Blogging from A to Z: Today's Letter...M for Mitrice Richardson...

In case you are unaware or, perhaps, have forgotten about this young woman, Mitrice Richardson is still missing. She has been missing since last September, after disappearing from the Malibu police station. I did a blog post about this a while back and you can read it here. Recently, a few things have occurred regarding this case; allegedly, there is a videotape of Richardson at the police station. This is "surprising" because the original claim by the police was that no videotape existed *side-eye*. According to the Malibu Surfside News, Richardson's mother, Latice Sutton, and a small group of others, were allowed to view this "non-existent" videotape. After the viewing, Sutton says, per Malibu Surfside News:

the video “supports [my] theory that [sheriff’s] officers could very likely be involved in my daughter’s disappearance.”

You can read the article here, but the gist is that the claims of the Malibu police station do not match up with what the videotape shows. Richardson looks agitated and is pulling at her hair, and rocking from side to side. This is a different picture than what the police painted originally. They said that they saw no signs of distress and that she seemed fine. They claimed this even after witnesses at the restaurant where she was arrested, said that she seemed to be under some sort of mental distress. Another cause for concern, is that the videotape allegedly shows an officer following Richardson out of the police department after she was released. So what happened after that? Did this officer see which direction she took? Did he speak to her? Did he offer to take her home? What happened? So far no answers. The family wants those who were at the station that night to be investigated and I can understand that completely, if for no other reason than the shady business regarding the "non-existent" videotape.

Another search occurred on March 28, this time in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. Apparently, there have been "sightings" in that area, so a group volunteered to search the area. It made sense to search this area; according to Chip Croft, who was interviewed by the Los Angeles Times:

With numerous homeless shelters, single-room occupancy hotels and social service centers, skid row is a place where someone like Richardson, who is thought to have had no money and may have been suffering from emotional problems, might end up...

In my earlier blog post, a commenter, arlee, brought up the idea of questioning the homeless community. Since many homeless people tend to have mental health issues, searching the Skid Row area for missing persons was a smart move. If it had been done sooner, maybe there would have been better results. The family of Richardson is also interested in questioning a man who was recently arrested for the sexual assault of a Malibu woman. Apparently this man, Christian Marcus Verdin, was living in the homeless community around the time that Richardson disappeared. Most recently, a drone aircraft was used to search the area surrounding the police station. According to the Malibu Surfside News, this drone was able to search areas that were unreachable by the search teams. The family is currently waiting for the results of this particular search.

Mitrice Richardson is out there, somewhere; my hope is that Mitrice is found, alive, and reunited with her family. I truly with the media would get on top of this case and put pressure on the police department to produce results. The shadiness of the videotape situation should cause concern  and be worthy of some media coverage. What the hell happened the night that Mitrice Richardson left that Malibu police station?

Blogging from A to Z: "L" is for Library of Congress & LOL!

I was on one of my favorite sites today, Twitter, when someone sent out a tweet that said the Library of Congress will be archiving all public tweets, from March 2006 on forward. That's right, folks! If you thought Twitter was nothing more than sh*ts and giggles, you are WRONG! And, according to their website, the Library of Congress wants to congratulate you:

Have you ever sent out a “tweet” on the popular Twitter social media service? Congratulations: Your 140 characters or less will now be housed in the Library of Congress.

That's right! Congratulations go out to all those people out there "tweeting" a ton of foolishness! And I'm not talking about your average jokes. I'm talking about stuff that would make your elders blush and cut their eyes as you. Hey all you "Wang Wednesday" people you're about to be a part of history! And we can't forget those "Twitter After Dark" tweets! Oh this is such hilarity! I can't help but laugh out loud and shake my head at those who don't think it necessary to do a little self-censorship when tweeting. Now, don't get me wrong, are there some of my own tweets that I'm not thrilled about being archived? Hmmmm...no actually I feel pretty cool about it all' I haven't posted anything that I would be embarrassed by or would not want to stand by, so the idea of archiving my tweets doesn't faze me at all. But, I can say that I'm glad I haven't been reckless with my digital fingerprints; once you put stuff out there on the Internet, it's pretty much a wrap. This is how I've approached the entire social networking issue. If you don't want it known, better keep it to yourself.

photo credit: Jacqui Sadler on Flickr

Dewy's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon: Final Update (yeah I know...)

