Hate is here

Posted on 28. May, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, politics, religion, startling statistics, things that bug me

Here’s the Los Angeles section of the Hate Groups Map from the Southern Poverty Law Center. I’ve overlaid it on top of a more detailed Google Map so you can see city names:

If you go to the official map, you’ll be able to click on each symbol and see what it stands for. It’s scary that there’s a Neo-Nazi group only one town away from me, in Glendale. Hopefully they’re losing members, not gaining them.

Some of the groups have surprisingly benign names. For example, there’s the OMNI Christian Book Club in Palmdale. Sounds ok to me. But here’s part of the description from the Southern Poverty Law Center site:

That’s mild compared to the offerings that grace Omni’s book catalogue, including Richard Harwood’s Did Six Million Really Die? (published by neo-Nazi Ernst Zundel); Henry Ford’s The International Jew, available abridged or in a deluxe, four-volume set; Arthur Butz’s Holocaust-denying The Hoax of the Twentieth Century (“a must read into the biggest hoax in world history, who’s behind it, how they’ve profited from it, and what can be done to put an end to it”); several issues of the late Father Leonard Feeney’s Jew-bashing monthly The Point; The Judaic Connection, describing a Judeo-Masonic conspiracy against the Catholic Church; and even defenses of Hitler.

I don’t understand why someone would hate a group of people, let alone dedicate so much energy to that effort. Don’t they have better ways of spending their time, even if they do hate so much?

When I was young, my Mom always told me it was ok to say I hated what someone did, but I should never hate the person. It was her way of interpreting Matthew 5:43-48 for me.

You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I try to teach my kids the same thing, and find myself saying, “You can hate things, but you shouldn’t hate people.” It’s hard sometimes. I’m lucky I don’t come across many people I’m tempted to hate in my personal life. In fact, I’ve told people that if I say I don’t like someone, it probably means they’re pretty evil.

If I were a parent of one of the girls mentioned in my previous post, I’d definitely find it hard to love Gregory Serrano.

Local man lures girls via MySpace, other sites

Posted on 28. May, 2008 by kchristieh in parenting, social networking

The next time I give a presentation to parents about social networking, I want to remember to tell them about this story that happened a few towns over. It’s unusual, and hardly ever occurs, but clearly it can happen, and nearby. Here’s a long excerpt from today’s Pasadena Star News:

Suspect allegedly lured teens on Internet

LOS ANGELES – A federal grand jury indicted a 33-year-old Monrovia man Tuesday, claiming he seduced 10 teenage girls over the Internet, had sex with them and took pornographic photos of the girls.

The indictment accuses 33-year-old Gregory Serrano of San Gabriel of 23 crimes, including using the Internet to entice minors, producing and possessing child pornography and destroying evidence.

Local authorities have charged Serrano, a graduate of Walnut High School, with 20 additional counts of child molestation stemming from incidents dating to June 2006.

Serrano allegedly used “social networking sites on the Internet to convince high school-age girls to have sex with him and pose for pornographic pictures,” U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Thom Mrozek said in a written statement.

Monrovia police Lt. Richard Wagnon described the allegations against Serrano as one of the worst child molestation cases he’s ever seen.

Ten girls between the ages of 13 and 17 have been identified as victims. Officials believe other victims have yet to come forward, said United States Attorney Joey Blanch.

Investigators discovered pornographic photographs in Serrano’s possession that depict victims other than the 10 already identified, Blanch said.

Serrano used Web sites like myspace.com, netlog.com and myyearbook.com to target his victims, Mrozek said.

How can someone justify such evil to themselves?

La Canada Flintridge’s Annual Memorial Day Parade

Posted on 26. May, 2008 by kchristieh in local news

We saw all the usual suspects at this morning’s Memorial Day Parade.

First, a big plane flew overhead. Anyone know what kind it was? It was so slow I was surprised it didn’t fall out of the sky.

Next came two helicopters. No jets this year. The parade started with a ROTC group from Blair High School, then the La Canada High School Band. Then came politicians, including our hometown assemblyman Anthony Portantino.

There were so many preschoolers I wonder whether more people marched in the parade than watched it.

The Congregationalists re-enacted the landing of the Mayflower. Doesn’t it look like the boat is carrying petroleum to the New World?

Who needs flowers? The empty shell of our city’s annual Rose Parade float was a hit without them.

We never had Western guys like this back in New Jersey:

The Allen Lund Company had several trucks on display, but my favorite was the one with candy on it.

No parade’s complete without the Shriners. Too bad the plane didn’t fly.

