All Sites Best of the Web

Details
Category: All Sites Best of the Web
Hits: 118

babysitter calls police on late mother

A babysitter has taken to the internet to share their story of why they decided to call the police on a mother who returned home late. The babysitter explained why she ended up calling the cops and asked if she was being petty and was in the right to do so.

The story posted to Reddit by Electronic_Professor attracted over four thousand comments at the time of writing, with a majority of users backing up the babysitter.

The 28-year-old explains she babysits on weekends to make extra cash, and with one particular family, the mother is known to never come home on time. She says her lateness throws off her schedule and she’s unable to do things on the weekends because of it. She explains the history of the mother saying:

I (28F) do babysitting on the weekends to make some babysitting on the weekends to make extra cash. There is one family I definitely should've fazed out by now but the kids are cute and if I don't have another job, it's easy money. My issue is, the mom is never home on time. She used to not give me return times but finally I started asking as it made it impossible to get anything done on the weekends. I'd go babysit so she could go to "brunch" but she'd be gone from 11 AM to 7 PM. My whole day was gone. After that, she'd start giving me times but never stick to them. She wouldn't even call to tell me, she'd just stay out.

The babysitter explains that with her last job with this household, she arrived at 6pm and expected the mother to return home by 9pm, telling her she needed to be on time as she had plans that night as well. When the mother did not return, the babysitter continued to try to contact her until midnight with no response.

On Saturday, I got to her house at 6 and she was supposed to be home by 9. I told her she needed to be on time because I had plans to go out with friends. I was even getting ready at their house after I put the kids to be. She promised. Of course, 9:00 rolls around and she's not home. I call her, no response. Text, no response. Another hour. Nothing. Still calling and texting. Finally, it is midnight. By this point, my plans are long ruined but I'm p***ed and exhausted.

Evidentally frustrated at the situation, she left a voicemail and text on the mother’s phone explaining that if she doesn’t come home in the next half hour, she would consider the kids abandoned and therefore call the police. She kept trying to get in contact after this to no avail. She continues:

I call her and leave a voicemail saying if she's not home in the next hour, I'm considering the kids abandoned and calling the cops. I also text her this. I try calling her 30 minutes later and it goes to voicemail on the second ring, I text her again and she leaves me on read. If she had reached out saying "Hey, I'm staying out until x time", I would've stayed. I don't know any of her family nor the father of the kids so I can't call them. I gave her a grace period of 15 minutes and tried calling again, finally called the cops (non-emergency line).

As the police arrive at the household, they try to make contact with the mother also with no luck, leaving the children in the care of the police and then are taken to the police station. She says:

They showed up and I showed our agreement in text from earlier in the week confirming that she'd be home by 9. They try contacting her, didn't answer. I was dismissed and they took the children to the police station. I go home and go to bed.

After this, the babysitter received a panic call at 3am from the mother frantically asking where she and the kids were. She explained what happened:

I am awoken at 3 AM by a frantic call. It's her. Where are the kids? Why am I not here? I tell her I followed through on my threat, check the police station. She cursed me out, I hung up and went to bed.

The following day, the mother sent the babysitter a message saying the children’s father was called and she is now under investigation. She finishes her story by saying:

The next day, she sends me an essay saying the kids' father was called and there's a DCF investigation launched against her. She called me every name under the sun but I didn't think I was wrong until I spoke to a friend with kids. She said I should've just waited it out and refuse to ever sit for her again. She asked if her potentially losing her kids was worth me being petty.

Many users flocked to the comments to share their opinions, most siding with the babysitter saying the children were neglected.

One wrote, "You're not being petty. It's her actions that have caused this situation not yours. She has shown a total lack of concern for the welfare of her children.”

Another said, "You made a good faith effort to contact her more than once. She left both you AND the police on read, and refused to respond, most likely because she assumed her kids were fine, and just went on having fun. But the thing is, what if you'd been contacting her because one of the kids was hurt? Or what if the cops were contacting her because YOU'D been hurt and that's why they were with her kids?"

Another agreed with the babysitter's actions saying she was right to do so since it had happened before:

"It would be one thing if it was a one-time occurrence, but this is clearly a common thing and makes me concerned about what else is happening in this household that you aren't aware of. I don't think you were being "petty" because it's concerning what she's doing so late that makes her unable to answer any calls or texts. You also gave her a bountiful warning and she chose to ignore you, or was incapacitated to the point of being unable to respond to you.”

