Where is Nancy Drew when we need her?
A few days ago, we returned home in daylight to find our nice wooden rake,
and a child's rake, missing.
In its place was a red plastic rake of poorer quality.
This was weird, to say the least.
This morning- after writing to my block's e-mail list, I found out that my
neighbor across the street also had his rake stolen, and a red one put in its
place.

Has anyone offered to pay a stranger to rake their lawn? Noticed whether the
person brought his/her own rake?
Thankfully I'm not writing about something more serious. On Faraday Place
(near Rodman's), this is about as strange as it gets.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

From: Pamela Nash <PNash@aacc.org>

We just replaced 25 original (1910) double hung windows with Pella
windows and it's wonderfully snug and good looking. Not cheap, but the
service was excellent.

Our salesman, with whom we were VERY pleased is:

Michael Weisberg
Replacement Sales Specialist
2005 and 2006 Presidents Club National Award Winner
Pella Windows and Doors
KC Company, Inc
7613 Wisconsin Ave
Bethesda, MD 20814
202-285-8798
301-654-9795 - Fax

mweisberg@kc-pella.com

www.kc-pella.com
Good luck!

Pamela

From: OFC K. A. SODIMU--MPDC--4D--PSA-401 <mpdc2368@comcast.net>

OFFICER K. A. SODIMU.
M. P. D. C.
4TH DISTRICT.
P. S. A.-- 401.

If using an ATM that keeps your card during your transaction, be
sure to take your card at the end of the transaction. Bank of America
and Wachovia keep the cards. We have had many cards stolen when
people walk away from the ATM leaving the card in the machine. When
they return to the ATM, the card has been taken by someone watching
the transaction.
Samantha Nolan

---------
If you have to leave an ATM quickly, leaving your card behind,
hit the "Cancel" button. Hopefully, even if the thief gets your card,
he won't be able to change the pin number and use it again. Some
machines allow someone to change the pin number within 60 seconds
of when the card appears.
Kathy Smith

-----------

Guarding Against Robbery and Assault
Robbery and assault are serious crimes. While money is often
the motivation, these incidents are considered crimes of violence
because they involve the threat or actual use of physical violence.
The basic rules of prevention are to be sensible and to be alert. The
following tips will also help reduce the risk of robbery or assault.

* Personal Safety Tips on the Street
* Basic Street Smarts
* If Someone Tries to Rob You
* Safety in Your Vehicle
* Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Safety Tips
* Preventing Assaults

Personal Safety Tips on the Street

* If possible, don't walk alone during late-night hours.
Walk in groups whenever you can—there is always safety in numbers.
* Let a family member or friend know your destination and
your estimated time of arrival or return. That way, the police can be
notified as quickly as possible if there is a problem.
* Stay in well-lit areas as much as possible. Avoid
alleys, vacant lots, wooded areas, and other short-cuts or secluded
areas. They are usually not well-lit or heavily traveled.
* Walk on the sidewalk whenever possible. Walk close to
the curb, avoiding doorways, bushes, and other potential hiding places.
* If you have to walk in the street, walk facing traffic.
A person walking with traffic can be followed, forced into a car, and
abducted more easily than a person walking against traffic.
* Walk confidently, directly, and at a steady pace. Don't
stop to talk to strangers.
* Wear clothing and shoes that give you freedom of
movement. And don't burden yourself with too many packages or items.
* Always be aware of your surroundings. If you are wearing
headphones, don't turn up the volume so high that you cannot hear
outside noises.
* Never hitchhike or accept rides from strangers.
* Report any suspicious activity or person immediately to
the Metropolitan Police Department at 3-1-1. Or, if it is an
emergency, dial 9-1-1.
* Avoid carrying large sums of cash, or displaying
expensive jewelry in public.

Basic Street Smarts

* Wherever you are—on the street, in an office building or
shopping mall, driving, waiting for a bus or subway—stay alert and
tuned in to your surroundings.
* Send the message that you're calm, confident, and know
where you're going.
* Trust your instincts. If something or someone makes you
uneasy, avoid the person or leave.
* Know the neighborhoods where you live and work.
* Check out the locations of police and fire stations,
public telephones, hospitals, and restaurants, or stores that are open
late.

