Latest news with #Brunet
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Impact of coastal erosion through Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement Project
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Historically, a group of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw people has lived on the Isle de Jean Charles. Since 1955, the community has shrunk by 98% because of coastal erosion in Louisiana. Coastal erosion is accelerated during eventful and high impact storm seasons. Louisiana has the barrier islands of it's gulf coast. They, along with natural wetlands play a crucial role in protecting coastal communities from storms and erosion. Jefferson Parish officials discuss 2025 hurricane preparations 'My dad told me whenever he was a child, he'd be able to walk to a lake that was a little bit west of the island. He told me as a young man, he'd walk there without getting his feet wet. When I came along, as a kid, we was going by boat over there,' said resident of Isle de Jean Charles, Chris Brunet. The Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement Project was one of the first of it's kind to move an entire community due to climate change. Louisiana received $48.3 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to relocate the families on the island. A total of 37 families moved off the island in the Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement Project. In the past, 300 families called the island home. '20 years ago, the Corps of Engineers and the Terrebonne Levy District said, it was going to cost $190 million to include us in the Hurricane Protection System. They said, for that much money, the island wasn't worth it. Us as a community, had to make the decision to live somewhere else because we were impacted by the environment. I now live 40 miles inland from where I was originally raised. Water is and will always be part of our lives. Everything about me and how I think comes from Isle de Jean Charles. This new place is nice but it's just a place I was relocated to,' explained Brunet. The Natural Resources Defense Council Estimates that by 2067, 1.2 million people are at risk of coastal flooding in of coastal erosion through Isle de Jean Charles Resettlement Project Pelicans Zion Williamson sued on rape allegations, additional charges Stephen Miller on report of Musk drug use: We're worried about drugs crossing the border Raceland man accused of attempted murder of kids after setting 'intentional fire' Labor Department suspends Job Corps centers operations, drawing bipartisan pushback Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
19-year-old man killed in Terrebonne Parish crash
TERREBONNE PARISH, La. (WGNO) — A 19-year-old man has been killed following a two-vehicle crash that happened in Terrebonne Parish in the early morning hours of Wednesday, May 21. According to the Louisiana State Police, troopers with Troop C began investigating the crash, which happened on Martin Luther King Boulevard near Corporate Drive, just before 2 a.m. Teacher accused of dropping cocaine at Lutcher school Investigators say a 2014 Toyota Avalon, driven by Brayden Brunet, of Houma, was heading north on Martin Luther King Boulevard at a high speed when, while going through a curve, he veered to the left and was hit on the passenger side by a 2024 Hyundai Sonata that was heading south. Brunet, although he was properly restrained, was fatally wounded and died on scene. The driver of the Hyundai was also properly restrained but sustained serious injuries and was taken to an out of area hospital. A standard toxicology sample was taken from both drivers for analysis as part of the ongoing much is in the state's checkbook? Some good news and uncertainty Shreveport police crackdown on squatters with operation blue Mom pleads for the public's help in finding her missing daughter Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay dies at 65 'Fast-tracking' treatment plant not enough to fix sewage problem, border mayor says Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Scottish Sun
17-05-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Is your anxiety monster ruining your life? The 4 steps to beat it – and when you need professional help
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FEEL like you're fighting a losing battle against anxious thoughts? Here's how to stop worrying and start living. 1 The anxiety hacks to stop worry in its tracks Credit: Vector Illustration Do you often find yourself tangled in a spiral of negative thoughts? Maybe you worry that you'll mess up a meeting at work that will ruin everything, or you overthink that joke you told at the pub into the early hours of the morning. Anxious thoughts are something we all experience – 37% of women report having high anxiety levels* – but if it affects daily life, it's a problem. The sliding scale of symptoms can range from racing thoughts to a pounding heart – or a full-blown panic attack. READ MORE ON ANXIETY REAL DEAL MAFS star back at her day job but co-works have left her 'riddled by anxiety' And yet, chances are, you've told yourself to 'stop being silly' when you've felt anxious – or maybe someone else has. 