What the Verdict Means to Me and Some Others

The George Zimmerman trial came to a with a not guilty verdict. The high-profile trial watched by the world was finally over, but the result came as a shock even though there were plenty of signs that he would walk. The decision to acquit Zimmerman came as a blow to many, reviving the horrors many parents of color fear when a loved one is murdered. 

I wrote about Trayvon Martin last year. I shared the outrage a lot of people did when his killer was out free, meanwhile his family was burying him. I signed the petition to have Zimmerman arrested, and I supported the activists and the parents of Trayvon. But just a few days ago I spoke with my father about the trial, and he said to me "he's not going to jail." As the trial progressed, I shared the same sentiments. Even though I knew this, for some reason I still had a bit of hope that justice would be served to Trayvon. As I listened to the verdict come in that night, I found myself nervous and reawakened when the verdict was read. I changed the channel and tried to occupy my mind with something else.

What happens now, based off the reaction to the verdict, is a continuance of distrust between a lot of people of color (Blacks in particular) and the justice system. 

When the racial makeup of the jury was revealed, some felt immediately that Zimmerman would walk—five White women and one self-identified 'Hispanic' (which can be any race) woman would make the final decision of this case. The jury of all women was unusual to some, but there was some hope that these women, five of whom are mothers, would somehow resonate with grief Trayvon's parents. But that was not the case. In acquitting Zimmerman of all charges, the jury believed Zimmerman's self-defense claim and believed Trayvon Martin's death to be justifiable. With the evidence provided to them, this is the decision they came to. But the decision could have been many things. 

Much could be blamed. Did the prosecution fail to show ill-will given the charges they filed against Zimmerman? The real problem is we only got to hear one side of the story. Zimmerman was bruised and Trayvon is dead. It's a tragic end for both, and they're the only ones who know what really happened that night.

The issue now is the shifty Stand Your Ground Law in Florida and other variations of it in other states. It also means possible death for young men presumed suspicious, which also means profiler's have weight. While it's not a crime to profile someone based off a preconceived notion you hold, sometimes there is punishment if your profiling leads you to attacking or approaching someone in a hostile way because who they are—it's called a hate crime. Racial profiling has been a practice since the abolition of slavery.

The case also revived the calls to free Marissa Alexander, who was prosecuted by the same law for firing a warning shot at her abusive husband who admitted to domestic violence. She was sentenced to 20 years. But this is same law that allowed Zimmerman to go a free man. What does this law mean, and will there be more to come?

The law will be up for debate again when Jordan Davis' killer starts trial in Jacksonville, FL. He was another teen that was killed by a man who fired shots at a car because he didn't like their music. In that scenario, the shooter was arrested immediately. A stark difference in what happened with Zimmerman the weeks after Trayvon's death. In regards to statistics, while one may believe race is irrelevant in this case, please take a long and hard look at this graph and conclude if there's a disproportionate number of justifiable crimes as pertaining to race.

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?

Haitian Music Responds to FDA's blood ban

Today is the 23rd anniversary of the day that thousands of Haitians and Americans alike, stormed the Brooklyn Bridge headed to NYC's City Hall to protest the FDA's discriminatory banning of Haitian blood donors.

I wrote about this last year.

Left out from that post, was a few of the Haitian responses to the blood ban. The 80's and 90's were great era's for conscious Haitian music, and a lot of Haitian musicians used their voices and influence to reach, educate, and protest issues the diaspora faced.

When the FDA (and CDC) decided that Haitian blood was high-risk, a few songs were released to challenge the blatant prejudice. Many Haitians responded with organizing protests, and some musicians responded with music—not just reaching Haitian's living in the U.S., but to the entire Haitian diaspora and francophone communities. Though a lot of the songs were sung in Kreyol, the message in these songs were powerful.

One of the most popular response songs was by Yole and Ansy Derose, a husband and wife duo, that released the song "FDA Ou Anraje." The word anraje (French: enrage), means mad or rabid—which perfectly described the shameful blood ban. The song title loosely meant, 'are you out of your mind.'

Here's the music video to the popular song:

In the song, the Deroses' question why the FDA would impose such an outrageous and baseless ban. They also talked about how this was a slap in the face to Haitians considering the history of Haitians contributing to the U.S. and American history.

Here are some lyrics:

Si nou gen SIDA, se ou ban nou SIDA
If we have AIDS, you gave us AIDS

They continue:

FDA apa ou anraje. FDA apa ou deraye.
FDA are you mad!? FDA are you out of your mind!?

The Derose's also brought up the U.S. foreign policy in Haiti and how that contributed to Haiti's poverty. They did not shy away from exposing American hypocrisy, and it's expressed clearly in the beginning of the song. Several strong accusations are made and they somewhat allude that AIDS is man-made disease, and the blood ban ruling is racist, which would explain why the FDA felt so comfortable blaming Haitians.


Another song was from a mini-jazz group called Djet-X—the song is titled '20 Avril (Pon an Souke)'. It means April 20th (The Bridge Shook). It was written in the aftermath of the protests, but summarized the events and feelings of that day in one song.

An interesting fact about this song is the sub-title (Pon an Souke). This would be something my father would repeat to me whenever he told me the story about that day. He was present at the demonstration, and one of the resounding echos in the crowd, was "nou souke pon an", or we shook the bridge. My father recalled the bridge shaking as people crossed the bridge to enter Manhattan. The protest attracted more demonstrators than expected, and they shut down the Brooklyn bridge that afternoon. This is a New York Times article reporting on the event.

 
In the song they summarize the Haitian response on April 20th, naming important figures, like radio jockeys, community organizers, and popular Haitian activists, like Wilson Desir. 

