What’d You Do At School Today?

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It’s a horrifying disgusting story that strikes fear in every parent.  And if the original revelation wasn’t bad enough, there was more.  What am I talking about?   A news story that broke last week when a third grade elementary school teacher was arrested for felony child abuse.

What makes this case so despicable are the details.  A film developer at a Southern California CVS store called police when the developer noticed 40 pictures they were processing  allegedly depicted children who were blindfolded and sometimes gagged. The pictures allegedly showed children who had insects (cockroaches) on their faces.  If that wasn’t bad enough, the photos also allegedly revealed children being fed fluid from a plastic spoon or being given a cookie to eat.  The cookies were allegedly covered in a similar-looking fluid.

The investigation revealed the mysterious fluid in the plastic spoon and on the cookie was actually bodily fluids, (semen) allegedly from the teacher.  This teacher taught at the school for over 30 years!  At this time, the investigation has revealed 23 alleged victims ages six to ten covering the period between 2005 and 2010. 

Even for unflappable Los Angeles, this is a highly disturbing story.  But it gets worse.  The teacher accused of these crimes was arrested last Monday.  On last Friday, a second teacher was arrested at the same school for allegedly committing lewd acts with a child.  At this time, it doesn’t appear the two cases are related.  

In the second situation, two students came forward alleging their teacher had fondled them in the classroom.  I saw one news story where one of the girls had allegedly been molested by both teachers. 

So, now you have a little background…which brings me to the true point of my blog today. As parents, it is imperative that you talk to your children about inappropriate behavior by anyone.  Because, sadly, the fact today is that a molester can be anyone.  

Parents, it’s up to you to teach your children about boundaries and about what is acceptable behavior and what is not.  And don’t think just because you’ve talked to your kids once that’s enough.  There are molesters out there who ‘specialize’ in different ages of children, so your child is vulnerable at any age.

I know my mother talked to me on numerous occasions about different dangerous scenarios I might find myself in and how I’d respond.  By bringing up things that might possibly happen to me (and I’m betting her examples were from local news stories) it allowed us to discuss how I could protect myself from such situations and what to do, if despite my best efforts, I was in danger.

While it sounds dark and ominous and like a real kill-joy to time spent with your child, I didn’t view it in that light.  I felt better prepared, when at age 13, a man pulled up next to me and wanted me to get into his car.

You don’t have to spend an hour each day lecturing your kids…but you do need to open that line of communication and get your children to realize there are bad people in the world who may try to prey on them.  How many times do you ask your kids what they did at school today and they say something like: “The same old thing.  Nothin’.”  And, because you’ve got twenty other things on your mind, you’re satisfied with that answer.

Apparently, in the first situation, the teacher had allegedly told the students they were playing a game and many of the kids didn’t think this type of behavior was odd or unusual. Now, imagine this…You pick your child up from school and ask them what they did that day.  They tell you their teacher blindfolded them and gagged them and took pictures of them with bugs on their faces.  Wouldn’t this set off alarm bells in your mind?  You bet it would.  And this is what I’m trying to get you to see.  You’ve got to, not only talk to your children, but engage with them.  Get them to open up – no easy feat, I know.

As a parent, it’s easy to think, My Johnny (or Sally) is too smart to be taken in by some pervert.  Don’t fool yourself!  With the advent of the internet, many of these creeps share information about how and where to find victims.  They discuss what works and what doesn’t.  They also discuss how to get children to not alert their parents of what’s going on. These sickos live and breathe for their next opportunity to victimize a child.  Don’t let it be your child.  Talk to your kids about boundaries.  Let your children know you will believe them if they come to you if they are victimized – no matter who the suspect is.  

I know you’re busy.  I know it’s uncomfortable.  But if you aren’t willing to put in the time with your children, there are plenty of molesters who are.

Until next time…

KMA367 

A Whirling Dervish…or…Haste Makes Waste

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Yesterday, I made my bi-monthly pilgrimage to Costco to stock up on paper towels, toilet paper, and impulse items I wouldn’t normally have bought – in this case, imitation fur-lined gloves and a paper shredder. 

 

My basket was overflowing with my bounty, and being it was a weekend, I stood in line with all the other delusional people who thought they too were saving money by purchasing items in bulk, conveniently forgetting the items in their carts selected on a whim.

