Bananas: All That Potassium and Carmen Miranda Too!
Bananas: All That Potassium And Carmen Miranda Too! "?We have old-fashioned tomahto, Long Island potahto, but Yes, we have no bananas. We have no bananas today.."- Folk song by Frank Silver and Irving Cohen (1923)Whether you are off to Rio following the colorful trail of Carmen Miranda's fruit-filled hat or seated on your couch contemplating the universe, the banana can always come along for the ride. There are so many aspects to this strange and wonderful fruit. Even its shape is a bit mysterious; conjuring images of tropical islands and sun-filled days. Did you know that the word "banana" originates from the Arabic and means finger? Doesn't that make you wonder where the rest of the hand is? I have been hooked on bananas ever since I was a child, and Miss Chiquita, drawn by Dik Brown who also created the Campbell kids, used to sing to me through the television in my parents' living room.
(I always wondered why she never had her own show. She was so much cuter than Ed Sullivan.) You remember her words: I'm Chiquita Banana and I'm here to say Bananas need to ripen in a special way When they are flecked with brown and have a golden hue Bananas taste the best and are the best for you. The banana is so popular in America today that four million tons of them are imported every year. Not to compare apples to oranges, but rather apples to bananas, a banana has less water, fifty percent more food energy, four times the protein, half the fat, twice the carbohydrate, almost three times the phosphorus, five times the Vitamin C and iron and at least twice the other vitamins and minerals as a single apple! The average American eats 33 pounds of bananas a year. An excellent source of potassium and carbohydrates, they can be eaten any time of the day because of their digestive properties.
Natural sugar provides energy for those sports requiring endurance and low proportions of sodium chloridium render a good recommendation for salt free diets. That's all quite impressive, I know, but where did the banana come from in the first place? Did it arrive as a conundrum along with the chicken or the egg, or did both of them precede it? Buddhist texts from 600bc mention the banana for the first time in history. Alexander The Great tasted bananas in the Indus Valley in 327bc and in his day they were called pala. China records the presence of banana plantations as far back as 200ad (way before the birth of Scarlet O'Hara). In 650 ad Islamic conquerors brought bananas back to Palestine and through trade spread them all over Africa.
They were unknown to the New World until 1516 when the first root stocks were brought here by Spanish missionary, Father Tomas de Berlanger. So much for traveling. How do they grow? The whole matter is extremely confusing. The banana tree itself (even though it is not a tree but a giant plant) is by definition an herb. What is an herb? Without passing go or collecting $200, the answer is a flowering plant with a fleshy, rather than woody, stem.
Each stem consists of ten to fourteen hands, each carrying from eighteen to twenty bananas. The stem, however is a false one, formed by tightly wrapped overlapping leaves, resembling stalks of celery. The plant belongs to the same family as lilies, orchids and palms and the fruit is a berry. By definition, a berry is a simple fruit having a skin surrounding one or more seeds in a fleshy pulp. A banana cut lengthwise will reveal very tiny black seeds within its center.
Therefore, a banana is a fruit, herb, berry and plant all at the same time. The expression "going bananas" probably came into vogue during the time all of these terms were being defined, don't you think? There are about four hundred different varieties of this fabulous fruit, but don't tell Carmen Miranda. (Apart from the fact that she is dead and you couldn't possibly, there is no way the woman could fit one more piece of anything on top of one of her hats!) The three chief imported brands are Chiquita, Bonita and Fyffes. The Chiquita (according to her whom I trust implicitly) is always a guarantee of quality. Its production sites are located in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Columbia.
The Bonita banana hails from Ecuador and is the cheapest of the three, but only because it is never advertised. Fyffe's founded in 1888, has the distinction of being the oldest fruit brand in the world. These bananas are produced in Belize, Columbia, Honduras, Suriname, Jamaica and The Windward Islands. Harvesting is a race against time that starts while the banana is still green. From harvest to delivery at the supermarket twenty days remain before spoilage occurs.
Transportation is done with specialized refrigerated cargo ships, each containing some 250,000 boxes of bananas collected the day before. The bananas are stocked in "ripening rooms" for six to eight days at a temperature that can not exceed 14.5C. This temperature allows a homogenous ripening of the bananas of different sizes.
The color of a banana's skin indicates its degree of ripeness, but here is a more precise guide. Green bananas are not ripe, but can be safely used in soups and stews.
Yellow with green tips indicates the fruit is partially ripe and it can be broiled, baked or fried. All yellow bananas are ripe and are best eaten raw or baked into cakes or pies. Yellow bananas with brown freckles are fully ripe and can be eaten raw, in a salad or in any other dishes calling for uncooked fruit. All brown bananas are over ripe, but if the flesh is firm they are still in prime eating condition. Blackened areas indicate bruised fruit and should be avoided.
