The banana is in the news again. You won’t be surprised about the topic if you read Dan Koeppel’s Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World. As you may already know, the banana that we eat today was resistant the Panama disease which took out Gros Michel variety, which was the dominant one before 1960. I’m mildly hopefully that breeders will figure something out, technology is changing fast now. But, one interesting thing I learned is that artificial banana flavor, which most people are not impressed by, actually might resemble the Gros Michel pretty well. It’s just that two generations have come to think of the waxy and more astringent Cavendish as banana qua banana.
Saudi Arabia is a problem. They’re going to execute a Sri Lankan maid for adultery by stoning. The nation seems to have played in a role in radicalizin Tashfeen Malik. The vast majority of the 9/11 hijackers were Saudi. But here’s the question: what do we do with our ally? Invade and replace the monarchy with a democracy? Here’s a sad prediction: the outcome will be worse than what we’ve got now!
After 60 Years, B-52s Still Dominate U.S. Fleet. The article claims that some of them are going to be used until 2040! Attempts to replace them have failed. Why? Perhaps the B-52 is just a optimal design for the sort of missions it undertakes.
VW Destroys Myth of Efficient Germans.
Can Everyone Tell I’m Skinny-Fat?
In Utah Feud Over ‘Dirty’ Sodas, Flavored Darts Are Fired.
Comments are closed.