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Dr. Robin Goodman recommends to help kids feel good on the inside for a positive self image.

Stay connected with your kids. Let them know they are important to you.  Give them ideas on how to feel good about themselves. Sit down with them to make a list about all the things that makes kids unique. Help them become self-aware of their wonderful qualities. This will help their self-esteem.

Remind them of their own unique qualities when they have a hard time with other skills.  Model non-competitive behaviors with other.  If they see the parent compete with the neighbors, it will make them think they have to become competitive whether they wish to or not.   Instead point out that everyone has different qualities and that is ok. Finding the good in oneself and in others is a great practice and can become a fun game.

This will help the child become more resilient. If they have a hard time with one thing, they and you can remind them about something that they are naturally talented in. Remind them of a skill they acquired through practice.

Share with them if there is something is hard for you, so they know that it is normal that we have good days or bad days.  This will help them cope when thing are difficult. Self-esteem is closely related with a realistic self-image.

Also listen to them and pay attention to them.  If you are separated from your kids all day because of school and your work, you can connect with them through their Hawkeye Smartwatches and your Vigilint Family Assistant app.

Hawkeye Watches by Vigilint Biosensors keep parents connected to kids.

Guns, guns, guns – Americans love guns, despite the many mass murders

The Hunters Little House on the Prairie
The Hunters Little House on the Prairie

In America, we grow up with a romantic vision of being explorers who conquer the wilds and create new homes and lives in the wilderness.  During the frontier days Americans hunted for food.  They sustained themselves and lived off the land.  Beautiful vistas, wide open grasslands, forests, and log cabins by the lake were a fact of life, not such a very long time ago.

Shooting dear, rabbits, or even wild boars, geese and ducks was a way of life.  Hunting was a necessary part of sustaining the family in a land that had few stores.   It was romanticized in literature, in TV Shows and the movies.

Fast Forward to Parkland, FL and Santa Fé, TX in 2018

“I’d be comfortable with our teachers having guns,” said Tessa Ybarra, 15, a sophomore at Santa Fe High School. “If Ms. T and Ms. Perkins had guns, maybe they could have protected themselves,” she said, referring to Cynthia Tisdale and Glenda Ann Perkins, the two teachers killed on Friday.  NYT

Do you agree with Tessa Ybarra?  The gun lobby agrees with her.

The NRA, a 501 (c) (3) tax-exempt organization, claimed that they provided a means to raise millions of dollars to fund gun safety and educational projects of benefit to the general public.   While they certainly succeed in influencing Congress and have over 5 Million members, and a supportive group of wealthy individuals who support assault rifle sales to 18 year olds, the gun safety part of their proclaimed mission is failing miserably. Now they practically promote gun violence.

“I don’t understand why I could still go in a store and buy a weapon of war,” said Sam Zeif, 18, sobbing after he described texting his family members during the attack. “Let’s never let this happen again, please, please.” Reuters

Why is it that Americans as a whole, can’t understand that guns are used to kill innocent children and adults?  

With school shooting on the rise it actually is not romantic any longer. Good Housekeeping reported that  since the beginning of 2018, 20 people were killed at school to do gun violence.

Recie Tisdale, son of Cynthia Tisdale, who was a substitute teacher at Santa Fe High School. told the Washington Post, “She started substitute teaching because she loved to help children. She didn’t have to do it. She did it because she loved it.”

Gun violence is not romantic.  Letting go of the Frontiers’ men fantasy will take a long time.  It is so compelling.  Meanwhile stay in touch with your kids and parents.  Talk to them, stay aware of what they are going through.   The Vigilint Parental Assistant App is designed to allow parents to communicate via  Hawkeye Smartwatches with their elementary school children. Harvard research shows that stress affects brain development. The damage caused to the next generation goes way beyond the gun violence.

Protect, Encourage and Communicate with Your Children Always

Photo by https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/gun-deaths-wars/

How to help kids fit in while teaching the positive aspects of our heritage.

