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'Countryside is unprotected' - Farmers block roads across Mexico demanding fair prices and govt dialogue

'Countryside is unprotected' - Farmers block roads across Mexico demanding fair prices and govt dialogue

"Farmers in Zacatecas joined thousands of producers from 17 of Mexico's 32 states in blocking roads, railways, and government offices on Tuesday, demanding fair prices and urgent solutions to the crisis facing Mexican agriculture. Footage shows farm workers from various agricultural organisations blocking the Calera toll booth on the Aguascalientes highway with tractors and piles of rotten onions, also carrying signs reading, 'Fair prices and dignity for the producer' and 'Mexico without food equals hunger', among others. "We want the federal government and the state government to reconsider and place trained personnel within institutions to resolve issues immediately," proclaimed Alberto de Santiago, leader of the Zacatecas Agricultural and Livestock Areas Farmers Organisation, stressing that now 'the countryside is unprotected'. He added, "Producers are paid meagre prices, and consumers pay exorbitant prices. In this regard, we need to work together; we have not come to fight, we have not come to attack, we have come to claim a right that by divine and social justice we are entitled to." Farmers are demanding higher guaranteed prices, including a minimum of 7,200 pesos (390 USD, 335 EUR) per tonne for commercial crops, and protection against unfair competition from foreign producers. "We request that the Government of Mexico remove the basic grains of maize, beans, wheat and sorghum from the Chicago Board of Trade and review the permanence of the agricultural sector," declared Bean Growers United for the Well-being of Zacatecas leader Fernando Galvan, citing the 'disadvantageous conditions' of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and new tariffs. According to local reports, while the USMCA benefited large, technology-driven agro-exporters, it deepened the struggles of small Mexican producers facing unfair competition and limited structural support. Many compete against heavily subsidised foreign farmers whose lower costs undercut local prices. Protesters called on President Claudia Sheinbaum to open dialogue and address their concerns directly. Demonstrations also took place in Baja California, Chihuahua, Durango, Guanajuato, Jalisco, Michoacan, Sinaloa, and other states. The National Agricultural Council urged all sides to engage in dialogue aimed at strengthening competitiveness and trade integration."

I Was Doing A Book Signing In Europe. The Last Woman In Line Said 3 Words That Changed My Life Forever.

I Was Doing A Book Signing In Europe. The Last Woman In Line Said 3 Words That Changed My Life Forever.

Moments after the author, left, met Heidi, right. At my book launch event in Oslo, I was shocked by a life-changing revelation. The first thing I noticed was how bleary-eyed the woman was, and what a pretty white linen tunic she wore. She clutched a copy of my book to her chest and hesitated before stepping up to the table where I was signing copies of my memoir at the Literature House in Oslo. She was the last person in line, and the bookstore section of this iconic literary venue in my native Norway was mostly empty now, as friends and folks attending my book launch had moved on to a nearby bar. I stood and greeted her with a smile. “Hello, thanks for coming. What’s your name?” I said and offered her my hand. “Hi, I’m Heidi,” she said and took my hand in hers, and the next thing she said shocked me as much as it thrilled me. In fact, my life would never be the same after that encounter. “I’m your sister...” she continued, but then quickly added, “I mean, I’m your half sister!” I can only imagine the look on my face as I exclaimed, incredulously, “What?!?” She continued, breathless, “Your father is also my father. I was born in 1963, and at first, he denied paternity, but then it was settled in court. I have it in writing.” Then she apologised repeatedly for shocking me while at the same time I heard someone exclaim, “Oh, my God!! Oh. My. God… Wow. Just Wow!” and that someone was of course me. The only thing I could think of doing was to give her a big hug and tell her, “It’s OK, it’s OK.” The woman, two years older than me, has my father’s last name, but despite our father acknowledging paternity, she grew up without a father figure and was raised by her grandparents in a small town on the northwestern coast called Molde. It was a stigma, even in Norway, to be born out of wedlock in the ’60s. That’s probably why my father married my mom when she was three months pregnant with me in 1965. Heidi told me, “Your dad, our dad, should be glad he didn’t marry my mother. She is a difficult person.” I was impressed by her honesty. A chaotic mix of joy, sadness, curiosity and shock, alongside a strange, bubbly giddiness, made the moment surreal. I had always lamented having a small family; only one sister, six years younger than me, and here was my wish in the flesh: a big sister! So many questions raced through my mind. For how long had she known about us? Why had she waited so long to reach out? Was she angry at our father, the man she never had the chance to get to know? But my friends were waiting for me at the bar next door, and I had to join them. I had just turned 60 and published a new book; there was much to celebrate. Little did they know I had something even bigger and better to rejoice about. Heidi and I exchanged more hugs and our phone numbers, and promised to continue our conversation on WhatsApp, as I was returning to the U.S. the next day. We both knew we needed time to process our new reality and said goodbye, both with blushed cheeks and smiles. My book, Body: My Life in Parts, is a memoir-in-essays in which each chapter is named for a body part (“Hands,” “Breasts,” “Skin,” etc.), which I use as a portal to memories and stories from my life. My father is a character who appears in several chapters from different times in my life, so much so that one reviewer noted how much she appreciated the well-rounded portrait of this affectionate but complicated man. The author and her father My father, who died in 2012, was an extremely loving and present father to me and my sister. It makes me sad knowing Heidi did not have this. But he was also a complex and eccentric man who found himself on the wrong side of the law more than once. He was an avid bootlegger, served time in jail for tax evasion and for waving a gun in public at troublemakers in downtown Oslo, and was also an alcoholic from midlife on. This fatherly history made the fact of Heidi’s chosen profession all the more ironic. She works for the police, in the department that handles confiscated items (drugs, weapons, alcohol, etc.) and helps solve cold cases. Not only had she come across our father’s name at work, but had access to archives and records with information about our father and us. S he told me she had always known about our family, but had not wanted to intrude. Until she decided it was time. “For my children,” she said. Growing up in a small town can make things interesting: My aunt, my father’s sister-in-law, is from the same town as Heidi. When I called her about the amazing news to ask if she knew Heidi’s grandparents, not one second passed before she exclaimed, “I know everything!” As small-town life goes, people talk, but my aunt told me she decided not to say anything to us because she felt it was not her information to reveal. She hoped Heidi would eventually find me or my sister. It was good to get the secret released, she said. A story the author posted on Facebook about meeting Heidi Heidi and I have exchanged a gazillion messages on WhatsApp since I left Oslo after we met. Questions, photos, facts, more questions. The stories of our lives– the blessings and joys, the yearnings and sorrows – are still revealing themselves. We plan to meet again on my next visit to Norway, and she shared that her three adult kids are thrilled we have finally met. My three young adult sons were also happy to learn they have another aunt and three more cousins. I have to admit I have also experienced the memoir writer’s occasional self-consciousness: Why spend so much time examining my own life? Who out there will care about my story and experiences? Well, this life-changing event has made it all worth it. I wrote the book with my father’s mantra in mind, something he used to tell me in my early writing life when I would be overwhelmed: “Write to the audience of one,” he advised. Indeed, I now realise I unknowingly wrote this book for one very important person: my half-sister. Nina B. Lichtenstein, Phd., MFA, is a native of Oslo, Norway. She is the founder and director of Maine Writers Studio , and the co-found/co-editor of In a Flash Lit Mag . Her memoir, Body: My Life in Parts was released by Vine Leaves Press in May 2025. Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com. Related... My Historic Home Is Beautiful. It Was Also Slowly Killing My Triplets. I Found The Perfect Surgeon To Do My Tummy Tuck – But I Couldn't Stop Thinking About 1 Thing I Thought Moving My Kids To Germany Would Be Good For Us. I Didn't Expect It To Feel Like This