 

I picked my checkout line with care.  I didn’t want to get behind the family with four kids and four times the amount of items I had in my own cart.  I didn’t want to get in the line where the checker had no ‘box’ person to reload the cart with my purchases.

 

Assessing the checkers, I wanted one who seemed to be moving efficiently with not a lot of chatter.  I found my line and started unloading the cart.

 

When the clerk reached out for my card, I also proudly handed him the three coupons for my fabric softener sheets, mouthwash, and Kleenex tissues.  With his little barcode gun, he immediately went to work on the heavy items I’d left in the basket.  This is where everything started to fall apart. 

 

The checker moved like a whirling dervish.  There were only five heavy items in my cart, but he must have scanned each item three times.  He came back to the register and advanced the tape several times, counting items.  He was in such a frenzy, he couldn’t figure out which of the five items wasn’t scanning.  Eventually, he figured out it was the paper shredder…the reason it wasn’t scanning was because there was a ten dollar manufacturer discount that needed to be taken at the register.  I don’t normally go over my receipts before I leave a store, but I made a mental note to do so this time.

 

Once he got the heavy items out of the way, he scanned the barcodes on my smaller items like a mad man.  My order was done quite quickly.  He finished with a flourish and announced my total.  I asked him if he’d applied my coupons to the total.  He quicuckly glanced at the register receipt and said yes.  Then he scooped up my coupons, crumpled them up and put them under the counter.

 

I was suspicious.  I hadn’t seen him scan my coupons.  So, when I got my receipt I moved out of the flow of basket traffic and reviewed my purchases.  I immediately realized he had NOT applied my coupons to my order.  I wondered why someone would be so blatantly stupid to lie to me in that manner.  I was transported back to my cop days when I’d caught someone in the act of criminal activity and the stupid lies they’d spin to try to convince me of their innocence.

 

I slogged my cart over to the customer service desk and relayed my experiences.  I told the representative I wasn’t upset the clerk had missed the coupons.  I was upset he’d transparently lied about it.  I also relayed the fact I thought the checker was working very hard but maybe too fast.  Eventually, I got my $8.00 in coupon savings applied back to my credit card and I left the store placated. 

 

But it got me to thinking about my own habits.   With my penchant for over-committing, I too am often moving faster than I’d like.  It makes me worry about things I might have missed in haste.

 

Not wanting to dwell on my own possible shortcomings too much, I got to thinking about other writers.  I wondered about writers who announce they’ve just finished their debut novel and are going to start the sequel – but that’s after they finish the novella they’ve had in the back of their mind.  After they finish the sequel to their novel, they’ll try their hand at branching out to another genre, and then do a novella in that style as well.  Oh, and they hope to get all these books and novellas written before summer ‘beach-read’ buying season.

 

Can a writer do so much writing a matter of months?  Sure.  Will it be good writing?  I’m not sure. 

 

I know I can’t turn out multiple quality stories in that amount of time.  I suspect there are few writers who can.  Do I think there are authors out there who are shooting themselves in the foot with their whirling dervish writing style?  I’ll just say such writers may be hurting themselves by working hard…but maybe too fast.

 

Regardless of a writer’s speed in turning out the next book or novella, is there a customer service desk where readers can go when they feel they didn’t get what they were entitled to?  Yep, it’s called one and two star book reviews.  Oh, and don’t forget the ‘coupons’ also known as returns.

 

Until next time,

 

KMA367

Kindle Owners Should Know This Exciting News

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So you’ve got your new Kindle and loaded it up with lots of books.  You’re bound to have hours and hours of reading pleasure from some of your favorite authors and probably some newly published authors as well.  Have I got exciting news for you!

For many people who buy books traditionally, one of the customary experiences  is to have an author autograph and personalize the book for them.  But now that you own a Kindle, how do you get the author to ‘sign’ your copy of their book?

The answer is Kindlegraph.   I’m no techno-wizard, so I’ll include a link to the Kindlegraph website in a minute.  But I want you to understand the process to get an author’s autograph sent to your Kindle is very easy.

