In 2004 I did this piece with the investigative unit of Inside Edition. This has never been done before in the United States. The results amazed all of us!
To book Steve at your College or University contact CAMPUSPEAK AT (303) 745-5545 http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/kardian/
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Defend University's Top 10 Back-To-School Safety Tips
1. Rely on the gift of intuition, trust your instincts. If you feel that the guy is a creep, he likely is. If you feel that you are in danger, you likely are.
2. Go to people, be with people. Avoid being isolated or alone with strangers.
3. When you arrive on campus familiarize or reacquaint yourself with the campus, housing and your surroundings.
4. Have a plan. Explore the “what ifs?” What do I do if someone tries to break into my dorm, someone is following me, someone is stalking me... Making decisions while under stress or duress is the worst time to make any type of decision.
5. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are all wonderful social networking sources but they remain a stalkers dream. The college campus is a closed community and social networking sites are a tool the stalker uses to accomplish his/her desire.
6. The buddy system. Go out as a group, go home as a group. If you see something is out of place address it or bring it to the attention of someone in authority.
7. Don’t accept a drink from someone you don't trust your life with. Watch the drink being poured or served and remember that the bartender and predator sometimes act in concert.
8. If you see something, say something. If you observe a friend doing something odd or acting out of character don't be afraid to intervene.
9. Create and share a secret signal with your friends for when they should intervene if you’re in an uncomfortable situation.
10. Do your best not to go out alone at night. If you do walk with a roommate or someone you trust. Avoid the ATM and jogging during darkness. Don’t put music headphones in both ears so that you can be more aware of your surroundings.
To book Steve at your College or University contact CAMPUSPEAK AT (303) 745-5545 http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/kardian/
2. Go to people, be with people. Avoid being isolated or alone with strangers.
3. When you arrive on campus familiarize or reacquaint yourself with the campus, housing and your surroundings.
4. Have a plan. Explore the “what ifs?” What do I do if someone tries to break into my dorm, someone is following me, someone is stalking me... Making decisions while under stress or duress is the worst time to make any type of decision.
5. Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are all wonderful social networking sources but they remain a stalkers dream. The college campus is a closed community and social networking sites are a tool the stalker uses to accomplish his/her desire.
6. The buddy system. Go out as a group, go home as a group. If you see something is out of place address it or bring it to the attention of someone in authority.
7. Don’t accept a drink from someone you don't trust your life with. Watch the drink being poured or served and remember that the bartender and predator sometimes act in concert.
8. If you see something, say something. If you observe a friend doing something odd or acting out of character don't be afraid to intervene.
9. Create and share a secret signal with your friends for when they should intervene if you’re in an uncomfortable situation.
10. Do your best not to go out alone at night. If you do walk with a roommate or someone you trust. Avoid the ATM and jogging during darkness. Don’t put music headphones in both ears so that you can be more aware of your surroundings.
To book Steve at your College or University contact CAMPUSPEAK AT (303) 745-5545 http://www.campuspeak.com/speakers/kardian/
Friday, July 10, 2009
From California to Cape Cod, Massachusetts here are the new Fight Like A Girl instructors.
Defend University, The Women's Self Defense Institute and the Fight Like a Girl Program have come of age. Brad Parker, Ray Butcher and I will continue to empower women of all ages, "world wide", with the knowledge and information that will keep them safe!
The next east coast Instructor certification will be held on September 19th & 20th, 2009.
Character: The Ultimate Survival tool!
Before he became an instant celebrity for winning Survivor Africa, CAMPUSPEAK co-speaker Ethan Zohn played soccer professionally for teams in both the United States and Zimbabwe. He thought his previous experience in Africa would help him on the reality show, but it didn't really give him an edge he said.
It did remind him of the tremendous problems facing most African countries in terms of poverty, corrupt governments and most devastatingly, the AIDS crisis. After this reminder, when it came time to decide what to do with his newly acquired million and his fifteen minutes of fame, Ethan's decision was easy.
In Africa, the most popular sport by far is soccer. Since Ethan has experience in that arena, he decided to use his money and notoriety to help provide AIDS education, using African role models — soccer players — to teach children about HIV and AIDS. Ethan donated the money he won for this cause.
