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My name is Coco and I like to write about the media.

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Miyazaki's Fantasy

Japanese animated filmmaker and director, Hayao Miyazaki enchants Studio Ghibli fans and viewers with yet another successful film known as "Spirited Away." The film introduces itself with a family: ten-year-old Chihiro and her parents who are headed towards their new home. In the backseat of the car is Chihiro, sulking and groaning in misery, because she refuses to move away. En route to the new neighborhood, they find themselves lost in some sort of secluded forest in which the family eventually explores. They realize that they are in what Chihiro's father assumes to be an abandoned theme park and chance on a strangely mysterious buffet laid out in a deserted foodstand. Chihiro then watches as her parents feast on the delectable and aromatic food, and to her horror, witnesses her parents having turned into a couple of huge, slobbering pigs. 

With this, Chihiro is distraught, discovering that she has entered into a fantasyland full of bizarre-looking spirits and has no idea just how to escape. Fortunately, she befriends a boy named Haku who attempts to help her find her way out of the spirit world and transform her parents back to human form. However, before she can finally escape, she learns that she must work in the bathhouse located in the spirit world in order to get her way back to the human world. 

In this renowned Studio Ghibli film, Miyazaki's beautifully handcrafted animation and astonishingly imaginative storyline leaves his viewers stirring in their seats and feeling a tenderness towards the characters. It is not only the spellbinding visuals that get filmgoers going, but the heart and soul that is being brought to its audiences. "Spirited Away" may be a story full of child-like fantasies, but nevertheless, this film stands out to all audiences - children and adults alike. It is a tale full of love, friendship, fantasy, mystery, and adventure all in one two-hour motion picture. 

This may be my favorite movie of all time, because there is just so much depth to this film. "Spirited Away" is more than the remarkable artistry - it is the meaning that comes with it. There are a cluster of motifs and symbols that Miyazaki incorporates into his celebrated film such as the environmentalism found in the stink spirit who became a pile of sludge due to the pollution in its surroundings. There is No-Face, a misunderstood creature, longing for friendship and a sense of belonging in the bathhouse, representing those who are marginalized in society. And Chihiro, a ten-year-old girl who enters into not only a world filled with spirits, but a ten-year-old girl who enters into adulthood as she faces challenges in the new world. In this whimsical voyage, Chihiro learns to honor her family by trying to save them, she learns to honor the friendships she makes along the way, and lastly - she learns to honor herself. 

"Spirited Away" is a heart-warming experience and must be treasured as such, because there are a multitude of lessons that it teaches its audience. Above all, "Spirited Away" is a fantastical and breath-taking journey that awaits those who seek to find solace in a land of fantasy. 

References:

Spirited Away [Online Image]. (2012). Retrieved from http://balthiers.tumblr.com/post/18615423979

"I can't go any further." [Online Image]. (2014). Retrieved from http://balthiers.tumblr.com/post/80893439178/i-cant-go-any-further

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The Farmville Addiction Taken To Another Level

In 2009, Facebook launched one of the fastest-growing and most played games designed by Zynga known as FarmVille. FarmVille is a farming simulation game that allows its users to basically, create their own farm and tend to it. The way to do that is to harvest crops and earn coins in the process so as to purchase other goods needed for harvesting. 

Furthermore, according to Danielle Susi, a student at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Conn, who wrote in her school’s newspaper that “[i]t is clear this obsession with FarmVille is an issue, especially since it is taking away time from studying and schoolwork,” but it is not only students that have become addicted to the Facebook application. Even a full-time mother like Alexandra Tobias has allowed the social-game to consume her everyday life…and even time that should be spent tending not to a virtual farm, but to her own child. 

A year after FarmVille was launched, 22-year-old Tobias was accused of murdering her 3-month-old son. She told investigators that the baby was crying while she had been playing FarmVille on the social networking website, causing Tobias to become angry and shake her child to death. 

Of course, this is gaming addiction to the highest degree, however this has not been the first time in which cases of child mistreatment due to their parents’ unhealthy gaming habits has occurred. In a The Huffington Post article, it was reported that “[…] a Korean couple was convicted of letting their child starve to death while they raised a virtual baby online. In September, a mother was banned from using computers after she neglected her children and let the family dogs starve because of her ‘obsession’ with a game.” 