There were about 20x more Democrats marching than there were Republicans riding in vintage cars. I saw lots of Obama signs, but no Clinton ones.

The Humane Society marched some of its adoptable dogs in the parade. Doesn’t this guy look like ?

Hopefully the dog didn’t see the vintage Wienermobile that followed it. It even played the song, over and over again.

Come visit next year, and see all the cheerleaders, bands, vintage cars, and golf carts I left out. I’m sure they’ll all be back again!!

Is Hillary Clinton the Ultimate Playground Bully?

Posted on 25. May, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

I wonder what Hillary Clinton was like in 4th grade. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was the kind of kid who would agree to the rules of a playground game, but then insist upon changing the rules when she started losing. I hated playing games with kids who did that. And I hate to see Clinton doing it now. She didn’t disagree with not seating the Michigan and Florida delegates until the chips were down for her. Now she’s rallying to seat them, and trying to get all her loyal teammates to support her. I hope they don’t fall for it.

And how about the ? On today’s playgrounds, this would probably count as bullying:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton defended staying in the Democratic nominating contest on Friday by pointing out that her husband had not wrapped up the nomination until June 1992, adding, “We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California.”

I can’t believe a seasoned politician such as Senator Clinton would say that. Here’s her disingenuous apology:

I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and in particular the Kennedy family was in any way offensive.

That’s like when a kid apologizes and says, “I’m sorry you took my words the wrong way.” That’s not a real apology. The kid might as well say, “Mom, I’m sorry to see you’re so stupid you didn’t understand the true meaning of my words.” It doesn’t apologize for the sentiment expressed.

If this were musical chairs, there’d be one chair left, and Barack Obama would be sitting in it. I wish that Clinton could face that fact, instead of continuing to run to the imaginary music.

My favorite pre-prom picture

Posted on 24. May, 2008 by kchristieh in my life

My daughter’s at her first prom. I hope she’s having fun! Here’s my favorite picture out of the dozens that I took before the group left:

It was no small feat getting that shot…or rather, no small feet! I had to stand on my tiptoes and hold my camera in the air. Every single girl was taller than me. Good for them!

Winter wonderland in Southern California in May

Posted on 23. May, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, local news

Here’s what my front yard looked like after yesterday afternoon’s wacky hailstorm:

There was so much hail on local roofs that it looked like it had snowed.

Peahens have visited at least 4 times so far today

Posted on 19. May, 2008 by kchristieh in animals, my life, things that bug me

I think the neighborhood peahens have decided our house is one of their favorites. I saw them in our front yard three times today. The first time was at 5:40 am, when one of them was honking like a goose in search of her friend. The next two times were this evening. I shooed them away, but they didn’t start running until I was practically on top of them. Thank goodness they’re not aggressive. Here’s a picture I took when I had them cornered:

One part of me wants to come to peace with the peahens, but the other part is afraid they’ll make messes on my car and on my porch, and eventually breed and make loud male peacocks. That’s my biggest fear. It’s bad enough that the peahens fly up to our roof and sound like sacks of potatoes falling from the sky, but I don’t want to be awakened by the screaming baby noises that peacocks make. We’d hear that from a distance in our old house, which was near a neighborhood full of peacocks, and even from afar the noise was unnerving.

So I’ll keep shooing them away.

My dog found this lizard today. Don’t know what type it is yet. The lizard stayed frozen on our back patio and let me get within inches to take the picture.

Yesterday we saw this big black beetle. My son said it’s a stinkbug, and will make a stink if you get too close. I’ll look that up too.

I never saw this much nature in New Jersey. My dog was just barking at the peahens again. Time for me to go…

Pan’s Labyrinth deserved all the awards it received

Posted on 18. May, 2008 by kchristieh in international, movies

Last night I had the most bizarre and imaginative dreams I’ve had in a long time. It makes sense: I finished watching “Pan’s Labyrinth” right before I went to bed. This Academy Award-winning Spanish movie was one of the most creative I’ve ever seen. It ties the Spanish Civil War in with a story of a little girl who believes in fairies. The special effects are incredible, and the story is both disturbing and riveting at the same time. It’s in Spanish with English subtitles, but if you speak even un poquito of Spanish, you’ll probably understand a lot.

It’s rated R, but don’t think it’s any more mature than most PG-13 movies. Even so, my teens didn’t like it. They saw it several months ago, before they knew about the Spanish Civil War. Without understanding the context of the story, the movie seemed downright strange to them. It’s probably best to keep this one for the adults.

