THERE IS NO VIOLENT SOLUTION – CEASEFIRE NOW!!!

Peace /

Nuestro Amigos – que lastima!! Nuestro familia en el Medio Oriente ha sufrido mucho, verdadamente mucho!! We grieve for their suffering…  The trauma Jews have suffered over centuries of pogroms, the Holocaust, and now the heinous Hamas attack of Oct 7, has deeply affected feelings, behaviors, and alert systems of Jews – over the generations.  Palestinians are also deeply traumatized, devastatingly, from the violence and oppression they’ve suffered for the last 75 years and the massive bombardment now.  When people are in a chronic state of alarm or fight-flight-freeze, their alert systems do not function well, and their responses can be extreme.  Thus violence begets violence, exactly as we’ve seen.  As the daughter of a German Jew, a Holocaust fighter and survivor, I can only say Never Again Includes Now, and especially not by us.  In 1900, before heavy Jewish immigration, few Jews lived in Palestine. In 1947, with the population still mostly Arab, a U.N. resolution committed 55% of the land to Israel. Tensions exploded.  Israel declared itself a state, and five bordering Arab lands were invaded. Partisans differ on when the Nakba (Catastrophe) began, but most Palestinian Arabs were violently driven from their homes. Since then, Israeli occupation and settlements have reduced Palestine to 166 pitiful enclaves partitioned by Israeli settlements and dedicated roads, controlled by Israeli checkpoints.   Palestinians are still: turned out of their homes by settlers; blocked by invasive walls and checkpoints; deprived of water, food, and power; harassed, assaulted, incarcerated for little or no reason; and senselessly killed.  This is all the more poignant since half of Gaza’s occupants are children, enduring deprivation, brutal terror, arrests, and incarceration. Nature functions: chronic injustice is violence, sparking more violence. Hence, there’s no violent solution. To move forward, there must be communication and cooperation: a ceasefire, with diplomatic negotiations supported by the UN and the international communities, and without more arms or munitions supplied.  International Law, enhanced after two world wars, is crucial. Enforcement mechanisms are needed for it to be truly effective.  Per International law: military responses must be proportional: (not stronger and fiercer than the event responded to) civilians must be left out of it. hospitals, medical facilities, and schools must be left undisturbed. an occupier is not permitted to bomb the occupied. war is illegal (see Kelloggs-Briand Pact of 1927/8). International law must be observed. In any community, established norms go far in determining behaviors. The U.S. must be a leader in peaceful conflict resolution, not “the greatest purveyor of violence in the world,” as Rev. Dr. King observed. Please urge President Biden (202-456-1111) and all our legislators (202-224-3121) to ardently support a ceasefire, negotiations, a stop to arms sales, international law, and re-established humanistic norms. This song, (in Hebrew), emphasizes the courage needed in the struggle to establish peace through justice – at home and abroad, as we say at the WNYPC.  Kol ha’olam kulo Gesher tzar me’od Veha’ikar lo lifached k’lal. The whole world Is a very narrow bridge and the main thing is to have no fear at all. Todo el Mundo es un Puente muy estrecho, y los mas importante es no tener miedo en absoluto. Si, se puede – Juntos! Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Media Military & Veterans Music Peace People Politics Sports THERE IS NO VIOLENT SOLUTION – CEASEFIRE NOW!!! December 18, 2023/No Comments Nuestro Amigos – que lastima!! Nuestro familia en el Medio Oriente ha sufrido mucho, verdadamente mucho!! We grieve for their… Read More WE NEED PEACE IN UKRAINE WE’RE ALL AFFECTED!! October 2, 2023/No Comments “Que lastima que tengamos esta gran Guerra en Ucrania!! And we are all affected by it!” We are afflicted by the… Read More A TRAGEDY July 4, 2023/No Comments LEADING TO AN ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN (a Community Responders Pilot and a Peace Ship for a Nuclear-Free Future) Hola, mis Amigos!! … Read More Load More End of Content.

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AFFIRMATIONS: WHAT ARE THEY?

14 Comments / Health, People /

Affirmations are phrases or statements that, when you repeat them regularly (either out loud or to yourself), can shift negative thought patterns and promote positive thinking, self-esteem, and motivation. Affirmations, also referred to as positive affirmations, are phrases that, when repeated regularly, can change negative thoughts and behavior patterns, per the Cleveland Clinic.  They can be said aloud or to yourself. These statements are usually intended to help shift thinking from negative to positive, motivate an action, reduce stress, persevere through difficult times, and increase self-confidence and well-being. “Affirmations help build and improve your self-esteem. They can also act as a way of challenging and replacing your negative and anxious thinking when it comes to stress, depression, physical pain, and anxiety,” says Lee Phillips, LCSW, EdD, a psychotherapist.  Affirmations do this by replacing negative self-talk, explains Dr. Corey Yeager; author and marriage and family therapist.  For example, if you made a mistake and then think, “I’m so stupid,” Yeager says, you’re unintentionally using a negative affirmation. But if you can spot the negative affirmation, there’s an opportunity to change it to a positive one. In this case, you might tell yourself: “I can learn from my mistakes.” One psychological theory of self-affirmation comes from research on the self-carried out in the 1980s by Claude M. Steele, PhD, a social psychologist. His theory is that when people have thoughts or experiences that threaten the way they think about or perceive themselves, they are motivated to restore their self-image. Steele suggested that people generally want to have a positive image of themselves, so when they experience a threat to that image (such as somebody telling them they’re not good at something), they tend to affirm their sense of self — which, in turn, allows them to handle these threats in a more secure, balanced way.  The affirmation is a strategy to help navigate that stressful situation. Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Media Military & Veterans Music Peace People Politics Sports AFFIRMATIONS: WHAT ARE THEY? December 18, 2023/No Comments Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Read More… Read More MEDICINAL MUSHROOMS October 4, 2023/1 Comment In this edition, I hope to educate and inform about medicinal mushrooms, specifically about lion’s mane mushrooms. Lion’s mane mushrooms,… Read More CALL FOR ARTISTS! July 1, 2023/No CommentsRead More Load More End of Content.