Photo by: Allef Vinicius via Unsplash
Photo by: Allef Vinicius via Unsplash

We fall in love, get engaged and get married.  When we have kids we start to genuinely reflect about our own heritage and value system.

Immigrants experience culture shock when value systems clash with those of others.

When our kids arrive we naturally remember our own childhoods.  We want our kids to enjoy their childhood and grow up to have a wonderful life.  As parents with  want to prepare them in the best possible way.   When kids go to  school they experience new attitudes by their teachers and especially by their peers.  Often, these attitudes might raise issues that we never really consciously contemplated.

To keep them our kids emotionally safe, we want the ability to communicate with them. We need to  allow them to ask questions, as they arise.  We do well to genuinely try to answer as many questions our children ask, as possible.  We want to admit that we may not have the answer ourselves. We also need to acknowledge that there are differences between the way we live at home and the way society shapes our attitudes and value systems.

Other parents may have raised their kids with entirely different value systems. They may think it is adorable when a child doesn’t worry about soiling their clothes, touching doorways with muddy or sticky hands,  rough-houses, or throws rocks.   “Kids will be kids.”  is often the prevailing attitude. In other cultures the prevailing attitude maybe:   “Kids are seen not heard.”   Straddling the differences is a challenge for all families who wish to raise kids who develop situational awareness.

I believe that being polite, considerate, and honest helps to foster self-respect.  These are traits that help us to get along with others and ourselves. Regardless of the setting, it fosters friendships and good will.  Most people greatly enjoy being treated in a considerate way;  being heard and listened to politely;  being able to rely that they are not lied to or deceived; that they are not being taken for granted.

Most people regardless of their background love being treated with respect.

Parents often struggle to find a healthy balance between the ways they wish to pass down to their children, and the need to allow kids to adapt to their surroundings.  Children need to get along with others, even with kids who encouraged to be tough and and mean.

Communicate with your child, and perhaps even listen in with the  Vigilint Family Assistance app.   By empowering the child to share with you in real-time, what they are dealing with, as it happens, helps parents to better guide them in  practical ways.

Your real-time advice helps your children feel safe and cared about.  At the very least kids will know, their parents care about them deeply.  This fosters self-esteem and helps children to develop a solution-oriented attitude and to seek advice when needed. They will not feel alone.  They feel supported by their families.

Check in with your friends and family. Make sure they feel loved.

Photo of Older Lady by Aris Sfakianakis
Photo of Older Lady by Aris Sfakianakis

We are apparently living in a loneliness epidemic.  Over the past 80 years our culture has changed a lot and over the past 30 years industrialized nations  may have lost our cultural bearing.

I learn recently of a lady in Japan who died and only after her corps smelled terrible did the neighbors realize that she had passed.  In Japan they have a word for “dying alone,” they call it  Kodokushi.  Several hundred thousand people pass away, without a relative or friend who cares about them.  I thought it was terrible and I was shocked that a nation of over 100 Million people would not care for their families or neighbors.   Then I found out that over 45 Million people in quasi “First World Nations”  are lonely.  That doesn’t sound very  “first world.”  It is embarrassing and a sign we need to rethink our lives.

Recently I joined the marketing effort of Vigilint Biosensors, a company that has designed affordable smart watches that allow parents to check in on and communicate with their children and loved ones.  The Vigilint Family Assistant is an app that you can download that links to the kids or elderly parents Vigilint Smartwatches.  When I started reading up on the topic I couldn’t believe it.  OMG.  It is a world wide epidemic.  Apparently over 40% of people in the US report that they are feeling lonely.  And experts think that the actual number is higher.  How can that be?

Loneliness is deadly.  Literally.  First of all it doesn’t feel very nice.  Remember how you felt when your first girl friend or boy friend didn’t call you back for several hours, when you first started dating and you were not sure whether they really loved you yet?   That feeling.  It feels like that.  Most unhealthy.

