Tuesday

Economic town forum, Vaccines for addiction and priorities

On May 7th at 7pm, HoustonPBS will present the third town forum. The topic this time is on Houston's regional (13 counties) economy. We plan to discuss the state of the economy, where the jobs are and where we are going. We will also provide a resource list on our website on job opportunities, training and placement organizations. You will have an opportunity to call in, chat and blog as well. I will start twittering soon! There is no doubt most viewers are interested in jobs. Those who have lost it, how to get a new one, those who have kept it, how to keep it and those who want something better during these hard times, where will the jobs be and what will happen in the future. We hope to find some answers to those questions.

This Sunday at 3pm Living Smart presents one of the most respected addiction researchers in the world, Dr. Tom Kosten who will address the new vaccines he has created to combat addiction. He offers hope and very useful information.

As we deal with the anxiety caused by this unprecedented economic downturn. I would like to share something I got from a friend.

"Life is short, work as if it was your first day, forgive easily and rapidly, kiss very slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrolably, and never seize to smile even at the strangest things. Life can't be the feast we expected, but while we are here, we should smile and be grateful. "

Monday

IT'S THE ECONOMY STUPID!

On Sunday March 29th at 3pm on Ch. 8 , Permaculturist Diana Petrochelli teaches us some lessons on how to take care of the planet and in the process save ourselves some money. I can't help but want to talk about the economy with everyone I run into. Whether we like to think about it or not, it does affect our lives and our next town forum on May 7th on Ch. 8 at 7pm we'll discuss the Houston regional economy.
I am sure just as you have, heard the reasons: greed, subprime mortgages, derivatives, Madoff ponzi schemes, back to greed, lack of regulation, lack of oversight, stupidity, too much of a good thing, easy money, hedge funds, debt, back to greed, dangerous financial innovations, lack of savings, hubris, innocence, back to consumer debt. The list goes on and on.
What really bothers me now is that it appears no one was talking about this in the past 10 years. Where were the pundits, financial gurus, journalists, TV talk stars, etc. What was I doing? Sure I did a lot of shows on financial education but was clueless about the intricate economic signs of what was coming. I studied Economics in college and later got an MBA and know this much. The economy is cyclical but this downturn appears to be tied an tremendous financial system excess.
Also does speculation ring a bell? Delusion? again, Greed?
Now everyone is questioning what we do about it. My fear is that no one really knows if the government plan will work. If the solution was easy, then someone else would have come up with it. It is so much easier to criticize than to actually do something. The administration is trying something very risky but can they just let nature run its course? During the depression the government allowed 2 out of 5 banks to fail. We are not doing that now but does it mean we don't hold them accountable?
What we can not do is panic and unfortunately we are getting closer and closer to that. The media is not helping, neither are politicians who repeat the word crisis every chance they get.
The Federal Reserve promises to do everything they can to support the functioning of the financial markets and stimulating the economy but what can we do? We the people? What are we supposed to do? Here is my ten point plan to ride the wave of recession.
1. No recession lasts forever, so don't panic.
2. Look at the crisis as an opportunity, not a punishment for bad behavior.
3. Make a list of what you really need. (Really NEED) and for now only buy that.
4. Even if we are supposed to consume to get the economy back in shape, start saving now!
5. If you can plant your own garden, do it or find a community garden close to you.
6. Bring your lunch to work.
7. If you are out of work and can't pay the bill move in with family or friends for a few months.
8. Realize how lucky you are to live in the United States of America. This is still the land of opportunity. Don't ever lose hope or the vision that things will get better. That's American!
9. Love those around you more. You'll need them now more than ever and now you have time.
10. Don't take it personal. Losing a job is not about you. Quit being hard on yourself. You got a job before, you will do it again.

Sunday

THE VALUE OF YOUR FEMALE FRIENDS

As women, our bonds with other women tend to be different than friendships between men. Chris Hedges, a war correspondent for 30 years wrote "War is a Force that gives us meaning." (You can find the interview  I did with him on video google) He said men don't fight for their countries. They fight for each other, for their brothers in combat, for other soldiers they have bonded with. As women our bonds tend to be stronger than men's. We don't need to go through something as traumatic as a war to bond. A few weeks ago, I received an email from a friend in Argentina so I will translate it as best as I can. It describes why women are so important in our lives. 

This says it all. 

Time passes,

Life goes on,

Distances separate people. 

Children grow up. 

Jobs come and go

Passion diminishes

Men don't always do what they were supposed to do.

