Latest news with #Benitez
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Wife Looks at Husband's Journal, Can't Believe What She Finds Inside
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A man's handwriting has caused jaws to drop as his wife showed off the microscopic size of the text in his journal. Kathryn Benitez, 27, from Florida, shared a video of her husband's remarkably tiny handwriting, joking that he writes in "font size ant." In a video which has amassed more than 1.3 million views since being shared last week, Alan Benitez's journal entries, condensed into near-microscopic text, amazed the internet. Benitez, an artist who shares her work online alongside her husband, never expected their morning journaling routine to captivate such a wide audience. In the now-viral clip, Alan flips through pages densely packed with miniature script—a habit he's maintained since the couple began dating in 2019. "His handwriting is usually small, but for his journal, he intentionally writes even smaller to condense everything," Benitez told Newsweek. "Whenever he writes me anything, like a birthday card, I always have to ask, 'What does that say?' at least once or twice." Screenshots from the viral TikTok video featuring the tiny handwriting. Screenshots from the viral TikTok video featuring the tiny handwriting. @vibrantvessels/TikTok Benitez checked with her husband before posting the video of the journal, but viewers couldn't really make out anything written anyway. On @vibrantvessels' TikTok video, viewers marveled at the precision of Alan's penmanship, while others shared some well-placed jokes: "Might be drafting the Constitution in his spare time," said one commenter. While another joked: "Environmentally conscious king using as little paper as possible." One viewer said: "He is writing his own terms and conditions," while another wrote: "This font is legally classified as a whisper." "My husband does this too!" said commenter StarGirl0770. "He uses college ruled paper, and fits two lines of text into one row." Even brands got in on the act in the comments, optician chain Specsavers joked: "We just wanna talk." Kathryn Benitez couldn't believe her husband's handwriting in his journal. Kathryn Benitez couldn't believe her husband's handwriting in his journal. TikTok/@vibrantvessels Benitez explained that journaling is an essential part of her husband's daily routine. For him, it's a way to process thoughts, deepen his faith, and stay present. Beyond the internet's amusement, the viral moment has unexpectedly highlighted the value of journaling—especially for men who may not often discuss their emotions openly. The benefits of journaling have been well documented, with the American Psychological Association (APA) publishing an article as far back as 2001 citing research on the subject. "The research, published in the September issue of APA's Journal of Experimental Psychology: General (JEP: General) (Vol. 130, No. 3), indicates that expressive writing reduces intrusive and avoidant thoughts about negative events and improves working memory. These improvements, researchers believe, may in turn free up our cognitive resources for other mental activities, including our ability to cope more effectively with stress," they said. Commenting on the viral moment, Benitez said: "I thought it was a funny wholesome moment to share on social media. "The reaction has been hilarious. From comments accusing him of being a serial killer, to writing hieroglyphics or the constitution, they have cracked us up. "It's funny to know other fellow small handwriting people have felt seen. Alan really values journaling as a way to process and express his emotions, so we love that we can normalize that for men as well," she explained.
Filipino Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- Filipino Times
Ivana Alawi named in VAWC complaint by wife of Bacolod lawmaker Albee Benitez
Ivana Alawi has been implicated as the alleged mistress of Bacolod congressman-elect and outgoing mayor Albee Benitez, according to a purported criminal complaint for violence against women and children (VAWC) filed by his estranged wife, Dominique 'Nikki' Lopez-Benitez, in Makati. A copy of the complaint, which began circulating on social media, claims that Alawi was involved in an illicit affair with Benitez. Additionally, Lopez-Benitez alleged that her husband fathered two other illegitimate children. In response, Benitez denied the accusations through a statement released by his lawyer, Peter Sanchez, calling them 'baseless and retaliatory.' The statement emphasized that the complaint was filed shortly after Benitez initiated annulment proceedings in 2024, casting doubt on Lopez-Benitez's intentions. 'Mayor Alfredo Abelardo 'Albee' Benitez firmly denies the baseless and retaliatory allegations made against him by his estranged spouse under Republic Act No. 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act,' the statement read. 'This case was filed shortly after Mayor Benitez initiated annulment proceedings in 2024, raising serious doubts about the complainant's motives.'