Apparently it is genuinely unhealthy to feel lonely.  Vivek Murty, who served as the 19th Surgeon General in the US, shared that one of his more shocking experiences as SG was loneliness:  “I met middle and high school students in urban and rural areas who turned to violence, drugs, and gangs to ease the pain of their loneliness. I sat with mothers and fathers who had lost sons and daughters to drug overdoses and were struggling to cope alone because of the unfortunate stigma surrounding addiction.”  He went on to say: “During my years caring for patients, the most common pathology I saw was not heart disease or diabetes; it was loneliness. The elderly man who came to our hospital every few weeks seeking relief from chronic pain was also looking for human connection: He was lonely. The middle-aged woman battling advanced HIV who had no one to call to inform that she was sick: She was lonely too. I found that loneliness was often in the background of clinical illness, contributing to disease and making it harder for patients to cope and heal. ” (1)

Vigilint Biosensors has been created by a bunch of highly successful Silicon Valley Semiconductor engineers, who created microchips for mobile phones that measure vital signs. Is the person moving, is the person where they are supposed to be? It also allows you to talk to them through their affordable VB wrist watch. They will not lose their phone, since it is tied around their wrist.  Brilliant I say!

And apparently it not only reduces the stress of the parent, it also reduces the stress in the kids and the elderlies.  Social connections are so vital to our health. Apparently stress increases the cortisol level which is some kind of hormone in our bodies.  Loneliness increases the stress hormone called cortisol very much.  This causes inflammation which according to Time Magazine is responsible for stress-related difficulties including obesity, diabetes, metabolic disorders, heart diseases and other disorders. (2)

So this weekend, hug your mom, your grandmother, your dad and your kids, and make sure you check in with your neighbors.  Apparently for young and old  loneliness is an epidemic and nearly every second person feels lonely.  Smile, say hello and ask:  “How do you do.”  And mean it.  Increasing your social circle may be the best medicine against:  “Kodokushi.”   And I am sure you agree, none of us want to have that.

Instead talk with your family regularly.  Even if they are all grown, talk at least once a week, but more often if possible that is the only way you have enough time for a genuine relationship. Only regular contact let’s you know what is going on in their lives and for them to know what is going on in yours.  Bob Black once wrote a great tagline:  “Reach out and touch someone.”  If you can’t do it physically, do with via a text and even better a conversation.

There are plenty of people to call.  The New York times claimed that about one-third of Americans older than 65 now live alone, and half of those over 85 do.  Loneliness can be fixed.  We need to reintroduce the concept of TLC and talk to each other.   I love the quote that Vigilint Biosensors execs use:

Vigilint Biosensors is about moving people from the Internet of Things to the Internet of Caring. 

Love that!  Happy trails and if you feel lonely reach out.  Call someone you haven’t talk with in a while. Remind them of the good times you had.  You will be surprised how happy it will make them to get your call after all these years.  Tell them you remember them and you feel good about your memories.  It works. 

Rolando Morales May 2018 Performance Calendar

To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.

 ~ Beethoven

¡Hola, Mi Gente!

Passion is definitely something I bring to every performance.  I can’t help it.  It’s like breathing for me.  The music requires it.

I’ll be bringing that passion all over the Bay this month, and especially this weekend.  Cinco de Mayo happens this Saturday, the day Mexico commemorates their victory over the much larger, better equipped French army at the Battle of Puebla.

And I’ll be commemorating it TWICE on May 5 at TWO separate events.  The first happens at Maria, Maria in Danville this Saturday May 5 from 1-5pm, out on their patio.  I’ll be playing for 4 hours out there, providing a huge sound track for you celebrants.  I might be joined by talented friends at different parts of the day.  We’ll see how it goes.  They’ll also have a 6-piece band for the evening until midnight.  Yeah, it’s a big deal.  Details below.