Someone else voiced that she should've tried asking the children for an emergency contact rather than contacting the police first:

"I will probably be downvoted for this - in another comment OP mentions that the 7 year old was asleep and therefore couldn’t provide an alternative phone number (dad, grandparents, etc.) - I would have much rather woken this child up to ask them a couple questions to see if they could provide you those numbers (and hopefully then cared for by someone they know), rather than have them woken up and carried out by police. Unfortunately due to their mothers negligence, this is a memory the 7 year old will now carry around for the rest of their life."

"That’s not on you - it’s on the mom - but I find myself wishing that all possible avenues could have been potentially exhausted before the option of having the kids being taken out of their beds by the cops."

When one user asked what the mother's explanation was for not returning until 3am, the babysitter replied in a comment saying, "She wouldn't give me one. She said it was none of my business why she stayed out so late.”

Image Credits: (DimaBerlin / Strike Pattern  / Shutterstock.com)

 

Details
Category: All Sites Best of the Web
Hits: 96

Ronnie Spector, the cat-eyed, bee-hived rock 'n' roll siren who sang such 1960s hits as Be My Baby, Baby I Love You and Walking in the Rain as leader of the girl group the Ronettes, has died. She was 78.

Spector died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer, her family said.

"Ronnie lived her life with a twinkle in her eye, a spunky attitude, a wicked sense of humour and a smile on her face. She was filled with love and gratitude," a statement said.

The Ronettes' sexy look and powerful voices -- plus songwriting and producing help from Phil Spector -- turned them into one of the premier acts of the girl-group era, touring England with the Rolling Stones and befriending the Beatles.

Spector, alongside her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley, scored hits with pop masterpieces like Baby, I Love You, Walking in the Rain, I Can Hear Music and Be My Baby, which was co-written by Spector, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.

"We weren't afraid to be hot. That was our gimmick," Spector said in her memoir.

"When we saw The Shirelles walk on stage with their wide party dresses, we went in the opposite direction and squeezed our bodies into the tightest skirts we could find. Then we'd get out on stage and hike them up to show our legs even more."

Spector, born Veronica Bennett, and her multiracial bandmates grew up in the Washington Heights area of Manhattan. They began singing and dancing in clubs as Ronnie and the Relatives, becoming noteworthy for their liberal use of eyeliner and mascara.

In March 1963, Estelle Bennett managed to arrange an audition in front of Phil Spector, known for his big, brass-and-drum style dubbed the "wall of sound".

They were signed to Phillies Records in 1963. After being signed, they sang backup for other acts until Spector had the group record Be My Baby and Baby I Love You.

The group's debut album, Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica, was released in 1964. Five of its 12 tracks had made it to the US Billboard charts.

After touring Germany in 1967, the Ronettes broke up.

Spector married Ronnie in 1968, then she said he kept her locked in their Beverly Hills mansion. Her 1990 autobiography Be My Baby: How I Survived Mascara, Miniskirts And Madness tells an unhappy story of abuse.

The couple divorced in 1974. Phil Spector was sent to prison in 2009 for the murder of actress Lana Clarkson and died in 2020.

Ronnie Spector's influence was felt far and wide. Brian Wilson became obsessed with Be My Baby and Billy Joel wrote Say Goodbye to Hollywood in Spector's honour. Amy Winehouse frequently cited Spector as an idol.

Martin Scorsese used Be My Baby to open his 1973 film Mean Streets and the song appears in the title sequence of Dirty Dancing and the closing credits of Baby Mama.

When the Ronettes were inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones remembered opening for the trio in England in the mid-1960s.

"They could sing all their way right through a wall of sound," Richards said.

"They didn't need anything. They touched my heart right there and then and they touch it still."

Ronnie Spector is survived her husband, Jonathan Greenfield, and two sons, Jason and Austin.

© AP 2022

Details
Category: All Sites Best of the Web
Hits: 105

Trinity Rodman, the teenage daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman, is among 25 players called into the first camp of the year for the US women's national soccer team.

Nineteen-year-old Rodman was included for the first time after an outstanding debut season in the National Women's Soccer League which earned her the Rookie of the Year award.

A forward for the Washington Spirit, Rodman started 19 of the 22 matches she appeared in, tallying six goals and five assists.

20220113001612895728-trinity-rodman.jpg

(image: AAP - Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman (2) plays during the second half of the NWSL Championship soccer match against Chicago Red Stars Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021)

She also provided an assist for Kelley O'Hara's game-winning goal in the NWSL Championship, helping the club capture its first trophy in November.

"She was one of the most exciting players in the league this past season," said US team head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

"She's still a young player, but we do want to expose her to the environment where she can get her feet wet a little bit ... get used to my coaching and the players that she's around, and hopefully she can continue growing and show that what she was able to do in the league, she can do that at the international level."