Now this inspirational speaker and person is putting his character and survival to the test. He's was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in April and went public with his diagnosis in May. Keeping the positive attitude he has shown ever since vowing to "inspire and educate people" through his ordeal, Zohn, 35, lets the camera roll as he enters "the chemo zone," and takes viewers behind the curtain as a doctor puts a needle in his chest and he downs a cup full of pills – jokingly calling them "Skittles, M&Ms and Tic-Tacs."
Our thoughts and prayers go to Ethan during this difficult time. You can receive updates and follow his progress on People magazines, people.com. The link is below.
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20289066,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20289066,00.html?xid=rss-topheadlines
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Craigslist good, bad, or dangerous?
Is Craigslist doing enough to keep its users safe? We know about the Craigslist murder but what about all of the other scams occurring on the popular site. Below is the most recent event.
Joseph Brooks the Oscar-winning composer and director behind "You Light Up My Life" raped 11 women he lured to his apartment with the promise of a starring role in a movie, prosecutors said at his arraignment Tuesday.
The women read an online ad placed by the director, Joseph Brooks, applied for the audition, "and thought this was their chance to become a big star," Manhattan prosecutor Lisa Friel said.
Instead, once the women were in Brooks' Manhattan apartment, he plied them with wine and forcibly raped them or used threats and coercive behavior to make them have sex with him, prosecutors said.
District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Brooks used his Hollywood credentials on the Craigslist classified ads Web site to attract the victims, aged 18 to 30. He said Brooks' ad specified attractive young women for a starring role in a movie.
Morgenthau said nine of the 11 women were from the Portland, Ore., and Seattle areas and the others were from California and Florida. He said Brooks paid to fly 10 of the women, who didn't know each other, to New York.
Craigslist, unfortunately, is about much more than just buying and selling things. There have also been issues with prostitution, child exploitation, stolen property, ID theft, and a number of other crimes. Law enforcement across the country have arrested many people in recent years for Craigslist-related crimes.
However, substantially reducing Craigslist-related crimes may not be possible. however. Federal courts have so far ruled that Web site operators are not liable for what people post on them, and local law enforcement officials say they do not have the resources to constantly monitor Craigslist.
Founded in San Francisco in 1995, Craigslist claims to operate more than 300 sites in 50 states and more than 50 countries. According to organization statistics, Craigslist is now the seventh-most popular English-language Web site in the world, hosting more than 12 million ads viewed by more than 15 million people a month.
Attached is one of the segments I did on CNN regarding Craigslist.
Joseph Brooks the Oscar-winning composer and director behind "You Light Up My Life" raped 11 women he lured to his apartment with the promise of a starring role in a movie, prosecutors said at his arraignment Tuesday.
The women read an online ad placed by the director, Joseph Brooks, applied for the audition, "and thought this was their chance to become a big star," Manhattan prosecutor Lisa Friel said.
Instead, once the women were in Brooks' Manhattan apartment, he plied them with wine and forcibly raped them or used threats and coercive behavior to make them have sex with him, prosecutors said.
District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said Brooks used his Hollywood credentials on the Craigslist classified ads Web site to attract the victims, aged 18 to 30. He said Brooks' ad specified attractive young women for a starring role in a movie.
Morgenthau said nine of the 11 women were from the Portland, Ore., and Seattle areas and the others were from California and Florida. He said Brooks paid to fly 10 of the women, who didn't know each other, to New York.
Craigslist, unfortunately, is about much more than just buying and selling things. There have also been issues with prostitution, child exploitation, stolen property, ID theft, and a number of other crimes. Law enforcement across the country have arrested many people in recent years for Craigslist-related crimes.
However, substantially reducing Craigslist-related crimes may not be possible. however. Federal courts have so far ruled that Web site operators are not liable for what people post on them, and local law enforcement officials say they do not have the resources to constantly monitor Craigslist.
Founded in San Francisco in 1995, Craigslist claims to operate more than 300 sites in 50 states and more than 50 countries. According to organization statistics, Craigslist is now the seventh-most popular English-language Web site in the world, hosting more than 12 million ads viewed by more than 15 million people a month.
