Almost Worth Knowing: New Footage!

Hey all. This is some behind the scenes stuff from Won Ton Baby. In it, I give viewers a tour of my character's bedroom in the movie. Check it out!

Almost Worth Knowing: A Great New Show That Makes me a Lot Sad and a Little Bit Sick and Angry

I am currently sitting and watching a new 6-episode series on ABC, called Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution.

You may know Jamie Oliver as "the Naked Chef," the title of his first series, on the Food Network. In 2005, he was named the "Most Inspiring Political Figure" in the UK when he "revolutionized" the British school food system, helping it switch from feeding school-aged children healthy food instead of processed food. In his new show, Oliver hopes to do the same for the US, by starting in Huntington, West Virginia, the city MSNBC named as "the most unhealthy city in the United States."

Watching the first episode, I nearly wanted to throw up just from seeing what children are served and what people think of as acceptable food: the children were given pizza for breakfast, pizza for lunch, and the only milk kids drank were chocolate or strawberry flavored. When Oliver attempted to make what looked like good, oven roasted chicken, the kids completely rejected it in favor of fake, French bread pizza.

In the second episode, Oliver quizzes some kids on what different fresh vegetables are. 6-year-old kids could not identify a tomato or an eggplant, or tell that French Fries come from potatoes. I'm disgusted.

Ultimately, the worse part is the opposition and rejection Oliver faces from all of the people he tries to help. I firmly believe that Oliver IS there to help and not just make a tv show; his work in the UK is evidence of that. I know that nobody wants an outsider to come in and say "you're unhealthy" or "you need to change your living habits." Moreover, I know that kids just don't like the same things adults do. However, I do believe that healthy eating habits start early, and kids emulate their parents. My nieces have "acquired" a taste for sushi, because that is what they see their parents eating. They may not love eating salad, and may like eating chicken nuggets more than fresh things, but the truth is, my sister doesn't even offer them the crap that most kids would normally choose to eat. This isn't oppression, it's proper parenting.

Nobody disputes the fact that processed food is easier. However, we are paying for our culture of convenience. How much do we value our children as Americans? Enough to feed them good food, or just enough to feed them the cheapest easiest products? I don't know if this show will make a difference to a lot of people, but I sincerely find Jamie Oliver's work to be noble. I hope he does make a difference.

In conclusion, watch the show if you have a chance. Do some reading on it here or here. Maybe even sign his petition: JaimeOliver.com. I'm going to keep watching, cause now I hope he does succeed. In his interview, Oliver says the ending is only bitter-sweet. I'll take it.

Almost Worth Knowing: Just Some Cool Videos for Your Enjoyment

I know that there are plenty more cute babies on YouTube, but I thought these were pretty worth sharing. Apparently, it's a pretty well-supported internet video genre. Who knew?

Worth Knowing: Seriously... this is not okay...

This story is pretty new, and I think it is definitely worth knowing. However, I mostly just want to gripe. I don't have much to say about this, because either you agree with me or you don't. However, if you don't agree, you're stupid. Here are the facts as I understand them.

Today, in Mississippi, Itawamba County school district's board decided to cancel this year's prom. The reason - a female student wanted to wear a tuxedo and attend the event with her same-sex date. The ACLU became involved and gave the school board until yesterday to change it's policy. The day passed with no comment, but the board eventually released the following statement: the school board would not host the event "due to the distractions to the educational process caused by recent events." Furthermore, they stated "It is our hope that private citizens will organize an event for the juniors and seniors. However, at this time, we feel that it is in the best interest of the Itawamba County School District, after taking into consideration the education, safety and well being of our students."

Curiously, no mention was made of the ACLU, or Constance McMillen, the student involved. it would appear that the School Board would rather punt on the question than deal with the repercussions of enforcing its rules. McMillen also suggests that the action is retaliatory, as many of her peers would fault her personally for the cancellation. Whatever the case, this blogger supports Constance McMillen in her desire to assert her rights.

Constance McMillen, 18

The entire Associated Press article can be found here: Miss. school prom off after lesbian's date request