Google Maps includes videos & photos

Posted on 17. May, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, travel

I continue to be amazed at how easy it is to discover more about people or destinations via the internet. Today I happened upon a new feature which shows photos and videos that people have taken near a destination. When you type in an address to Google Maps, here’s what you might see. I say “might” because some addresses I type in don’t have photos or videos show up near them. Either Google hasn’t mapped those, or people in those areas don’t take enough pictures or videos.

When you type in an address for a photo or video you upload, you should assume it’ll show up on a public map. I don’t think I’d do that for my daughter’s birthday party, but I don’t regret doing it for the in February:

The more videos and pictures people upload, the more we’ll be able to discover without ever leaving home. Here’s a map of the greater Pasadena area. The blue lines indicate where you can access another favorite feature, Google Street View. The small pictures indicate videos of those places. Notice how La Canada Flintridge is still underrepresented on Google Street View – why is that?

Don’t pimp my ride: titivate it.

Posted on 16. May, 2008 by kchristieh in things that bug me

I HATE how the verb “pimp” is creeping into our everyday vocabulary. The show “Pimp My Ride” made “pimp” synonymous with “spiff” or “enhance.” A quick Google News search showed the following recent headlines with “pimp” in them:

• Pimp My Real Estate Market (TV Home Shows Learn to Love the Bust) (TIME Magazine, 4/21/08)
• Gadgets: Pimp your iPod (Ft. Worth Star Telegram, 5/12/08)
• Pimp my video camera (Toronto Star, 5/1/08)
• Pimp Mom’s Ride With Rear Car Spoilers This Mother’s Day (WiredPR News, 5/10/08)
• Pimp my fries (Santa Rosa Press Democrat, 5/9/08)
• Want the ultimate customized car? Be sure to pimp your tires (MotorTrend Magazine, 4/18/08)

“Pimp” has incredibly negative connotations, and the more we use it, the less we’ll consider it negative.

I propose that we use a different word: “titivate.”

I know: it sounds pretty bad. But it’s not. It was the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day yesterday, and it means “to make or become smart or spruce.” Its origin is unknown, but experts think it probably comes from combining “tidy” and “renovate.”

So go ahead and titivate your ride, your real estate market, your iPod, or your fries. You’ll rest easy knowing you’re preserving a great English word that’s ok to explain to your 6-year-old niece.

Maybe if I’d titivated my minivan, I wouldn’t have traded it in for a Prius. Then again…

Bookins beats PaperBackSwap and Swaptree for trading books online

Posted on 15. May, 2008 by kchristieh in books, shopping

After months of testing several book trading sites, the results are in: Bookins wins by a long shot. It beats PaperBackSwap and Swaptree on every measure.

Here’s why I prefer Bookins:

• I don’t have to pay to ship books to other people. I only pay to have books shipped to me. That seems obvious, but that’s not how PaperBackSwap or Swaptree work. I’ve shipped out nine books via PaperBackSwap, and had to pay the shipping for each one.
• Bookins acknowledges that books can have different values. That old paperback copy is worth less credits than a new hardcover bestseller.
• I get more books via Bookins. I’ve shipped out 16 books and received 12. I have yet to receive a single book from PaperBackSwap, and I don’t want to read the books that Swaptree says I’m eligible for if I trade my books.
• Shipping is EASY with Bookins. I hate waiting in the long line at our local post office. Bookins allows me to print a label, tape it to a shipping envelope with a book inside, and drop it in a mailbox. It doesn’t get much easier.
• Bookins automatically sends me books that are on my wishlist as they become available. I still don’t completely understand the Swaptree logic, and as I said, PaperBackSwap seems to have forgotten all about me.

Here are the books I’ve received so far. As you can see, they’re all fairly current:

• The Boleyn Inheritance
• My Life in France
• The Fourth Bear: A Nursery Crime
• Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All Its Moods
• Atonement: A Novel (I’ve already traded it away again)
• The View from the Seventh Layer
• Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
• The Secret River
• Cloud Atlas: A Novel
• What Is the What
• The Abstinence Teacher (I’ve already traded it away again)
• Pontoon: A Lake Wobegon Novel

Now to find time to read them all!

Please join Bookins! The more people that join, the better all of our selections will be!! Click here to join.

Scary man on Facebook befriends local kids

Posted on 14. May, 2008 by kchristieh in parenting, social networking

Would you want this man to be your child’s Facebook friend?

