Friday

Men and Women in Uniform and Membership Drive

What I learned this week: When I am under a lot of stress, I do things out of character. I realize that if I do something wrong as a result of life challenges I am facing, I need to slow down, analyze and forgive myself.

What I am grateful for: Those difficult, prickly people who I call "Master Teachers" for being so challenging that they force me to be better, work harder and get more creative.


This past Sunday Latina Voices honored men and women in Uniform. Our membership drive starts today and all the shows I work on will be on hiatus for a few weeks but during the drive I will get to talk about 4Troops,an American pop vocal group made up of Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans. Their repertoire is inspirational and up lifting - I'M ALREADY THERE, BLESS THE BROKEN ROAD, YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE, and more. Their positive message is for all serving troops, veterans, and American citizens who are inspired by them every day. They will air

6/8/2010 11:00 am SD8.2 more
6/10/2010 7:00 pm HD more
6/12/2010 1:00 am HD more
6/13/2010 4:30 pm HD more

HONORING MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM on Latina Voices by Gaby Lopez

Every day at home and abroad we are protected by the tireless efforts of our policemen, firefighters, and military personnel. While we are all grateful for their work and their sacrifices, some people turn that gratitude into action. Meredith Iler, a Houston attorney and public relations firm president, is one of those people.
Many American military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have difficulty adjusting to civilian life after coming home, but for those who come back with physical and psychological wounds the adjustment can be even harder. Iler's non-profit organization, Helping a Hero, tries to use its services to make life easier for these wounded veterans. http://www.helpingahero.org/
Helping a Hero builds specially adapted homes for severely wounded veterans and their families. While emotional support of American troops is important, Helpingahero.org says that, "Financially our wounded heroes deserve every American's support to help them get on the road to recovery and regain their independence."
The Trejos are one such family. Army Sergeant Sergio Trejo and his wife, former air force Staff Sergeant Jessica Trejo, are recipients of Helping a Hero home. The Trejos believe that the mentorship and emotional support provided by the organization are just as important as the physical home. “They’ve helped build a foundation that we can build on for our children,” Jessica Trejo said, referring to the financial and social mentorship aspect of the program. Helping a Hero eases the process of integrating returning soldiers back into society, said the Trejos, who are grateful for the assistance they have received during that sometimes overwhelming transition.
In this episode of Latina Voices: Smart Talk, Iler discussed her organization and its work. Patricia Gras, Sofia Adrogue and Minerva Perez also interviewed some of our local women in uniform, Rosenberg Officer Danielle Delgado and Houston Firefighter Laura Saavedra.

Links about women in uniform.

http://www.womenmarines.org/
http://www.army.mil/women/
http://www.i-women.org/
http://www.iawp.org/
http://www.militarywoman.org/forums/
For more information on this show go to HTV (Latina Voices Show #21)
www.latinavoices.com

Food Supply, Soccer/Dynamo and Muhammad Yunus

What I learned this week:
Keeping myself fit and healthy takes time, commitment, persistence and faith. Every time I get tired, or see great food or get upset, I have to remind myself that to be healthy I have to stay the course.

What I am grateful for:
Six months after radiation, I am cancer free. I am full of gratitude.

This Sunday at 3pm and June 18th at 10pm You will learn facts about food you probably never heard.

Robyn O'Brien by Lihue Rearte (Production Assistant)

Why is it important to eat healthy and know the contents of food? The answer will be given by the author Robyn O'Brien on Living Smart with Patricia Gras. She talks about her book "The truth: how our food makes us sick and what we can do about it." In this book she warns consumers about the ugly truth of the food industries and what they hide from us in the foods we eat daily. Go to http://www.robynobrien.com/

The bad reputation, of food additives, colorings and sweeteners such as aspartame, is one that needs a wake up call. The author points out some that can cause dangerous effects in our bodies.
The author O'Brien that after doing research and understanding scientific studies, some substances provoke allergies and terminal illnesses.

The food industry can use only those products that have been approved after having gone through detailed studies to verify that licensed doses can not cause any harmful effects to our health, but some countries like the United States choose to ignore these studies.

"Our corporations have done an incredible job in responding to needs, to remove substances from consumers in other countries like Britain," the author says. "But the United States allows these substances in our food."

In Living Smart with Patricia Gras, O'Brien advises to be aware of what we eat and shares research and studies to support which products harm our health.

Watch this program on Sunday at 3pm (repeated on Friday June 18th at 10 pm.) For more information visit www.houstonpbs.org/livingsmart or visit www.patriciagras.net/




Last week I had the opportunity to meet Muhammad Yunus, www.grameenfoundation.org/?gclid=CLWZj6m-4aECFZVY2god2wktKw

the creator of Grameen Bank or Village Bank. Let me explain that I have met presidents, celebrities, heroes and extraordinary people, but I must say when you meet someone like Muhammad Yunus who has impacted so many millions of the world's poor. (over 100 million) I was in awe and considered myself very lucky to get to interview him. I have done interviews and hosted some events for Results, an organization that works to impact the poor by lobbying congress. It is strictly a volunteer organization and has quietly done great work to end poverty over the years.
www.results.org/

Yunus was on their board of directors and they both have worked to treat the poor with dignity, compassion and to effectively give them tools to succeed. Isn't that what we all want? We will write more about this at length but I will let you know when the story airs on Latina Voices on HoustonPBS. We will also interview Gayle Ferraro, the filmaker who produced a show about Muhammad Yunus' work in the United States. It is called to Catch a Dollar and will be released in September.
www.aerial-productions.com/




This Sunday at 2:30pm May 23rd on Latina Voices, you'll get a first look at Houston Dynamo's Oliver Luck and striker Brian Ching. Life coach expert Laura Lopez also shares her experience as an executive for Coca Cola and her most recent book, "Committed Leader."


