Final Blog - Angelos

If anyone has been following my blog and actually reading it (doubtful), they'd know that I'm a health nut and "Christian rightwinger". The part of me that is the rightwinger-ness has a big problem with useless, senseless government spending. The health nut in me has a huge problem with the way our country eats. Now, the health nut and the rightwinger are butting heads and creating conflict in me.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/12/obama-signs-law-requiring-healthier-school-meals/1

So, Michelle Obama had her husband, our president, sign a bill that will send $4.5 billion into the school system to improve public school lunches and breakfasts. The measure will attempt to make school meals healthier, and right along with Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative across the country, will try to reduce obesity in kids. The health nut says, "Right on! Government support!" The rightwinger says, "NO! There was a better, cheaper way that won't involve them!!!"

My mom is THE "in" to the health food world and what's happening. She told me a couple years ago that a mother in Minnesota (or somewhere around there) reformed her kids' school lunches to be organic, with healthy servings of salad and vegetables. Funny part is, is that the bill for the school came out 1 cent cheaper per day than before!

She received the information from a friend, who scours the internet and picks the brains of all kinds of doctors for information on topics like this. I know that this sounds all kinds of not-credible, but just walk with me for a bit here.

What if all of the nations schools implemented this program for 1 cent cheaper a day? 1 million schools would equal $10,000. There are probably 1 million in CA alone. What if that $10,000 went into organic farming/farmers who would provide food specifically for the local schools, DAILY? Or into local orphanages, to improve the foods there, DAILY? Or maybe it could be turned into scholarships at junior colleges? Hmmm...

Michelle Obama's initiative is a good start. I hope, for the sake of the rest of the world, that the initiative will include organic foods and plenty more salads, fruits, and veggies. I remember the cole slaw in school and man, was it nasty. I'd pick a salad with a nice balsamic vinaigrette over it any day. Or how about the tater tots? Greasy potato-balls that were only good if you dipped it in the ketchup, which was the only reliable source of at least decent flavor.

Tangent...

Anyway, I do know that initiatives to improve public school lunches have been around since 2004 at least. Marion Organics has tried, and many more. Perhaps this government boost will do just that - boost the efforts into something nationwide and tangible. Perhaps it'll even spread into private schools and junior colleges.

This is my hope, anyways. If this movement actually takes off and schools have better foods, it'll maybe inspire families at home to go organic. One thing leads to another, and I'll be willing to betcha that disease rates will decrease along with obesity.

Yay for health food! :-)

Final Blog- Banner

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/03/park51-building-ground-zero-mosque

There has been so much controversy over the "cultural center", "mosque", whatever you call it by, to be built in New York. The news has consistently pushed that it will be a multi-cultural center, inviting people of all ethnicities and religions into its gigantic gym, 9/11 remembrance room, and prayer halls. The proposed design for the front of the building is a honeycomb-like pattern, in which the Star of David is clearly seen. The article pasted above says that "rightwingers" and "Christian extremists" call the mosque a mark of victory.

There has been so much attack on those "Christian extremists" and "rightwingers" for looking at the record of history and determining that history only repeats itself, and that the muslim religion is not going to change its ways simply because one country (that it hates) has laws. Islam has left its victorious flag in every country it has conquered, over sacred sites and homes alike, and almost always in the form of a mosque.

If anything, this proposed "cultural center" in NY fits the bill. It follows the pattern. It doesn't seem to be anything different, except for the fact that they're calling it a "cultural center" and adding some features that make it more diversity-friendly, ploys to get better press.

I think what bothers me the most about the above article is the caption for the picture. It reads, "Park51 in an artist's rendering - the building had been dubbed the 'Ground Zero mosque' by rightwingers and Christian extremists, but is intended for multifaith and secular use". Well excuse me for calling a spade a spade.

Let's see... a building 2 blocks from Ground Zero, funded by Islamic extremist groups, implementing an Imam to run the center, whose grounds have been fiercely defended by a random rich Muslim whose faith has always, in the past, built a mosque as a sign of conquering a land.... is not to be called a mosque. That's curious.

This is one thing I hate about the press and about journalists (which is ironic, because I am one). They spend so much time researching the people involved in the story, to get the meat so the EIC can eat, that they usually don't research the PAST. You know, history 'n' stuff. Go figure.

Here is my personal belief: Sure, this mosque will be a great addition to downtown NY. People will enjoy the gym facilities, visit the 9/11 remembrance room and cry, and pray in its halls.

For a time.

I know I'm going to catch a lot of flak for this, but the way things have been boiling down in the last 40 years is insane. Nearly every bit of the pre-end-times prophecies have been fulfilled- we're basically just waiting on the antichrist and his army of passionate followers. And last I checked, the Muslims are waiting on their last and their greatest prophet. Or something like that.

How the heck does that tie in?

My belief is that, while it will be a cultural center now, it will serve a much different purpose later. It will not be the happy-go-lucky diverse building in 5-10 years.

I'll let your imagination run with that, whatever direction it goes.