Unfortunately, this person had “friended” 17 of our local freshmen and sophomores before I was able to figure out how to report him and ask Facebook to shut him down.*

Big kudos to Facebook: within minutes, he disappeared from the site.

Parents, this is one more reason to make sure you discuss internet safety with your kids and have a good idea of what they’re doing online. This guy’s Wall included comments from kids saying, “Who are you?” but they “friended” him anyway.

I just got lucky to see this…but I may not next time. I’ve never seen anything like this before, on either MySpace or Facebook, and I don’t want to again. Let’s all be on the lookout for our kids’ safety.

By the way, this also prompted me to make sure my kids have their profiles set so that only friends can see them. Otherwise, even if my kids are being careful about who they friend, some sketchy guy who’s their friend’s friend would be able to see their profile. Yikes!

* I was able to see his profile, and clicked on “Report” at the bottom of his page. However, I don’t see that at the bottom of all pages. When I clicked on Help / Safety & Security / Report Abuse, I filled out a form, hit submit, and got the error message to the right.

Is all this blogging it worth it? Ruminations on my 1,000th posting.

Posted on 13. May, 2008 by kchristieh in my life

When I started blogging over two years ago, I had no idea how much time and energy I’d wind up putting into it. I’ve tried to post at least one item a day, but at this rate I’m averaging a little more than that. On this, the occasion of my 1,000th post, I thought I’d try to analyze why I bother blogging.

• I’ve always liked to write, but hadn’t done much in recent years until I started blogging. I was the rare engineer who was an editor for the college newspaper. I’ve never dreamed of writing The Great American Novel, but I do like to express myself via the written word. I also think that the more that I write, the better writer I become. Maybe I’m just getting quicker at it.
• Blogging expands my world. I’m always on the lookout for good subjects to write about, and that often leads me to investigate new areas of interest. I also appreciate the connections I make to people all over the world.
• Blogging reminds me to count my blessings, and help others in need. I’ve blogged about so many injustices over the years that I’m continually reminded to do what I can to help others less fortunate than myself. Hopefully getting the word out is part of that.
• Ever since the advent of email and online newspapers, I’ve been a one-woman news clipping service. For years I’ve emailed relevant articles to friends, relatives and coworkers. Blogging expands my scope, and now nearly 3,000 people a day read what I write about.
• I have many opinions about things, and blogging allows me to refine and express them. Because there are many people in my town that read my blog, so I’m careful to back up my opinions carefully enough so that I’ll stand behind them if someone challenges me at the grocery store. So far that hasn’t happened, but I have had some good discussions with people who’ve read my blog.
• My little brain can only hold so much information, so my blog acts as a repository for things I don’t want to forget. (e.g., “spinach flan”)
• Although I’m careful not to share too many personal details, especially about my innocent family members who have nothing to do with blogging, my blog acts as a chronicle of my life. Someday when I die, hopefully someone will set up a laptop with my blog on it in the narthex. Or maybe my great-grandchildren will read this someday and get a better sense of what inspired their geeky granny.
• It’s fun, probably for all the above reasons. If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t do it. The day it becomes a chore will be the day I stop.

Here’s a Pearls Before Swine cartoon on the topic:

Pinkberry’s not as natural as I’d thought / assumed

Posted on 12. May, 2008 by kchristieh in food

According to the Pinkberry website, here’s what’s in the plain frozen yogurt:

If you can’t read that, they are: skim milk, nonfat yogurt with live and active cultures, sucrose, fructose, dextrose, nonfat dry milk, nonfat dry yogurt, citric acid, Contains less than 2%: maltodextrin, mono- and diglycerides, sodium citrate, sodiaum acid pyrophospate, magnesium oxide, lactoglycerides, propylene glycol esters, guar gum, calcium fumarate, soy lecithin, starch, added color, yellow 5 lake, natural and artificial flavors, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) tocopherol (to maintain freshness). At least Pinkberry lists its ingredients. I couldn’t find a list of ingredients on the Ce Fiore or Yolicious websites.

Unfortunately, this is unlikely to completely stop me from going to Pinkberry or its competitors. But I’ll probably cut back.

We went to a fantastic Mother’s Day dinner last night at the Crepe Vine in Pasadena. We all loved our meals. I had a chicken and mushroom crepe for dinner, and a Moulin crepe with bananas, rum and ice cream for dessert. Yum! Not cheap, however. I need to make this at home. Haha. Then again, I’d get HUGE!