'Many patients come to me bewildered by their anxiety and feeling quite foolish about it, which disempowers them and leaves them feeling defeated and stuck,' NHS GP Dr Martin Brunet tells Fabulous. He is the author of Your Worry Makes Sense, which explores why anxiety is logical and how you can manage it. He adds: 'If you can understand anxiety, then you can be empowered, and if you're empowered, you can take small steps and get to a point where you're in control of your anxiety, rather than it being in control of you.' You should see your GP if you are concerned about the impact it is having on your life and if it is there most of the time. The Surprising Benefits of Swearing for Mental Health But there are some things you can do to help yourself, as Dr Brunet explains. . . What Is Anxiety? Anxiety is a normal bodily response that, from an evolutionary perspective, protects you from threat. It is part of the broader 'fight, flight or freeze' response that kicks in when you sense danger. The point at which it becomes excessive and persistent, rather than temporary, may be considered generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), which affects one in 25 people in the UK.** Dr Brunet likens anxiety to 'a faulty smoke alarm that goes off every time you use the toaster.' He explains: 'What we perceive as a threat can be impacted by conditioning, maybe from a past experience or how we've been brought up.' Other forms of anxiety disorder include social anxiety, agoraphobia and OCD. 'The false alarm in OCD might be a fear of contamination that can only be calmed by excessive cleaning,' he says. But the symptoms can prevent you from living a full life. 'I want to help people understand it makes perfect sense if you avoid the supermarket because you have panic attacks when you get there,' says Dr Brunet. 'What you need to know next is: 'What do I do now? How do I regain control and manage anxiety in my day-to-day life?' ' Stop thoughts spiralling The first step is understanding and acknowledging what is happening when you begin to feel anxious – your body is going into protective mode. The second step is to focus on the facts, rather than letting your imagination run wild. 'So, when you start panicking, instead of thinking: 'My body is falling apart and something terrible is going on,' think: 'My heart is racing and that is my healthy heart responding to adrenalin, because I'm anxious about such and such',' says Dr Brunet. 'It is about taking a step back, allowing the adrenalin in your body to drop a little bit and your breath to slow down, so you are not spiralling.' Rethink Your Language Your language reflects your mindset, and therefore, adapting it can prove empowering. Someone stuck in 'obey mode' to their anxiety often tells themselves 'I can't' or 'I have to' statements. Dr Brunet explains: 'It restricts their life, leaving them powerless.' Reframing your anxiety as a doubting disorder, for example, can be useful. 'Anxiety is best thought of as a problem with uncertainty or doubt,' says Dr Brunet. You might remind yourself: 'I find it difficult to deal with uncertainty and doubt.' He adds: 'You're acknowledging it's not what you want, and it's a challenge for you, but notably, you can work with that and move forwards.' Expand Your Comfort Zone Anxiety can be all-consuming, so Dr Brunet suggests approaching recovery like rehabilitation of a physical injury – slowly and kindly. He recommends drawing three large circles, one inside the other. The inner circle is the Comfort Zone. He says: 'Write down activities where anxiety might not be absent, but you do them freely because you enjoy them.' The outer circle is the No-Go Zone: 'Write down activities or situations anxiety currently stops you from doing, but you would be happy to never do. It reminds us that anxiety is normal.' This could include getting public transport, for example. The middle circle is the Expansion Zone: 'Write down activities or situations you can't do because of your anxiety, but would like to do.' For example, you would like to go to your friend's party, despite knowing few people. Work on expanding your Comfort Zone. 'Pick something you think you can realistically achieve and plan how you might start doing that thing in little steps,' says Dr Brunet. 'It might be going that bit further or doing something a bit longer each time, and then practise getting used to each step, tolerating and accepting the feeling of anxiety that you get when you do it.' Imagine Your Anxiety Monster It might sound absurd to put yourself in situations where you have to endure anxiety. So, imagine your anxiety as a goofy monster or an excitable puppy, and give it a name you find funny – in his book, Dr Brunet calls it Wilbur. 'You can't expect Wilbur to stay at home, so you acknowledge he will be with you as you go about your day,' he says. 