struggle Archives - Good News!

Thought for the Day…02/19/26

Austin Tang — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 14:29:16 +0000

Good morning friends. Have a great day. Stay blessed always. Keep Smiling and Laughing.

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Houses of Worship Struggle to Feed New Yorkers During SNAP Stalemate

Austin Tang — Tue, 04 Nov 2025 14:29:39 +0000

In New York City, there are about 600 food pantries scattered across the five boroughs and at least 90 percent are run by either a religious organization or a nonprofit connected to a place of worship.

At St. Peter’s Chelsea in Manhattan, volunteers lined up cans of food for distribution to the public. Credit…Marco Postigo Storel for The New York Times

By Samantha Latson

Nov. 3, 2025

Before daylight in the cold morning air, nearly 100 people stood bundled in hats and coats, their empty carts parked outside an Upper Manhattan church pantry.

A line had begun forming on the sidewalk outside the Church of the Good Shepherd, a Catholic church in the Inwood neighborhood, at least an hour before the pantry was scheduled to open Saturday.

The group of people gathered, which included many older and middle-aged adults, came seeking canned goods and fresh produce like green onions, pears and cranberries, fearful that their refrigerators and cabinets could soon be empty as it remained unclear whether the food stamp program would continue to be funded.

As the government shutdown passed the one-month mark and the Trump administration said it would make only partial payments in November to sustain the program — known as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP — roughly 42 million people were at risk of receiving food aid late and in reduced amounts, including nearly 1.8 million New York City residents.

Stepping in to be a lifeline for families felt like second nature for some churches in New York City.

“We’ve always done this,” said Father George Sears, pastor of the Church of Good Shepherd, who was bagging food in the hallway with volunteers at 7 a.m. on Saturday, preparing to feed over 450 people.

Many religious institutions have continued to make it their mission to provide food and meals to those in need, even as membership and attendance at services have declined. In many cases, more people line up for their pantries than sit in their pews.

Pantries have long filled the gap for people who don’t qualify for food stamps or whose benefits don’t stretch far enough. The threat of reductions or funding delays has put the programs under new strain.

Met Council, the largest Jewish nonprofit organization in the country, serves more than 200 locations across New York City, and last week, it saw a 17 percent increase in turnout and is preparing for a 40 percent boost this week, according to the organization’s chief executive, David G. Greenfield.

In New York City, there are about 600 food pantries scattered across the five boroughs. Gilford Monrose, executive director of Faith-Based and Community Partnerships in the mayor’s office, said at least 90 percent of those pantries are run by either a religious organization or a nonprofit connected to a place of worship.

“As pie is to America, I would say food pantry would be to churches,” Mr. Monrose said. “Especially houses of worship in low-income neighborhoods.”

In Inwood, Ama Kofi, 51, stepped in line at 7:45 a.m. with her two neighbors from the Bronx. Ms. Kofi said the church pantry, which is open weekly, eases her anxiety about putting food on the table for her husband and three children.

“It doesn’t stress me because I know if I come here, I’ll get something,” she said.

In the two years she has used the pantry, Ms. Kofi has seen a rise in the number of people who need food.

“There are so many people that come here that don’t qualify for food stamps but they need it,” she said, holding her ticket, No. 219.

Paul Kwon, the food pantry coordinator, said the pantry, which collaborates with Cabrini Immigrant Services, helps more than 400 people each week.

He said the government’s reluctance to sustain SNAP made him “furious.” The pantry he leads is trying to stay afloat after a $20,000 loss in funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after the Trump administration took back $80 million that New York received for migrants. The reduction has led the pantry to cut back, he said, and clients are noticing that “the bags aren’t as full.”

Mr. Kwon said the pantry spent around $4,600 a week on food assistance, funded by donors and federal, state and local aid. With demand high, the pantry has relied more on community fund-raisers and food drives. As of this year around 35 percent of people who use their pantry are SNAP recipients.

Because of the growing need, his pantry will stay open for an extra hour from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. starting on Nov. 15.

According to the Food Research and Action Center, 39 percent of children, 20 percent of seniors and 10 percent of disabled people across the country depend on SNAP to put food on their tables each month.

Grocery prices have increased around 20 percent since 2020, leaving people who may not have religious affiliations dependent on their neighborhood church pantry.

