I’m aware that many tell me to share my emotions and open up. However, it’s not as easy. Opening up also means sharing and telling it how it is.The problem with my method, in keeping things silent and not speaking about it, makes things messy for me. Feelings matter… unfortunately, that’s something even I am working on to be better at it.
Positive content is something I always try to produce when I can. Maybe it’s my feelings coming into play here… but.. if anyone is viewing this… Whether it’s my colleagues.. boss.. or… anything. I…. feel ashamed for sharing how I’m feeling. I know being happy is what we are about, but… it’s difficult.
My blogs are, of course, almost finished, at least the ones that are currently edited for approval. Just wanted to confirm with everyone who was waiting for them in the meantime. I am glad to be part of this team.
I’ll update for Part III at a later date. We’ll play it by ear. 👍
In 2007, several years before beginning its new renaissance of renowned films like Frozen & Zootopia, Walt Disney Animated Studios released Meet The Robinsons, an animated film based on the classic children’s book A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce. It follows orphan and aspiring inventor Lewis who is struggling to be adopted as he is recruited by orphan Wilbur to go into the future to save it from an evil “Bowler Hat Guy” and his evil hat Dor-15.
During the movie, Lewis learns the value of mistakes, something I didn’t pick up on since I was very little when I saw the movie. At first, he feels his mistakes are what is causing him to remain an orphan, as shown when his peanut butter jelly making machine results in a potential adoptee’s allergic reaction and his memory scanner’s malfunction ruining his school’s science fair. It is also Lewis’s mistakes of staying late to work on said memory scanner that resulted in Bowler Hat Guy’s, (who unbeknownst to him is his roommate Goob) reason for losing a baseball game and trying to ruin the future.
Lewis also learns the value of family. When sent to the future, he gets to meet the Robinsons and bond with them, especially Franny and her frogs, Uncle Bud, and robot butler Carl. They are the ones that teach him the importance of “Keep Moving Forward”, something said by inventor and Robinson family patriarch Cornelius (and Walt Disney). Later Lewis learns that he is in fact Cornelius and thus Wilbur’s son and after defeating Dor-15, his own invention that turned against Goob, he refuses to meet his birth mother and fix his own mistakes at the science fair, during which he is adopted by science fair judge Lucille and Bud, and meets a young Franny.
This movie is important as I saw how when people such as inventors make mistakes, they should not dwell on them and have their futures ruined, but keep moving forward and look to the future. Without failure, there can be no true success. Also, when adopted children are taken into new families, they can realize that said families may not be biological, but love and treat them with respect and dignity.
We did it! It was amazing for all of us ! We are intelligent , we are curious , we are the news media team @autisticana.
We love to investigate and educate. Our coach Dr. Christine wanted us to learn about real film making. We all love to watch movies as we do in our theatre room at our news media station house.
Christine said , “ This is different then attending a movie theatre. To attend a film at a film festival is to really appreciate the making of a documentary, an original, and a short film, produced by up and coming enthusiasts in the film world.
As Dr. Christine put it , “ This is a place where academics show up to discuss the makings of a production and the content that goes into it .
It is a movie forum where the curious minded individuals like us get to enjoy a film and then discuss everything behind it. Almost like a live book club, but on the big screen.
What exactly is a film festival and how did it all begin ?
Film festivals are events that are typically staged by universities , private organizations, local communities, art associations and film societies. This is a venue that provides upcoming film makers to get their work in front of live audiences where they can have their films critiqued by professionals.
Films that get accepted into the film festival open up the opportunity of film maker presentations to be exposed to the press in an opportunity to be picked up by professional agents and buyers in the field. Sometimes a winning film can lead to a cash award.
Dr. Christine said it was time to go above watching a movie and attend a community event to explore a new forum and learn a bit of education about what goes into making a movie of substance.
She then reached out to the famous Staller Center of Stony Brook University. To our surprise they called her back within five minutes.
