KUCI: Get the Funk Out Janeane Bernstein

The Film Seeks To Highlight The Pervasive Nature Of Gaslighting In Relationships And Society View in browser

Your Reality, a short film written and starring Tatjana Anders and directed by Top Tarasin, which seeks to highlight the impact of gaslighting, has recently surpassed over six million views on YouTube. The film, which has received 17,000 comments from people sharing their own experiences with gaslighting, follows a successful PR manager who slowly loses her grip on reality after falling in love with a charming yet manipulative photographer.

Gaslighting is the action of repetitively (and often brazenly) lying to someone to manipulate, and ultimately control them and the relationship. It could be divided into four different types: outright lying, manipulation of reality, scapegoating and coercion.

According to the Office of National Statistic, the Crime Survey for England & Wales estimated that 2.1 million people aged 16 or older (1.4 million women and 751,000 men) experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023. Over 889,000 incidents (excluding Devon & Cornwall) of domestic abuse were recorded by the police in England and Wales, but just over 39,000 were convicted. The National Domestic Violence Hotline found that 95% of contacts made in 2020 stated they were experiencing emotional abuse.

It can also be seen in the workplace, with a 2019 study conducted by MRH Global finding that over 54% of respondents, from a pool of over 3000 people, say they had experienced gaslighting at work.

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Today’s show is a little different. If you think you hear strange noises during the show, well they are not actually strange at all. They are seals and sea lions and mostly very young ones. For this week's show, I recorded a remote segment so I could share an authentic experience during my visit to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach. Some of you might remember when it was called Friends of the Sea Lions. I had not been there in years and decided to learn more about their history, mission, and current renovations transforming this purpose-driven rehabilitation center for marine mammals.

There is no better way to get out of a funk than to put yourself in a situation where you are helping others, and in this case, helping the environment, too. Getting involved with purpose-driven initiatives can be a game changer in your life and the lives of others. When you shift your perspective on how you can make a difference in this world, you not only lift yourself up by using your time and energy for good, but you help others and, in this case, you are addressing an environmental issue. If what you learn today sparks your interest, check out how you can get trained in becoming a volunteer at the Pacific Marine Mammal center. You will be glad you did.

During my visit to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center i learned how the staff rescue, rehabilitate, and release marine mammals; this also inspires ocean stewardship through research, education, and collaboration. This is the only center in Orange County, California, licensed to rescue, rehabilitate, and release marine mammals that strand on local beaches. PMMC is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization.

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Drawing on his work as a renowned psychologist and expert in cognitive-behavioral therapy, Chasson reveals that perfectionism is not the asset many employers think it is. Although managers might seek out perfectionists for their work ethic and attention to detail, their high standards can also result in inefficiency, toxic work environments, and dysfunctional relationships.

Offering practical strategies grounded in psychological theory and evidence, FLAWED is an invaluable guide for employees and managers who want to create more successful teams, become more effective leaders, or improve their own performance at both work and home.

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THE WEIGHT OF NATURE is a deeply reported, eye-opening book about climate change, our brains, and the weight of nature on us all. Aldern can discuss:

· The Unseen Impact of Climate on the Brain: Climate change’s invisible stressors, like heat and atmospheric carbon dioxide, are silently exacerbating neurological diseases, including cognitive impairments and neurodegenerative conditions, amidst a worrying lack of public awareness.

· Immediate Stories: The time to address climate change is now. Its effects are already inside us, altering our physical and mental landscapes in profound manners. Students lose points on tests on hotter days and at higher atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide; higher temperatures are associated with higher incidence of domestic abuse, riots, and online hate speech.

· From Global Crisis to Personal Struggle: Aldern can highlight concrete examples such as the link between extreme weather and increased risks of developmental disorders in children, and how climate-strengthened phenomena like harmful algal blooms are posing direct threats to brain health.

· Generational Ripple Effects: Post-traumatic stress from extreme weather events can impact not only the mental (and physical) health of those living through the events—but via epigenetic routes, also the generations that follow.