The first thing you’ll have to do is sign up for a Twitter account because you use your Twitter sign-in to access Kindlegraph.  I don’t know why you have to do this, but don’t let it scare you.  Just because you sign up for a Twitter account doesn’t mean you have to use it.  I have a friend who signed up for Twitter and has never used her account except to sign up for Kindlegraph.  If you’ve already got a Twitter account you’re all set for Kindlegraph.

So, you’ve signed up for Twitter, then the next thing you’ll want to do is go to the Kindlegraph website.  I’m about to include the link, but I’m not sending you to the home page.  I’m going to send you to a page where there is a brief video that shows exactly how Kindlegraph works.  The video was made by Kindlegraph’s creator, Evan Jacobs.  Once you’ve seen the video you’ll see how it works and how simple it is.

Here is the link for the Kindlegraph video:  http://www.Kindlegraph.com/about

Here is the link for Twitter:  http://www.Twitter.com

Naturally, I’m hoping you’ll buy my book, A Dozen Deadly Roses, and ask me to sign it for you on your Kindle.  If that sounds good to you, here’s is a link to my book at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/A-Dozen-Deadly-Roses-ebook/dp/B0054EU1KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326092602&sr=8-1

Oh, and for Nook owners…Evan Jacobs is working on a version for Nook as well!

If this is your first visit to my blog I hope you’ll come back again.  Take a look around my website and I’ll see you soon.

Until next time,

KMA367

Playing With Fire

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We can always count on Hollywood for igniting interesting headlines that race across the country.  And for the past few days, Tinsel Town has been in the spotlight once again.

 

No, it wasn’t a shocking divorce that took the limelight…well, unless you count Katy Perry and Russell Brand – but who was really surprised by that split?  No, it wasn’t Katy and the comic’s split, and it wasn’t a new sex tape revealed, or a young up-and-comer busted for DUI or drugs. 

 

Hollywood is in the news for something more sinister and dangerous. There is a person or persons running around the streets of Hollywood and West Hollywood lighting cars on fire; cars that are usually parked in carports underneath apartment buildings.  Fortunately, as I write this blog no serious injuries have been sustained by the citizens or firefighters.  But the potential for injury or death has certainly been there.

Let me back up a little bit.  Last Thursday night, one person was arrested and charged with arson relating to three fires set in Hollywood.  That was the lead story for the news on Friday morning.  It was an interesting story and got major play on the local TV stations. The LAPD called a tactical alert, which means that officers on duty must stay after their regular shift-change, AND that the only radio calls that will be handled are high priority calls.  So, if you’ve got a group of kids blasting music in a car in front of your house, the police won’t be responding. 

 

Even with a suspect in custody, the police deployed extra officers to the Hollywood area.  There was a joint effort between the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Office,(who cover West Hollywood), LAPD, and the LA County and LAFD.   

 

But overnight on Friday, there were another twenty-one fires set.  Some in the Hollywood area, but some were set in the San Fernando Valley. The MO was pretty similar for the fires…torch a car parked in a carport with the result being several cars destroyed along with damage to the building.

 

Saturday night netted more arson fires.  The authorities are saying the total for the spree is now up to 39 fires intentionally set.

 

Not unexpectedly, the ‘brass’ of the police and fire agencies have been updating the public and offering advice.  ‘Report any suspicious activity.  Turn on your lights in the carport areas.  Be alert.’  Our camera-hound mayor voiced his concern at a press conference as did a city councilman and county supervisor.  The story made national news.

 

So the question has to be:  Are these fires being set by one person?  An ‘arson crew’?  A bunch of copy-cat arsonists? 

 

I’m wondering why, when the police had a suspect in custody, they felt compelled to deploy officers back to the same area the next night.  We’re they anticipating there might be copy-cat or further fires…or did they have other information?  (I’m guessing they figured with all the media attention they could have problems the next night too.)

 

Either way, there is still someone out there on the streets ‘playing with matches.’  They haven’t gotten caught yet, but I can tell you every cop that’s working the street really  wants to be the one to nab the bad guy/s.  And once the pyromaniac/s are caught, their 15 seconds of fame will fade…faster than Kim K’s wedding vows.

