Picture of Harmonie Diezhandino

Harmonie Diezhandino

Bio: Harmonie Diezhandino hails from the sunshine state, where she plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree in animation. Animation is one outlet for her many creative interests including, drawing, acting, designing, and of course, writing! Harmonie is passionate about storytelling and engaging audiences, so she looks forward to bringing her passions and sunny disposition together on the NYCTastemakers team.
Food

Is Vegetarianism Really Healthy?

I have been a devout vegetarian for a year and a half now, and I can confidently say that as long as my diet is my choice, I will never go back to eating meat. There are far too many benefits to not eating meat that far outweighs any perceived negative consequences. For starters, it’s the more ethical choice (when compared to the majority’s omnivorous diet). On behalf of both animals that needn’t be ranched for the sake of being slaughtered and eaten and for the environment, which- as a whole- could stand to bear a few more vegetarian converts in order to reduce the number of greenhouse gasses occupying our current atmosphere. Not to mention the wide variety of flavors and cuisines that going vegetarian opens up for people. As it turns out, in eliminating one food source, I consequently gained a whole cookbook’s worth of bold flavors and creative dishes. Since becoming vegetarian, I have felt more like the person I want to be, and I am grateful for the choice I make every day.

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Politics

Actor Ben Savage Announces his Bid for Congress

Actor and former child star Ben Savage announced yesterday that he would be running for Congress to represent the Los Angeles area district. The position, which is currently held by Rep. Adam Schiff, will be made available for election as Rep. Schiff is expected to run for the U.S. Senate in the hopes of vying for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s seat after Sen. Feinstein announced that she would be stepping down at the end of her term.

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Latest News

4 US Citizens Kidnapped in Mexico: Targeted by Mistake

On March 3rd, four American citizens were kidnapped while visiting abroad in north-eastern Mexico. Now, there is a hunt to retrieve the victims of the crime, with a cash reward being offered by the FBI for the information that makes this possible.  On Friday, a group of unidentified gunmen shot …

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Politics

New Proposed Bill Could Result in Bloggers Being Fined

Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur proposed a new bill this week that would require bloggers who write about elected Florida lawmakers to register with the state. Florida elected officials specified in the new “Information Dissemination” bill include the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Cabinet officers, and or any member of the Legislature. The newly proposed bill also outlines the criteria for which a blog and blog post constitutes. The bill defines a blog as “a website or webpage that hosts a blogger and is frequently with opinion, commentary, or business content.” Blog posts were defined as “an individual webpage on a blog which contains an article, a story, or a series of stories.”

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Politics

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Challenges Disney District

The Disney District, also known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), is a special district in the state of Florida. The district encases the Walt Disney World theme parks and its neighboring resorts and is spread out across the two counties of Orange and Osceola. The region has its own protocols for taxing, governing, and land jurisdiction and was intended to accommodate the state and resorts. But now, this land and its unique zoning laws have been infringed upon by the state’s own governor.

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Politics

President Zelenskyy Speaks to Commemorate 1 Year Anniversary Since Russian Invasion

Today marks the one-year anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine and launched the nations into war. Over the course of this past year, the state of global politics has become increasingly precarious, with each month seeming to unveil new developments in the war as the world’s nations attempted to navigate the conflict. Last year, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, signaling the start of the devastating journey ahead for the two countries. In response, nearly 30 nations, including the U.S., imposed sanctions on Russia, setting forth a plan to debilitate Russia’s economy and infrastructure.

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Health and Wellness

Why You Should Start Meditating

We’ve all heard before that meditation is good for us; those who meditate preach about its capacity to alleviate stress and improve mood overall. Despite knowing some of the many benefits of meditation, however, there are still many things that prevent people from taking the time to focus and allow their minds to drift into a meditative state. More often than not, the reasons for not meditating are just mental roadblocks created due to a lack of understanding about what meditation is and how and when it can be practiced. Some of these common misunderstandings about meditation lead people to believe that it is too difficult, time-consuming, or boring. They think of it as an act or action that must be performed rather than a state of consciousness elicited by an activity. By better understanding meditation, people can begin to practice it and reap its many benefits. Before delving into what meditation is, however, one should remember that meditation doesn’t have any strict rules; therefore, it can be adapted to anyone’s schedule, interests, and abilities.