Some who line up at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Inwood are elderly; many do not attend church services.Credit…Marco Postigo Storel for The New York Times

Alixa Cruz, 70, a retired office worker, walked with a cane from her public housing apartment to the pantry at St. Peter’s Chelsea, an Episcopal church. Ms. Cruz is not a member of St. Peter’s, but comes to find reasonable nutritious foods that would be outside her budget otherwise.

In a year, she went from seeing the funds on her SNAP card drop from $300 to a bit under $190 a month, but said every little bit still counts.

“SNAP helps me because you cannot live in the city,” Ms. Cruz said. “Everything is expensive.”

In the Bronx, Lowell Murray, 48, a former contractor, sat on a black stool he brought from home while waiting for the Throggs Neck Community Alliance’s food giveaway to start at the Church of St. Benedict, a Catholic church on Otis Avenue.

Mr. Murray, who said he was not able to work for health reasons, said his neighborhood pantry was a resource for healthy food that could be “expensive” even with SNAP.

Angela Torres, executive director of the Throggs Neck Community Alliance, said there was already an intense need for food aid in the Bronx, which has the highest percentage of food insecurity among city boroughs.

The pantry serves roughly 450 people weekly, she said, and recipients are on edge. “It already wasn’t enough,” Ms. Torres said. “Without SNAP, they are desperate.”

In Inwood, Ethlyn Colbourne, 81, who is retired and relies on her children, said all she could do was wait to check her SNAP card for funds.

“Maybe they will change their mind or something will happen,” Ms. Colbourne said, pushing her cart slowly. “I’m just waiting.”

Samantha Latson is a Times reporter covering New York City and a member of the 2025-26 Times Fellowship class, a program for journalists early in their careers.

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10 Lessons Men Learn Too Late In Life, According to Marcus Aurelius

Austin Tang — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 13:29:06 +0000

Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor of Rome, wrote his private reflections in Meditations, offering timeless wisdom on living a meaningful life. Despite ruling one of history’s greatest empires, he grappled with anxiety, frustration, and the search for purpose. His insights reveal profound lessons most men understand only after years of struggle.

1. You Control Only Your Thoughts and Actions

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Most men waste years attempting to control circumstances beyond their influence—worrying about others’ opinions, market crashes, or political developments. Marcus understood that your only absolute authority is your own mind. Your response to events, not the events themselves, determines your experience. This distinction between what you can and can’t control is perhaps the most liberating realization a man can have.

2. Your Time is Limited — Stop Living for Tomorrow

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius.

The tragedy isn’t that men die, but that they never truly live. They postpone joy and authentic connection until after the next promotion or retirement. Marcus, who faced death daily, recognized that deferring life is ultimate self-betrayal. Each moment is the only moment you possess. Those who learn this late find themselves surrounded by regrets for experiences never had.

3. Your Perception Creates Your Reality

“If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius.

External events are neutral. A job loss or betrayal becomes painful only through your interpretation. This doesn’t mean denying genuine hardship, but understanding that between stimulus and response lies your power to choose meaning. Two men experience the same setback, yet one finds devastation, while the other discovers opportunity. Most men realize too late that they’ve been torturing themselves with their stories about reality, not reality itself.

4. Character Matters More Than Reputation

“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Men sacrifice integrity daily for others’ approval—taking soul-draining jobs, suppressing authentic beliefs, abandoning values to maintain a favorable image. Character is who you are when no one watches. Reputation is merely what others think they know. One provides genuine self-respect and is within your control. The other is a shadow you’ll never catch.

5. Anger and Resentment Poison Only You

“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” – Marcus Aurelius

Holding anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The damage you inflict through sustained rage far exceeds whatever harm initially provoked you. When you harbor resentment, you grant your offender permanent residence in your mind. Forgiveness isn’t excusing bad behavior; it’s freeing yourself from carrying hatred. This lesson, learned too late, leaves men looking back on years wasted in anger that accomplished nothing.

6. Your Obstacles Are Your Opportunities

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Every obstacle contains seeds of equivalent or greater benefit. The challenge blocking your path forces you to develop new capabilities or discover alternative routes. Marcus understood that obstacles aren’t the interruption to your path; they are the path. Men who grasp this early transform setbacks into stepping stones. Those who learn it late realize they spent years avoiding the very difficulties that could have forged their most significant growth.