 

**UPDATE**  When I got up this morning, I learned the police had detained ‘a person of interest.’  Reports are, that the police found an incendiary device in the man’s vehicle.  But like one arson victim stated, “Who knows if this was the only guy?” 

Until next time,

KMA367

Last Minute Gift Ideas

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You know, there are thousands of people beginning to have mini-meltdowns because we’re rocketing through the last week before Christmas and they haven’t found ‘that perfect gift’ for their loved one. Giving gifts can be tricky and treacherous.   

Usually, the men on my list are the hardest to shop for.  My husband has everything, (he’s got me – right?) so, if he doesn’t offer up some suggestion as to what he’d like for Christmas, I’m stumped.  Even if he does give me a list of what he wants, I always like to have a ‘surprise’ gift for him.  Something he wasn’t expecting – and yet have it be something cool. 

For example: Take the year we’d gotten engaged a few months before Christmas.  I think that was the year he wanted a 20 oz. Sears Craftsman claw hammer.


 I got him the hammer, but that Christmas I also gave him a wedding ring.  I wanted him to know I was really serious when I said ‘yes’ when he asked me to marry him.  Oh, and believe me – he WAS surprised by the wedding ring.

Throughout the years, I’ve noticed another trend with my holiday shopping.  It seems that every year there is one person in my family that I can find the ‘perfect’ gift without even trying.  In Walgreens?  I see the perfect gadget.  In Barnes and Noble?  I see the perfect book.  In Macy’s?  I see the exact *fill in the blank* they wanted. 

This year, it was Bucky the dog who might have been the recipient of gifts galore – but I have to be fair to all our ‘children,’ so Bucky only got one item – just like D.J., Wyatt, Tabby and Baillie.  But I could have bought Bucky about five different doggie delights.  Everywhere I turned there were goodies that would be perfect for Bucky.

Then there is the emergency gift.  You know – one thing you buy just in case someone surprises you with a gift and you’re not prepared.  Usually, I’ve got several boxes of See’s Candies stashed away just for the ‘emergency gift’ purpose.  But I also intentionally buy See’s Candies as real gifts too.  

I also have bottles of wine stashed for emergency gift purposes, but as many of you mentioned in response to last week’s blog, one of the best antidotes for holiday stress is alcohol…so the wine is usually gone before it’s needed as an emergency gift.

So how about you?  What trials and tribulations do you suffer with your holiday shopping?  How do you find the ‘perfect’ gift?  Do you have emergency gifts?  If so, what are they…I have a tendency to drink the ‘emergency wine,’ and eat the ‘emergency See’s candy.’  I’m looking for something that might actually make it to a gift recipient and stay off my hips.

I truly want your gift ideas, but out of respect to my readers, please don’t promote your book, your friend’s book or any book – it goes without saying that all my writer visitors think one of the best gifts ever is a book.  Thanks!

Until next time,

KMA 367 

Holiday Stress…How Do You Cope?

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If you’d asked me about a week ago, I would have told you I had my holiday season well under control.  I had a majority of my Christmas shopping done, my house was decorated, and I felt on top of things.  In the past week it seems I’ve been falling further and further behind.

                   

Suddenly, Christmas is less than two weeks away.  I still haven’t picked up those last presents, there is wrapping to do and holiday cards to get mailed.  I have a multitude of errands to run and, frankly, I’m exhausted just typing my ‘to do’ list in this blog.  (Please note I’m not even talking about my writing!)

I could go on and on, but you probably get where I’m coming from.  In fact, you may be feeling that way too. 

So, what I want to know is:  Do you have any favorite ‘let’s make the holiday season easier’ tips you’d be willing to share?

 

I’ll even start – although you can see from this post how well my methods are working.

My tip is to make lists.  I’m a big list maker and sometimes they even work.  I usually can get a couple of items crossed off the list, but by the end of the day I’ve added several more!

Now it’s your turn…

KMA 367

LAPD and Occupy L.A. – One Size Does NOT Fit All

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So, it’s been a few days since the City of Los Angeles decided to take back the park outside of City Hall from the Occupy L.A. protesters. 