I know that the read-a-thon ended Sunday, but I was so sleepy! Every time I considered posting this update, my bed looked so much more welcoming. I spent Sunday napping, off and on, and Monday I had to get back to work and school, so today I am posting my feelings on the second book I read, Cornered. First, here's the book description:

With Nowhere To Run. . .
Corey Webb is living the American dream—successful business, beautiful wife, gifted daughter—but the dream he worked so hard to achieve is about to become a nightmare. When a chance encounter brings him face to face with the dark past he'd long since left behind, Corey knows the threat to his life and family could be deadly.
. . .It's Do Or Die
Unpredictable, intelligent, and terrifyingly ruthless, Corey's stalker will settle for nothing less than complete submission. He'll stop at nothing, and sacrifice anyone, to get what he wants. There's no point in running, no chance of hiding, and no hope for Corey and his family to escape unscathed. . .

I really enjoy Massey's books; he always writes something full of tension, that keeps you turning pages until you finish the book. This had much of that, but there were definitely scenes that had me upset at the characters. I guess being mad at fictional characters means that the book pulled me in (smile). The parents in this book, Corey and Simone, often made me want to throw the book across the room. Their daughter, Jada, seems to be the brightest one in the bunch and often has some of the most tension-filled scenes involving an especially creepy character. There is a nice twist in the story, but I won't go into much detail because I don't believe in spoiling stories for others. That said, I would recommend reading this book, if only for a quick read (I finished reading this one in about 7 hours).

If I were to compare the two books I read for this event, I would say that the second book is a winner. It got straight to the action and did not slow down the pace with a bunch of unnecessary characters, of which the first book is guilty.Thanks to all who cheered me on! I truly enjoyed participating in the read-a-thon and plan to participate in the next one in October. October is perfect for staying in and reading books, so I'm looking forward to that. Happy reading everyone!

Blogging from A to Z: "I" for Investing...I'm finally doing it...

That's right; after years of proclaiming I was unable to invest and begin to build wealth for my future, I have decided to buckle down and invest. It was a difficult decision, but after thinking about all the money I've been known to waste on things that amount to nothing, I knew it was time. It also didn't hurt that, about a month ago, a study reported that the median wealth for single black women was about five dollars. Five dollars? Now, whether that is true or not is irrelevant, in my opinion. Yes, I know that results can be skewed and that sample populations may not be the most representative, especially if the people performing the research slack on their responsibilities. That said, I can still find a kernel of helpful information in this study. While my wealth is much higher than the median, I can most definitely do better.

So I'm starting off small; I opened a Sharebuilder account since they're offering a $50 bonus when you open an account. Also, since I'm an Inbox Dollars member, I will receive $15 dollars in my Inbox account. Pretty nice deal from what I can tell. I still have a lot of research ahead of me; stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and all that other financial-speak kind of goes over my head, but if I put in the work, I know it will become clear for me. Scared money don't make money (I remember hearing that somewhere). I have to take some risks, smart risks, but risks nonetheless. I'm young, single, and have no extreme responsibilities to anyone but myself, so there is no excuse for not investing in my future.

Dewy's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon: Update #3

*yawning*

Well folks, I sit here on my bed proud, daylight glowing through the curtains. I finished my second book for the read-a-thon with a little time to spare. I read Cornered by Brandon Massey; it was 376 pages and it gripped me from beginning to end. I'll discuss more about this later today, in a final read-a-thon update. I'm exhausted...