7. Simplicity Brings Freedom

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.” – Marcus Aurelius.

The emperor of Rome, surrounded by unimaginable wealth, understood that happiness requires very little. Modern men chase bigger houses, more impressive titles, fuller schedules. They mistake accumulation for achievement and busyness for importance. Marcus recognized that contentment springs from internal alignment, not external acquisition. Simplicity isn’t deprivation; it’s liberation from the tyranny of endless wanting.

8. Everyone is Fighting Their Own Battle

“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly.”

“They are like this because they cannot distinguish good from evil, while I have recognized the nature of both, the good as beautiful and the bad as ugly, and the nature of the wrongdoer himself as akin to my own, not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, possessing a share of the divine.”

“Therefore, I cannot be harmed by any of them, as no one can involve me in what is degrading. Nor can I be angry with my kinsman or hate him. For we were born for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of upper and lower teeth. To work against one another is unnatural. To feel anger at someone or turn one’s back on him—this is to work against him.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Marcus began many days acknowledging that he would encounter difficult people. Rather than being surprised, he prepared with compassion. Every person is fighting battles you know nothing about. This understanding doesn’t excuse poor behavior, but transforms your relationship with it. Judgment becomes curiosity. Frustration becomes empathy. Men who learn this late realize they wasted enormous energy taking things personally that were never about them.

9. Your Thoughts Become Your Life

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” – Marcus Aurelius.

Life quality is determined by habitual thought quality. Marcus practiced rigorous mental discipline, knowing that unchecked thinking patterns create your experienced reality. A man who thinks in terms of scarcity perceives lack everywhere. One who trains their mind toward gratitude discovers abundance in even the simplest moments. Your thoughts are patterns you’ve reinforced through repetition. Most men don’t realize until late that they’ve been their own worst enemy through decades of toxic self-talk.

10. You Must Die to Ego to Truly Live

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius.

The ego builds elaborate defenses, creating a false self that demands validation and fears criticism. Marcus, despite holding absolute power, practiced humility and gratitude. Surrendering your ego isn’t about losing yourself; it’s about finding yourself. When you stop defending your self-image, you become free, actually to live. This is perhaps the hardest lesson and the one most men learn last, if at all.

Conclusion

Marcus Aurelius left us a manual for practical living. His lessons aren’t difficult to understand intellectually, but require humility to accept and discipline to practice daily. These insights can’t be learned from books alone; they must be lived through experience. Yet awareness can save years of unnecessary suffering. The question isn’t whether you’ll encounter these lessons, but whether you’ll recognize them when they appear.

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STRUGGLE: Regaining Control From An Often Misunderstood And Misdiagnosed Skin Condition

Austin Tang — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 20:29:58 +0000

Listen to “STRUGGLE: Regaining Control From An Often Misunderstood And Misdiagnosed Skin Condition” on Spreaker.

STRUGGLE: Regaining Control From An Often Misunderstood And Misdiagnosed Skin Condition

Imagine living with a condition that typically takes an average of 10 years to diagnose, with more than three misdiagnoses along the way.1 This is the reality for many living with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).

HS is a chronic, painful, and potentially debilitating inflammatory skin disease that is characterized by inflamed nodules that resemble boils and abscesses.2-5 These lesions typically appear in areas where the skin rubs together, like the armpits, groin area, and inner thighs.4-5 HS lesions often heal slowly and recur frequently, leading to tunnels under the skin and permanent scarring.4-5

The impact of HS extends beyond physical symptoms.6-7 People living with HS experience stigma that affects their relationships, education, and careers – often preventing them from seeking treatment.6-7

Dr. Angela J. Lamb, a renowned dermatologist specializing in HS, will discuss the symptoms and impact of HS, as well as the various treatment options available. Dr. Lamb will be joined by Imani, a social media influencer and HS patient, who will talk about how individuals living with HS can partner with their dermatologist to begin reclaiming their lives while managing this challenging skin condition.

#MottsWorld

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Thought for the Day…11/27/24

Austin Tang — Wed, 27 Nov 2024 14:00:11 +0000

The post Thought for the Day…11/27/24 appeared first on Good News!.

Thought for the Day…09/06/24

Austin Tang — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:29:40 +0000

Good morning. Have a great day. Stay blessed always.