As a former LAPD officer, watching on TV as the operation unfolded, I must say it’s essential to commend the LAPD for the well thought out plan that appeared to be executed with the utmost of precision. The world was watching (as usual) to see how the LAPD was going to handle the Occupy LA situation.  The media commented over and over again how the city and the LAPD didn’t want a repeat of the May Day ‘incident.’  And to that end, the procedure was a huge success.  However…

It’s important to remember that these protesters were very well behaved and not a typical large crowd that law enforcement usually encounters.  Additionally, the city and the LAPD had bent over backwards to cater to the group…ignoring the fact people were blatantly smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol in public, violating the Health and Safety codes, to say nothing of the intentional damage (vandalism) caused to the grass, irrigation systems etc.  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa along with a couple of L.A. City Councilmen even passed out rain ponchos to the protesters in the early days.

While I’m glad the whole thing turned out peacefully – what kind of a price did the citizens of Los Angeles pay – I mean literally.  I’ve heard the number $400,000.00.  I don’t think that amount would cover the resources used at the event.  In fact, at least one City Councilman, Mitch Englander, doesn’t think so either, and had motioned for a report of all of the costs the City of Los Angeles incurred  because of the Occupy L.A. protest encampment.

But it’s not just the monetary aspect of the protester removal that I’m worried about.  Yes, the LAPD set a standard that some other police agencies weren’t able to achieve.  But what concerns me is that now the general public will expect a similar result for all types of crowd control issues.  But crowd control isn’t ‘one size fits all.’

Whether society likes it or not, police work is, at times, out of necessity an uncompromising entity.  Law enforcement officers are paid to enforce the laws and protect the well-being and peace of the community.  Sometimes that job is not fun and often it isn’t very pretty. 

So, while the city leaders and the LAPD can bask in a job well done, I say to everyone:  Don’t expect that every protest and police action will be handled with so many resources, with such a strategic plan, and with the officers ‘wearing kid gloves,’ because the true nature of police work is not usually so refined or gracious…and often people’s lives depend upon that fact.

 Until next time,

 KMA367

 

 

 

 

I’ll Have A Pizza Leg, Please.

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Because it seemed appropriate to the season, I’m doing something I rarely do; I’m re-running one of my blog posts.  This post comes from November of 2008. Enjoy!


I just got some photos from some of my relatives and they were celebrating an early Thanksgiving…with pizza.  I’m going to guess that because of blended families and the annual hassle of getting to each families loved ones, they’ve had to start the week before Thanksgiving to fit everyone in.


My family isn’t much better.  In the weeks leading up to turkey day our plans have changed several times.


When looking at my relative’s photos the thing that first caught my eye was the pizza.  The second thing I noticed was the fact they all looked relaxed and happy.  I wondered if they had pizza for Thanksgiving every year.  And don’t get me wrong, I think having such an “easy to serve” meal is a great idea.  I just can’t do it.

No stranger to stuffing a turkey and setting a formal table, I thought about how nice it would be to call the local pizza parlor and order Thanksgiving dinner delivered in a flat box.  But then I thought about the many holidays that have come before.


For me, there is something enchanting about adjusting the light coming from the chandelier in the dining room and setting the formal table with our fancy tablecloth, napkins and fine china and crystal.  I’m not keen on making the meal but I sure love eating it.  Of course, that’s probably because I very rarely cook anything that can’t be microwaved.

But the point is, for the few weeks of the holiday season, I do a number of things I’m not keen on doing, but I do them because it’s tradition.  And to not do them seems “wrong”.   I enjoy the outcome and the efforts then seem worthwhile.


It worries me that my daughter doesn’t seem as bound to tradition as I am.  Especially since I recently learned that a custom I started in our family was one of her favorite things about the holidays.  I’m sure she’ll carry on that particular practice, but I’m not sure she shares my enchantment of setting a fancy table or spending days decorating the house with hundreds of seasonal baubles.

How will my granddaughter learn the joy of those acts?  I guess I’ll just have to carry on until she’s old enough to get “addicted”.  And if she doesn’t…I guess she’ll be serving pizza for Thanksgiving.


Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Be safe and don’t drink and drive.

Until next time…


KMA367

A New Scam – Fake Grandkids

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The phone rings and you answer it.

“Grandma?  It’s your granddaughter, Cindy.”

Delighted that your teenaged granddaughter who lives out of state is calling, you’re happy to hear from her.  “Hello, Cindy.  How nice to hear from you.”