· Policy and Innovation for Brain Health: We must consider neuroprotective technologies and the importance of integrating environmental health considerations into urban planning.

· Community-Led Adaptation and Education: We have to think about solution strategies beyond the realm of climate anxiety as we navigate the new normal. Community initiatives (from green space development to those that reduce neurotoxin exposure) and educational programs can enhance brain health resilience against climate change.


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From Jennifer Rosner, National Jewish Book Award Finalist and author of The Yellow Bird Sings, comes a riveting book based on the true stories of children stolen in the wake of World War II.

Once We Were Home

“Rosner’s novel reflects personal interviews and in-depth research...She illuminates the complex and opposing political and religious viewpoints...Rosner’s heart-wrenching revelations in Once We Were Home will persist in readers’ minds for seasons to come.”
–Historical Novel Society

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Rosner is the author of the novels ONCE WE WERE HOME and THE YELLOW BIRD SINGS, both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award. She is also author of the memoir IF A TREE FALLS: A FAMILY'S QUEST TO HEAR AND BE HEARD, and the children's book, THE MITTEN STRING, a Sydney Taylor Book Award Notable. Jennifer's books have been translated into a dozen languages. Her short writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Times of Israel, The Massachusetts Review, The Forward, and elsewhere. In addition to writing, Jennifer has taught philosophy. She earned her B.A. from Columbia University and her Ph.D. from Stanford University. She lives in Western Massachusetts with her family.

Ana will never forget her mother’s face when she and her baby brother, Oskar, were sent out of their Polish ghetto and into the arms of a Christian friend. For Oskar, though, their new family is the only one he remembers. When a woman from a Jewish reclamation organization seizes them, believing she has their best interest at heart, Ana sees an opportunity to reconnect with her roots, while Oskar sees only the loss of the home he loves.


Roger grows up in a monastery in France, inventing stories and trading riddles with his best friend in a life of quiet concealment. When a relative seeks to retrieve him, the Church steals him across the Pyrenees before relinquishing him to family in Jerusalem.

Renata, a post-graduate student in archaeology, has spent her life unearthing secrets from the past--except for her own. After her mother’s death, Renata’s grief is entwined with all the questions her mother left unanswered, including why they fled Germany so quickly when Renata was a little girl.


Two decades later, they are each building lives for themselves, trying to move on from the trauma and loss that haunts them. But as their stories converge in Israel, in unexpected ways, they must each ask where and to whom they truly belong.

Beautifully evocative and tender, filled with both luminosity and anguish, Once We Were Home reveals a little-known history. Based on the true stories of children stolen during wartime, this heart-wrenching novel raises questions of complicity and responsibility, belonging and identity, good intentions and unforeseen consequences, as it confronts what it really means to find home.

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Stephanie Reich, UCI professor of education and expert on youth and social media who served on the committee that produced “Assessment of the Impact of Social Media on the Health and Wellbeing of Adolescents and Children” for the National Academies joins host Janeane Bernstein on KUCI 88.9fm.

Over the past 15 years, mental health among youth has seen a decline, one that coincides with the rise of smartphone technology that has changed the relationship between teens and the internet.

According to “Assessment of the Impact of Social Media on the Health and Wellbeing of Adolescents and Children” from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Released last month, the report urges industry-wide standards for social media to minimize harm and maximize benefit to adolescent health.

“Currently, there is limited legislation and industry standards focused on protecting kids online, especially those 13 years and older. There is a need for more transparency, data sharing and accountability,” says Stephanie Reich, a UC Irvine professor of education who served on the committee that wrote the report.

Reich, whose research focuses on understanding and improving the social context of children’s lives, is enthused to engage in conversations about what is currently known and what can be done in the future to learn more about how to better support youth in a socially and digitally connected world. Though the report focused on adolescents, Reich’s work spans diapers to college and considers school and family contributors to children’s and teens’ media use.

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