The post Thought for the Day…09/06/24 appeared first on Good News!.

HAMLET’S MIRROR Reaching Your Performance Potential Onstage and Off By Elma Linz Kanefield, LCSW with Dianne Conjeaud

Austin Tang — Thu, 02 Feb 2023 14:20:45 +0000

Listen to “HAMLET’S MIRROR Reaching Your Performance Potential Onstage and Off By Elma Linz Kanefield, LCSW with Dianne Conjeaud” on Spreaker.

Listen to “What Does Peace Mean to Elma Linz Kanefiald & Dianne Conjeaud?” on Spreaker.

At her audition, a young woman walked on stage and prepared herself to sing, but when she opened her mouth there was no sound.

This story sounds like a nightmare, but for Elma Linz Kanefield it was very real and life changing. She wanted to understand how and why this “stage fright” happens and what makes some performers succeed while others struggle.

Elma’s trauma inspired her to become one of the world’s only specialists in the psychology of the performing artist. She has shared how she empowers performers and restores their mental health in her new book Hamlet’s Mirror: Reaching Your Performance Potential Onstage and Off (September 2022, Original Trade Paperback, $15.99).

Elma defines Performance Potential as “being the best you can be and doing the best you can do based on what you know in the moment of performance.” This is an internal state when you are emotionally and mentally able to balance the challenges, fears, and insecurities that can come with entertaining others.

In Hamlet’s Mirror, Elma explores the performer’s culture: its challenges, the highs and the lows. Then she delves into the four performing personality profiles she identified in her work:

1. Problem-Ridden Performer
2. Pugnacious Performer
3. Promising Performer
4. Potential-Realized Performer

Each section of the book is accompanied by fictionalized anecdotes of real performers who worked with Elma throughout four decades of having a New York City psychotherapy practice exclusive to performing artists. Also included are questions and reflections for readers who will have an opportunity to identify what kind of performer they are. Finally, Elma reveals how to reach your performance potential and adds examples to support her points.

Hamlet’s Mirror is for anyone considering a life in the performing arts from young people preparing to enter the “real world” of professional artists to seasoned performers who feel they are not realizing their performance potential.

Hamlet’s Mirror
by Elma Linz Kanefield, LCSW with Dianne Conjeaud

#hamletsmirror #hamletmirror #hamlet’smirror #elmalinzkanefield #dianneconjeaud #lifechanging #problemridden #pugnacious #promising #potential #struggle #emotion #fear #insecurities

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HUMAN RIGHTS GLOBAL BROADCAST

Austin Tang — Thu, 09 Dec 2021 14:36:38 +0000

DECEMBER 10, 2021 ON PEACECHANNEL.COM

On December 10th, people will celebrate HUMAN RIGHTS DAY around the globe. Join
us on PeaceChannel.com , as we salute the 73rd Anniversary of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights, the most translated document in the world, available in more than 500
languages. This document, written after World War II, proclaims 30 inalienable rights that
apply to every one of the SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE living on this planet. All day on
Human Rights Day, PeaceChannel.com will stream music, views and news about the
universal struggle for human rights.

The post HUMAN RIGHTS GLOBAL BROADCAST appeared first on Good News!.

Leviathan Lab Presents: A Reading Series Celebrating Filipino American History Month

Austin Tang — Sun, 24 Oct 2021 22:00:31 +0000

Listen to “Leviathan Lab Presents: A Reading Series Celebrating Filipino American History Month” on Spreaker.