After that, I shoot over to the North Bay to make my debut at The Tavern on Fourth in San Rafael from 9:30-Midnight to continue the Cinco de Mayo celebration.  They convinced me to swing by and bring the Latin side of my repertoire to their newly renovated bar.  If you’re in the North Bay, join me so we can make this a semi-regular venue.  Details below.

More highlights of the month include my return to The Vine in Danville on Saturday May 12where I’ll feature the great rock guitarist who played with Carlos Santana.  We haven’t done this in a couple years, so don’t miss it.  It’s a lot of fun!  Details below.

And make your reservations for our big Saturday May 19 show at the Sausalito Seahorse with another great lineup featuring Carlos Reyes, Estaire Godinez, Celso Alberti, David Belove and Yours Truly.  Details below.

And there’s much more in your new May Calendar.  See you at the show!

Ciao,

Rolando

May 2018 Calendar

Friday May 4Maria, Maria Cantina, 1470 North Broadway, Walnut Creek, approx 6-9pm. Rolando returns to Santana’s Walnut Creek tavern to perform on solo guitar and voice out on the front patio.  Flautist Bob Harrison may sit in.  Swing by and enjoy the energy.
(925) 820-2366,  www.mariamariarestaurants.com.

Saturday May 5, Maria, Maria Cantina Cinco de Mayo Event, 710 Camino Ramon Road, Danville CA1-5pm.  Santana’s Danville restaurant breaks out all the stops for this big Cinco de Mayo party featuring live music all day and night long.  Rolando kicks it off on the Patio on solo guitar and voice from 1-5pm, doing a huge bunch of tunes, probably with a few special guests taking turns sitting in.  Then from 6-Midnight, dance to the fun party band “Power Play” indoors while the food and libations flow.    (925) 820-2366,  www.mariamariarestaurants.com.

AND:

Saturday May 5The Tavern on Fourth, 711 4th Street, San Rafael9:30-Midnight.  Rolando makes his debut at this newly renovated North Bay bar, just in time to bring his Latin flavor to this Cinco de Mayo party.  Craft and classic cocktails, 18 Nor Cal draught beers and more.  This is a special invite to you North Bay friends: Let’s pack the place and make this a semi-regular appearance!  (415) 454-4044,  www.thetavernonfourth.com.


Rolando’s at Maria, Maria on Cinco de Mayo 

The next weekend offers many opportunities as well:

Friday May 11Havana Cuban Cuisine, 1516 Bonanza St., Walnut Creek, approx 8:30-11pm. Rolando returns for his only appearance of the month at this fine Cuban restaurant and live music venue.  Great Cuban cuisine, ceiling fans swirling lazily and Rolando’s vast Latin repertoire and beyond on solo guitar and voice.  Great hang!  www.havanarestaurant.net,   (925) 939-4555.

Saturday May 12, Vine at Bridges, 480 Hartz Avenue, Danville8-11pm.  The Rolando Morales Duet returns to this cool winery and nightspot.  Enjoy a wonderful selection of wines, superb dinners and tapas while grooving to this powerful duet.  This time Rolando welcomes the fiery Latin-Rock guitarist who played with Santana and local band favorite Ruckatán, Carlos Hernandez.  And on guitar, voice and his pedal board of magic, the passionate Rolando Morales.  They’ll blend exciting creations on the fly.  It’s been a few years since they’ve done this, so don’t miss it!  www.thevineatbridges.com, (925) 820-7210.

Sunday May 13Maria, Maria Cantina, 1470 North Broadway, Walnut Creek, approx 12-3pm. Rolando returns to Santana’s Walnut Creek tavern for a special Mother’s Day performance on solo guitar and voice out on the front patio.  This may be the only Sunday appearance he does at this venue.  Treat your mom to a special day.  (925) 820-2366, www.mariamariarestaurants.com

Friday May 18Barone’s Restaurant, 475 St. John St., Pleasanton CA, approx 7:30-10:30pm.  Rolando returns to one of Pleasanton’s premiere dining establishments.  Enjoy exquisite meals and service, libations and Rolando’s vast repertoire in the Cocktail Lounge for a great night out.   See www.baronespleasanton.com, (925) 426-0987.