Bananas can be utilized in hundreds of dishes prepared in as many ways. Roasted, fried, broiled, par boiled, baked, saut?ed or eaten raw, the results are always delicious. They wear many hats, so to speak, and can serve as relishes, stuffing for goose, duck, turkey or chicken, sauces, spreads, jellies, jams, candies, cake and pie filling, flour for breads and fresh fruit in salads. There is little that one cannot do with a banana ( except maybe pay a utility bill.) I am sure that Carmen Miranda loved bananas in every way, but dying as she did at such an early age, I wonder if she didn't put more of them on her hats than she ever ate. Chiquita could have told her the truth, but would she have listened? Somehow I tend to doubt that those two would have ever gotten along!.
Time is Running Out for "Intelligent Design"
Boston, MA (ContentDesk) April 9, 2006 --
Tick tock Tiktaalik. Time appears to be running out for the idea of Intelligent Design. Paleontologists have just reported a discovery that promises to be as significant to evolutionary theory as it will be damaging, if not fatal, to biblical literalism. Now Bob Michael is commemorating the discovery with hats, t shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, mugs, pillows, and tote bags.Proponents of Intelligent Design claim that a superior intelligence created each species in the forms that we see today. They insist that evolutionary theory is wrong because there exist no transitions, no evidence of "missing link" fossils to show changes from one species into another.
Their argument has always, of course, ignored the existence of archaeopteryx fossils - the transition species from reptile to bird. Now we have the uncovering, on Canada's Ellesmere Island, of a fossil which clearly shows a species that bridged the gap between fish and land animals....
Time is Running Out for "Intelligent Design"
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BusinessMom.com Comes To Town
Milana Leshinsky started her first home business in 1994, making cutemagnetic hats for 20 cents a piece. After two months she realized that shewasn't a work-at-home mom... more like a slave-at-home mom, making less than$5 an hour. What a disappointment. And this realization is not uncommon forwomen starting a business at home.One of the reasons this horrific experience comes to pass is that women donot realize how many incredible opportunities there are for having a homebased business via the internet.Six years after this first self-employment experience, after having hersecond child, Milana tried becoming a work-at-home mom again.
This time herbusiness has outgrown any expectations, any predictions and any hopes shehas ever had on becoming a home-based mom.She didn't just do "okay", she is completely successful.Milana's first order arrived in February 2001. In April of 2002 she quit herjob - the job that only a few years ago (after graduating from college) shecalled her "dream...
BusinessMom.com Comes To Town
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Yet More Care Hair Myths - The Truth And The Lies
Those hair care myths just keep coming! In this third of 3 articles, we examine some of the most widely known myths - and dig out the truth?1. Hair should be washed every dayFALSE: There is no correct schedule for washing hair. Every person should shampoo according to the specific needs of their hair type and texture. While some people do benefit from a daily shampoo, others benefit from a variety of shampooing schedules.2. More lather = a more effective shampoo = cleaner hairFALSE: Lathering agents are often added to shampoos, but more foam doesn't mean cleaner hair.3.
Hair develops immunity to the same shampoo over timeFALSE: There is no scientific evidence to prove this myth.4. Brushing your hair is better than combing itFALSE: Actually, your hair reacts better to a comb than a brush. Brushing it will only lead to split ends and hair breakage.5. Split ends can be repaired without trimmingFALSE: The only successful treatment for removing split ends is with a scissors. Some hair...
Yet More Care Hair Myths - The Truth And The Lies
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Time is Running Out for "Intelligent Design"
Boston, MA (ContentDesk) April 9, 2006 --
Tick tock Tiktaalik. Time appears to be running out for the idea of Intelligent Design. Paleontologists have just reported a discovery that promises to be as significant to evolutionary theory as it will be damaging, if not fatal, to biblical literalism. Now Bob Michael is commemorating the discovery with hats, t shirts, jerseys, sweatshirts, mugs, pillows, and tote bags.Proponents of Intelligent Design claim that a superior intelligence created each species in the forms that we see today. They insist that evolutionary theory is wrong because there exist no transitions, no evidence of "missing link" fossils to show changes from one species into another.
Their argument has always, of course, ignored the existence of archaeopteryx fossils - the transition species from reptile to bird. Now we have the uncovering, on Canada's Ellesmere Island, of a fossil which clearly shows a species that bridged the gap between fish and land animals....
Time is Running Out for "Intelligent Design"
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If You Want To Be Successful in Trading, There's Only One Thing You Need to Do..
Copyright 2006 New Ireland Ventures, LLC
I've got good news for you. If you've been struggling to get the results from your trading that you expected, then you've probably dismissed the most important thing, and it's such a common mistake that struggling traders make and the pros don't: treating your trading as a business you own, not simply something you do.
If it's so simple, then What does that actually mean?
Let's take a closer look and see.
While most people know the difference between a hobby and a business, most who aren't profiting from trading fail to see that they are approaching their trading in the same way they would a hobby, instead of a business.
Hobbies are activities where a person has an interest and they enjoy the activity itself.