Many of you know of my passion for soccer. I will be writing about it here and my facebook page. I started playing soccer with my brother as a child and my parents are from Argentina, so the month of June will be ALL SOCCER ALL THE TIME for friends and family!!!

The World Cup and Houston Dyanamo by Shelby Cole (Production Assistant)

Great news in the sports world for all the Houston soccerheads out there! The Fifa World Cup that is right around the corner, and the whole world is talking about who will take home the ultimate prize. The Houston Dynamo’s own Brian Ching has a very strong chance of traveling to South Africa to help the U.S. team compete for (and hopefully win!) the cup. This will be Ching’s second time to be a candidate and possible player on the American team, as he traveled to Germany for the 2006 Fifa World Cup.


Ching’s supporters couldn’t be more proud of him for all of his accomplishments, both on native and foreign turf. Currently the Captain and leading goal-scorer of the Dynamo, Ching hopes to use his leadership, talent, and discipline to guide the U.S. team to victory in South Africa. Patti, Minerva, and Sofia interviewed Brian on Latina Voices, where he mentioned the new Houston Dynamo Soccer stadium.

This new stadium will be an excellent addition to Houston’s already thriving sports scene. Located just southeast of Minute Maid Park, the Houston Dynamo stadium will seat 21,000-22,000 ravenous fans and will cost an estimated $95 million. Despite its costs, the construction of this stadium is a good step in a new direction for the soccer world, as the stadium will definitely garner more respect for a sport that tends to be written off.

See this interview on Latina Voices on May 23 at 2:30, and be sure to tune in and support Brian Ching as he represents his city and country at the World Cup!


www.fifa.com/worldcup/



www.brianchingsoccer.com/blog



www.houstondynamo.com/news/2010/04/city-council-approves-dynamo-stadium-plan



Tuesday

Brain Fitness, Childhood Obesity and the Oil Spill

What I learned this week: The oil spill that has happened in the gulf coast will affect us all. I can't imagine how it will hurt the ecosystem. There was once again a failure in the regulatory policies. Someone convinced the regulators they didn't need to do their job. First the banks, then the miners (who lost their lives) now this spill. We the people need to put some teeth into regulating those who care little for the "public" and more about their pockets. We need business to operate in an open and free market, but someone has to watch out for the little guys. Ask yourself who are the little guys?



What I am grateful for: Living in a country that eventually holds people accountable for their mistakes.

This Sunday Dr. John Byrne tackles Brain Fitness on Living Smart at 3pm. (repeats Friday at 10pm) What I found fascinating about this show is that physical fitness seems to have a tremendous impact on brain fitness. I used to think that it was purely intellectual excercise that would help my brain. I soon found out the best thing for it was excercise and diet PLUS intellectual excercises. Guess what. I am moving a lot more now!

Childhood Obesity. I have done several shows on this topic and frankly, moving should be just part of the equation. Here are my Living Smart tips

1. Get Sugars and Flours out of our schools and our homes. Once a week kids can eat junk, but not every day.
2. Moving is not enough but you have to start somewhere. "Skinny girls do the stairs" I say skinny girls and boys move a lot! but if you eat junk like sugar and processed foods, no excercise in the world will help the core issues (WHAT YOU ARE FEEDING THE KIDS AND WHAT THE KIDS ARE EATING)
3. If a child does not have a balanced life, he or she won't have a balanced diet. Are the kids communicating with a caring adult? Is someone bullying them at school? Do they feel rejected? Do they have a space to enjoy nature? Do they talk to their parents and siblings?
Spirituality plays a role in what we put in our mouths.
4. Turn the TV off, the cell phone, ipod, ipad and whatever has a keyboard off at least an hour a day and listen to music or talk to someone you love or hug someone. WE NEED HUMAN CONTACT. I think we are stuffing ourselves because we have a void and so do our children.
5. Don't criticize your child. If you want them to lose weight, eat healthy with them and most importantly excercise with them. Excercise helps people bond. AT least once a week make an effort to walk or ride a bike or run with your child.
6. Releasing weight does not happen with diets, it happens with lifestyle changes. It is a long term commitment, sort of like marriage. You will have good days and bad days and so will your children, but you have to be committed to a healthy life in the long term. FOCUS ON HEALTH not on Weight. and soon enough the weight will start coming off.
7. Have someone check on you every week. You can also check on your child once a week. Do it together, see what magic happens.
8. Be patient with yourself and your child. This is a lifetime journey but it can be lots of fun. But like all journeys, you can get lost once in a while but you have to keep trying to get yourself back on the road. GOOD LUCK!