They were beyond kind , and expressed to us that “ The Autisticana News Team “ will have ten free passes waiting for us at the box seat office.
Wow! Was our first reaction. We felt like an important team. Did our hard work suddenly pay off ?
We immediately prepared interviews questions and practiced quickly as Dr.Christine helped us with a Que sheet to interview the panel at the film festival.
We experienced two films , one a short film leading into a documentary. It reminded us of a warm up band before a concert.
The films
Queen Moorea
The short was a fabulous surprise almost heaven sent. It was called Queen Moorea and was about Neurodiversity ! Who would have expected we would be enjoying a film about us !
Queen Moorea the short film is about a young lady in her twenties with a rare genetic disability, who refuses to see herself as disabled, as we all say we have more abilities than most.
Moorea graduated from High School and was awarded homecoming queen. She spent part of her days attending job training programs to transition her into a career. She finally got a job but then lost it due to the Coronavirus-19 pandemic . This was definitely a job for her, not a desired career . We all related so much to how she felt in this job position that did not serve her.
Her dream was to become a cardiologist, and now she is attending community college . As our coach tells us , we can be everything we wish for if we are consistent with our passion. If you love what you do and do what you love then you will obtain your chosen career despite challenges that are put in front of you.
Moorea had also won many beauty pageants . She also met the love of her life Jordan and plan on having children together.
Can we neurodivergent people have it all ? Why not , we work hard and deserve to, so we will. This film inspired all of us that we are on the correct path.
The next day we had our own panel addressing an issue that hits home. The scene where Moorea was working at her job and asked why she was minimized to just pick weeds in the garden,when she had so much to offer. As disabled ABLED individuals unfortunately we have all experienced the demeaning amongst our “ higher -ups” at work as well as our neurotypical peers. Some of our team had their own feelings they wanted to express .
“ The public is starting to notice, not only at this festival but everywhere that we aren’t just weird people. We are normal, but it’s a different kind of normal. I, myself, and others too have struggled to be noticed because of our vastly different qualities.
That push to be noticed, being different and struggling through that difficulty. That film showed us that anything is possible if you pursue it. We all have a place in this world. It’s how we make an impact, is what matters. We are proud newsmakers and hope that if we keep it up , we will have an impact on society. “
Another team member had this to say ,
“My opinion on the short film about the autistic woman was that it was very interesting as well as inspiring. Listening to her dreams as well as her family supporting her had a deep impacted on me. It is the courage and inspiration that we hold in our own personal power along with the support from our family and mentors is what keeps us on track to pursue our dreams. We have found another family here at our news desk and are stronger as a team than we are alone.
The second film educated and left an impression on us as well.
Radioactive-3 mile island
This was about the nuclear accident in three mile island near Middletown Pa. Unfortunately another environmental disaster that the government hid, like thousands of other unfortunate stories that lead to decades of illnesses. This power plant disaster was considered to be one of the biggest cover ups that hasn’t been uncovered until recently.
In 2018, Heidi met a support group about nuclear accidents who lost loved ones at three mile Island in Middletown PA.
Heidi Hunter didn’t know about anything it, the news didn’t say anything about it, they minimized it until a concerned mother’s group
knew nothing about the nuclear power plants and the NRC ineligible impact on their health. The officials stated that there was an emergency but that it was not dangerous to the public and that they had it all under control .
This lie, led to decades of tragic illnesses and unnecessary deaths. Four powerful woman came together to fight for their lives and for their loved ones who was destroyed because of this accident.
Is it easier to be honest with the public and assist humanity in times of tragedy or brush it under the rug out of greed , only to be brought down decades later ? Let the viewer decide .
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A commentary note from our editor in chief
Jackson Beach
“I really thought these two films were a perfect reflection of two common themes in the world. Queen Moore’s represented that neurodivergent kids and disability kids have a place in this world and are capable of achieving great things such as pageants and careers. This reflects autisticana’s goal to prove that neurodivergent people can make great news stories and are capable of working together.