'You're not going to fight him; you're not going to let him be the boss. You might even thank him for trying to keep you safe, but reassure him everything is OK. That way, he quietens down.' If this feels daft, it should do! 'Anxiety takes itself very seriously and there is power in the silliness,' says Dr Brunet. 'So, if thinking of your anxiety monster makes you smile, you are building new associations in the brain and changing your relationship with anxiety.' When Do I Need Professional Help? 'If it is something that's been going on for some time, or if you're finding it very difficult, then why try to manage on your own?' asks Dr Brunet. Visit your GP, who may prescribe medication or refer you for talking therapy if self-help hasn't worked. This is usually cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), either alone with a therapist or in a group. The goal of CBT is to change unhelpful thought patterns or behaviours. You can self-refer for talking therapies on the NHS website. 'People often think anxiety has got to be really bad before you have therapy, or they don't think they need therapy yet,' he says. 'But it is not a question of whether you need it, it is a question of whether it would be helpful. Even a 15-minute chat with your GP can make a difference.'
New York Times
06-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Trump's Cuts to Federal Work Force Push Out Young Employees
About six months ago, Alex Brunet, a recent Northwestern University graduate, moved to Washington and started a new job at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as an honors paralegal. It was fitting for Mr. Brunet, 23, who said he had wanted to work in public service for as long as he could remember and help 'craft an economy that works better for everyone.' But about 15 minutes before he was going to head to dinner with his girlfriend on the night before Valentine's Day, an email landed in his inbox informing him that he would be terminated by the end of the day — making him one of many young workers who have been caught up in the Trump administration's rapid wave of firings. 'It's discouraging to all of us,' Mr. Brunet said. 'We've lost, for now at least, the opportunity to do something that matters.' Among the federal workers whose careers and lives have been upended in recent weeks are those who represent the next generation of civil servants and are now wrestling with whether they can even consider a future in public service. The Trump administration's moves to reduce the size of the bureaucracy have had an outsize impact on these early career workers. Many of them were probationary employees who were in their roles for less than one or two years, and were among the first to be targeted for termination. The administration also ended the Presidential Management Fellows Program, a prestigious two-year training program for recent graduates interested in civil service, and canceled entry-level job offers. The firings of young people across the government could have a long-term effect on the ability to replenish the bureaucracy with those who have cutting-edge skills and knowledge, experts warn. Donald F. Kettl, a former dean in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland, says that young workers bring skills 'the government needs' in fields like information technology, medicine and environmental protection. 'What I am very afraid of is that we will lose an entire generation of younger workers who are either highly trained or would have been highly trained and equipped to help the government,' Mr. Kettl said. 'The implications are huge.' The administration's downsizing could have a lasting impact, deterring young workers from joining the ranks of the federal government for years, Mr. Kettl said. About 34 percent of federal workers who have been in their roles for less than a year are under the age of 30, according to data from the Office of Personnel Management. The largest single category of federal workers with less than a year of service are 25- to 29-year-olds. The federal government already has an 'underlying problem' recruiting and retaining young workers, said Max Stier, the president of the Partnership for Public Service. Only about 9 percent of the 2.3 million federal workers are under the age of 30. 'They're going after what may be easiest to get rid of rather than what is actually going to make our government more efficient,' Mr. Stier said. Trump administration officials and the billionaire Elon Musk, whom the president has tasked with shrinking the federal government, have defended their efforts to cut the work force. 