Dru’s Law
January 31, 2006 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
On November 22, 2003 a University of North Dakota student was abducted from the parking lot at a local mall. Dru Sjodin was 22 years old and a Pequot Lakes native. After 5 months of intensive searching, law enforcement officials discovered her body in a ravine just outside Crookston, Minnesota. Six days later, more than 1,500 people gathered at her funeral to say goodbye to her.
Dru was allegedly abducted/murdered by a registered sex offender released 6 months earlier after serving a 23 year sentence for rape.
I closely followed her case during the massive, nationwide search. Just this week, a close friend of Dru’s contacted us via the GFB contact form to express her appreciation for the work we are doing. Getting her letters have been an incredible show of support from someone who really knows what it’s like to lose someone you love to homicide.
We did a little research to see what Dru’s family has been doing in the aftermath of her murder. What we found was awesome…they are in the process of getting Dru’s Law passed through. The law will close dangerous loopholes that have allowed sex offenders to prey on unsuspecting communities by crossing state lines.
By passing this bill, we will create a comprehensive, national system for sex offender registration on the internet, law enforcement notification of schools and other agencies, lifetime registration of offenders with felony convictions, increase in state and federal felony penalties, DNA samples of federal arrestees and detainees, and other crucial programs. To read more and show your support, please visit www.drusvoice.com
The Art of Procrastination
January 29, 2006 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
As you may already know, I am currently finishing my first book called Girls Fight Back: The College Girl’s Guide to Protecting Herself. Let me tell you this…writing a book is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It requires many hours sitting in front of a computer, and my chronic attention deficit disorder doesn’t care for that very much.
But alas, on March 1st I will have turned in the final manuscript to my college student review committee. Soon after, it goes to editing and then to print. Pre-orders should be available come April, and this Fall I’m doing a nationwide media tour.
But getting to this point has given me a good amount of obstacles, mostly of my own creation. I am an extremely gifted procrastinator. It’s amazing the tasks one finds themselves doing when attempting to avoid something else. My usual procrastinatory habits involve looking at real estate online or blogging. Yesterday, however, I hit a new low. I cleaned and organized the silverware drawer in my kitchen. I’ve hit rock bottom.
Just a few days left ’till the deadline, so I better get back to work. (Or maybe I should alphabetize my CD collection…)
Unsavvy Traveler
January 23, 2006 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Here’s the thing about being a frequent traveler like myself. You get into the mode where you’re flying around the country for weeks on end, and you become a traveling machine. No cell phone charger goes unpacked and no hair dryer is left behind. However, after a month of not traveling, something frightening happens. I morph into an unsavvy traveler.
All you frequent flyers know exactly who I’m talking about here. Those who try to board the plane after they have only called First Class. Those who have no spacial awareness of their luggage, and roll over your toes. (Without noticing, and thus, no apology.) Those who ask for a window seat, despite having a very tiny bladder.
This weekend I went to Florida to visit family, and immediately noticed I had become an unsavvy traveler. Here are my violations, listed in chronological order:
OFFENSE #1: It started with attempting to go through security with a manual corkscrew wine opener in my bag. Apparently I’m not the only one who recognizes this little tool as a magnificent improvised weapon. Consequently, I have this wine opener no longer. (And some TSA employee is enjoying a fine bottle of Pinot Noir right about now.)
OFFENSE #2: After reaching a safe cruising altitude on the flight, I booted up my laptop and plugged my headphones into the headphone jack on the computer. I launched iTunes, and started cranking Jack Johnson. After 10 minutes or so, I noticed the volume was incredibly low and couldn’t figure out why. After all, I had the sound jacked as high as it would go. I took off my headphones to investigate the problem. To my horror, music was blaring out of my laptop speakers. My husband kindly noted that my headphones were in fact, not plugged in at all. Surprisingly, the woman sitting next to me refrained from punching me in the face.
OFFENSE #3: Even when you get to your destination, it’s still possible to attain unsavvy traveler status. Every region of the country has its own rules, which must be strictly followed. In Florida, the big rule is “always check your shoes before putting them on.” Since I was on a streak of unsavviness, of course I did not do this. I put on my shoes and wore them for about an hour walking downtown Naples. I kept feeling this thing in my shoe, and finally stopped in the middle of a crowded sidewalk to remove take off the shoe and shake it out. What emerged was a squirming, slimy, centipede creature thrashing on the sidewalk with spastic terror. And my toes? They are bitten, bloodsucked and now completely purple.
Consequently, I am looking forward to my upcoming speaking/traveling season (which resumes in February) so I can avoid such atrocities. In the meantime, I hope I don’t die from my wounds. I’ll keep you posted.
Campus Safety Update
January 21, 2006 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Washington, DC-National Institute of Justice-sponsored research into sexual assault on the campuses of America’s universities and colleges has long contributed to public discourse. The Institute’s latest release, Sexual Assault on Campus: What Colleges and Universities Are Doing About It, advances the dialog, with a look at school compliance with reporting requirements under Federal law. The study also investigates the strengths and weaknesses of response policies and practices, formal and informal adjudication processes, and individual and institutional barriers to reporting. Among the findings is that although most schools annually report crime, only a third do so in a way that complies with Federal law.
The report is available online at the National Institute of Justice Web site at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/205521.htm.
NIJ is the research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. Its mission is to advance scientific research, development, and evaluation to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. For more information on NIJ, please visit http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.
R.A.D.