It's fun, exciting, enjoyable, and occupying.
A hobby is part-time, do-it- yourself and a learn-as-you-go activity.
Unfortunately this is good...
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Papas Choppers now offering a full range of clothing apparel such as Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers, Bipolar Clothing, Dented Socal and many more! www.papaschoppers.com
We are proud of the great selection of products we offer to bikers. The brand names we sell signify quality and a love of riding. We can offer you great lines like orange county choppers, west coast choppers, tattoo clothing, and American Chopper Apparel. This means you can get your orange county choppers sunglasses, clothing, wallpaper, and hats here. Caps and t-shirts that signify your love of motorcycles are fun to wear everywhere you go, so shop today at www.papaschoppers.com.
Sport your new clothes the next time you go out with friends. If they're your good riding buddies, you might even want to let them know about the great deals you got at www.papaschoppers.com.Have fun! Ride responsibly!More About www.papaschoppers.com soon!.
Papas Choppers now offering a full range of clothing apparel such as Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers, Bipolar Clothing, Dented Socal and many more! www.papaschoppers.com
Hats > Papas Choppers now offering a full range of clothing apparel such as Orange County Choppers, West Coast Choppers, Bipolar Clothing, Dented Socal and many more! www.papaschoppers.com
BusinessMom.com Comes To Town
Milana Leshinsky started her first home business in 1994, making cutemagnetic hats for 20 cents a piece. After two months she realized that shewasn't a work-at-home mom... more like a slave-at-home mom, making less than$5 an hour. What a disappointment. And this realization is not uncommon forwomen starting a business at home.One of the reasons this horrific experience comes to pass is that women donot realize how many incredible opportunities there are for having a homebased business via the internet.Six years after this first self-employment experience, after having hersecond child, Milana tried becoming a work-at-home mom again.
This time herbusiness has outgrown any expectations, any predictions and any hopes shehas ever had on becoming a home-based mom.She didn't just do "okay", she is completely successful.Milana's first order arrived in February 2001. In April of 2002 she quit herjob - the job that only a few years ago (after graduating from college) shecalled her "dream...
BusinessMom.com Comes To Town
Hats > BusinessMom.com Comes To Town
Are Your Medicine Causing Your Thinning Hair?
Hair Growth
Hair usually grows about half an inch per month, although this slows as you age. Each hair remains on your head for two to six years, and during most of this time is continually growing. An average person has about 100,000 hairs.
As a hair gets older, it may enter a resting stage in which it remains on your head but doesn't grow. At the end of this stage, the hair usually falls out. Usually, the follicle replaces it in about six months.
During this time, your hair is in its resting stage.
But many factors can disrupt this cycle. The result can be that your hair falls out early or isn't replaced.
What Causes Thinning Hair
Thinning hair can be caused by drugs, including: birth control pills, anticoagulants,...
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Bananas: All That Potassium and Carmen Miranda Too! Hats skirt
Credit cards are like loans
Credit cards! If you're like most people, you probably love them some times and hate them other times. They can be a great way to manage your finances and they can be a terrible bill to get every month.
But credit cards aren't all bad. If we could live our lives without them, we would. But we can't. The world is simply not built that way anymore.
More and more often, companies require credit cards as the best way to receive payment or security, rather than cash or checks...
Credit cards are like loans
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LCD Televisions
LCD televisions are flat panel televisions that utilize LCD technology, which is already commonly been used in cell phones, calculators, and computer monitors. LCD televisions' display screen has two parallel polarizing panels and a liquid crystal sandwiched between them. Based on the amount of voltage passed through the panels, the rod-shaped liquid crystal molecules will be untwisted to different degrees, limiting the entry of light. Thus, the crystalline layer acts a shutter that either allows...
LCD Televisions Bananas: All That Potassium and Carmen Miranda Too! Hats televisions
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This Autumn's Footwear Fashion; Platforms and Booties!
Sarah Jessica Parker famously made Manolo Blahnik a household name in Sex and the City. However, long before the erstwhile Carrie Bradshaw and her girlfriends made the legendary shoe designer a figure of mass consumption, "Manolo's" were already an essential item in the celebrity world and amongst the fashion elite. But today, as more and more people demand their goods, how can the Manolos, Jimmy Choos and Vivienne Westwoods of the world still get away with charging women thousands of pounds for...
This Autumn's Footwear Fashion; Platforms and Booties! Bananas: All That Potassium and Carmen Miranda Too! Hats skirt
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5 Tips for Hair Loss Treatment
Hair loss is a frustrating experience for many of the millions of people who are affected by it each year. Many of these people are not prepared for the hair loss when it arrives, they may be younger or they may be women. In any case where hair loss is not expected or welcomed, there is a search conducted for hair loss treatments.
1- The most common hair loss treatment for both men and women is the use of Minoxilil, better known as Rogaine. This over-the-counter solution helps...
Hats > 5 Tips for Hair Loss Treatment