Wear Sunscreen for this Summer

Image courtesy of bulldogza / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention month. Although I have a dark skin complexion, and people with darker skin don't commonly get skin cancer at high rates, the likelihood is still there and regardless, anyone can be diagnosed with skin cancer. And it was only recently I learned all of this.

Melanoma is the most dangerous skin cancer that exists, and thousands of people die from it every year. Health professionals say the best way to prevent melanoma is to stay out of the sun when you can and wear sunscreen, particularly ones that are labeled broad spectrum, which specially protects against UVA and UVB rays. This was brand new to me, because I never really put much thought into protecting my skin from the sun. During the summer, I'm always out in the sun and I never thought once about putting my skin in danger, and I've never gotten a sunburn. I just took in the sun for as long as I was out in it—no protection.

But this coming summer I'll be traveling a lot, and now that I'm aware of the risks, I'll need to get some sunscreen.

I bought my first sunscreen last year and it was in the form of a moisturizer. It was Ambi's facial moisturizer, and I didn't even know it was also a sunscreen until I saw the description one day. It had a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 (recommended for dark skin) and moisturizes your skin. Although it effectively works for what it says it does (and smells amazing too), I'm careful with it around my eyes, and that's the only downside with that product for me. I would still recommend it for anyone to use however. It's not sticky like I've heard other sunscreens are, and it's very light. But unless you'll be wearing long-sleeved tops, you'll need a higher SPF product.

Someone recommended that I use Aveeno's sunscreens which I look forward to buying. I use a lot of Aveeno products for my skin already, so I'm hopeful I like their sunscreen. But I researched several other sunscreens from various brands, and there is lots to choose from. Lots!

Here are some quick tips for sunscreen shopping: (1) figure out how easily you sunburn (2) how long you may be in the sun (3) what SPF you'll need (4) what it protects against (e.g. UVA/UVB) and lastly the brand. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation if you sunburn after 20 minutes in the sun without the use of sunscreen, wearing an SPF 15 will protect you from sun exposure 15x's longer, or for 5 hours. The lighter your skin, the higher the SPF you're recommended to wear. So don't neglect to wear it.

Protect your skin this summer! 

Read more about Melanoma and prevention tips.

Show Cancelled; Review

Meagan Good in Deception

One of my favorite new shows of 2013 will not be coming back later this year, and I was really looking forward to the second season especially since fans of the show got slighted for a shorter season. The show I'm talking about is NBC's Deception.

I was interested in the show after reading the synopsis, because I've been trying to get into some new shows, and I do like a good cop-mystery drama. Though, I was also skeptical of the show because I felt it wouldn't capture or keep my interest. The pilot episode was OK, and I wasn't sure if a show would be able to carry on with a storyline of an undercover cop finding out who killed her socialite best friend. But I watched anyway. Slowly, but surely the show picked up, and I was slightly hooked. We got closer and closer to finding out who killed the victim and it was revealed in the finale, but as usual we were left with a major cliffhanger, with even more questions. The cancellation now means we may never know what route the show would've went upon the discovery of the killer.
 
Part of the reason why I peaked an interest in this show was due to my excitement that another major television network had a show with a woman of color as lead. Up until Kerry Washington debuted as Olivia Pope on ABC's Scandal, there weren't any prime-time shows with women of color (specifically Black) as the lead character. It also may have been Scandal's success that led NBC to cast Meagan Good as the lead for their show; the two shows were compared heavily even though they had completely different plots.

But unlike Kerry Washington, Meagan Good has been somewhat limited in her acting roles. And while I wasn't so crazy about Meagan's acting on the show, I'm glad Deception gave her the opportunity to show viewers that she can take on versatile roles. I've watched plenty of films starring her, and she usually plays some sexy girlfriend.

I'm not sure why they decided to cancel the show, but I don't believe it was the low ratings. NBC's Hannibal, which premiered in the same timeslot, with more competition, had even lower ratings, but the show was renewed for a second season. The writing of that show however was much better.

In summary of the show, it's about Joanna Locasto (Meagan Good), a young officer from San Francisco, who is guilted into going undercover for the murder investigation of her childhood friend Vivian Bowers. Joanna's old boyfriend Will Moreno (Laz Alonso) comes to her with the offer—we learn he is now an FBI agent and they broke up due to his workaholic ambitions. Vivian has just been found murdered in a New York motel room. Her family, the Bowers are very wealthy and Joanna used to live with them, because her mother was once a maid for the family. Will feels like Joanna's closeness to the family will help them get inside information, but Joanna has been estranged from the Vivian and the family for 15 years. The first episode was not a very good pilot, and from its wrap-up it seemed like the questions could've been answered up into a few episodes.
 
We follow Joanna on this investigation, which also proves to be a personal and emotional journey for her. As she attempts to gain the trust of the Bowers, she's also confronted with her feelings for her first love Julian Bowers, the middle son and playboy of the family. In flashbacks we learn they were a hot and heavy as a teen couple. Joanna and Will also rekindle their relationship, which quickly becomes a conflict of interest and hinders their investigation. Their relationship becomes an annoyance as well due to Will's character.
 
The best part of the show is not the two leads though, and I'm no TV show expert, but I'm sure that's bad. Meagan Good's acting is nothing to praise, and Laz Alonzo's character is just unlikable and horrible.
 
The saving grace of the show is Victor Garber, who plays Robert Bowers, the patriarch of the family. The self-proclaimed 'family man' is what's keeping the Bowers clan from falling apart, and is as determined as you'd expect a family leader and CEO to be. His character is more than what meets the eye. The eldest Bowers son Edward (Tate Donovan), is another interesting character. He progresses to be the best character on the show. Both characters are not who they seem to be from the start, and you'll probably be rooting hard for one of them near the end.
 
Overall, I liked the show. My main criticism was really the writing. I felt that in the beginning, writers attempted to make the plot seem overly mysterious, but it became suffocating. Throughout the show there's this recurring theme of mystery that the viewer won't try to care about anymore.  Some of the minor characters constantly gave hinting warnings that didn't prove to be much. Then suddenly, it abruptly stopped and makes you wonder what was the purpose of it at all.

The pacing of Deception is slow, but if you're patient give it a try.

FDA's age limit for Plan B: Not a Huge Victory

image courtesy: adamr

Late last month the FDA decreased the age limit for the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B One-Step. The pill a.k.a the morning after pill, was restricted for the use of adult women, including women who were aged 17 years old with prescription.

The judge who had appealed the FDA's previous restriction wanted the pill to be made available over-the-counter to women of all ages, but the FDA brought down the age limit to 15, while making it available without a prescription. But there are still restrictions. Girls who want to purchase the drug will have to show proof of age, and other contraceptive pills and generics will still be restricted to women of legal age. So while this new milestone is historic, it still continues to generate discussion about women's reproductive rights and their choices, as well as parental responsibility.

It's a victory for some, but for many women, specifically poor women who are disproportionately women of color, the access to this drug won't be easily obtainable when you consider the price and it is expensive. Availability doesn't always mean affordability. What's the likelihood that majority of the Plan-B sales will be easily accessible and bought by women and girls of a certain income bracket?

A sexually-active 15 year old from an upper-middle class American family, with an allowance, will be more likely to obtain birth control, compared to a sexually-active 15 year old from a poor American family, whose parents can barely afford adequate allowance.

Class warfare strikes again, excluding a large percentage of the targeted demographic. So is it truly a victory for women?