Good night...or good morning...whatever one would say when going to sleep after the sun is already up...zzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Dewy's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon: Update #2

Hey everyone! I just wanted to check in briefly and let you all know that this book The Company We Keep actually picked up the pace! It became much more interesting once the focus shifted to where it should have in the first place ("Terri" and "Harrison"). I ate a light dinner while reading and sipped on some wine. That said, the book improved before I had the wine, so don't think that the alcohol made things seem better (smile). I have less than 40 pages to go and then I will start on another book. Perhaps I will be able to finish it before the read-a-thon ends, perhaps not, but either way, this has been a fun challenge. I'll check in again later! Happy reading!

Dewy's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon: Update #1

Sheesh! I almost changed my mind about participating but I would have felt bad, so I'm pushing forward! This morning was hectic, in currently in the middle of organizing and packing, so I didn't get started on this book The Company We Keep until late in the day. That said I've made it through 103 pages and I must say, I'm not terribly impressed with the story thus far. If you read the book description, one would expect that the interaction between "Terri" and "Harrison" would be at the forefront of the story, but this isn't the case. With only 177 pages left, the author is introducing all these peripheral characters as side story plots. The main characters haven't even really reunited! And at some point, "Harrison" is supposed have some deep, dark secret that will cause problems; I need this book to get to the meat of the story real soon because I'm loosing interest. This is surprising me because I love the author's other books, especially her God Don't...series. I feel like this book may have been written with a bunch of leftover ideas, but I'll try to keep an open mind and finish the book before I decide that it wasn't worth my money.

I hope everyone else is having a great day of reading!

Dewy's 24-Hour Read-A-Thon...Read 1 book, in 24 hours?

I think this is something I can accomplish and since I have a ton of books, stacked up and waiting for me to give them attention, I decided to participate in this challenge. I will blog my progress throughout the day, to keep me on schedule and also to take a break from reading. The book I've chosen is "The Company We Keep" by Mary Monroe and it is 280 pages long. I should be able to finish it in the allotted time. Here's a brief description of the book from Amazon.com:

New York Times bestselling author Mary Monroe-s extraordinary novel celebrates life, love, and the power of sisterhood-proving that friends, like fine wine, only get better with age...

Gorgeous, successful executive Teri Stewart spends her days working for L.A.'s hottest record company--and her nights all alone. Her best friend Nicole is determined to find Teri a man, but she hasn-t had much luck...because Teri wants more than Mr. Maybe. She's holding out for Mr. Right and won't settle for anything less. Just when Teri is ready to give up, a man from her past returns to reignite their romance. With his sultry smile and easy-going charm, radio DJ Harrison Starr is one-of-a kind-and Teri can-t deny she's fallen hard for him again.

With her life finally falling into place, Teri thinks her dreams might come true after all. But Harrison may have a secret that could change everything.

To find out more about Dewy's Read-A-Thon, click here! Wish me luck!

Blogging from A to Z: Today's letter....H for Harvard University (and others)...

I received this email this evening and figured it would make for a good and informative blog post for the challenge:

Harvard University Announcement

No tuition and no student loans

Harvard University announced over the weekend that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families will pay no tuition. In making the announcement, Harvard's president Lawrence H. Summers said, "When only ten percent of the students in elite higher education come from families in the lower half of the income distribution, we are not doing enough. We are not doing enough in bringing elite higher education to the lower half of the income distribution."

If you know of a family earning less than $60,000 a year with an honor student graduating from high school soon, Harvard University wants to pay the tuition. The prestigious university recently announced that from now on undergraduate students from low-income families can go to Harvard for free... no tuition and no student loans!

To find out more about Harvard offering free tuition for families making less than $60,000 a year, visit Harvard's financial aid website at: http://www.fao.fas.harvard.edu/ or call the school's financial aid office at (617) 495-1581.

SEND TO SOMEONE WHETHER THEY CAN USE OR NOT. THEY JUST MIGHT KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN.

