Governor Palin and the Rape Capital of the USA

Did you know that Alaska is the rape capital of the United States? I didn't until I read a bit about Sarah Palin charging rape victims for the test kits (which she denies doing and calls it crazy but public records show she did it and knew about it). Alaska has been the #1 rape capital for at least the last three years and likely more. In 2007 it had the 5th highest rate of aggravated assault and 9th for violent crimes.

Who knew Alaska was such a haven for violence and sexual assault? I know I didn't.

Want to know more? Here, go have a read.

California, for those who are interested, ranks 41st in 2007 for rape but is big on vehicle theft (#4) and robbery (#6). And a rather shocking 18th in 2007 for murder, maybe they are counting Oakland as its own universe?

Alaska's crime index puts it at #20 nationally compared to California's crime index rating of #27.

Slick Local Coolness from Mom!

It is a fairly rare occurrence when my mother scoops me on some cool new web widget/site.

But she did and passed along a neat site called ZipSkinny that provides detailed demographics and more about any zip code you punch in.

One of the neater features is that you can compare up to 20 different zip codes. You could compare across a region to find the area you want to move to or you could compare where you live now to where you used to live or whatever. Its just a fascinating collection of information and presented in a very easily understood format.