Gaming addiction exists and there are certainly negative effects to it such as mood swings, social isolation, problems pertaining to the physical aspect such as back pains and migraines, and even sometimes, death. The problem is that companies like Zynga do not concern themselves with how game users play the game or how this will affect the players negatively, because if they did - considering all the issues on gaming addiction - then there would be warnings before playing the game. It is all about gaming wisely without trying to harm others or ourselves. 

Hopefully, the gaming industry will create solutions on how to decrease the incidents that gaming addiction brings about so that these negative effects will not take place. After all, the purpose of gaming is solely to have fun, and it would not be fun for users to experience such consequences that games can produce. 

References:

Bosker, B. (2010, October 28). Mother Alexandra V. Tobias Shakes Baby For Interrupting FarmVille, Pleads Guilty To Murder. The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/28/alexandra-v-tobias-farmville_n_775264.html

Martinez, E. (2010, October 28). FarmVille Playing Mom Admits She Killed Infant Who Interrupted Facebook Game. CBSNews. Retrieved July 28, 2014, from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/farmville-playing-mom-admits-she-killed-infant-who-interrupted-facebook-game/

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Youtube's "Mary Sue" being Sued

YouTube has become a platform for beauty and makeup gurus worldwide. One of the biggest beauty gurus who has dominated the video-sharing website is none other than American makeup artist and beauty sensation, Michelle Phan. In 2008, Phan became a member of YouTube's partners program, helping her earn $0.25 each day through the advertising revenue in the videos she posts. After founding her YouTube channel in 2006, Phan has now gained over six million subscribers, making YouTube makeup tutorial videos a career she is successful in. 

Along with the popular videos she produces are songs played in the background to keep the mood up beat and appeal to her viewers as any other YouTuber would input it. One electronic dance music artist named Kaskade has already made an appearance in a few of her videos. However, Kaskade's former label, Ultra Records was not happy to hear this and is attempting to press charges on the famous YouTuber for copyright infringement purposes.

Ultra says that Phan put their music in her makeup tutorial videos without a license and the infringing videos were "viewed over 150 million times." Ultra also said that they had already informed Phan that she needed to obtain a license for using the label's songs, but she still refused to take down her video and continued to infringe in her other videos, as well. Because of this, Ultra wants to gain all of her profits. 

What is alarming about the whole situation is that Ultra Records insists on taking all of Phan's profits, especially for songs she plays in the background of her videos. Subscribers do not view her videos for the music, not really. It is more about the content and the tutorials she makes more than the electronic dance music faintly playing in the background as she applies makeup. 

Thinking about it, if any other YouTuber whose net worth was not even as close to Phan's - which can be estimated to 3 million dollars - Ultra Records would not have the need to sue. Nevertheless, the point still stands that Phan should have asked for authorization to incorporate DJ Kaskade's songs in her videos and attached a disclaimer note for copyright infringement purposes. 

Furthermore, Ultra Records, of course, is not entitled to all of Phan's earnings. This is because of the fact that the songs being played in her YouTube videos are not the focal point of what her viewers notice nor has the label contributed to any other aspect of her YouTube career besides owning the songs she has used.

However, Ultra Records does have the right to receive a percentage of the profit she made in the videos using DJ Kaskade's songs, because the label does own the music. It is wrong for Phan to benefit from her viewers without consent from those who contributed even in a small account to the video she creates. Each viewer plays a part in the revenue Phan receives, including a percentage that belong to Ultra Records and other companies she may or may not be affiliated with, but incorporate in her videos. With this, viewers should be aware that with a click of a button, we are technically contributing to the income that YouTubers or even online advertisers receive through advertising alone. Sometimes it isn't always about How To Build Self Confidence or How To Be One of a Kind or any of those things that Michelle Phan posts videos about, because self-empowerment cannot be bought and by the looks of it, it seems that way. As we buy into these videos, we have to remember to be vigilant, because we indirectly consume what the media shows to us, and sometimes, what we contribute to is not always truthful or beneficial. Sometimes, it's even damaging. 