Euronews
28-05-2025
- Health
- Euronews
Is 'brain rot' real? Brain experts weigh in on the impact of screens
Doomscrolling. Instagram obsessions. Mindless YouTube video viewing. Distracting behaviours, yes, but can they actually rot a person's brain? Last year, Oxford University Press designated "brain rot" as its word of the year, defining it as the "supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state" caused by overconsuming "trivial or unchallenging" material found on social media and other online platforms. "It's what happens when you consume too much low-quality online content, which is like junk food for the brain," said Dr Andreana Benitez, an associate professor in the Department of Neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina in the United States. But whether that content is actually harming the brain – and how – remains unclear. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), half of teenagers in the US spend four hours or more looking at screens each day, and global estimates suggest adults may be online an average of more than six hours per day. There are no federal health guidelines for how many hours of daily screen time are appropriate for teens or adults. Researchers lack sufficient data to fully understand the concept of brain rot and what it might lead to. "There really isn't a coherent science around it," Benitez said. There is, however, CDC data showing that 1 in 4 teenage frequent scrollers report feeling anxious or depressed. Some research suggests problems with heavy online use may begin quite young. Adolescents who spend greater amounts of time in front of screens may be more likely to experience mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder, and related physical symptoms such as pain, dizziness, or nausea. That's according to a 2024 analysis of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term child brain development study in the US. Other studies have potentially linked brain rot to emotional desensitization, cognitive overload, negative self-worth, and impaired executive function skills, including memory, planning, and decision-making. While there's no evidence that hours of daily screen time are changing the structure of the human brain, it's what's not happening during those hours that could be harmful, especially for young people whose brains are still developing, said Dr Costantino Iadecola, director and chair of Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. The more time young people spend in front of screens, the less time they spend being physically active or having face-to-face human interactions that supply the developing brain with critical, complex sensory and emotional input, he said. "Brain development requires diversity of exposures," Iadecola said. "When you are on your phone, you are not getting these other experiences. We are substituting artificial interactions for human interactions, and artificial interactions lack the complexity of the human experience – the verbal, sensory, and emotional reactions we have after interacting with people". It's not just screen time that matters – it's also screen content, Benitez said. "If you consume excessive amounts of low-quality online content, you are more likely to be exposed to information that might distort your perception of reality and harm your mental health," she said. Cycling through large amounts of negative content can also leave a person mentally exhausted, she said. But how much is too much has yet to be determined, Benitez said. Sticking to her junk food analogy, she likened short periods of screen time to the occasional junk food snack. "One bag of chips might not be that bad, but if you're eating three at a time, that might be a problem," she said. Helping kids – and adults – consume a healthier online diet isn't easy, Benitez said, because so much of modern life, from schoolwork to shopping, entertainment, and socializing, involves online applications. "With kids, screens are a part of their lives," she said. "It's how they get a lot of information". But, she said, "it's incumbent upon adults to curate the content, make sure they are consuming content that's good for them and in a way that does not result in mental fatigue. We need to make sure they are engaging in critical thinking as they engage with screens". For both children and grown-ups, Benitez also cautioned against scrolling before bedtime. "Consuming arousing information and being exposed to light when your body should be winding down for sleep might affect your sleep," she said. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests families develop screen-time plans together and encourage usage that builds creativity and connections with family and friends. It also suggests parents emphasise the importance of offline activities such as sports, music, art, and other hobbies. The AAP also notes that some screen use may be "healthy and positive," a point both Benitez and Iadecola agreed with. "You could be consuming good content," Benitez said. "There's a value judgment in this". Iadecola suggested making sure online usage is "purpose-appropriate. It's OK to use the technology for whatever task is at hand. The problem is when it becomes addictive behavior. Everything in moderation". As bird flu spreads across Europe and jumps to more animal species, health experts warn that gaps in surveillance and preparedness could leave the region vulnerable to future threats to human health. Avian influenza has been spreading at elevated levels worldwide over the past five years, including in wild and farm birds in the European Union. Hungary has reported the most outbreaks since last autumn, followed by Germany, the Netherlands, and poultry giant Poland. But in recent years, bird flu has also spread to mink, cats, a captive bear, and other mammals, raising the risk that the virus will eventually reach people. Tens of millions of birds and other animals have been culled to keep that from happening, but gaps in surveillance systems increase the likelihood that the virus could circulate undetected and become harder to control. Since 2003, about half of the nearly 1,000 people infected with H5N1 bird flu globally have died. Now, EU health officials say public health risks remain low, and there is no evidence of human-to-human transmission. But preparations are already underway: the European Commission recently clinched a deal to secure more than 27 million influenza vaccines in case of a pandemic. Officials are also eyeing an outbreak among dairy cows in