Leviathan Lab Presents
A Reading Series Celebrating Filipino American History Month
LOLA LUNING’S FIRST STEPS
By Kristine M. Reyes
Directed by Andrea Andresakis
Stage Management by Mars Neri
Three generations of Filipina women – Lola Luning, her daughter Virgie and her granddaughter Gabriela – grapple with the aftermath of both sexual and domestic violence as they struggle to come to terms with their abusive pasts.
Content warning for sexual violence, domestic abuse, and sexual slavery.
FEATURING
Lola – Ching Valdes Aran
Virgie – Lydia Gaston
Gabriela – Precious Sipin
Narrator – Kristi Donna Ng
RSVP: https://bit.ly/lola-luning-reading
FREE with suggested donation of $15.
DONATE HERE: https://leviathanlab.org/supportleviathanlab
A portion of the proceeds will benefit The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum
https://www.napawf.org/
—
SUPER LONG EXTENDED BIO
https://www.arielestrada.com/about
SHORT BIO
Ariel Estrada is an actor, producer, writer, and advocate in support of Asian American equity in the performing arts. As an actor, he has performed on television, film, commercials, digital media, and Off-, and Off-Off-Broadway. As a producer, Ariel is the Founder and Producing Artistic Director for Leviathan Lab, a nonprofit creative studio for Asian American performing artists. As an arts advocate, he is the Marketing & Membership Director for the Consortium of Asian American Theatres and Artists and the Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator for Actors’ Equity. He was designated an Emerging Arts Leader by New York Foundation for the Arts, a Rising Leader of Color by Theatre Communications Group, and a member of ArtEquity’s 2021-22 BIPOC Leadership Circle. As a grant writing consultant and has won over $190K in grant funding for small NYC nonprofits of color. He is also a Fortune 500-level graphic designer. arielestrada.com | leviathanlab.com | FB: /ariel.estrada1 | TW: @arielestrada | IG: @arielestrada1 | LI: /arielestrada
—
ABOUT LEVIATHAN LAB
https://leviathanlab.org/mission

The post Leviathan Lab Presents: A Reading Series Celebrating Filipino American History Month appeared first on Good News!.

Chinese Bamboo Tree Motivational Story

Austin Tang — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 14:05:06 +0000

Brought to you by Sense of Wonder
Chinese Bamboo Tree Motivational Story:

In our life we go through full of ups and downs: risk-taking, decisions, stress, overwork and much more… All these factors can sometimes put your spirit down! Every individual plan a perfect future but every time plans do not work as per our thinking and most of the time we have to manage with less.

When you are working hard and struggling for success, there is one thing that can help you to achieve your goals and get positive energy as well, that is Motivational Success videos because most of the time your daily motivation depends on your thinking.

The motivational videos on success are those little reminders that we all need from time to time which is powerful enough to boost our ambition and inspire us for the whole week, month, a year or a lifetime.

The Story of The Chinese Bamboo Tree:
I don’t know if you’ve heard this story about the Chinese Bamboo Tree before now but this is one of those lessons that really stick with you.

Like any plant, a growth of the Chinese Bamboo Tree requires nurturing – water, fertile soil, sunshine. In its first year, we see no visible signs of activity. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. Our patience is tested and we begin to wonder if our efforts (caring, water, etc.) will ever be rewarded.

And finally in the fifth year – behold, a miracle! We experience growth. And what growth it is! The Chinese Bamboo Tree grows 90 feet in just six weeks!

But let’s be serious, does the Chinese Bamboo Tree really grow 90 feet in six weeks? Did the Chinese Bamboo Tree lie dormant for four years only to grow exponentially in the fifth? Or, was the little tree growing underground, developing a root system strong enough to support its potential for outward growth in the fifth year and beyond? The answer is, of course, obvious. Had the tree not developed a strong unseen foundation it could not have sustained its life as it grew. The same principle is true for people. People, who patiently toil towards worthwhile dreams and goals, building strong character while overcoming adversity and challenge, grow the strong internal foundation to handle success, while get-rich- quicker and lottery winners usually are unable to sustain unearned sudden wealth.

Had the Chinese Bamboo Tree farmer dug up his little seed every year to see if it was growing, he would have stunted the Chinese Bamboo tree’s growth as surely as a caterpillar is doomed to a life on the ground if it is freed from its struggle inside a cocoon prematurely. The struggle in the cocoon is what gives the future butterfly the wing power to fly, just as tension against muscles as we exercise strengthen our muscles, while muscles left alone will soon atrophy.

The Story of The Human Potential Tree: That’s you
The Chinese Bamboo Tree is a perfect parable to our own experience with personal growth and change (whether we are working on ourselves or coaching others). It is never easy. It’s slow to show any progress. It’s frustrating and unrewarding at times. But it is so worth it….especially if we can be patient and persistent.

The Chinese Bamboo Tree teaches us success lessons on patience, faith, perseverance, growth & development and most surprising of all… human potential!

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You may like to see a similar video:
20 Motivational Quotes that will keep you going and inspire you to be successful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x711BuC2y8&t=34s

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