'President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud and abuse,' Harrison Fields, a White House spokesman, said in a statement. Mr. Trump has vowed to make large-scale reductions to the work force, swiftly pushing through drastic changes that have hit some roadblocks in court. Last week, a federal judge determined that directives sent to agencies by the Office of Personnel Management calling for probationary employees to be terminated were illegal, and the agency has since revised its guidance. Still it is unclear how many workers could be reinstated. The abrupt firings that have played out across the government so far came as a shock to young employees. They described being sent curt messages about their terminations that cited claims about their performance they said were unjustified. There was a frantic scramble to download performance reviews and tax documents before they were locked out of systems. Some said they had to notify their direct supervisors themselves that they had just been fired. On the morning of Feb. 17, Alexander Hymowitz sat down to check his email when he saw a message that arrived in his inbox at 9:45 p.m. the night before. An attached letter said that he had not yet finished his trial period and was being terminated from his position as a presidential management fellow at the Agriculture Department. It also said that the agency determined, based on his performance, that he had not demonstrated that his 'further employment at the agency would be in the public interest.' Mr. Hymowitz, 29, said he was dumbfounded. 'My initial thought was, obviously something is wrong,' he said. 'How could I get terminated for performance when I've never had a performance review?' Mr. Hymowitz, who had worked on antitrust cases and investigations in the poultry and cattle markets for about six months, said he was not given many further instructions. The next day, he decided to walk into the office and drop off his work equipment. 'I just assumed that's what people do when they get fired,' he said. Around 8 p.m. on Feb. 11, Nicole Cabañez, an honors attorney at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, found out that she had been terminated after she realized she could not log into her work laptop. Ms. Cabañez, 30, worked in the agency's enforcement division for about four months, investigating companies that violated consumer financial laws. 'I was prepared to help make the world better,' Ms. Cabañez said. 'It's honestly very disappointing that I never got that chance.' During her first year at Yale Law School, Ms. Cabañez said she originally planned to work at a large law firm, where she would have defended companies and made a lucrative income after graduation. But she said she wanted to work in public service to help people get relief through the legal system. Ms. Cabañez said she was now applying for jobs with nonprofits, public interest law firms and local governments. But she said she worried that the job market, especially in Washington, would be 'flooded with public servants.' She said she could not file for unemployment benefits for three weeks because her agency had not sent her all of the necessary documents until recently. The impacts have stretched beyond Washington, reaching federal workers across the country, including in Republican-led states. At 3:55 p.m. on Feb. 13, Ashlyn Naylor, a permanent seasonal technician for the U.S. Forest Service in Chatsworth, Ga., received a call from one of her supervisors who informed her that she would be fired after working there for about nine months. Ms. Naylor said she initially wanted to stay at the agency for the rest of her career. 'It was where I have wanted to be for so long, and it was everything that I expected it to be from Day 1,' Ms. Naylor said. Ms. Naylor, 24, said she felt a mixture of anger and disbelief. She said her performance evaluations showed she was an 'excellent worker,' and she did not understand why she was fired. Although she said she was devastated to lose her job, which primarily involved clearing walking trails in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, she was not sure if she would return to the agency in the future. 'It would be really hard to trust the federal government if I were to go back,' Ms. Naylor said. She said she was considering enrolling in trade school and possibly becoming a welder since she is still 'young enough' to easily change her career. Although some said their experiences have discouraged them from pursuing jobs with the federal government again, some said they were intent on returning. Jesus Murillo, 27, was fired on Valentine's Day after about a year and a half working as a presidential management fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he helped manage billions of dollars in economic development grants. After standing in countless food bank lines and working in fields picking walnuts to help his family earn additional income growing up, Mr. Murillo said he wanted to work in public service to aid the lowest income earners. 'I've put so much into this because I want to be a public leader to now figure out that my government tells me that my job is useless,' Mr. Murillo said. 'I think that was just a smack in the face.' Still, he said he would work for the federal government again. 'For us, it's not a partisan thing,' Mr. Murillo said. 'We're there to carry out the mission, which is to be of service to the American public.'