the United States – which has spread to people, infecting 70 and killing one – as a reminder to monitor animals beyond birds and mink, which are more prone to infection. "It's not a time to really sit back and relax and say, 'oh well, this is just business as usual,'" Marion Koopmans, who directs the centre of excellence at the Global Virus Network and leads the viroscience department at Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, told Euronews Health. "It has really changed compared with just a few years ago," she added. "It's not a good situation to have". EU countries actively monitor wild birds and poultry for avian influenza. When they find infections, they must take steps to stamp out the virus, such as culling birds and imposing farm restrictions. Now, with the US cattle outbreak in mind, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is working with member states to boost surveillance in cows and other mammals, according to Alessandro Broglia, one of the agency's senior scientists. "There is a kind of reactivity and enhanced preparedness in Europe, also to prevent the infection in cattle and other farm animals," Broglia told Euronews Health. Vaccination is also playing a bigger role. In 2023, France began immunising birds, a move it says has helped its poultry industry recover after outbreaks ravaged its farms and annihilated tens of millions of birds. And last summer, Finland became the first EU country to offer bird flu vaccines to people, doling out jabs to 10,000 workers who were at higher risk of infection. Even so, EU audits have identified gaps in these systems that could be just large enough for the virus to slip through undetected. Over the past two years, they have found delays in setting up restriction zones to prevent the virus from spreading in Poland; "limited effectiveness" in Portugal's early warning system for poultry infections; shortcomings in investigations of suspected cases in Spain; and poor risk assessment, a lack of surveillance, and inadequately trained staff in Hungary that constitute "crucial weaknesses" that have not been rectified since the country was last audited in 2020. A Commission spokesperson told Euronews Health that Spain and Portugal have taken steps to fix these issues, but that it is 'seeking additional commitments' from Hungary and Poland, which suspended poultry exports last month due to outbreaks. Alexandre Fediaevsky, acting head of preparedness and resilience at the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), said that 'in all countries, Europe included, there is still some room for improving biosecurity and early warning systems'. But there has been some resistance from some farmers and poultry industry groups, who fear new rules and restrictions could threaten their businesses. "We need to have some strategic dialogue with the industry," Fediaevsky told Euronews Health, but "it will be a long process to really transform the production systems". The EU and the US are not the only places grappling with elevated bird flu risks. Last week, the Commission said poultry and meat imports from Brazil had been halted after the country confirmed its first bird flu outbreak on a farm. For now, bird flu appears to pose a greater risk to the EU's food supply than to public health. However, Koopmans warned that without stronger measures to curb the virus' spread among birds, the bloc could be caught off guard if human infections begin to emerge. "Let's also not become negligent," she said, "because this is how these viruses eventually trigger pandemics".
San Francisco Chronicle
28-05-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Is brain rot real? Here's what brain health experts say
Doomscrolling. Instagram obsessions. Mindless YouTube video viewing. Distracting behaviors, yes. But can they actually rot a person's brain? Last year, Oxford University Press designated "brain rot" as its word of the year, defining it as the "supposed deterioration of a person's mental or intellectual state" caused by overconsuming "trivial or unchallenging" material found on social media and other online platforms. "It's what happens when you consume too much low-quality online content, which is like junk food for the brain," said Dr. Andreana Benitez, an associate professor in the department of neurology at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. But whether that content is actually harming the brain – and how – remains unclear. Screen habits can shape health According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, half of teenagers in the U.S. spend four hours or more looking at screens each day, and global estimates suggest adults may be online an average of more than six hours per day. There are no federal health guidelines for how many hours of daily screen time are appropriate for teens or adults. Researchers lack sufficient data to fully understand the concept of brain rot and what it might lead to. "There really isn't a coherent science around it," Benitez said. There is, however, CDC data showing that 1 in 4 teenage frequent scrollers report feeling anxious or depressed. Some research suggests problems with heavy online use may begin quite young. Adolescents who spend greater amounts of time in front of screens may be more likely to experience mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder, and related physical symptoms such as pain, dizziness or nausea. That's according to a 2024 analysis of data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, the largest long-term child brain development study in the U.S. Other studies have potentially linked brain rot to emotional desensitization, cognitive overload, negative self-worth and impaired executive function skills, including memory, planning and decision-making. Rethinking our digital diet While there's no evidence that hours of daily screen time are changing the structure of the human brain, it's what's not happening during those hours that could be harmful, especially for young people whose brains are still developing, said Dr. Costantino Iadecola, director and chair of Feil Family Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. The more time young people spend in front of screens, the less time they spend being physically active or having the face-to-face human interactions that supply the developing brain with critical complex sensory and emotional input, he said. "Brain development requires diversity of exposures," Iadecola said. "When you are on your phone, you are not getting these other experiences. We