January 17, 2006 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Last week I was in Fort Wayne, Indiana for an intensive, 30 hour, R.A.D. Instructor Training. R.A.D. stands for Rape Aggression Defense, and it’s one of the nation’s leading women’s self-defense programs. Their organization consists of over 4,000 instructors across the country who are trained to teach a 12 hour curriculum. The reason I wanted to be certified as a R.A.D. instructor (which I am now, by the way…but the testing wasn’t easy!) is because it’s the most popular class available to college women. When I visit campuses with the GFB program, I always tell the audience that GFB is only the beginning of what they need to know about protecting themselves. To be able to pass them on to a local self-defense program is truly the most perfect partnership. I get women motivated and empowered, and then the R.A.D. instructors teach them how to open up a full contact can o’ whoop-ass.
Obviously, the 30 hours of training were intense. It all built up to what’s called “simulations.” This is when you put on some protective gear, and bad guys in padded suits attack you full force under the premise of real life situations. These simulations are the opportunities to demonstrate what you know, while under adrenal stress. And let me tell you, no matter how much training you have that fear always creeps up in those situations. The key is learning to embrace and use your fear to fight and escape. (as opposed to being paralyzed by it.)
A big thanks to Lori and the guys for being such awesome instructors. And hello to all my new friends I met. Hope to see you all again soon…
A Million Little Pieces
January 9, 2006 | 4 CommentsPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
I admit it. All last week I was addicted to the bestselling book, A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. I also admit that the reason I picked it up is because it was selected by Oprah’s Book Club. (I love Oprah. She’s pretty much girl power incarnate.) To summarize, A Million Little Pieces is about a young man’s journey through rehab. He shows up at the clinic on the verge of death, since he’s drank, inhaled, snorted or injected nearly every drug/booze under the sun. It chronicles his true story of hitting rock bottom, and finding his own path to healing. I found Frey’s girlfriend in the book, Lilly, to be an especially profound tragic story of a great girl who was simply…unloved. Sold into prostitution by her own mother as a pre-teen, she reminded me of so many survivors who have told me their stories of constant re-victimization through their life. It all goes back to one of my mottos: You can’t fight for yourself if you don’t believe you’re worth fighting for.
Then this week it all hit the fan. Frey was called out by the Smoking Gun on how accurate his claims of criminal charges and incarceration time served. Frey has got to be the only guy ever to exaggerate to make himself seem like MORE of a criminal. Only 18 pages in the book are in question over accuracy, and Oprah rushed to Frey’s corner and defended the book. As I’m in the midst of writing my first book, I can’t really understand why Frey had to inflate things, especially when it seems his real life was adequately disastrous for a good story. Regardless of the media frenzy and some exaggerations, I still recommend you check out this book to get a glimpse of life as an addict.
Where art thou, Lifetime?
January 7, 2006 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
As some of you may have heard, DISH network unilaterally chose to pull Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network - the two most popular women’s cable networks - off the air, on New Year’s Eve. They are doing a great public disservice by preventing women from receiving the critical information and support that Lifetime offers, through its programming and public advocacy campaigns ranging from raising breast cancer awareness to stopping violence against women to encouraging women to vote and run for elected office. For 20 years, Lifetime has been dedicated to advocating on behalf of women on-air, on-line, in communities across the country and in the halls of Congress. For 20 years, Lifetime has made it its priority to inform women on the issues that matter most to them and their families. Don’t let DISH network deprive women of the critical resources, information and inspiration Lifetime provides. We understand that there have been many false claims made by DISH and you can go to Lifetimetv.com to get the facts and more information.
We encourage you to contact DISH this week. You can:
Email to ceoofdishnetwork@dishnetwork.com
Call 888-347-4881 and ask them to bring Lifetime back.
And, if you are a DISH subscriber:
Ask for a rebate
Switch systems by either calling DirecTV at 1-888-777-2454 or your local cable provider at http://ga4.org/ct/cd19Gfp1DRgk/ or 1-887-665-9222.
Live Video
January 6, 2006 | Leave a CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Today I posted a 3 minute clip of my Girls Fight Back program at University of Tampa this fall. For those who have seen the program already, it re-caps some of the key and funny stuff I do. For those who are missing out, it will give you a preview of how things work here at GFB. I’m gearing up for my busiest speaking season yet…
To watch the new video, visit http://www.girlsfightback.com/html/video.html
2006: Bring it on!
January 4, 2006 | 1 CommentPosted by admin | Filed Under Erin Weed's Blog
Happy new year, everyone! Hope you enjoyed a glutinous holiday season, but now it’s time to get back on the wagon. So what’s in store for GFB in 2006? Quite a few things, actually. This year marks our fourth year kickin’ ass from coast to coast, and you can be assured that we’re just getting this party started. I’ll be honest - prior to this year, I’ve never really had a business plan. (A big no-no in the business start-up world.) After Shannon was killed in June 2001, I just went into action without thinking twice. Within months of becoming a certified instructor, I was traveling like a mad woman and just trying to stay on top of the demand for GFB programs. (Which by the way, I’m STILL not on top of…I get more requests now than ever before.)
But this year, my staff sat down to develop a strategic plan. We have several major areas we’ll be focusing on. #1 is speaking engagements. My programs are the core of what goes down here at GFB, and I am shooting to give more self-defense programs than ever. #2 is my book. It comes out in the Fall, and I just signed a national distribution agreement. (Which means it will be in bookstores across the nation.) #3 is www.shopGFB.com. We are working to develop great products to make available to women for a low cost.
In the midst of all this, I have some very cool training lined up. I am going to start Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and boxing this month, as well as going through the R.A.D. Instructor Training Program. In May, I will be training with world renowned self-defense expert Tony Blauer. From what I understand, it’s a training experience like no other. Tony brings new meaning to “can o’ whoop-ass.”
So yes, it’s going to be a busy and AWESOME year. My personal New Year’s Resolution is to learn acoustic guitar. So far it’s going fabulously. Maybe I’ll be a rocker chick someday…