This sounds spectacular, right? Students from low-income homes are receiving a great opportunity; just because someone is from a home that is struggling to make ends meet, especially in our current economic setting, doesn't mean that they should be blocked from attending an Ivy League school if that is the school they choose.  After checking around for some more information, I found an article on, CNNMoney.com, that discusses this. Apparently Harvard, and other major schools, are planning on using more work-study programs and grant money as financial aid for low-income students. While there is still the chance that the family will need to invest some money, due to the "expected contribution" amount, which is figured when completing the FAFSA. But the amount contributed will be extremely lower than what was previously expected. According to the Harvard financial aid website, at some point family's had to use home equity to pay for their child, or children, to go to Harvard. And chances are, the student would still leave the school with debt! I think that this program is a great idea and it should be taken advantage of.

Blogging from A to Z...G for Garcelle, what were you thinking?

Okay, this post is devoted to some celebrity news; I say celebrity, but those involved are "major" in my book, but hey, to each his or her own. Today "news" broke regarding an email that Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon apparently sent out an email to her husband's friends and co-workers at the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). According to this email, Garcelle says that her husband Michael Nilon has been having an affair with some woman for 5 years. The two have only been married for about 9 years! Now, of course the most important aspect of this story is that this man was cheating on his wife. But looking at it from a different view, I think that Garcelle's approach to handling this was a bad idea. Why? Well first, why send it to his friends and colleagues? The way I see it, most of those same people already knew he was having an affair. I mean really, five years? Folks were already talking about around the water cooler. Second, what sense does it make to put such scandalous information out in the open and then not want to speak to the media? Now that she let the cat out of the bag, she made this statement to USMagazine.com:

"My focus at this time is on my kids and healing the pain. There will be no further comment."

Why make the comment in the first place? Now you don't want to talk about it? Either someone was in need of attention, and by attention I mean attaching one's situation to the many celebrities going through this same situation (i.e. Tiger Woods and Jesse James), or someone realizes that it wasn't the best idea to throw personal business out there for media consumption. That said, I hope that Garcelle is able to make it through this, shielding their children from the stupidity of their father. I just think that this was a bad move.

Blogging from A to Z...F for Fusion...

I was sitting here thinking of a topic I could use for this post; several words came to mind. I narrowed it down to "forgotten" and "fusion". While I find both interesting, I decided on "fusion" because this is a topic is much lighter than what I would have said had I used "forgotten". Anyway, I was on Twitter and someone was talking about something called afro fusion. I was intrigued and broke into the conversation (because that's what you do on Twitter, lol). Apparently there is this process, afro fusion, that will feed my 'Fro envy. Mu hair is currently loc'd up but I've been considering chopping them off in at least a year; they're getting so long, almost to the point of annoying me. When I do the big chop, I'll have a small afro but I want something major. This is where the fusion process would come in, taking me from here:

To here, in a minimal amount of time:

I'm really going to have to schedule some time to go to Atlanta and visit The Damn Salon (I love the name)!

Blogging from A to Z...E for Empathy

This is a brief post, since I'm now a day behind! Yesterday was a bit hectic but I hope to stay on track now (smile). Anyway, this topic is one that I think of often; especially when I read about children committing, or attempting, suicide. Empathy us nothing and the benefits from it can be far-reaching. According to Dictionary.com, empathy is the "identification and understanding of another's situation, feelings, and motives." The current mindset of many people is that "different" is bad, it is something to be made fun of and, or, despise. Some of the same people, with this mindset, are raising children who go to school and see the differences of others and begin to bully and belittle the "different" kids. Now we have 8 year olds jumping from buildings and  11 year olds hanging themselves because the constant bullying is too much for them to deal with! I know that being picked on is something that happens in life, heck, I've experienced it, but every child handles stress differently. Expecting all kids to "grin and bear it" or "suck it up and deal" is unfair. While it is important to teaching kids that there are healthy ways to deal with the stresses they face, it is also important to teach kids that "different" isn't bad...it's just different. We have to teach kids how to look at the things that make us all different and simply understand those differences. Kids are dealing with so many things, so many adversities; we have to reduce these stresses as much as possible. Teaching empathy can enrich and save the lives of our children.