are substituting artificial interactions for human interactions, and artificial interactions lack the complexity of the human experience – the verbal, sensory and emotional reactions we have after interacting with people." It's not just screen time that matters – it's also screen content, Benitez said. "If you consume excessive amounts of low-quality online content, you are more likely to be exposed to information that might distort your perception of reality and harm your mental health," she said. Cycling through large amounts of negative content can also leave a person mentally exhausted, she said. But how much is too much has yet to be determined, Benitez said. Sticking to her junk food analogy, she likened short periods of screen time to the occasional junk food snack. "One bag of chips might not be that bad, but if you're eating three at a time, that might be a problem," she said. How to have smarter screen time Helping kids – and adults – consume a healthier online diet isn't easy, Benitez said, because so much of modern life, from schoolwork to shopping, entertainment and socializing, involves online applications. "With kids, screens are a part of their lives," she said. "It's how they get a lot of information." But, she said, "it's incumbent upon adults to curate the content, make sure they are consuming content that's good for them and in a way that does not result in mental fatigue. We need to make sure they are engaging in critical thinking as they engage with screens." For both children and grown-ups, Benitez also cautioned against scrolling before bedtime. "Consuming arousing information and being exposed to light when your body should be winding down for sleep might affect your sleep," she said. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests families develop screen-time plans together and encourage usage that builds creativity and connections with family and friends. It also suggests parents emphasize the importance of offline activities such as sports, music, art and other hobbies. The AAP also notes that some screen use may be "healthy and positive," a point both Benitez and Iadecola agreed with. "You could be consuming good content," Benitez said. "There's a value judgment in this." Iadecola suggested making sure online usage is "purpose-appropriate. It's OK to use the technology for whatever task is at hand. The problem is when it becomes addictive behavior. Everything in moderation."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Yahoo
'I will always be looking:' El Paso teens featured on missing children billboards
Jean Gabriel Benitez, then 16 years old, was last seen getting ready for school March 18, 2024, but when his mother arrived home, he was nowhere to be found. More than a year later, his mother, Karina Roman, continues her search for her son, hoping he is safe and will return home. She pleads for the community to help find her son. "About a year and two months ago, my son left the house and he never came back,' Roman said in Spanish as tears rolled down her face. 'We haven't heard anything. I left him in the morning as he was getting ready for school. I left to drop off my (other) son at school, when I came back, he wasn't at the house anymore. "We just want him to come back. We just want to know if he is okay." Benitez, who will turn 18 later this month, is one of two El Pasoans being highlighted on a monthlong digital billboard campaign. The billboards will be shown throughout El Paso in both English and Spanish. They are being posted as part of National Missing Children's Day by the Texas Center for the Missing, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Clear Channel Outdoor, and the El Paso Police Department. National Missing Children's Day is May 25. The other missing El Pasoan being highlighted is Allison Garcia, now 17 years old. She left home Nov. 2, 2024, and never returned. Law enforcement authorities believed she could be in Mexico. Roman and her family have been suffering in agony as they search for Benitez, a former ROTC student at William H. Burges High School. The family has no idea why he left, where he could be or who he is with. "I love him very much," Roman said as she wiped away tears. "I have always been there for him and will always be there for him. I will always be looking for him. Doesn't matter what the situation was or whatever happened, my family and I just want to know that he is okay. We will be here if he needs anything. We will always be there for him." More: Where is Angel Marie Avalos? Pregnant teen disappeared 5 years ago in El Paso County Benitez, a 5 feet, 7 inches tall teen with brown eyes and brown hair, being featured on the billboards brings her hope that her son will be found and she can hug him again. She is pleading for the community's help to reunite her with her son. 'I feel a little more relieved that more people will be able to see him,' the heartbroken mother said as her younger son stood by her side. 'It is going to reach more people, and hopefully someone will see him or he himself will see it. It is very difficult. I am just hoping he is okay. Please if somebody knows something, reach out. "If anybody knows anything about him, please let us know, because it has been a long time and a year of agony." Missing-person bulletins in English and Spanish featuring Benitez and Garcia will be displayed about 1,000 times a day on billboards in El Paso for a month, said Eric Lucero, market manager for Clear Channel Outdoor. The billboard will be seen by 75 percent of El Pasoans traveling on Interstate 10 and other roads in the city, he added. About 17 missing children over the past several years have been found through the annual billboard campaign in El Paso, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, Lucero said. Missing children have been featured on billboards throughout Texas for more than a decade. More: Missing El Paso woman found after deputies sought public's help There were 44,783 people reported missing last year in Texas, with 31,864 being juveniles. In El Paso County, 1,109 juveniles and 280 adults were reported missing in 2024, the Texas Department of Public Safety Missing Persons Clearinghouse reported. Anyone with information on Benitez or Garcia is urged to call the El Paso Police Department at 915-832-4400. Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@ or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT. This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso mother hopes missing children billboard will help find son