Attached is one of the segments I did on CNN regarding Craigslist.
Rihanna, Chris Brown and Domestic Abuse
Note: The first paragraph is an abbreviated version of the Rihanna assault but it’s also a “very graphic” account of Chris Browns assault on Rihanna.
The real deal:
When this vicious assault was first reported I appeared on CNN's "The Nancy Grace" show and had the opportunity to review the search warrant affidavit filed by the Los Angeles Police Department. It was lengthy and rather descriptive. Chris Brown punched, bit, viciously choked Rihanna and threatened to kill her. His punches caused Rihanna’s mouth to fill with blood and splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. Rihanna attempted to text her personal assistant. Brown threw Rihanna’s cell phone out of the vehicle. Brown pulled Rihanna close and he bit her on her left ear. Rihanna saw that Brown’s cell phone was on his lap. She picked it up and she was placed in a headlock by Brown with his bicep and forearm applying pressure to Rihanna’s left and right carotid arteries causing her to be unable to breathe and she began to lose consciousness. She reached up her left hand and attempted to gouge his eyes in an attempt to free herself. Brown bit her left ring and middle fingers and he released her. Brown continued to punch her and she put her back against the door, brought her knees to her chest and began to kick him (a technique taught in my "Fight Like A Girl" program). Brown continued to punch Rihanna about the feet and legs. Rihanna began screaming and Brown exited the vehicle.
The case disposition:
Chris Brown pled guilty to one count of felony assault against Rihanna today.
As part of his plea bargain, he was given five years probation and 180 days of community labor in Virginia.
According to court records, he must obey a protective order and a stay-away order, which requires him to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna, who did not testify but did appear in court.
Brown's attorney Mark Geragos addressed the media afterwards stating: "This is a kid who has never been in trouble before. He embraces this as a chance to get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. He wants to get his life back on track."
Conclusion:
When we look at the dynamic of the assault we see that the “choke’ is a rage move. In a domestic or social situation anytime someone places his hands around your neck he/she is intent on causing you serious physical injury and or death. You don’t plan to choke someone but rather it’s an emotional response brought about by an extremely emotional interaction with another person.
The sad fact of this case is that Chris Brown's probation and community service sentence is a typical disposition for a first time batterer, despite the violence involved in this case. Will he publically apologize for punching Rihanna in the face, choking her, and biting her, or will it all be forgotten in time and will he as his attorney suggested “get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. Only time will tell.
Battered Women’s Syndrome:
I will write more on this subject later but history tells us that it is unlikely that this is the first time Chris Brown acted out in this manner and just as unlikely that this was the first time that Rihanna experienced similar behavior from Brown.
When this vicious assault was first reported I appeared on CNN's "The Nancy Grace" show and had the opportunity to review the search warrant affidavit filed by the Los Angeles Police Department. It was lengthy and rather descriptive. Chris Brown punched, bit, viciously choked Rihanna and threatened to kill her. His punches caused Rihanna’s mouth to fill with blood and splatter all over her clothing and the interior of the vehicle. Rihanna attempted to text her personal assistant. Brown threw Rihanna’s cell phone out of the vehicle. Brown pulled Rihanna close and he bit her on her left ear. Rihanna saw that Brown’s cell phone was on his lap. She picked it up and she was placed in a headlock by Brown with his bicep and forearm applying pressure to Rihanna’s left and right carotid arteries causing her to be unable to breathe and she began to lose consciousness. She reached up her left hand and attempted to gouge his eyes in an attempt to free herself. Brown bit her left ring and middle fingers and he released her. Brown continued to punch her and she put her back against the door, brought her knees to her chest and began to kick him (a technique taught in my "Fight Like A Girl" program). Brown continued to punch Rihanna about the feet and legs. Rihanna began screaming and Brown exited the vehicle.
The case disposition:
Chris Brown pled guilty to one count of felony assault against Rihanna today.
As part of his plea bargain, he was given five years probation and 180 days of community labor in Virginia.