Mother’s Day fun: Postcards from Yo Momma highlights the best Mom emails

Posted on 11. May, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, parenting

I think we laugh the most at what’s most familiar. That’s probably why I couldn’t stop laughing as I read the postings on the hilarious website, “Postcards from Yo Momma.” The site features some of the funniest emails that mothers have sent to their children. I would never expose my mother’s emails to the world, but according to Newsweek, the founders’ moms are totally proud of their daughters’ endeavor.

Here are a few of my faves:

• “You will too get married (if that is what you want). My daughter is a nice person…just let me at that person who called you a late 20’s bitter female.”
• “Just wanted to say hi. I know you’re probably busy getting caught up at work after last week. I hope you enjoyed the plays. Did you get the movie I sent you? Today is our 31st anniversary. We are eating leftovers for dinner, and I was bit by a dog this morning. I’m not foaming at the mouth, so far. The fun never ends. Love, Mom”
• “I love you. I will pray for you. Be sure and take some kind of i.d. so if your plane crashes and burns they will know who to call. Hope you do that on all your trips anyway. That way if I don’t get a dreadful call, I will know you are just fine and happy.”
• “Lazy boy, I was very surprised to hear your message last night. I already forgot I still have a son in Chicago.”

I added this site to my Happy Links for Sad People page.
Happy Mother’s Day!!

Toyota was wrong; my Prius gets even better mileage than they said it would

Posted on 10. May, 2008 by kchristieh in environment, my life

The results are in: so far, my Prius is getting 50.38 mpg. That includes a pretty good mix of city and freeway driving. Toyota had predicted it would get 48 mpg city and 45 mpg highway. Wow.

Even if I assume that my highway mileage would be slightly lower, at around 48 mpg, it’d only take 2.3 gallons of gas to drive the 112 miles to my mother and stepfather’s house. It would only take a little over 8 gallons to drive the 392 miles to my sister’s house.

I’m a convert. So are the local peahens.

Facebook / MySpace Safety Guide for Parents

Posted on 09. May, 2008 by kchristieh in education, parenting, social networking

I’ve given four talks about internet safety to parent groups over the last two days. Here’s a brief summary of the Facebook / MySpace portion of my talk. You can also see it on my Facebook / MySpace Safety Guide for Parents page. I’ll keep that updated as time goes by.

Click here for my easy step-by-step instructions for adults who wish to join Facebook.

A Brief History

Several years ago, local teenagers flocked to and set up highly personalized, mostly public pages. When parents discovered these pages, they were appalled at some of the things their kids were posting and the fact that anyone in the world could easily see what their children were doing. So the kids set their pages to Private. This didn’t mean the skanky stuff disappeared, but at least the rest of the world couldn’t see it.

Then dropped its requirement that users have a college email address. Many high schoolers and adults joined, and now Facebook is quickly gaining in popularity. There are some communities where MySpace is still more popular, but at least in my city, Facebook is It.

What is Facebook?

Facebook is a free website where users are given their own page to post information, news, pictures and videos about themselves. When they become someone’s Facebook “friend,” that person can see their page and communicate with them. It’s a great way to find friends you’ve lost track of and keep up with what your circle of friends is doing. It’s also the primary way that many people are sharing photos and videos, because you can “tag” those videos with your friends’ names and they’ll show up on their pages too.

Why should parents care what their kids are doing online?

• Safety: You want to make sure your kids aren’t communicating with someone who intends to harm them.
• Bullying: Whether it’s nasty messages or groups dedicated to hating a person, the internet opens up whole new realms of bullying possibilities. It’s also not always kid vs. kid; sometimes, kids are saying inappropriate things about their teachers.
• Privacy: Sometimes people forget that the internet is a public forum, and somehow information that they consider private is actually public.
• Mature themes: We all draw the line somewhere, and you want to make sure your online rules are consistent with your offline ones.
• Ads: Even innocent internet pages might be accompanied by racy ads.
• Time usage: It’s addictive, and can waste a lot of time.
• Identity theft: Put the pieces together and someone can even open a credit card in your child’s name.
• Self-branding: Is your child’s online image what he wants his community, potential employers and colleges to see? Even if it’s private, there are colleges and employers that are asking for access to pages.

What’s the difference between MySpace and Facebook?