References:

TMZ. (2014, July 18). YouTube Star Michelle Phan -- Sued for Ripping DJ Kaskade Hits in the Name of Makeup. http://www.tmz.com. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.tmz.com/2014/07/18/michelle-phan-sued-youtube-makeup-tips-dj-kaskade-deadmau5-music-copyright/2/#comments-anchor

Chung, A. (2014, July 17). Dance music label sues YouTube star over copyright. Reuters. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/07/17/uk-copyright-phan-idUKKBN0FM2IY20140717

Buck, S. (2013, August 23). Michelle Phan: Behind the Makeup of YouTube's Fairy Godmother. Mashable. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://mashable.com/2013/08/23/michelle-phan/

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Date The Girl Who Waits...Or Don't

An article entitled "Date The Girl Who Waits" created by J Cheong has made its way on the Facebook newsfeed, and has sparked interest among Facebook users, particularly, women. The article speaks of nothing more but reasons why men (in which the article is referred to) should date the Girl Who Waits and why they should only date The Girl Who Waits. 

Reading the article, shown to us is a never-ending list of reasons as to why Cheong believes the Girl Who Waits is worth dating. Be that as it may, the article is debatable. There is always the option to date The Girl Who Waits…or not. 

Don't just date the girl who waits. Despite the fact that she may seem like she has an actual social life, because she has never signed up on OK Cupid, Tinder or any of those online dating websites, who's to say you won't find the love of your life there? According to statistics, around ten million adult American couples met on online dating websites and have kept their relationship strong as any other couple who has met outside the online dating service has. 

Forget the "find the girl who reads Catcher in the Rye and all those Haruki Murakami books in an indie bookstore" mentality. Allow her to find her own sense of identity through the books that she wants to read. Not liking the same books that you do or having the same interests at that matter does not always mean that she is not the right one for you. She has the right to be her own person and you need to respect and accept that. 

Date the girl who has gotten her heart broken over and over again...or don't. Does it really matter how many times her previous relationships have failed? Doesn't it matter more if yours doesn't? The number of times she has gone through a breakup does not measure how much love she deserves, because in the end, what matters most is how much love you give her. 

And it is perfectly fine if she does not care about the World cup or the fact that she only knows two teams in the NBA. It is okay that she has forgotten how to play instruments ever since she was a young girl and that she has no idea how to cook a meal without burning the house down. It is all right that she sometimes gets mad when you don't spend time with her all that much. It should not be a reason for you not to like her, because everyone deserves love. Not just the Girl Who Waits.

Because, let's be realistic here. Not every woman is an indie film character with a hamartia that men kill to fix. Not every woman can be depicted as the leading lady in a young adult romance novel that teenage girls love to soak up with high hopes and unrealistic relationship goals.

Young adult novels and Tumblr blog posts romanticize ideas of what the perfect girl should be like. Media should quit treating women like they want to be rescued, because not all women want that. And more importantly, the media should stop telling people that the only women who are capable of being loved are the women who need to be saved. Maybe they don't want to wait for someone to come around and save them, maybe they just want to save themselves.

Love is certainly a choice and by all means should you choose to love the flaws of the person you love. She will not always be the happy-go-lucky girl you first fell in love with. She might need time to mend her wounds and that should be normal. It's human. 

Articles like Date The Girl Who Waits allow people to create or come up with the idea of their potential partners when we should really just embrace the person we choose to love and not form them into something they are not. 

Cheong's article is quirky and romantic. It talks about never settling and overall, it is harmless fun to read. However, in a way, some signals are communicated to us that girls who possess these traits are the only ones worth dating or being with. A lot of these romanticizations have to do with the books that we read and the shows that we watch that involve the sweet but shy female role, but rarely the strong and independent leading lady.

In brief, there are many types of girls out there - personality wise and appearance wise. And there will never be a time where the only girl that is capable of being loved or worthy of dating is the perfect, faultless Girl Who Waits. 

References:

Cheong, J. (2014, June 17). DATE THE GIRL WHO WAITS - Jcatalogue. Jcatalogue. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://jcatalogue.com/date-girl-waits/

Conger, C. (2011, February 24). 5 Fundamental Truths of Online Dating. THE HUFFINGTON POST. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/online-dating-stats/

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"How to look sexier by losing a ton of weight!"

"Learn how she lost 40 pounds in 4 months!"