The film Radioactive shows the viewer how politicians and people of authority in government and community cover up vital information which usually results in tragedy and death such as in three mile island .There will always be those heroes like the four mother’s who were enraged to see so many people die due to radiation sickness and many more that have permanent health defects. They stood tall together to uncover the truth and do what is right for society .
The film Radioactive reflects our desire to uncover the truth about our world and spin it in our own light. We are that ray of light at The News Makers @ autisticana and hope to shine our light in the thousands of stories we have published and will publish in the years to come.
We want to thank Paul Newland and his outreach team at The Staller Center for the Arts .
This Center is an extraordinary place Located on the main campus of Stony Brook University, it consists of two main divisions. One section houses the music and art departments, while the other consists of the theatre, media, and dance departments. The Staller Center contains three black-box theaters, a recital hall, the Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery and a professional 1,000-seat performance stage that features a 40-foot movie screen and is the site of the Stony Brook Film Festival. The Staller Center has hosted several nationwide events such as the New York Science Fiction Forum in 1998 and more recently the Live Action Role Playing League’s production of A Link to the Past. The black-box theaters are used by the theater arts department and Pocket Theater Club for stage performances of plays.
We are so grateful at this center for hosting us and allowing us to interview all of them.
The Staller Center is the jewel of Stony Brook . The hard work , philanthropy funding and dedication has allowed our community to experience education in the arts of all sorts.
Our team at autisticana give this event and the Staller Center and it’s dedicated employees five stars. We are excited to have met all of you and hope we can collaborate in the future to inspire, educate and empower all walks of life.
With gratitude and admiration
The News Team
@autisticana
In honor of Catherine Grimaldi Pane our Coach’s beloved sister and The Stand Tall Foundation.
1982-2023
Catherine was a special education teacher to all the kids that nobody wanted and to all of the kids that were misrepresented. We will shine our light through our stories as she shines her light on us from above ….
It’s always a wonderful surprise when cooking with our lead chef Joanna Otto.
She wanted to try something new and make a delicious dinner for our news team @ autisticana. It is always a challenge with our neurodiversity team and their palettes . Joanna always seems to conquer our taste palettes with her exquisite recipes.
We always stress on using goods from our pantries so we do not waste.
She decided to take a big bag of scallops and bring life to it.
Sautéed scallops in vegan butter with a splash of pink Himalayan salt was delicious.
After the sauté, Joanna wanted to make a side sauce to go with the scallops , We looked in my pantry and pulled out white cannelli beans and a can of chick peas. As investigators we wanted to test both. So we did .
We put the beans in the blender with a curry block and a bit of organic coconut cream and a tablespoon of peanut butter.
After whipping for a few seconds , we put the mixture on top of the scallops.
It was beyond delicious. The white cannellini beans came out a bit creamier , but most enjoyed the whipped chick peas better.
This chick pea sauce was perfect on the scallops but would probably be a great side sauce for poultry or a vegan dish.
For our critical thinking news team who does not enjoy taste change , they are enjoying these new delicacies with our chef Joey.
You can also cream peas and add as a side. Delicious !!
Over the past few years, I have begun expanding my music palate through Spotify by discovering new artists that have their own styles and influences. Some of these artists are socially conscious, meaning they rap about contemporary issues and those that have occurred over many centuries and are still ongoing to this day. One of these artists is King Iso, who is signed to one of the biggest underground rap labels in the business, Strange Music, founded by legendary rapper Tech N9ne. Even though some of its biggest names like Krizz Kaliko and Stevie Stone have moved on to bigger things in this decade through founding their own labels or going independent, Iso has continued to interest fans with his emotional and resonant songs pertaining to his mental health struggles, depression, and suicidal tendencies and fast raps demonstrating his lyrical prowess. Some of these problems have even occurred as a result of his upbringing and fallouts with his previous label, Brainsick Music and its CEO, underground legendary “chopper” Twisted Insane.