According to court records, he must obey a protective order and a stay-away order, which requires him to stay at least 50 yards away from Rihanna, who did not testify but did appear in court.
Brown's attorney Mark Geragos addressed the media afterwards stating: "This is a kid who has never been in trouble before. He embraces this as a chance to get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. He wants to get his life back on track."
Conclusion:
When we look at the dynamic of the assault we see that the “choke’ is a rage move. In a domestic or social situation anytime someone places his hands around your neck he/she is intent on causing you serious physical injury and or death. You don’t plan to choke someone but rather it’s an emotional response brought about by an extremely emotional interaction with another person.
The sad fact of this case is that Chris Brown's probation and community service sentence is a typical disposition for a first time batterer, despite the violence involved in this case. Will he publically apologize for punching Rihanna in the face, choking her, and biting her, or will it all be forgotten in time and will he as his attorney suggested “get the message out that domestic violence will not be tolerated. Only time will tell.
Battered Women’s Syndrome:
I will write more on this subject later but history tells us that it is unlikely that this is the first time Chris Brown acted out in this manner and just as unlikely that this was the first time that Rihanna experienced similar behavior from Brown.
Monday, March 16, 2009
CNN - Jane Velez-Mitchell NY Times article. Jane drawing "big" ratings!
Steve Kardian is regular guest on"Issues" with Jane Velez-Mitchell on CNN HLN at 7:00pm (Est.) She's AWESOME! Kardian says.
March 3, 2009
A Fill-In on Cable News Is Thrust Into Host’s Chair
By BRIAN STELTER
Jane Velez-Mitchell is a true-crime author, a television talking head, a lesbian, an animal activist, a recovering alcoholic and a vegan. She was until recently a glorified freelancer for Headline News, the sister channel of CNN.
Now she is one of Headline News’s nightly hosts — and her 7 o’clock show is setting ratings records for the network.
Last October, with only nine hours’ notice, Ms. Velez-Mitchell joined the ranks of evening cable news anchors. At home in Los Angeles, drinking her first cup of coffee on Oct. 17, a Friday, Ms. Velez-Mitchell, who had substituted for years for Nancy Grace, the host of her own news show, was jolted by a call. It was from Ken Jautz, the executive vice president of CNN Worldwide in charge of Headline News, who asked her to host the channel’s 7 p.m. hour from Los Angeles that night, then hop on a plane to New York and start a five-nights-a-week shift on Monday. He told her that slot’s program would be called “Issues.”
“Great,” she jokingly recalled responding, “because I have a lot of issues.”
The sudden assignment became a surprising success for Headline News, which was formally renamed HLN in January. Ms. Velez-Mitchell’s hour of water-cooler talk, delivered with heavy doses of opinion, reached an average of 596,000 viewers in February, up 74 percent from the slot’s average for the same month last year, when the conservative commentator Glenn Beck was the host.
Mr. Jautz’s call came the day after Mr. Beck signed a contract with the Fox News Channel. Once it was clear that Mr. Beck wouldn’t be at HLN on Friday, Mr. Jautz scrambled to create a new show in less than 24 hours. Ms. Velez-Mitchell had been on a short list of possible anchors as he considered adding another prime-time show, but neither expected it to happen in a day.
HLN traffics in news headlines during the day, but Mr. Jautz has differentiated the network from CNN by hiring night-time hosts who have what he calls the three P’s: passion, personality and a point of view. The strategy started four years ago with Ms. Grace’s 8 p.m. program about crime and justice; Mr. Beck was added as the 7 p.m. host in mid-2006. The pair helped HLN achieve its record-high ratings in prime time, allowing the network to charge more for advertising.
While Mr. Beck left the network last fall, it did not lose viewers. To the surprise of some at Time Warner, Ms. Velez-Mitchell’s show has received higher ratings than his did.
In February “Issues” reached an average of 241,000 viewers among the 25- to 54-year-old demographic segment of the audience, compared with the 157,000 that Mr. Beck averaged in the same month last year. Mr. Jautz said that the ratings were a “validation of a strategy.”