"Eat to live not live to eat."

All these headlines and slogans make you think about the way society views the ideology of modern pulchritude. Most of it consists of losing extreme weight, the renowned "thigh gap" phenomena, and the skin-and-bone look. It also makes you think about how those who do not appear this way or possess the "skinny genes" are looked down upon. Tossed aside as "someone who could have looked pretty, but wasted it on too much amount of food intake." Body shaming, is what its called. In truth, there was never truly a recent emergence of body shaming. It has existed ever since, but the trends were different back then as opposed to the "thin is in" way of thinking. 

In the 1950s, it was a healthier look that the media perceived as "beautiful." As seen in the advertisements, gaining weight was the fad in the past. In hearing this, there is probably an immediate reaction and impression that society back then was much better, because women were expected to be plus-sized, ideally a size 12 or more. Nevertheless, the message still tells people that they should look a certain way in order to look appealing to others' eyes and to fit into society. Skinny bodies were even being ridiculed, showing that it is still a form of body shaming no matter what size is expected of us - healthy or not. 

The question then arises: why can't we be allowed to love the body we are in? Why is it that media shoves a criterion of how to be beautiful just to sell a product when there are different methods of luring in consumers. In this day and age, it seems as if loving yourself is a sin if you do not look like the girl in the magazine. The thing is, the girl in the magazine does not even look like the girl in the magazine. 

Luckily, the advertising industry is improving in a way by straying away from the norm. Dove's "Real Beauty Sketches" Ad Campaign and many other advertisements that promote the body-positive movement. If the advertising industry as a whole continues to support the body-positive movement, then each individual would not have to strive to transform themselves into whatever media wants. Self-acceptance and love would be a no-brainer and the girl in the magazine could be someone like you.  

Crous, M. (2011, November 30). 1930s-1950s ads tell women how to avoid looking skinny. Marie Clairvoyant RSS. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www.marieclairvoyant.com/body-politics-bloggers/1930s-1950s-ads-tell-women-how-to-avoid-looking-skinny

Ghosh, S. (n.d.). Dove Real Beauty Sketches: People's Insights Volume 2, Issue 28. Peoples Lab. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://peopleslab.mslgroup.com/peoplesinsights/dove-real-beauty-sketches-peoples-insights-volume-2-issue-28/

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Airbrush, makeup, and Photoshop. 

It is an illusion in which media structures this idea of what 'beauty' is and hands it to us with hopes that this idea could be made a reality. To the viewer's eyes, beauty is neither computerized nor is it digitally airbrushed to perfection. It is whatever we see on the television screen, on an advertisement, or a music video being watched on YouTube. 

Singer, Colbie Caillat twisted the rules of media and its perception of beauty quite a lot with her Try music video which has over five million views presently. The music video starts off showing different women -- all ages, backgrounds, sizes, and race. They all look beautiful with their perfect hair and makeup. However, as the video progresses, each woman wipes off the makeup caked on her face, tears off her fake eyelashes and hair extensions, the details of Photoshop airbrushing effects applied on them start to disappear, but the result is still remain: they are beautiful just the same. With or without makeup, with or without the digitally-enhanced skin or the add-ons. 

Watching the video, I felt like Colbie Caillat and her team broke barriers and exceeded the limits of what media sets down for us. The video gives us a message that it is all right to have blemishes and not-so perfect skin. It is perfectly fine to look differently from what the music and fashion industry portray beauty as, as long as you love who you are. It sets the beauty standards to a whole new level and it opens our eyes to naturalistic beauty. The beauty that doesn't have to try. 

References:

Video Source: Vevo, C.C. (2014, July 8). Colbie calliat - Try. Retrieved from http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXoZLPSw8U8

Hiblen, C. (2014, July 14). Stripped bare: Colbie Caillat sends a powerful message about acceptance as she ditches the Photoshop and wipes off her make-up in new music video Try. Mail Online. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2691676/Colbie-Caillat-encourages-women-embrace-natural-beauty-ditches-Photoshop-wipes-make-new-music-video-Try.html

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"Mirror, mirror, on the Wall. Who's the fairest of them all?"

"Snow White," says the Mirror. 

