In this exclusive interview, the man who is both a United Nations’ Southeast Asia Advocate and a national civil engineer for the Philippines joined me for a frank discussion. Mark Fredelben Gomez Gravillo candidly described his people’s “fear of China,” love of country, and recovery from devastating super typhoons.
This blog began in 2010 as part of the publisher’s promotional materials for my travel book, The Single Girl’s Guide to Meeting European Men. The book rose to #1 on Amazon’s Best-Sellers List within two weeks of publication, and is still selling. The blog has been expanded to cover my other pursuits.
PRAISE FOR EAST BUFFALO
July, 3, 2022
The pictures on the left are from one of the first news stories I created after moving to Western New York. Airing mere months before the pandemic began, it covered redevelopment plans for a circa 1931 food terminal in East Buffalo. Viewers sent encouraging messages asking for more news about the area and its development plans. That led me to many stories and friendships on the East Side.
After the mass shooting at Tops supermarket, an article appeared in the Wall Street Journal talking about disinvestment in the area. Though the writeup contained valid concerns, residents reached out to me saying that they wished it had acknowledged their hard work in recent years to redevelop East Buffalo. Since I know those projects well, they asked if there was anything I could do about that. These people mean so much to me that I wrote a letter to the WSJ editor and it was published. You can read about the efforts to revitalize this area here.
Economic Impact of U.S./Canada Border Reopening
February, 19, 2022Creating this story was an adventure! I filmed it with my cell phone in four cities and two countries, just after the 5,500-mile-long border between them opened to citizens of both nations after a shutdown of almost two years. My quest was to determine the economic and personal impact of this once-in-history phenomena. To uncover the facts, I traveled through both countries in rain, wind, snow and sun! During the short time since my report aired, restrictions on both sides of the border have further changed with the rise and fall of Covid-19 variants, and differences of opinions concerning governmental regulations. My full story is on SpectrumLocalNews.com
The Life of a TV News Reporter in the Course of a Day
June, 23, 2021As a TV journalist, my office can become a variety of places, like a municipal building, courtroom, restaurant, car, or even a picturesque trail. Often, I’m all over the landscape in the course of one day. In this behind-the-scenes video, you come along with me.
From Buffalo to Nigeria
June, 10, 2021In this news story, I take viewers from Buffalo to Nigeria, where kids are learning pre-professional dance despite living in poverty and lacking resources. Although their dance floor is often a dirt road, nothing can dampen these students’ passion and the quality of their work. For more than a year, while many people have been physically separated from loved ones by the Covid-19 pandemic, a bond has been formed between Buffalo and Nigerian dancers. Creating this report reminded me of similar bonds I formed while growing up and dancing pre-professionally.