Hearts break

Parents die. 

Coworkers forget favors they have received

Professional careers come to an end

BUT

Your sisters are always there, It does not matter how much time and how many miles are between you.

A girlfriend is never too far to be with you when you need her.

When you have to walk the valley alone, the women in your life will be there surrounding you, cheering you on, praying for you, pushing you, intervening for you, opening their hearts  and waiting  for you with open arms at the end of the journey.  

Sometimes, they will even break rules and will walk by you and will ease your burden. 
Friends, daughters, grandmothers, sisters in law, sisters, moms, grandaughters, cousins, nieces and all your family are a blessing in this life. 

The world would not be the same without women and I would not be who I am without them. When we began this adventure of being women, we didn't have any idea the incredible satisfaction and the painful challenges that await us. We don't know either how much we will need each other, but we will. 
 
Pass this on to all the women who give meaning to your life. 

First I would like to take this opportunity to thank my friend in Argentina who sent me this. She is going through cancer treatment so keep her in your prayers. She and I grew up together in Argentina and reconnected this year after 20 years through FACEBOOK! She lives in the mountains so we were out of touch. Gracias MARITE

I also want to thank all the women who supported me in the past week. Your friendship, your unconditional love and wise counsel got me through one heck of a week. Thank you sisters in arms. I hope I can be there for you always as you have been for me. 

Remember Season 5 of Living Smart begins April 12 at 3pm on HoustonPBS and will repeat the following friday at 10pm. On March 22n at 2:30pm Latina Voices airs its second show. 

Friday

Change Magazine, Living Smart and Latina Voices

Change Magazine recently did a very nice article on Living Smart, Latina Voices and my life. Here is the link if you can't pick it up in your area, http://www.changemagazine.net/
The experience for me was like no other. I have never been interviewed at length and the reporter Sue Mayfield-Geiger, Publisher, Carla Medlenka and photographer Lisette Templin could not have been kinder, gentler and funnier. It was such a nice unforgettable experience. I consider it a gift to be among the ultimate joyful professionals they proved themselves to be. My wardrobe consultant and dear friend Sam Gershen made sure I looked good and despite freezing weather outside during the photo shoot. We had a blast. Thank you all.

Living Smart will launch in April 12th at 3pm (it will repeat on friday nights at 10pm) and Latina Voices comes back on March 22nd at 2:30pm. It will air every third Sunday of the month. (You can also find it in HTV Ch. 16 comcast on Sundays and Wednesdays at 8 am and 8pm .

I am truly excited about both these shows and simply want to share, I find them relevant to what we are living right now. Last week two close friends lost their high paying jobs. It feels awful to watch dear friends go through this. However, nothing puts us on a different life track than looking for work and feeling rejected. There is no doubt we learn humility when we go through this. We realize we are not indispensable and we have to dig deep to find what we have within ourselves to get back up and start looking for the next opportunity. I know how difficult this can be. As much as I try to live smartly, I fail many times because I am human and I learned we must allow ourselves these failures and be kind to ourselves, especially when we are down. Humility is a virtue we all need in times like these, then we must have courage to go on.

Keshavar Nair said "With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity."

Tuesday

To heal the world, heal thyself

As some of my friends were discussing politics and how Rush Limbaugh and Anne Colter said this and Al Franken said that and why are the Republicans so angry etc. One of those friends sent me this quote by Thomas Merton.

"So instead of loving what you think is peace, love other people and love God above all. And instead of hating the people you think are warmakers, hate the appetites and the disorder in your own soul, which are the causes of war. If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed - but hate these things in yourself, not in another."

- Thomas Merton, from "New Seeds of Contemplation"

Wow, I thought, how liberating it is to focus on what we hold within ourselves, our own prejudices, hatreds, confusion, anxiety etc. I actually have many mirrors around me (people who don't like me or accept me the way I am) They shine a light on my (shadow) Jungian concept of what we hate in ourselves. In time, I realize there is a lot within I have to work through. That is why I always pray for inner peace, harmony and balance. If I keep focusing on what I don't want in my life, then unfortunately I will probably attract it, so we must focus on the positive aspects of everything and quite blaming others for our own misfortunes. This is the only way we can get ahead. Blaming others tends to put a rope around our throat as we try to move forward. Yes, people hurt us, fire us, abuse us, lie to us, steal from us etc. but there are those who love us, accept us, put up with us and hold our hand when we need them. What am I going to focus on?



Kassim