10 Links I Came Across in Weekend Reading

People often how I keep informed. Let me count the ways... Seriously, I subscribe to email lists, blog feeds, twitter, facebook and the list goes on. Some of the items I came across this weekend:

Following are quotes from the sites that are linked:

From the FBI: For the second year in row, the number of violent crimes declined across the country—a total of 2.5 percent during 2008 compared to the previous year—according to our just-released Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report.
http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june09/ucr_statistics060109.html

Terrance ``Terry'' Wheeler showed violent tendencies for decades.
Wednesday, police said Wheeler stabbed to death his former, longtime girlfriend, Dorothy Holliday, and seriously injured his brother inside the home they all shared at 815 Maltby St. Two Jackson officers arrived, and Sgt. Michael Gleeson shot and killed Wheeler when he refused to drop the kitchen knife he was using to stab Holliday in the chest area, Jackson County Undersheriff Tom Finco said.
http://www.mlive.com/news/citpat/index.ssf?/base/news-28/124376431113890.xml&coll=3

There is a really cool movie out on DVD dealing with the cycle of domestic violence in families. Bitter Memories was written by Mariella Zavala for a school assignment when she was just a freshman in high school.
http://www.loveisrespect.org/2009/06/01/movie-to-check-out-bitter-memories/

Anchorage is suffering a crisis of domestic abuse. For about six months now, the number of women fleeing abusive boyfriends and husbands has been swelling Anchorage's only shelter for battered women beyond its capacity.
http://theimmoralminority.blogspot.com/2009/06/anchorage-is-suffering-crisis-of.html

Moving out, Moving on , is more then a simple workbook, but a true plan to take control of one’s life and face the future head on. This is not just another “divorce book” written by a so called “expert.”
Moving out, Moving on , is authored by a person who truly knows…Susan Murphy-Milano. Free download:
http://www.susanmurphymilano.com/
(my mistake, the download is NOT free)


Last month, in April 2009, I decided to start tracking news articles publishing incidents of Intimate and Domestic Violence related homicides. My original goal was to get an idea of how many homicides occurred within any given 30 day period.
It was astonishing to me to find so many homicides covering so many jurisdictions from around the United States. I decided to create a google map to get a visual tool for the material and incorporated the map into the blog as well.You are receiving this email because a colleague/supporter thought you may be interested in viewing the blog: Intimate and Domestic Violence in the News. It can be found at : http://domesticviolencenews.blogspot.com/

Is Blogging Right for Your Organization?
Practically every customer and potential customer I speak with inevitably brings up social media. “Should we be twittering?” “Should we set up a facebook group?” “Should we be blogging?” And, the answer to all of these questions is that these are just relatively new tools available to us, and if used correctly, can become a valuable asset to your organization, so yes.
http://www.wildapricot.com/blogs/newsblog/archive/2009/05/01/is-blogging-right-for-your-organization.aspx

If you aren't convinced that gender inequality and gender prejudice doesn't exist in these enlightened days of the 21st century, look no further than the insane reasons the punditry of the American Media have for discrediting Sonia Sotomayor as a worthy nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States (current membership: 8 males, 1 female).
http://ourfuturehasnoviolenceagainstwomen.blogspot.com/2009/05/ew-girl.html

Spike in Murder-Suicides Raise 'Manhood' Issue
By Katherine van Wormer
The horrifying headlines about men who kill their entire families and then turn the gun on themselves appear to be intensifying. Katherine van Wormer says the harsh economy may be a factor, but more fundamental may be a distorted notion of manliness.
http://www.womensenews.org/article.cfm?aid=4025

And finally:

The Art of Artlessness: A lot of the complexity in our lives come when we try to keep up certain appearances.
A simpler, happier life can be achieved when we drop those appearances and just live naturally, without pretense or artfulness.
http://zenhabits.net/2009/05/the-art-of-artlessness-on-living-simply-and-naturally/