We all know Snow White as the perfect fairytale princess. She is known for being the most beautiful maiden in the land for her "white-as-snow" skin. In the renowned fantasy, she found her Prince Charming and got her happy ending, but this type of fairytale ending already came with the beauty she was born with. It is a package deal for those who share the pulchritude Snow White possessed. 

The message in this story is subliminally transmitted into our brains. It is subconsciously exhibited to us that white skin is equivalent to superior and dominant beauty over those who do not acquire the same fair complexion. 

This GlutaMAX billboard tells people just the same: 

This billboard was released in 2009 and I have seen it for myself, driving along Edsa. The billboard asks us: "Why be 'ebony' when you can be 'ivory'?" GlutaMAX, which is a product created by the YSA Skin Care Authority, provides supplements and soap that have skin lightening essentials.

Furthermore, it may not be clearly depicted that the company is trying to sell lighter skin by patronizing darker skin, but the idea is right under our noses. The idea that maybe 'ivory' is better than 'ebony' along with the fact that we should never be satisfied with the skin color we were born with. 

Taking a closer look at the billboard, there are two sides to the celebrity endorser, Jinky Oda: Ebony vs. Ivory. On the Ebony side, the photograph of Oda being used is quite unflattering. Jinky Oda wears a sando or a sleeveless top, her hair is a bit unruly and frizzy, and her makeup is not as visible as that of the Ivory side. On the Ivory side, Oda features a more complimentary angle, her hair is perfectly kempt, her makeup is accentuated, and she is not wearing any article of clothing to show the difference in her skin. Another factor that is concealed to the audience is Oda's expression in the two contrastive photographs. Although it may seem unnoticeable, the endorser is unsmiling in her first picture whereas in the other picture, she appears more confident with the posture and smile she is bringing off. 

What is alarming to me is the fact that media sends us the idea that white skin is better skin. It also sends us the idea that once you purchase the GlutaMAX whitening products, then you will be seen as a more appealing individual. Basically, it tells us that you will be as happy and self-assured as the endorser presented only if you buy this product.  

Be that as it may, if you look at Jinky Oda when she still had swarthy skin, she still looked beautiful. The only thing that really changed was the color of her skin. She even wore a smile on her face, the same way she did after she developed a lighter skin tone. 

Media is like a horse's blinders. It does just that: it keeps its audiences sight narrow, only allowing us to see what they want us to see. In this case, media blinds us from seeing beauty with an open-mind. Media indirectly dictates to us that beauty is defined by race or skin color. Black, brown or yellow is barely used to advertise beauty. In some cases like the billboard above, it is even used to degrade others. Whereas, white is marketed as a form of elegance and classified as a one-way ticket to appeal. What is worse is that it sells. Rapidly. With this, it gives us a certain thinking that maybe changing the way we look by the standards of media will make us beautiful and more acceptable to society. 

I do not agree. Most people are unable to see that beauty is beyond media's ideals because, our society lives in a culture where we are fixated on what the TV tells us, what fashion magazines propagandize and what billboards and media advertisements brainwash us into thinking.  

However, as consumers and the audience, we still have a choice on whether or not we should let this mentality rot in our brains. We can either allow media to instill its perception and expectations of beauty in us or we can embrace the way we look now. 

Equally important, media has a part to play in this, as well. Most especially, the advertising industry. Advertising is a powerful industry and they create messages with each print ad, each commercial and each endorsement they produce. If more people in the industry worked to remove the blinders in media and create body positive messages then our society would be more accepting. 

In brief, skin does not define beauty; you do. Media can repeatedly tell us that beauty is determined by the color you wear on your skin, but that does not give us a reason to believe it. Because, you can be happy and confident whether you are white, black, brown or yellow. You can get the Prince Charming and the happy ending and you can have all of that without having to be white as Snow. 

Velasco, N. (2011). Jinky Oda. Wordpress. Retrieved June 21, 2014, from http://nbvelasco.wordpress.com/tag/jinky-oda/

Mendoza, Ruel. (2009). The surprising transformation of comedienne Jinky Oda. PEP PHILIPPINE ENTERTAINMENT PORTAL. Retrieved June 21, 2014, from http://www.pep.ph/news/19877/the-surprising-transformation-of-comedienne-jinky-oda

TRUTH IN ADVERTISING? (2009). Blogger. Retrieved from http://contrabelo.blogspot.com/2009/09/truth-in-advertising.html

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Touré, the author of Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?: What It Means to Be Black Now stated in his book that“[R]ace is like the weather. We tend to talk about the weather when it’s at an extreme but it’s always present, impacting our days. Race is similar.”