Some lyrics:

M'ap pral kapital youn jou espesyal, pou'm ka di koman'm feel, paske'm pa na ranse vre.
I'm going to the capital on a special day, so I can say how I feel, because truthfully I'm not kidding around.

They speak directly to the FDA:

FDA papa, sa se l'injustice, se pa nou fe SIDA.
FDA man, this is an injustice, we didn't create AIDS.

Throughout the song they also say in English no blood, no sweat. Interpreted as, if Haitian blood is not worthy, well neither is the sweat of Haitians who've worked hard in the U.S.

Read more about the ban here.

Painting Bidonvilles

Haiti gets colourful makeover

This was quite the buzz a few weeks ago, and even though bright and colorful homes do look pretty, when I think about a bit longer, I definitely see that this is only attempting to mask the problems many Haitian citizens are faced with. Likely, I'm sure many of the residents are happy and can gain some form of satisfaction from the colorful homes and it's view from a distance, but I think it's so superficial and a waste of money.

Supposedly this cost $1.4 million.

2012 Yesterday, New Year Today

Happy New Year, Happy Independence Day (Haiti), and Happy 2013!

The year 2012 ended as a great year for me. I achieved goals that I'll never forget. At the start of 2012 I made a promise that I would be positive, be productive, finish school, and get some of my priorities straight. I did indeed. I graduated college (again), took and passed one of the most challenging courses I've ever taken, learned some new things, did two internships in six months, found a clearer idea of what I wanted in life, and met some cool people. Everything this year was pretty awesome.

This year will be better. I am certain because I know what I want, I'm at the peak of starting my career, and I'm more confident in myself compared to a few years ago. I don't have any set resolutions I planned for the New Year, just a few things I can do, but need tweaking in. I don't think the New Year is the only time to gather up and plan everything you want to do. Like last year, I'll complete my goals as I go along, and not pressure myself.

Things I do plan on doing/completing this year:

Sleep and Wake Up Earlier
Since New Years 2008, sleeping past 3 am into the earlier morning hours (I mean like 5-6 am) became a habit; a very bad one. Naturally when I have things to do, I have no problem sleeping a little earlier (earliest for me is 1am) to wake up for whatever I need to do. I just feel that my odd sleeping hours have killed my productivity, and there are more important things to do while asleep.

My goal is to wake up early even on days where I have no plans.

Blog More 
Yeah well...the main reason I started this blog almost two years ago, was to have a public space to share my thoughts and opinions, as well as strengthen my writing for judgement. I didn't stop posting; my drafts are very full with unpublished posts. I just have a slight case of mild perfectionism, and won't post unless I go over it and edit it. I'm not tired of blogging though. Being busy with school and work, that also took my time away time from blogging. My goal is to update this (and my other blog) at least bi-weekly for now, and increase the posting schedule as time goes on. And hopefully I'll publish drafts from 2012 too.

Write More 
Not the same as blogging more, but rather writing more worthwhile, interesting topics. Now that I'm done with school, my interest in creative writing peaked again, and I want to get all my ideas out before they evaporate. I also hope to delve more into subjects that interested me, but want to learn more about. My goal is to find scour my journalling for last year for ideas and write.

Get More Organized 
The potential is there, and I am organized in regards to certain things. But I still manage to flop around and have a less than tidy schedule when it comes to doing tasks for my own needs. First organizing task is place all and organize all of my college notes and books.

Read More 
I already like to read but it's usually current events, hot topics, and a page in a guidebook. That's not necessarily bad, but I want to broaden my reading habits outside of genres I usually like. It doesn't mean I'm going to force myself to read something I don't like either. My 2013 booklist post will come soon.

Practice my Portuguese 
I completely fell off my language learning hobby. I don't recall if I practiced a word of Portuguese last year. I chose to learn the language in 2011 and learned so much in a short period. I might have been a pro if I was consistent in teaching myself. This year, I hope to pick up the books again, get in contact with my virtual portuguese-speaking friends, and study. I may not be as crazy about visiting Brazil for the 2014 World Cup anymore, however I still have an interest in learning the most common language there. My goal is to do over my beginner stage, and move into intermediate.

Keep a Memory Jar 
I found out about this idea on Tumblr last summer. The concept seems fun, and it's something I would be interested in. Rather than making daily notes, I'll only add notes when the 'good memory' happens.

Be More Productive and Travel 
Yes. When I have important things to do, it will be done. I'm very dependable. But I can be a bit lazy sometimes, especially when it comes to doing things for myself. I think getting out the house more, as well as reading more, will help me get there....

Get a New Job and Save, Save, Save! 
They say college grads today are having harder times finding jobs in their career fields after completing school, especially in some industries more than others. In my case, I'm a realist, and I won't let the little things let me down. I had lots of missed opportunities in college, but optimism is what helped me stay on top, despite the discouragement. I'm not a big spender, and I don't have a rent or a mortgage to pay, which means I should be filthy rich. But that's impossible to do if you're getting paid peanuts. My goal is to find a stable job, and create two savings (one for retirement).

Lastly.....

Live Life and Be Happy 
A few years ago I wasn't satisfied with the direction my life seemed to be headed in. But a lot has changed now. It wasn't my life that was going wayward; it was my thoughts. When you think negatively, you will only see and think negative results. Funny thing is, the lightness of my negativity wasn't nearly as bad and harmful as other people I knew, but I still felt it's burden. I have this natural thought process of optimism that arises to counter these thoughts. I may not be 100 percent happy with everything, but rather than mull in the 'didn't do's or 'don't have's, I'm grateful. It's amazing how far I've come when I read back in my old journals.

Cheers to 2013! It will top the great year I had in 2012.