• Real names vs. pseudonyms:
  Here’s a quote from a recent study:
  “ Nearly all of Facebook’s 70 million members use their real names, while less than half of MySpace’s 110 million members use theirs.”
  I’m not surprised. I saw lots of nicknames and pseudonyms on MySpace, but the guidelines and the culture of Facebook really encourage people to use their real names, and not hide behind an anonymous facade. This results in more honest dialogue and discussion, and less inappropriate behavior than on MySpace. After all, if you’re yourself, you’ll have to answer to what you post when you see your Facebook friends in real life.
• Privacy:
  Facebook also has extensive, customizable privacy controls. Last time I checked, your only options on MySpace were either a private or a public page. On Facebook, one can choose to only show photos to friends, or friends of friends, or one’s network, or everyone. Same thing goes for videos, groups joined., etc.
• Ads:
  MySpace puts any ad, anywhere. A high school church youth group page might have a “Want to have an affair?” ad above it. At least at the moment, Facebook ads are more targeted, and I don’t see that happening. Middle-aged women are asked if they need a chiropracter or want to buy shoes, and their husbands are asked about rock ‘n roll fantasy camps.
• Constantly improving:
  Facebook seems to improve at a quicker pace than MySpace, which makes it safer and more fun to use.
• Cleaner interface:
  MySpace pages allowed so much customization that they were often cluttered, unreadable and loud. Think yellow writing on a black background with repeating sports logos and heavy metal music playing. On the converse, all Facebook pages have a grid pattern and a white background. They’re much more tasteful, and much easier to read.

Safety Tips:

• Only let people be friends if you know them in person
• Revise & frequently review your privacy settings
• Use a different password for every site. Use a formula so you don’t always need to write them down.
• Post as few identifying facts, such as your address and the city and date of your birth, as possible
• Don’t assume you have privacy
• Make sure no one’s set up a fake page for you
• Don’t visit porn sites or sites selling questionable wares. Besides that they’re inappropriate, they often leave spyware or viruses on your computer.
• Don’t share your password with anyone except your parents
• See what others have to say about an application before you add it.
• Don’t add too many applications
• Don’t add applications that ask for a password
• Don’t join inappropriate groups
• Don’t post pictures, videos or other information about other people unless they approve
• Once you’re logged in, don’t log in again
• Make sure you have a computer operating system, firewall and anti-virus program that update automatically
• Back up your computer regularly
• Block and report anyone that sends you unwanted or inappropriate communications
• Consider signing up for Lifelock as a backup to prevent identity theft. I signed up after my mail was stolen a few months ago. I still take steps to protect my identity, but I’m glad I have the backup.

Steps parents should take to make sure their kids are safe on Facebook and other websites:

• “Children under 13 years old are not permitted access to Facebook. In addition, parents of children 13 years and older should consider whether their child should be supervised during the child’s use of the Facebook site.” (Source:
• Keep internet-connected computers in plain view
• Join Facebook before your kid does (if possible)
• Add friends, applications, groups, photos, etc. to your own page so that you know how it all works
• Be your kid’s “friend” – in full profile!
• Be your kid’s friends’ “friend” (if possible)
• Don’t stalk or embarrass your child. If you send him a message, it’s private. If you post something on his Wall, it’s public, and all his friends can see it.
• Get your child’s username and password. If your child starts exhibiting strange or self-destructive behavior, you’ll probably want to see what’s going on online. Otherwise, you’ll probably never need this. But have it just in case.
• Check your child’s profile regularly.
• Challenge them to tell you something about their friends.
• Check your child’s privacy settings with them.
• Share safety tips with them.
• Don’t assume Facebook or other parents will monitor your child’s safety. That’s up to you and your child.
• Set limits on time and access.
• Balance trust & monitoring – trust your intuition.

Internet security software:

Some people choose to monitor and restrict their child’s online activities using security software. I don’t, since I don’t want anything else on my computer that might mess it up and I don’t suspect that my kids are up to anything, but here are some things the software can be used for: (source)

• Filter sexually explicit graphic descriptions or images: These tools block your child from viewing most sexually explicit material on the Web. But be aware, no filter is perfect.
• Monitor your child’s online activities: These tools allow parents and caregivers the ability to monitor your child’s online activities through a variety of methods.
• Limit the amount of time your child spends online: These tools can limit the amount time you child spends online. Some tools allow parents to block out times of the day when the child can or cannot go online.
• Block your child’s personal information from being posted or emailed: These tools prevent a child from giving strangers their personal information (e.g. name, home address, etc.) while they are online.
• Browsers for kids: These are Web browsers that serve as a gateway between your computer and the Internet. Browsers for kids generally filter sexual or otherwise inappropriate words or images. They are often designed to be easier for kids to use.