 On February 26, 2012, a Latino American named George Zimmerman who was the neighborhood watch volunteer shot African American Trayvon Martin as a sign of self-defense after an alleged argument between the two. Before the shooting happened, Zimmerman had already reported a spotting of a “suspicious” person in the premises who we can assume was Trayvon Martin himself.

 “This guy looks like he is up to no good or he is on drugs or something” is what Zimmerman disclosed to the emergency police-response line. He later confirmed that the person he had seen was a black teenager. Without any evidence of his preconceived notions, he believed that Martin was as said, “up to no good.”

With that, Trayvon Martin was killed and after various trials, Zimmerman was charged not guilty.

 As Touré expressed, we tend to talk about issues like racism when they are at an extreme; when the evidence of racism is profound and is publicized by the media. However, we do not see that issues like this have always existed and are present even in situations where they are not broadcasted internationally.

 The publicity and hype given to the Zimmerman / Martin trial through the media had greatly impacted the audience.  Many people had his or her own views, opinions, and personal verdicts towards the whole hearing and followed the trial devotedly until the last hearing which was Zimmerman’s verdict.

 Furthermore, we can see that media has such a big influence on others, especially in terms of racism as seen in the news of the Trayvon Martin shooting. If only we could portray racism as a reality instead of a controversy, because it is existent and it is something that should be eradicated from society.

According to media consultant and author of the article “The Most Racist Part of the Zimmerman Trial Was the Media”, Phil Cooke, Ph.D., “[…] journalism isn’t about the search for truth, it’s about the search for TV viewers, pageviews, and advertising sales. Online blogs reward writers on the basis of pageviews, and TV news profits from high ratings. Generally, both are under incredible pressure to produce stories under the tightest of deadlines, and most important — get those stories noticed. The common thinking at some major blogs is that you have as little as one second to grab someone’s attention with your headline. Television isn’t much different with the escalating battle between FOX, MSNBC, CNN, and their network competitors. It’s the reason cable news organizations carried the trial live for days on end.”

 As much as the Zimmerman trial exposed truths about racism in America and in modern society, media has not always given it much awareness in spite of its power among its viewers.  As stated above, most people who work behind the media industry do use social issues like racial discrimination for their own gain.

 Because of this, I feel like it is important for media to teach its viewers that there is something called racial discrimination and that it is very much present today. I believe that since media shapes and forms its wide variety of audiences, that media could also be used for good. Good in such a way that it edifies people on what injustices are being committed in our society and how we can solve these issues.

 Moreover, the Zimmerman trial was only one of the many stories involving racial discrimination, but only one of the few that was actually publicized.

 The sad truth is that media does feed on  “weather when it’s at an extreme.” It is the intention of those behind what we are being shown that is wrong. They live for the controversies that could grasp attention when they should really feed on the truth of what happens everyday.

 Touré says that “race is like the weather”, but I have learned that so is racism.

 Racism is like the weather, because the weather is being seen, felt, and heard but sometimes we treat it with an apathetic attitude. We treat it with an “Oh, it’s raining” or an “It’s cloudy outside” but when the thunder starts to clap, that is the only time we become aware of it. We should not wait for the thunder and lightning to make a change. We should see it the way it has always been: right here.

References: 

Cooke, P. (2013, July 14). The Most Racist Part of the Zimmerman Trial Was the Media. The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2014, fromhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-cooke-phd/the-most-racist-part-of-t_b_3595970.html

Capehart, J. (2013, July 16). Racism and the George Zimmerman trial.Washington Post. Retrieved May 30, 2014, fromhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2013/07/16/racism-and-the-george-zimmerman-trial/

Toobin, J. (2013, July 16). The Facts in the George Zimmerman Trial. The New Yorker. Retrieved May 29, 2014, fromhttp://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2013/07/the-facts-in-the-george-zimmerman-trial.html