Downtown Topeka has never had more hope than it does 5 p.m Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 S.E. 6th St. Heartland Visioning Group will be holding a community meeting regarding what direction to take with downtown Topeka. This is exactly what this town needs, a chance for something different!

I think the idea of having everything changed around in downtown Topeka is a great one. If there was an area in town to walk from business to business at night, it would be something completely new to the city. I think it would bring more people from surrounding areas to Topeka on the weekends, as well as the weekdays. It would be very convenient to have dinner and then walk to get a drink somewhere. From what they have been considering there would be less vehicle traffic and more pedestrian traffic, which would be beneficial in indefinite ways.

Whatever they decide to do, I am all for it. Everything in the article gives me hope that Topeka's night scene may be improved before I am too old to enjoy it!

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http://cjonline.com/news/local/2010-02-23/visioning_focuses_on_downtown

Why Throw Out Perfectly Good Food?

Anyone who has ever questioned the safety of a food product and threw it out because they weren't sure, needs to read this article. I can only imagine the amount of food Americans throw out daily because they think something is bad but it is not. I personally go by appearance and smell, as opposed to what some printed date on a package tells me. Sometimes those dates are premature, and you could end up throwing out perfectly edible food.

Maybe I am just paranoid, but I look at it like the manufacturer is going to tell me an earlier date, therefore I will buy the product sooner than I really need to. Mostly this happens because they have to play it safe like the article says. Accounting for those irresponsible consumers, manufacturers end up short-changing smart consumers. But with a little bit of information, like this article for instance, we can save a couple bucks and waste less food at the same time.

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http://www.slate.com/id/2244249?yahoo=y

The Double McTwist 1260

Shaun White is my new favorite sportsman in the Winter Olympics. After hearing about his awesome new move and the fact that it won him 48.4 points, I was amazed. Not only is he inventing new moves, he does them with incredible talent and he won an Olympic gold medal! The Double McTwist 1260 sounds ridiculously hard because of all the spinning involved, but Shaun does it with ease, enough to awe the judges into giving him the gold.

I feel like he should have earned extra points because he invented the move himself, who does that? After going to YouTube and watching the Double McTwist again, I think it finally sunk in how incredible the move is. This article not only justifies the way I feel, but it also makes me even prouder that Shaun White is an American. The Olympics is the time for athletes to shine, and with this awesome new snowboarding move, he has done just that.

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http://www.entertainmentandshowbiz.com/shaun-white-double-mctwist-1260-wins-him-2nd-gold-medal-2010021937114

Take-out food on the Rise

Environmentally concerned people are going to hate this article, although it is completely correct. I myself cringe at the thought of how many disposable containers are used in one day in the restaurant industry alone. Not to mention the materials that are being used for most of them aren't biodegradable, and for some reason they are becoming more popular. That reason, according to this article, is the fact that more Americans find it simpler to pay for dinner instead of prepare it.

Although the writer touches on the environmental aspect of this trend, she waits until the end and I feel like it should have been addressed more in the middle. She focuses too much on the convenience of the size and shape of the container, instead of what it is made of and how that will affect the economy on that level. I feel like this story would have more impact on the consumer if the issue of asking for environmentally safe containers was the last topic of the article. Yes it's convenient, but will it be convenient when our landfills are over-filled with styrofoam?

http://www.foodchannel.com/stories/2364-takeout-trend-still-growing-adapting-

The Break Room in Downtown Topeka Tries Something New

After reading "Arts on the Menu" by Lyle Vaughn I was inspired. He describes a wonderful restaurant where the owners want to do something different and bring a new type of entertainment to downtown Topeka. Not only by extending their hours into the evening, but adding dinner-theatre and a new cuisine labeled "SpanItalian" gives The Break Room an intrigue not usually found in Topeka.

This article definitely brings up the issue of Topeka's nightlife and the lack thereof. As a 25-year-old female that grew up in this city, I have been at a loss many times while searching for something to do on a Thursday or Friday night. By bringing art, entertainment and good food to the downtown area I believe it will bring a new life and culture that was never found here before. Since it has me interested, I am sure there are others that are ready for something new, and I see success for The Break Room.

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Seveneightfive Topeka's Guide to Entertainment, lifestyle and local flavor