Saturday May 19“An Evening with Rolando Morales and Carlos Reyes,” Sausalito Seahorse, 305 Harbor Drive, Sausalito, approx 8:30-11:30pm.  After a couple months away, these two passionate musicians return to The Seahorse to put on their unique show at this fun waterfront restaurant and club.  The amazing Paraguayan violinist/harpist Carlos Reyes and passionate guitarist/vocalist Rolando Morales will play a short set in duet to close out the dinner hour, followed by a concert and dancing to the World Class Rolando Morales Group featuring  the rock-solid bassist to Pete Escovedo, David Belove; from Airto and Steve Winwood, the amazing Brazilian drummer Celso Alberti; from George Benson, the charismatic Latin percussionist-vocalist Estaire Godinez; from Paraguay, the thrilling violinist and harpist from Arturo Sandoval and Steve Miller, Carlos Reyes; and the powerful Rolando Morales leading the journey on guitar, guitar synthesizer and vocals.   Don’t miss it!   $15.  Make your  reservations at (415) 331-2899. www.sausalitoseahorse.com.

Friday May 25Maria, Maria Cantina, 710 Camino Ramon Road, Danville CA, approx 6-9pm.  Rolando returns to Carlos Santana’s Danville restaurant.  Enjoy Rolando on solo guitar and voice with his diverse repertoire performing on the patio by the fire pits.  See if he has any special guests sitting in…  (925) 820-2366,  www.mariamariarestaurants.com.

Saturday May 26Barone’s Restaurant, 475 St. John St., Pleasanton CA, approx 7:30-10:30pm.  Rolando returns to one of Pleasanton’s premier dining establishments.  Enjoy exquisite meals and service, libations and Rolando’s vast repertoire in the Cocktail Lounge for a great night out.   See www.baronespleasanton.com, (925) 426-0987.

Wednesday May 30Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 15th Annual “Mujer Latina” Luncheon, Embassy Suites Hotel, 101 McInnis Parkway, San Rafael CA11:30am-1:30pm.  Celebrate Latina/women-owned business leaders in Marin!  Rolando Morales will perform starting at 11:30 for the VIP Reception with wine and appetizers.  The Keynote Speaker will be Dalia Ceja, Director of Sales and Marketing at Ceja Vineyards.  $50 Chamber Members/$65 Non-Members.  $450 Tables of 8 available.  Includes pre-lunch Host Wine Reception, complimentary wine with lunch.  Register at www.tinyurl.com/MujerLatina2018, (415) 492-4420. www.hccmarin.com.

CD SALES

If you would like to order a CD, read on.  If you’d like to order our CD “Rolando Y Qué?!”, you can pick it up at my website, the gigs or by mail.  They’re $15.00 at the gigs, or $17.00 by mail to cover postage and handling. TO ORDER THE NEWEST CD “ROLANDO, Y QUÉ?!” by mail: Send a check or money order payable to Rolando Morales for $17.00 for the CD and postage to Rolando Morales, 9028 Burr Street, Oakland, CA 94605. and I’ll send it to you.  Let me know if you’d like .it signed.

TO ORDER THE ORIGINAL “PASSPORT: 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION” CD by mail, send $17.00 to the same address as above. Be sure to include your return address.

BOTH CDs ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT WWW.ROLANDOMORALES.COM

All other shows are private. Why not hire Rolando for your own private event? He’s available for corporate shows, weddings, parties, concerts and festivals. The Rolando Morales group is available as sextet, quintet, quartet, trio and duo depending on your entertainment needs and budget.

This email was sent to you for Rolando Morales: RMG, 9028 Burr Street, Oakland, CA 94605

Vigilint Biosensors and School Districts in California work together to increase school safety.