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Politics

Former President Jimmy Carter, Enters Hospice Care

This Saturday, the Carter Center announced that its founder, former President Jimmy Carter, would be receiving hospice care at home and foregoing additional medical treatment, signaling a near end to the legacy that Carter has spent his lifetime creating. Jimmy Carter, America’s 39th president, is the nation’s longest-living president, having had his 98th birthday last October. In recent years he has overcome a series of medical battles, including surviving cancer and recovering from a broken hip and fractured pelvis. Now, after several hospital stays, he has decided to forego further medical treatment and live out his remaining days from the comfort of his home, surrounded by family.

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Sports

These are the 3 Must-Try Athletic Activities of 2023

This game began to grow in popularity during the pandemic, as people sought out new ways to stay active and entertained in the face of a global health crisis. Pickleball presented the perfect solution as it’s a game that can be played outside, with minimal contact. So what exactly is pickleball? Pickleball is a cross between tennis, badminton, and table tennis, and it can be played with two or four people. The game requires players to hit a hollow ball back and forth over a 3-foot-high net using paddles; the equipment is smaller than say, that of tennis because it was originally conceived of as a children’s game!

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Movies

Why the Characters in Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Look so Different and Why it’s Not a Bad Thing

There has been a lot of chatter since Puss in Boots: The Last Wish premiered regarding the adapted art style used for the characters in the film (particularly the humans). The primary complaint about the characters’ designs is that they are more traditional aesthetic and marketable- a concept regarding character design that was thrown to the wolves and heavily poked fun at in the DreamWorks Animation Shrek franchise (as evident by the caricature-esque designs), where Puss in Boots first appeared- and thus many fans were caught off guard by the stylistic changes that were made. Now, it may seem silly to complain about character designs for being styled in a way that is more traditionally attractive, but the fault that fans have found is in the contrarian message it sends to audiences about beauty standards.

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Sports

How the Kansas City Chiefs Won the 2023 Super Bowl

Last night, football fans and Rihanna fans alike gathered around their tv screens to cheer on their teams and idols during the most watched football game of the year. Fans watched on as the Kansas City Chiefs faced off against the Philadelphia Eagles, with Rihanna taking the stage halfway through to shine bright like a diamond during her long-awaited half-time show. This year was the NFL’s 57th Super Bowl, and it was packed full of the epic highs and lows that characterize American football. After a tense game that featured the MVP spraining his ankle, an amazing defense play, and a shocking penalty, the score was tied. It seemed as though the game would launch into overtime in a dramatic lightning-round fashion, but with just 8 seconds left on the clock, Kansas City Chiefs player, Harrison Butker, achieved the play that would win his team the title of Super Bowl winner. by the end of the game, it was the Chiefs that soared to victory and not the Eagles. So, how exactly did the Chiefs win what is now their second Super Bowl victory in the span of just four years?

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Health and Wellness

A Quick Guide to Journaling and Why You Should Do It

Did you know that the human brain is most impressionable within the first 20 minutes of waking up in the morning? According to research on neurological frequencies within the human brain, there are five major brain wave frequencies that correspond with people’s levels of consciousness. When people sleep, their unconscious minds submerge into a lower frequency of brain activity known as theta waves. Theta waves enable people to feel well-rested, creative, and more connected to their emotions and intuition (often referred to as their subconscious), when well-regulated. So, as a person wakes up in the morning, their brain wave frequencies begin to adjust to their new state of consciousness, making the brain particularly impressionable. However, more often than not, people launch into their days or check their phones first thing, activities that could have negative impacts on the brain’s subconscious while in this phase of transition from sleep to wakefulness. The solution to this problem, however, is easier than one might expect. Journaling presents the perfect activity for people to start their days off right, as it promotes mindfulness, allows people to set clear goals and action statements for their day, and can even serve as a creative outlet for sorting through emotions.

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