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THE ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR LATINO REPRESENTATION IN LOCAL MEDIA

Media /

About a month and a half ago, I had the opportunity to be a guest on the WBFO podcast, “Buffalo, What’s Next?” hosted by Lorenzo Rodriguez. During my visit to the Buffalo Toronto Public Media studios, where WBFO is located, we delved into discussions about my upbringing on Buffalo’s Lower West Side and explored the narrative behind my documentary film, “Boricua Soy Yo.” The experience was fulfilling, but it also sheds light on the stark reality of Latino representation in Buffalo’s local media landscape.  A Farewell to a Much-Needed Voice: After the podcast was completed, Rodriguez revealed that he had just submitted his two weeks’ notice and that he was leaving his position as Producer/Reporter at WBFO. Although I respect his reasoning behind his decision to leave his position at the station, out of respect a conversation I will not share here, Rodriguez’s departure was disheartening, as his voice and unique perspective were precisely what our community needs in local Buffalo media. There aren’t too many of us telling our stories to the public and this unfortunate truth became even more evident as I toured WNED Studios, the home of WBFO, witnessing a noticeable lack of diversity within the building and being reminded of the lack of diversity on the other local news outlets here in Western New York.  Diversity Deficiency in Buffalo Media: A deeper investigation into Buffalo Toronto’s Public Media’s social media pages only underscored the scarcity of diversity in their staff. It became clear that our local media outlets were failing to adequately represent the rich tapestry of the Buffalo/Western New York Latino community. The lack of genuine interest in our stories and the tokenistic approach to diversity left me frustrated and disappointed. Although I found myself disappointed in what I saw at Buffalo Toronto Public Media, this isn’t a recent or new occurrence, as there is quite a history of neglect when it comes to how the Latino community of Western New York is covered and represented in our local media stations.  When I reflect on my time as an Operations Engineer at WKBW News Channel 7, I recall how Puerto Ricans were only ever featured in the news when they were in handcuffs or participating in events like the Grease Pole Festival. This historical neglect and misrepresentation fueled my determination to leverage my background and media experience to bring attention to our community, our stories, and our unique perspectives, through my films and my writing within this very publication known as The Buffalo Latino Village.  It would be disingenuous if I were to write that the coverage of Latinos in local media has been completely lacking in recent years, especially with recent stories covering The Hispanic Heritage Council’s Niagara Street project, this coverage, however, seems to be solely exclusive to a small club of Buffalo Latinos.  This realization is especially frustrating when one looks at how diverse our Latino community is and how many more stories there are that seem to go all but unnoticed.  Taking Charge of Our Narrative: The frustration stemming from the perpetual oversight of the Latino community by local media outlets motivated me to take matters into my own hands. It became clear that we cannot rely on external entities to accurately represent our interests or share our stories.  In response, I’ve committed to using my platform and skills to amplify our community’s voices, ensuring that our narratives are told authentically and with the nuance they deserve.  My experience on the WBFO podcast was a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for Latino representation in Buffalo’s local media.  As I witnessed the departure of a valuable voice and observed the lack of diversity within local media organizations, the urgency to tell our own stories became even more apparent.  It is time for the Buffalo/Western New York Latino community to take charge of our narrative, using our voices and experiences to fill the void left by a media landscape that consistently falls short of representing our vibrant and diverse community.  We cannot rely on others, we have to “do for self.” Read More From This Writer All Post Art Books & Poems Business Community Education Entertainment español Food & Culture Health Interviews Media Military & Veterans Music Peace People Politics Sports THE ONGOING STRUGGLE FOR LATINO REPRESENTATION IN LOCAL MEDIA December 18, 2023/No Comments Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Read More… Read More THE SWEET AND BRAVE SOUNDS OF SON JAROCHO MUSIC November 10, 2023/No Comments On the crisp evening of Friday, October 20th, I had the pleasure of experiencing the beautiful sounds of Son Jarocho… Read More ENTERTAINING, INSPIRING, AND INFORMING  THROUGH FILM October 1, 2023/1 Comment  On Monday, September 25th, I had the great pleasure of presenting my film, “Boricua Soy Yo” at a free public… Read More Load More End of Content.

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