You Don’t Mean To, But These 3 Sayings Shut Your Kids Down

You Don’t Mean To, But These 3 Sayings Shut Your Kids Down

So many children and teenagers want to be “seen and heard”, said therapist Kelsey Mora ( @childlifetherapist ) in an insightful Instagram post. “And yet so often, even the most loving, well-intentioned parents and caregivers accidentally invalidate their child’s feelings with the words they use,” she noted. While it might come from a place of love; over time, repeated invalidation can shape how a child understands their emotions, as well as their relationships and sense of self. In contrast, when they feel understood, “they learn to understand themselves”, said Mora. In her social media post, the expert shared some of the phrases parents say to kids that accidentally invalidates them. From “you’re OK” to “there’s nothing to be scared of”, here’s why these phrases are impactful – and what you might like to say instead. 1. ‘You’re OK!’ Saying “you’re OK” or “you’re fine” is often a go-to response from parents to kids if they’re upset either because they’ve hurt themselves or they’re struggling with something (I’ll be the first to admit I’ve said it in the past). However Mora argued that this is invalidating because it makes children think their parents don’t believe them. Instead, she advised saying something like, “I know this is hard. You’re safe.” Other experts agree. Child therapist Tracy Wilshusen said in a TikTok video that while it’s fine to say something like “it’s okay to feel sad/angry/upset” to a child, if you were to say “it’s okay, you’re fine” when they clearly aren’t, that’s going to invalidate how they’re feeling. “Let’s say your kid is playing at the park and they fall and bump their head. If you tell them ‘it’s okay, you’re okay’ they’re thinking to themselves: ’No, that really hurt. I’m really sad, that hurt,” she said. “Then they start thinking: ‘Am I not allowed to feel sad? Am I not allowed to feel hurt?’ That’s why a lot of kids and a lot of adults repress different emotions. The biggest ones I see are anger and sadness.” If they’ve hurt themselves, you could ask: “Are you okay?” instead, or “Do you want a hug?” 2. ‘That’s not true.’ Kids will tell porkies – especially if it involves a sibling tussle or getting into trouble at school. Nobody wants to admit to being in the wrong, and that’s understandable because they’re scared to get in trouble. But instead of jumping to conclusions and saying “that’s not true” or “that’s not what happened”, Mora advised parents could try saying something like: “It sounds like we saw it differently. Tell me more.” This gentle approach encourages kids to have another go at telling the truth. If you do dismiss what’s happened as “not true”, it can leave kids thinking, “They don’t believe what I saw or experienced,” added Mora. The Child Mind Institute warns parents never to call their child a liar, which “causes more hurt and makes your child think you don’t trust them”. To avoid more lies in future, they advise letting kids know they’ll be in less trouble if they tell the truth – and it’s important parents follow through on that. 3. ‘There’s nothing to be scared of’ Sometimes kids get scared of things we, as adults, don’t find frightening – whether it’s dogs, the dark or something else entirely. But saying “there’s nothing to be scared of” to them is invalidating because – well – they are scared. That is how they’re feeling. If met with this response, kids might think, “They don’t understand my fear and I’m wrong for feeling it,” said Mora. Per Better Health , parents can help their child to deal with fear by “taking their feelings seriously, encouraging them to talk about their anxieties, telling them the facts and giving them the opportunity to confront their fears at their own pace and with your support”. And if your child does tell you they’re scared, Mora advised you could say something like, “It feels scary right now. Let’s work through it together. I’m right here”. And remember: if your child’s fears are so strong that it’s interfering with daily life, it’s important to speak to your GP, who can offer further support. Related... Teachers Are Being Treated As Therapists – And Children Are Losing Out 2 Million Children Are Unhappy At School – This Is Why I Run An Assessment Clinic – Here Are 7 Signs Of Autism To Spot In Children