulletproof computer bags, bullet proof gym bags, and bulletproof panels and inserts offered by BulletBlocker are an inexpensive and innovative way to keep protection from random violence available when you need it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