“The advantage of having two fully distributed TV networks is that we can niche-target,” he said, adding that the election propelled CNN to its best year ever in 2008, even as HLN drew its highest ratings ever.
For the past three months Ms. Grace’s tabloid-oriented show has outdrawn Campbell Brown on CNN and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC programs among 25-to-54-year-olds. (Now hosting the 5 p.m. hour on Fox News, Mr. Beck drew a bigger audience than any of the HLN shows did in February.)
On “Issues,” Ms. Velez-Mitchell and commentators cover a wide swath of the day’s stories, be they a missing child, a plane crash or a debate about the Proposition 8 legislation in California. Still an interim host, Ms. Velez-Mitchell is in long-term contract negotiations with CNN.
In an interview in her office at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan last week, her attitude about the abruptness of her anchor assignment bordered on nonchalance. “In Hollywood, they say good news finds you,” she said, by way of explaining her approach.
In a medium that has favored the archetype of the white male anchor, at least in prime time, Ms. Velez-Mitchell brings a unique background. After almost two decades in Los Angeles, chasing local news for its CBS affiliate and covering criminal trials for the syndicated show “Celebrity Justice,” Ms. Velez-Mitchell, 53, was content to fill in for Ms. Grace, promote her book about crimes and write a memoir.
In appearances on Ms. Grace’s show starting in 2005, she had been enticed to share opinions, a marked change from her years in local news where, she recalled, producers would tell her to “stick to the copy.” Having made the leap from news to views, “I kind of sensed that I couldn’t go back” to local journalism, she said. “Which is O.K.: life’s an adventure, and you keep moving forward.”
Ms. Velez-Mitchell said she drew her one-day-at-a-time philosophy from the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. She will celebrate her 14th year of sobriety on April 1. “That’s really the main thing that informs how I look at the world,” she said. “I’m not in control of anything, so why bother trying to control it?”
Her years of therapy lend a psychological perspective to the crimes that “Issues” covers. Discussing the death of the 2-year-old Caylee Anthony and the indictment of her mother on murder charges, last month she asked her guests about dysfunctional families, using diagnostic terms like “triangulation” and “enmeshment.” “These are phrases that I don’t think you hear on television very often,” she said.
Ms. Velez-Mitchell said some of her views can be traced to her mother, Anita Velez, a former vaudeville performer who exposed her to beliefs about nonviolence. On HLN Ms. Velez-Mitchell expresses shock about violence, in particular in a recurring segment titled “War on Women.”
About four and a half months after Mr. Jautz’s call, Ms. Velez-Mitchell now lives in Midtown Manhattan with her mother and walks to work each day. She has not returned to her condominium in Los Angeles since her abrupt move; she had a friend mail her tax forms to her.
“It’s astounding how little you need to survive, it really is,” she said.
March 3, 2009
A Fill-In on Cable News Is Thrust Into Host’s Chair
By BRIAN STELTER
Jane Velez-Mitchell is a true-crime author, a television talking head, a lesbian, an animal activist, a recovering alcoholic and a vegan. She was until recently a glorified freelancer for Headline News, the sister channel of CNN.
Now she is one of Headline News’s nightly hosts — and her 7 o’clock show is setting ratings records for the network.
Last October, with only nine hours’ notice, Ms. Velez-Mitchell joined the ranks of evening cable news anchors. At home in Los Angeles, drinking her first cup of coffee on Oct. 17, a Friday, Ms. Velez-Mitchell, who had substituted for years for Nancy Grace, the host of her own news show, was jolted by a call. It was from Ken Jautz, the executive vice president of CNN Worldwide in charge of Headline News, who asked her to host the channel’s 7 p.m. hour from Los Angeles that night, then hop on a plane to New York and start a five-nights-a-week shift on Monday. He told her that slot’s program would be called “Issues.”
“Great,” she jokingly recalled responding, “because I have a lot of issues.”
The sudden assignment became a surprising success for Headline News, which was formally renamed HLN in January. Ms. Velez-Mitchell’s hour of water-cooler talk, delivered with heavy doses of opinion, reached an average of 596,000 viewers in February, up 74 percent from the slot’s average for the same month last year, when the conservative commentator Glenn Beck was the host.