 

shutterstock_226057036-dennis-rodman.jpg

(Image: Shutterstock: Ulora) Her Father NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman must be so proud)

 

Rodman joins fellow uncapped players Aubrey Kingsbury and Naomi Girma at the US team camp.

The team doesn't have any games scheduled for January but will compete in the SheBelieves Cup next month. The friendly four-team tournament also involving Czech Republic, Iceland and New Zealand will run from February 17-23 and feature games in Frisco, Texas, and Carson, California.

The full roster:- Goalkeepers: Aubrey Kingsbury (Washington Spirit), Casey Murphy (North Carolina Courage), Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars).

Defenders: Alana Cook (OL Reign), Abby Dahlkemper (San Diego Wave), Tierna Davidson (Chicago), Imani Dorsey (Gotham FC), Emily Fox (Racing Louisville), Naomi Girma (San Diego), Sofia Huerta (OL Reign), Kelley O'Hara (Washington), Emily Sonnett (Washington).

Midfielders: Lindsey Horan (Portland Thorns), Jaelin Howell (Louisville), Rose Lavelle (OL Reign), Kristie Mewis (Gotham FC), Samantha Mewis (Kansas City Current), Ashley Sanchez (Washington), Andi Sullivan (Washington).

Forwards: Ashley Hatch (Washington), Mallory Pugh (Chicago), Margaret Purce (Gotham FC), Trinity Rodman (Washington), Sophia Smith (Portland), Lynn Williams (Kansas City).

© RAW 2022

Details
Category: All Sites Best of the Web
Hits: 112

WHY EXPERTS SAY IT IS NOT TIME TO BE COMPLACENT ABOUT OMICRON:

YOU COULD STILL BECOME VERY ILL

Research has indicated that Omicron may be more likely to lead to an asymptomatic case of COVID-19 than prior variants. For those who do have symptoms, a higher proportion experience very mild illness, such as sore throat or runny nose, without the breathing difficulties typical of earlier infections.

But the extraordinary spread of Omicron in many countries means that in absolute numbers, more people will experience severe disease. In particular, recent data from Italy and Germany show that people who are not vaccinated are far more vulnerable when it comes to hospitalisation, intensive care and death.

"I agree that sooner or later everyone will be exposed, but later is better," said virus expert Michel Nussenzweig of Rockefeller University.

"Why? Because later we will have better and more available medicines and better vaccines."

YOU COULD INFECT OTHERS

You might become only mildly ill, but you could pass the virus to someone else at risk of critical illness, even if you have antibodies from a prior infection or from vaccination, said Akiko Iwasaki, who studies viral immunology at Yale University.

 

(Aus Gov Dept of Health Have lots of great advice including How to Be Covid Ready)

 

OMICRON'S LONG-TERM EFFECTS ARE UNKNOWN

Infections with earlier variants of the coronavirus, including mild infections and "breakthrough" cases after vaccination, sometimes caused the lingering, debilitating long-haul COVID syndrome.

"We have no data yet on what proportion of infections with Omicron ... end up with Long COVID," Iwasaki said.

"People who underestimate Omicron as 'mild' are putting themselves at risk of a debilitating disease that can linger for months or years."

Also unclear is whether Omicron will have any of the "silent" effects seen with earlier variants, such as self-attacking antibodies, sperm impairments and changes in insulin-producing cells

MEDICATIONS ARE IN SHORT SUPPLY

Omicron treatments are so limited that doctors must ration them. Two of the three antibody drugs used during past COVID-19 waves are ineffective against this variant.

The third, sotrovimab, from GlaxoSmithKline, is in short supply, as is a new oral antiviral treatment called Paxlovid, from Pfizer Inc, that appears effective against Omicron. If you get sick, you might not have access to treatments.

HOSPITALS ARE FILLING UP

In fully vaccinated and boosted individuals without underlying medical conditions, Omicron "will not do too much damage," said David Ho, professor of microbiology and immunology at Columbia University.

Still, the fewer infections, the better, especially now, "when the hospitals are already overwhelmed, and the peak of Omicron wave is yet to come" for most of the United States, Ho said.

MORE INFECTIONS MEAN MORE NEW VARIANTS

Omicron is the fifth highly significant variant of the original SARS-COV-2, and it remains to be seen if the ability of the virus to mutate further will slow down.

High infection rates also give the virus more opportunities to mutate, and there's no guarantee that a new version of coronavirus would be more benign than its predecessors.

"SARS-CoV-2 has surprised us in many different ways over the past two years, and we have no way of predicting the evolutionary trajectory of this virus," Ho said.

© RAW 2022