If Someone Tries to Rob You

* Don't resist. Give up your property—don't give up your life.
* Report the crime to the police. Try to describe the
attacker accurately. Your actions can help prevent others from
becoming victims.

Self defense measures are most effective when applied as
preventive steps—avoiding the crime in the first place.
These measures include running away, hiding, screaming, and
raising an alarm—remember, more people will respond to someone yelling
"Fire" than they will to "Help!""
Safety in Your Vehicle
The crime of "carjacking" – which is stealing a car by force –
captures headlines across the country. Statistically speaking,
however, your chances of being a victim of carjacking are very slim,
and taking preventive measures can reduce that risk even more.

* If the carjacker threatens you with a gun or other
weapon, give up your car. Don't argue. Your life is definitely worth
more than a car.
* Get away from the area as quickly as possible.
* Try to remember what the carjacker looked like—sex,
race, age, hair and eye color, special features, clothes.
* Report the crime immediately to the police.

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) Safety Tips

* Try to use machines you are familiar with, and try to
use terminals located in banks rather than independent terminals.
* Be aware of your surroundings. Look around before
conducting a transaction. If you see anyone or anything suspicious,
cancel your transaction and go to another ATM.
* If you must use an ATM after hours, make sure it's well-lit.
* Never walk away from an ATM with cash still in hand. If
you are going to count your money, do so at the ATM.
* When making an ATM transaction from your car, be aware
of your surroundings. Keep your eyes and ears open, and keep car doors
locked.

Preventing Assaults
Assaults are basically fights carried out with or without a
weapon at home or in a public space, between strangers, (frequently)
among friends, acquaintances, or loved ones.
The most serious assaults are known as "aggravated assaults,"
"assaults with a deadly weapon," or "assaults with intent to kill."
Less serious offenses are called "simple assaults." In many
cases, simple assaults turn into more serious assaults or even
homicides, if the initial argument or fight is not scaled back or
resolved quickly.
While some assaults are unavoidable, use the following tips to
make sure simple arguments do not turn violent or deadly:

* If you are involved in a heated argument that appears to
be turning violent, walk away. If you stay and fight "to prove
something," you will only demonstrate poor judgment in almost every
instance.
* Never carry a firearm, knife, or other illegal weapon. A
weapon will definitely escalate the situation, and it could ultimately
be used to harm innocent people or yourself.

* Avoid excessive drinking, or if you have been drinking,
recognize its impact on your judgment. Alcohol is a contributing
factor in many assaults.

* If you see an assault in progress, dial 9-1-1
immediately to alert the police. Do not jump into the fray, unless it
is a last resort to prevent more serious injury.

The October issue of Consumer Reports rates replacement windows, and Volume
14, No. 1 (Summer/Fall 2006) of Washington Consumers' Checkbook rates area
firms that install windows.

Joanne Levine
joannelevine@earthlink.net

Subject: Mayor, DDOT, MPD Pedestrian Safety Event Tomorrow
From: Linden, Erik (DDOT) <Erik.Linden@dc.gov>

*MEDIA ADVISORY*
MAYOR FENTY, MPD AND DDOT TO HOLD LIVE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY EVENT

Event Thursday Morning Will Feature Crosswalk Enforcement

(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, the District Department of
Transportation (DDOT) and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) are
holding a pedestrian safety enforcement event in Northwest tomorrow.

The campaign will feature crosswalk enforcement targeting motorists
who don't stop for pedestrians. It will also target motorists who are
speeding and pedestrians who cross against signals and endanger
themselves in traffic.

Tomorrow's enforcement will take place along Wisconsin Avenue - a high
pedestrian accident zone. The location is a heavily-used crosswalk
without signals where drivers frequently fail to give pedestrians the
right of way. It is also in the vicinity of one of the District's
pedestrian fatalities this year.

Background: Twenty five pedestrians have been killed so far this year
in the District, up from 17 in all of 2006. Several fatalities were
primarily caused by drivers failing to stop for pedestrians in a
crosswalk, or by drivers passing vehicles stopped for pedestrians in a
crosswalk.

Recent analysis of high pedestrian crash intersections in the District
shows that fewer than half of all drivers yield to pedestrians in a
crosswalk.

A pedestrian hit by a driver traveling at 40 mph has a 90 percent
chance of dying. A pedestrian hit by a driver traveling at 25 mph has
a 15 percent chance of dying.