Mr. Jautz’s call came the day after Mr. Beck signed a contract with the Fox News Channel. Once it was clear that Mr. Beck wouldn’t be at HLN on Friday, Mr. Jautz scrambled to create a new show in less than 24 hours. Ms. Velez-Mitchell had been on a short list of possible anchors as he considered adding another prime-time show, but neither expected it to happen in a day.
HLN traffics in news headlines during the day, but Mr. Jautz has differentiated the network from CNN by hiring night-time hosts who have what he calls the three P’s: passion, personality and a point of view. The strategy started four years ago with Ms. Grace’s 8 p.m. program about crime and justice; Mr. Beck was added as the 7 p.m. host in mid-2006. The pair helped HLN achieve its record-high ratings in prime time, allowing the network to charge more for advertising.
While Mr. Beck left the network last fall, it did not lose viewers. To the surprise of some at Time Warner, Ms. Velez-Mitchell’s show has received higher ratings than his did.
In February “Issues” reached an average of 241,000 viewers among the 25- to 54-year-old demographic segment of the audience, compared with the 157,000 that Mr. Beck averaged in the same month last year. Mr. Jautz said that the ratings were a “validation of a strategy.”
“The advantage of having two fully distributed TV networks is that we can niche-target,” he said, adding that the election propelled CNN to its best year ever in 2008, even as HLN drew its highest ratings ever.
For the past three months Ms. Grace’s tabloid-oriented show has outdrawn Campbell Brown on CNN and Keith Olbermann on MSNBC programs among 25-to-54-year-olds. (Now hosting the 5 p.m. hour on Fox News, Mr. Beck drew a bigger audience than any of the HLN shows did in February.)
On “Issues,” Ms. Velez-Mitchell and commentators cover a wide swath of the day’s stories, be they a missing child, a plane crash or a debate about the Proposition 8 legislation in California. Still an interim host, Ms. Velez-Mitchell is in long-term contract negotiations with CNN.
In an interview in her office at the Time Warner Center in Manhattan last week, her attitude about the abruptness of her anchor assignment bordered on nonchalance. “In Hollywood, they say good news finds you,” she said, by way of explaining her approach.
In a medium that has favored the archetype of the white male anchor, at least in prime time, Ms. Velez-Mitchell brings a unique background. After almost two decades in Los Angeles, chasing local news for its CBS affiliate and covering criminal trials for the syndicated show “Celebrity Justice,” Ms. Velez-Mitchell, 53, was content to fill in for Ms. Grace, promote her book about crimes and write a memoir.
In appearances on Ms. Grace’s show starting in 2005, she had been enticed to share opinions, a marked change from her years in local news where, she recalled, producers would tell her to “stick to the copy.” Having made the leap from news to views, “I kind of sensed that I couldn’t go back” to local journalism, she said. “Which is O.K.: life’s an adventure, and you keep moving forward.”
Ms. Velez-Mitchell said she drew her one-day-at-a-time philosophy from the 12-step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. She will celebrate her 14th year of sobriety on April 1. “That’s really the main thing that informs how I look at the world,” she said. “I’m not in control of anything, so why bother trying to control it?”
Her years of therapy lend a psychological perspective to the crimes that “Issues” covers. Discussing the death of the 2-year-old Caylee Anthony and the indictment of her mother on murder charges, last month she asked her guests about dysfunctional families, using diagnostic terms like “triangulation” and “enmeshment.” “These are phrases that I don’t think you hear on television very often,” she said.
Ms. Velez-Mitchell said some of her views can be traced to her mother, Anita Velez, a former vaudeville performer who exposed her to beliefs about nonviolence. On HLN Ms. Velez-Mitchell expresses shock about violence, in particular in a recurring segment titled “War on Women.”
About four and a half months after Mr. Jautz’s call, Ms. Velez-Mitchell now lives in Midtown Manhattan with her mother and walks to work each day. She has not returned to her condominium in Los Angeles since her abrupt move; she had a friend mail her tax forms to her.
“It’s astounding how little you need to survive, it really is,” she said.
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