Programs include:

Learn which programs satisfy your needs and computer system at GetNetWise.org

CVS Minute Clinic saved us hours of waiting

Posted on 08. May, 2008 by kchristieh in health, local news

Yesterday was the third day that my teenage daughter was sick. The illness had progressed from fatigue to an earache to chest pain and a cough. I didn’t want to have to schedule an appointment with her pediatrician, since my schedule was wacky, and I didn’t want to wait for several hours at the urgent care clinic.

My “aha!” moment came when I read yesterday’s Wall St. Journal article about how some in-store medical clinics are closing down for lack of patients. I recalled seeing a banner for the Minute Clinic outside our local CVS, so yesterday evening we headed on down there. I’m a convert! She saw a wonderful, qualified nurse practitioner who checked her ears, her chest, etc. and then prescribed an inhaler, an antiobiotic and Mucinex. We walked a few feet away to the pharmacy, which had our prescription already on their computer, and we were out of there 15 minutes later. It doesn’t get any easier!

Although the Minute Clinic doesn’t take our insurance (HealthNet PPO) at the moment, hopefully they will soon. At any rate, they have a promotion where they’ll only charge you your copayment if your insurance doesn’t cover their services. They cover many tests and ailments, including: bronchitis, ear infections, sinus infections, swimmer’s ear, pink eye, cholesterol screening, mononucleosis, athlete’s foot, shingles, and a whole host of vaccines. You can see the complete list here.

Please visit them when you don’t want to hassle with other options! I want enough people to visit so that this local treasure doesn’t ever go away!!

The best part of the story is that the treatment is working. My daughter left for school today with more energy than I’ve seen in days.

“Shots of populism with a cynicism chaser”

Posted on 07. May, 2008 by kchristieh in politics

I wish I wrote as well as Maureen Dowd:

re: Hillary Clinton:

“…speaking from the back of pickup trucks and doing shots of populism with a cynicism chaser, Hillary emerged from a lifetime of government limos to bask as queen of the blue-collar prom.”

Is beauty only skin deep?

Posted on 06. May, 2008 by kchristieh in my life, tv

When I got my braces off right before high school, I had a sudden boost in self-confidence. After a lifetime of bad teeth and metal mouth, I could finally smile without embarrassment. I felt a little guilty for being so happy, since my mother had always taught me that what mattered wasn’t how I looked, but what was in my heart. Even so, I knew that I was living in a society that valued attractiveness, and getting the braces off gained me a few points in that department.

Perhaps that’s why I was so struck by the photos below. They’re before and after photos of women in the June, 2006 show “The Swan.” They were treated to every possible beauty treatment, including plastic surgery. I hate to say it, but they do indeed look much better in the “after” pictures. Seeing these makes me wonder whether I would assume different things about the women depending upon how they look. Hopefully I wouldn’t. It also reminds me that it’s no surprise that wealthy women often look more attractive. (Though that can be a chicken and egg thing, too, for our society often rewards attractiveness with wealth.)

Where does one draw the line? Would I be a hypocrite to criticize someone for having a nose job or having Botox injections, when I had teeth removed to get my braces?
Judge not, lest ye be judged.

And besides, my family has made it clear that when my hair turns completely grey some day, they want me to dye it. Ugh. I don’t even like to wear makeup.

We’ve come a long way

Posted on 05. May, 2008 by kchristieh in inspirational people, my life, politics

When I started kindergarten in North Arlington, NJ in 1968, all of my classmates were White. My parents told me that Black people weren’t allowed to live there. It bothered them, and I think my mother marched in protest marches. Thankfully, within a few years towns were forced to let anyone live in them.

My Mexican-American in-laws faced similar discrimination in Wichita, Kansas. Among other indignities, they weren’t allowed to drink from the same water fountains or swim in the same swimming pools as Whites. When my mother-in-law wanted to go to college, an administrator told her that “Mexicans don’t go to college,” even though she was born in Wichita. (She eventually got a nursing certification, as shown in this photo. That’s my husband as a cute little boy.) Even though my father-in-law was an Army veteran, when the family moved to Kansas City with my husband in the late 1960’s, they weren’t allowed to buy a home where they wanted to. Thankfully, they purchased a home in a school district that wound up getting better, and my husband and his sisters got very good educations and all three went to great colleges.

I was reminded of all of this today when I heard on NPR that on Friday. Mildred and her husband, Richard, were the plaintiffs in the 1967 Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia, which struck down miscegenation laws. Mildred, who was part Black and part Native American, married Richard, who was White, when she was just 18. She didn’t intend to be a groundbreaker, and said that she was just a girl who fell in love with a boy. “It wasn’t my doing,” she said. “It was God’s work.”