King Iso
Currently, Iso is working on his third album, which pertains to struggles he has encountered within his family, such as his kids and his father leaving him. However, for his latest single, “Way You Are”, Iso communicates to the world about his son’s own autism, specifically ASD, and how autistic people are scrutinized by a problematic world. These problems are explained by the lines “Wrong’s what they might’ve been, they like “What he mean?”/ My kid’s three years old and it’s troubling to see them study him like they studied me/ Sensory overload when they missing their homies though and now they gotta do some other things” & “I don’t understand how they can judge a baby, maybe that ain’t it but that is what it seems/ Maybe it’s not the genes, always what we see”. These lines show how autistic people continued to be viewed as “outcasts” to society and frequently bullied. Iso always opens up about his OCD as seen in “They say you got OCD and the logic you need without structure can be hard times/They plead about your sensitivity, can’t be dirty, just clean, blocking out all the screams all night/Need a routine just to ease our mind but we about to go COD offline”.
This song shows just how important neurodivergent are to society as they can help raise awareness with their abilities and special needs, despite them being “different”. Iso emphasizes this with “All I see is young kings and a bunch of queens who are just different and not battling a disease”. Iso says that autism and other neurodivergent disorders are not diseases and that they should be treated better than they normally are. Iso even has a video where his autistic son makes an appearance:
We decided to a series on street food and looked up the initial history. Our plan is to one day visit all the areas of the world and do a series on all street food vendors. This is what we found.
The roots of street food can take us way back into history. It is believed that as the first distribution point of street food, small fried fish were sold on the streets in ancient Greece. Street food was widely consumed by poor urban residents of ancient Rome whose tenement homes did not have ovens or hearths.Aug 4, 2015
We decided to make Vietnamese wings. I am happy to say they came out delicious and were great for finger food dinners. This is how we did it.
Recipe
We substituted all with gluten free sauces, so we can be consciously healthy every time.
On June 2nd I went to the Nassau County Of Art Museum in Nassau county with my classmates we’ve been going on trips across long island since the summer started I wanted to blog about this since because of my interest and show you what it’s like. Enjoy my photo gallery
I know I haven’t been blogging as much lately because of the last few busy days I’ve had but your artsy queen is back
So first of all the writing, the cover, and everything else is done except the manuscript needs to be rewritten in a different format so here is the cover and the first page to avoid spoilers. So here it is
If you’re reading this. You might be wondering what my answer might be, but the truth is… I don’t have one. We all get judged based on how different most of us act, interact, or even speak to people on a daily basis.
I know that. It hurts heavily inside our hearts, like a drill that’s trying to destroy it. Emotionally, I’ve accepted that my mistakes have become part of who I am and the legacy It may bring in the future.
I love my friends, co-workers, bosses, and family. Deep down, I understand that they care just as much. Being appreciated and knowing you belong is something to cherish and keep close to you. Sure, others may not always listen, but… that doesn’t mean we don’t care.
Great responsibility has a cost when it comes to power. Our legacy may not be agreed upon by everyone who sees us for ourselves but… I believe… those who love, understand, cherish, and comfort our circle/group is a winner in my book. So yeah, I’m confident to say my legacy is secure.
Though, it’s not just my legacy. My children will inherit my intelligence and logic. They may get bullied and mocked, but that won’t stop them or my wife from mentoring them into turning violent confrontations into transforming bullies into critical thinking professionals. My friends believe in a greater good. That promise will follow me and my companions towards a better future.
I’m ready to embrace that change. Will you be a part of that, too? If so, sharing my intelligence with you is both an honor and privilege. <3
On the one hand, it feels nice and beneficial. However, it doesn’t help if the temperature changes and fluctuates in a very abnormal way. I love cold weather but only in moderation, same with warm weather in the summertime. 🙂