Blogging from A to Z...Today's Letter...D for Dreams...Crazy Dreams!

Good evening folks! I decided to do a post on the creepy dreams that I often have. I am extremely frightened of spiders. As a matter of fact, I can handle snakes and mice more than I can spiders. I think that this fear was influenced by my mom; she is terrified of spiders. In fact, when I was a kid, we were all at a family reunion in a park and she was sitting under a tree, on a picnic table, with my little sister (who was a baby at the time). A spider dropped down from said tree and my mom ran off screaming, leaving my little sister on the table in her carrier, with the spider! Needless to say, after my dad went over and moved my sister, everyone razzed her about it. This was the reaction that I often saw and I've been scared of spiders ever since. Spiders, being the one thing that I fear (possibly more than death, unless said death involves spiders), often make appearances in my dreams. I've scared everyone in the household because I'll wake up thinking that spiders are crawling all around the room, making their way to me. I've ran into doors, tables, stumbled over shoes, and my own feet trying to get away from imaginary spiders. As I type this, I laugh because I know that it is only a dream. However, in that moment, the moment where I'm falling out of bed, tangled up in sheets, there is nothing scarier in my life.

When trying to understand what these dreams could possibly mean, I found a website called Dream Moods. This is what I found:

To see a spider in your dream, indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situation. Or that you may want to keep your distance and  stay away from an alluring and tempting situation.  The spider is also symbolic of feminine power. Alternatively, a spider may refer to a powerful force protecting you against  your self-destructive behavior. If you kill a spider, it symbolizes misfortune and general bad luck.

To see a spider spinning a web in your dream, signifies that you will be rewarded for your hard work. You will soon find yourself promoted in your job or recognized for your achievement in a difficult task.  Spiders are a symbol of creativity due to the intricate webs they spin. On a negative note, spiders may indicate a feeling of being entangled or trapped in a sticky or clingy relationship. It represents some ensnaring and controlling force. You may feel that someone or some situation is sucking the life right out of you. Alternatively, if a spider is spinning a web in your dream, then it could be a metaphor for the world wide web and global communication.

To see a spider climbing up a wall in your dream, denotes that your desires will soon be realized.

To dream that you are bitten by a spider, represents a conflict with your mother or some dominant female figure in your life. The dream may be a metaphor for a devouring mother or the feminine power to possess and entrap. Perhaps you are feeling trapped by some relationship. 

Since I never see them spinning webs, I'm never bitten and I never kill them, the only points that apply are the ones about simply seeing a spider and spiders climbing walls. So it makes me look at my current situation; do I feel like an outsider? Possibly, but that's been something that I've carried for many, many years. I've been a loner, so it's not too surprising that I'd feel like an outsider. This site makes me think about any behaviors I have that could be seen as destructive. I'm not the healthiest person, so maybe that's manifesting itself in my dreams? I find the whole feminine power aspect real interesting; am I afraid of my own power? Running away form what I can be? Most definitely food for thought. Of course, the other point, spiders climbing walls, leaves me feeling hopeful. There is so much I want to do in life and I've been feeling like this is my year to really get to work on accomplishing certain goals, so maybe these goals "will soon be realized." Thinking about my spider dreams in this way makes them seem harmless, less frightening.

But, um, I'm still afraid of those creepy crawly things...what are you afraid of?

Blogging from A to Z: Today's letter....C for "who are you to be so Confident?"

I was on Twitter earlier today and someone in my timeline said something that got me thinking about confidence. This person sent on a "tweet" that said "Part of the problem is [you] think [you're] cute but [you're] just basic"; now, this was not directed at me, but it made me think of the many times I've heard that in my lifetime. I find it interesting when people make that statement; why shouldn't people think that they are cute? Why shouldn't people walk with their heads held high? Why shouldn't people feel good about themselves and their appearances? Some young girls, and some grown women, have this issue real bad; they see another female and whisper amongst their cliques and the refrain that tends to float around is "Look at her! She thinks she's cute!" Well, so what if she does? Why shouldn't she? Is it that women are supposed to walk around feeling lowly and unattractive? That is insane! If I don't think highly of myself, or see the beauty that is in me, how can I expect anyone else to? I often think that those who use the phrase "You think you're cute" are simply projecting their insecurities on others. For some it may be a mild, or not so mild, form of jealousy. But no matter the reason, I refuse to feel bad about myself or allow anyone to bring my confidence down to their level. Pardon my language, but fuck THINKING I'm cute, I KNOW I'm cute. And there's nothing anyone can do but deal with it.