San Jose, California –  May 1, 2018 – Vigilint Biosensors, leading supplier of Family Assistant Parental Services through smartwatches, is extending its Educational Support Programs which increases school safety, helps child learning and raises money for Educational Foundations, Schools, PTAs, and Booster ClubsAfter successful pilot programs in San Ramon and Sacramento California school districts, Viglint Biosensors is offering the program to qualified organizations in all fifty states.

“Vigilint Family Assistant Services provide parents with life-altering insights collected from the kid’s smart watch that can inform parents of a child’s location and allows them to speak when needed,” said Kris Narayan, Chairman of Vigilint™ Biosensors. Mr. Narayan continued, “I am grateful Vigilint Biosensors can get our smart watches to the children, parents and schools that want the help kids with deal with stress and adversity to improve our children’s emotional resilience.”

Vigilint Biosensors Education Programs allow school districts to raise money while they provide kids smart watch phones and software to parents and their children which increase school safety. Modern tools like Vigilint Family Assistant help working parents stay in touch with their kids via calls, chat and the ability to guide the kids 24/7.  Kids have access to parents each time they need their parents’ input and feedback.  Hawkeye kid’s smart watches and the Vigilint Family Assistant app allow parents to create custom SafeZones™. School safety is increased when at the moment the child moves out of the SafeZone™, parents are alerted.

Knowing exactly where and how our children are is a major comfort for parents and kids.  Each kids smart watch holds up to 20 parent-selected numbers that children can call. Kids are able to speak to their siblings and close friends through a direct kid-to-kid “walkie-talkie” connection. The more parents and kids communicate the less stress they have due to wondering and worrying. Relaxed parents enjoy happier and more confident kids that have a better, healthier and smarter life thanks to increase emotional resilience as recent studies by the Harvard Child Development show. For more information regarding kids smart watches and child learning, please click here.

Tonja Jarrell, Principal of Paso Verde School, in California’s capital city: “Partnering with Vigilint Biosensors provides a valuable resource to our school community. We work with families and the community to offer solutions that increase school safety, allows our staff and scholars to focus on teaching and make our students feel safe enough to learn thereby increasing their outcomes.”

Th improved communications via kids smart watches help teachers deal with children’s and faculties’ anxieties about the fears regarding school safety related to the recent increase of shootings at schools:  “My experiences in the educational community, have shown that these tragedies affect all of us, not just the families involved,” said Nancy Phelps, President Coyote Creek Learning Fund. “Vigilint Biosensors software and smartwatches help protect our kids while providing parents peace of mind.”

Every school, school program, non-profit or educational program manager is invited to join the Vigilint Biosensors Education Program, thereby increasing funding for vital programs, raising awareness of how to help children learn better and increase school safety.

About Vigilint Biosensors

Hawkeye kids smart watches from Vigilint Biosensors provide fun and safe solutions to families and younger children: communications and learning for children and peace of mind for parents. The combination of the best location technologies (GPS, GNSS, A-GPS and sensors) will easily locate your child, anytime and anywhere. Visit http://www.vigilint.store/ for complete product details.

Vigilint Biosensors is dedicated to improving the quality of care that parents and senior caregivers provide through a complete 360o intelligent family care assistant, that connects family members together via wearable devices like Hawkeye. Vigilint Biosensors provides the family/caregivers with a cloud infrastructure of devices and software services, which strives to improve time management and reduce stress by improved non-intrusive care for kids, seniors, and other loved ones in need. This is achieved through the most modern application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies to life data that provide alerts, if and when needed.  “When those we care about are well, we can relax and focus on our day.” www.vigilintbiosensors.com

Learn more about our dedicated team:  Vigilint Biosensors 

Learn more about our products and services:  Vigilint Store

Vigilint Biosensors
20315 McKean Rd
San Jose, CA 95120

bizdev@vigilintbio.com