Thank God for Mildred & Richard Loving and others like them who have blazed the trail so that I could marry who I wanted, and so that my husband and I could buy the home we wanted. Our country may not be perfect, but I appreciate the freedoms I have here that I wouldn’t have in many other places.

Pictures of Glendale’s new Americana mall

Posted on 04. May, 2008 by kchristieh in local news

If last night’s crowds are any indicator, the Americana mall is the new heart of Glendale. The two-acre park in the center of the 15.5-acre complex is a natural gathering place where mall patrons can enjoy world-class fountains, a trolley, a playground, a large, grassy area and live music. The mall itself is pretty upscale. Just like its smaller, older sister, The Grove, it’s anchored by a huge Barnes & Noble and a movie theater. Restaurants include a Cheesecake Factory, a fancy Japanese restaurant, a Pinkberry (why can’t they ever open on time?) and a creperie. Stores I remember seeing include Free People, Anthropologie, Chico’s (coming soon), Juicy Couture, some ultra-high end baby stores and a few foreign stores I didn’t recognize. I think we’ll still give the Glendale Galleria our business for the bulk of our clothing purchases.

We rushed through the mall on our way to see the movie Ironman in the mall’s big new theaters, but along the way I took a few pictures. Here’s the northeast corner of the mall, on Brand Blvd. Note all the other people taking pictures. Here’s the south end of the fountain in the mall’s central park. It reminds me of Rockefeller Center in New York City. The fountain’s jets were coordinated with music, and people were ooh’ing and aah’ing over how extraordinary the other part of the fountain looked. (That picture didn’t turn out as well.) It’s hard to tell from my pictures, but the crowds were quite diverse. I like that.

Here’s a picture from the LA Times story about the mall. It’s weird to see it so empty.

If I had a little kid, I’d be incredibly tempted to buy this sock monkey shirt:

Instead, teenagers want these cool red glasses. Funny, but not as cute as a monkey shirt. We didn’t get them.

Here’s the view as we left. I couldn’t stick around longer to get the exposure right, but this gives you an idea of how cool it looked.

View map of recent school safety & security incidents

Posted on 03. May, 2008 by kchristieh in cool websites, education

Here’s a unique Google Map mashup: School Safety & Security Incidents. It shows the location of recent incidents of school violence, natural disasters, intruders, accidents, etc. If you click on a symbol, it’ll give you a brief summary of the incident and a link to further information. You can choose how far back you want the map to include data for, and you can filter by type of incident. Of course, you can zoom in to see what’s happening in a specific area.

I was skeptical when I first saw this. I didn’t think I’d find anything applicable to my life. Wrong! I found that there’d been a bomb found in a school near my sister-in-law, and that the disaster plan at a local university didn’t work.

You might be surprised at what you discover in your neck of the woods.

Quick LCHS 7/8 home tour recap

Posted on 03. May, 2008 by kchristieh in local news

Once again, the put on a great Home Tour. This year’s houses were all uniquely special. My favorite was the Asian Modern house designed by Jack Simison. I’m not usually a fan of 1960’s architecture, but the large, free-flowing rooms and large windows were perfectly suited to its mountaintop location. It was very private and peaceful. The koi pond and 270-degree view of the San Gabriel Mountains and the ocean didn’t hurt, either!

The Plantation style house was, of course, amazing. It was huge and tastefully decorated. I’d be happy just living in the guest house! The Spanish Revival house was another favorite. The thick walls and covered patios made the whole house cool and peaceful. It’s probably good that I don’t live there, however, as I wouldn’t be as diligent about furnishing it with authentic Spanish furniture.

Ironically, my least favorite was the one designed by Lloyd Wright (Frank’s son). It was a fascinating house, but all the odd angles made it tough to personalize, and much of the furniture was built in. The closets were small, and it’d be tough to deck out a modern office with enough file cabinets and space for printers. The native gardens around the house were in full bloom, as indicated by the picture below:

As great as it was to see such beautiful houses, I had even more fun seeing so many friends there. It was like a little annual reunion.

Save the first Friday of May, 2009 for next year’s Home Tour!

I’m switching cliches

Posted on 01. May, 2008 by kchristieh in my life

I’m no longer a minivan-driving soccer mom. As of last night, I’m a Prius-driving Whole Foods-shopping Democrat.

But actually, the only thing that’s changed is the car. I’m still me.

I love this little blue car. It’s quiet, fuel-efficient, and has a GPS and lots of storage. Hopefully I’ll keep it as long as I kept my last car.