Blogging from A to Z: Today's letter....B for Bereavement

I wasn't sure what I would post today for the second day of this blogging challenge. I was able to leave work early today, they actually let us leave for Good Friday (this is surprising). Anyway, I was able to get home in time to watch today's episode of Oprah. I don't usually, but today Janet Jackson was a guest on the show and I was curious about what she had to say regarding the new movie she's in, "Why Did I Get Married Too?", so I tuned in. As always, she was cute as a button and looked well. However, once the interview began, it was uncomfortable to watch. Why? Much of the interview focused on the death of her brother, Michael Jackson. If you've read my blog, then you know I'm a fan and when the media broke the news of his death, it hurt me, it was a visceral pain. And I didn't even know the man! So, as I was watching this episode of Oprah and saw the clips and pictures of MJ, I couldn't help but think of how difficult this had to be for Janet, his sister, one who grew up with, and truly loved, Michael. I can't watch the clips, or look at pictures, of MJ without feeling sadness or loss, so it doesn't surprise me at all that his sister doesn't want to see "This Is It" or look at clips and pictures of her brother. It shouldn't surprise anyone else either; I found myself giving Oprah the "side eye" because she seemed surprised by this reaction from Janet. Janet seems like such a private person, so being asked all these questions about MJ and where she was, how she felt, blah, blah, blah.

All that to say this: what is the deal with not allowing celebrities the privacy to deal with their bereavement, their grief, out of the view of the public? I think of the way I felt when my grandfather passed away several years ago and I think of the way I would feel if someone was in my face constantly asking me personal questions, gauging my reaction, my pain, and passing it around for the consumption of people I don't even know. A person's bereavement is personal and should be respected as such. You couldn't pay me enough money to be a celebrity and have to deal with this type of thing in the public eye. Everything isn't for everyone to see or know. Would you be able to handle such scrutiny?

Blogging from A to Z: Today's letter...A for Avoidance

For my first blog in the Blogging from A to Z challenge, I decided to do a post on avoidance. We avoid things daily, whether it's for our physical safety or for our emotional safety. The former makes sense, if you believe in survival; the latter is the more interesting one to me. I can be outgoing in certain situations, but there is one thing that I avoid like a plague and that's relationships. I think I may have a disorder or something because I cannot get myself to open up and express myself, for fear of rejection. It is a terrible habit, one that I would like to rid myself of. I know that I have missed many opportunities; I may have let a soul mate slip out of my reach and that really scares me. I think that I immerse myself in school because of my avoidance issues. With school, I have control over the outcome, for the most apart. If I want an 'A' then I put in the work to get it. Yes, I stay in school because the career I want requires certain degrees and certification, but I wonder if I get a slight bit of relief that I don't have time to put myself out there, you know, in the dating scene. I hear it's real rough out there and I'm often glad that I don't have the horror stories that others have. But, I also know I'm missing out; how do I expect to get married and start a family with a man I love, and who loves me back, if I don't get out there and meet him? I have to make a change and because avoidance is getting me nowhere.

I have to thank fellow blogger, arlee of the blog tossing it out, for starting this Blogging from A to Z challenge. I think it's going to be fun! If you want information on the challenge, click the logo, featuring Uncle Sam, to your right.

Janelle Monae's got me wanting to do the "Tightrope"

I already loved the song, but the video makes it that much more catchy. I'm looking forward to her new album, which comes out May 18th. That's right around my birthday...hint, hint, hint...(smile). Enjoy the video!