Cindy’s voice takes on a somber tone.  “Grandma, I’m in trouble.  I went on a school trip in the Caribbean with my friends.  We were goofing around and I had too much too drink.  I got arrested for being drunk in public and now the court says I have to pay a fine of $1000 or they won’t let me out of jail.”

You’re dismayed your sweet little granddaughter was arrested – and for public intoxication!  You wonder why she is calling you.  “Well, dear I think you need to talk to your mother and father about this.  They’ll know what to do.”

“No Grandma!  I can’t tell them about this.  Mom and Dad will kill me, and they’ll never let me go anywhere again.  I was hoping maybe you could wire me the money.  You mustn’t tell anyone – not Mom, Dad and not Grandpa Mark either!  I was hoping it would be our little secret; and I promise; I’ll pay you back every dime.  I’ve got a job at McDonalds, so I can pay you back.”

Poor little Cindy sounds so desperate, and what kid hasn’t gotten into a little trouble?  Besides, you can’t stand to think of your precious granddaughter stuck in some jail.  “Well, I don’t know, dear; I’ve never kept anything from your Grandpa; and that’s a lot of money.”

“Pleeeease Grandma?  It’s really dirty here and the food has bugs in it.”

You sigh.  “Okay Cindy, I don’t like it, but I’ll do it.  What do I have to do?”

Then Cindy gives you very detailed directions on how to wire the $1000 to the court.  “Remember     Grandma,” she warns, “you can’t tell anyone about this!”

 With a heavy heart you follow the directions and wire the money to an unknown location in the       Caribbean.

Congratulations!  You’ve probably just been the victim of one of the latest scams being used against the elderly.

You see, slim-ball crooks have learned that the elderly are easily fooled by a young voice claiming to be the grandchild of the senior citizen…especially when those grandkids live out of state and, most likely, aren’t seen too often in person.

But how do the crooks know whether or not a senior has grandchildren?  We’re giving the information to the bad guys ourselves via the internet.  Many of the larger social networking sites are perfect hunting grounds where criminals can find pictures or search profiles of grandchildren so they know the child’s age and sex.


Phone numbers are easily accessible as well.  Have you ever done a Zabasearch of yourself at Zabasearch.com?  Do like genealogy?  What information do you enter into those sites to round out your family tree?   It’s disturbing to find what kind of information is available about you via the internet to everyone in the world.

The key to this scam is the secrecy element.  The ‘child’ in trouble begs their ‘grandparent’ to not contact their parents or anyone in the family.  Why?  If the grandmother in this scenario contacted Cindy’s parents and said, “I understand Cindy is on a school trip in the Carribbean.”  The whole scam would fall apart because the mother would probably say something like, “What are you talking about?  Cindy is sitting in the family room playing video games on the TV.”

Worse yet, our elderly citizens who DO fall victim of this and other scams often don’t come forward because they’re embarrassed they got swindled.

Knowledge is power.  Talk to the seniors you know.  Tell them this story.  Be sure they understand that the criminal element has figured out that senior citizens are excellent targets for all kinds of scams – and this is just one of them.

Until next time;

KMA367

Kathy Bennett Asks: 15 Minutes of Fame – Who’s Earning Overtime?

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While this is not going to be the most intellectual blog, it’s going to make me feel better.  We’ve all heard someone being referred to as ‘having their 15 minutes of fame.’  In other words, they are a celebrity/star – a somebody – for about fifteen minutes, and then their light dims and they fade from the public eye like a summer tan.

So today I’m asking:

15 Minutes of Fame – Who’s Earning Overtime?



I have quite a few candidates I could nominate; however, I will limit myself to just one.

So that everyone gets a chance, I’m asking you to please limit yourself to one candidate as well.


Here’s my Top 15 Minutes of Fame Overtime candidate:


Snookie: from The Jersey Shore – I know she’s on a reality TV show.  I know she wears her hair with a poufy thing on top.  I know her tan seems to never fade; and neither does her celebrity.  I know she got a book deal; and I suspect she didn’t have to submit a synopsis.  Snookie is earning overtime.

Who do you think is earning overtime on their 15 minutes of fame?

Until next time,

KMA367