Enjoy Your Bananas While You Can

It looks like bananas may become extinct in a few years. The fungus Fusarium oxysporum wiped out the previous species of bananas (the Gros Michel) in the 1950s. Now it’s back, having evolved to be able to take on the previously resistant “back-up” species of banana — the Cavendish — that replaced the superior Gros Michel banana after it was wiped out.

This newly evolved form of the fungus has already wiped out banana plantations in several Pacific Rim nations, and may soon reach plantations in Latin America. Efforts are underway to breed a new strain of resistant banana, but because the bananas we eat are seedless, it’s difficult to introduce genetic variation into the breed.  All Cavendish bananas we eat are clones, making them genetically identical and, thus, all equally susceptible to the same diseases.

So, enjoy your bananas while you can.

Following the Rules

A woman working at a Tim Horton’s in London, Ontario was fired for giving away a “Timbit” — a sixteen-cent ball of fried dough — to a small child because it was “against the rules”, according to Nicole Mitchell, the District Manager.

Someone tried to bring a little kindness into another person’s life and lost her job over it. Over sixteen cents; literally one minute’s work at minimum wage in Ontario.

It’s idiotic adherence to rules like this that burns me up. Rules are meant to serve people, not the other way around.

If sixteen cents are so crucial to the company’s income, then take it out of her paycheque.

Oh, but it’s the principle of the thing, right, Nicole?

UPDATE: She was rehired after all the bad press, lol!

Remember Brenda Martin…Stay Away From Mexico!

Earlier today, a Mexican judge convicted Brenda Martin, a Canadian woman, guilty of money laundering.  What makes this judgment so special is that it was made without any evidence at all of the defendant, Brenda Martin’s, guilt.  The only link between Ms. Martin and the $60 million internet fraud scheme she was convicted of being a part of is that she worked for a person who was convicted of said scheme.  This person, who was convicted in 2006, claims that Ms. Martin had no knowledge of the scheme at all.

Let me repeat this: there is no evidence at all that Brenda Martin was guilty of any crime.

You see, when you are arrested in Mexico, you are considered guilty until you can prove yourself innocent.  There is no such thing as being “tried by your peers” in an open court.

Brenda Martin had to wait in a Guadalajara jail for over two years to hear this verdict.  Yes, not only was she convicted of a crime without any evidence at all, she has also already languished in prison for over two years…sitting in prison, depressed, heavily sedated to keep her calm, and on a 24-hour suicide watch.

I just came back from a trip to Mexico a month ago.  If this is how foreign citizens can expect to be treated by the Mexican government, then to hell with Mexico!  I will not go back there unless Brenda Martin receives justice and the judge responsible for all this is punished.

I urge the rest of you to reconsider vacationing in Mexico.

Castro Retires

Well, Castro has finally retired as el Presidente of Cuba.

On hearing the news, US President George Bush threatened to bring “democracy” to the country, saying “The United States will help the people of Cuba realize the blessings of liberty.”

No word, as yet, on when Bush will begin sending troops to bring “democracy” to Cuba.

Lift Off!

The space shuttle Atlantis launched successfully!  Way to go, guys!

Delayed!

Fudge! The launch has been delayed about forty-five minutes due to weather. Nine minutes to go. Ugh.

Shuttle Launch!

T-minus twelve minutes…

(Click Watch NASA TV link in the middle of the page under the Humans in Space header)

Day of Days

Today is the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, which commemorates the Battle of Normandy during World War II. This was the largest seaborne invasion in history, and it resulted in the Allies forming a beachhead in Northern Europe through which they could further assault the German forces on land.

I remember picking up the video game Medal of Honor: Frontline for my Nintendo GameCube a couple of years ago. It’s a WWII first-person shooter game where the first level had you storming the beaches of Normandy. The presentation of the battle — deafening explosions, people dying around you, bullets flying everywhere, your commander shouting sometimes inaudible orders — was so overwhelming that I was moved to tears.

I can’t imagine what it must have really felt like to be on one of those landing boats when the ramp dropped and the machine gun fire started pouring in.

Cold War II?

Is the world getting ready for another Cold War between the US and Russia?

• Russia: Cold War arms race is starting again
• Putin Warns on U.S. Missiles in Europe

I’ll admit: I’ll use any excuse to post a photo of a mushroom cloud.

All the Bees are Dying?

You may have heard about the mysterious disappearance of honey bees that has been plaguing the agriculture industry in the past few months. Of course, the media is all “ZOMG! The bees are going extinct! We’ll all starve!”. Well — surprise, surprise — that is probably just media hype. Check out this article by an entomologist from the University of California at Riverside: Why are the bees disappearing?

However, I do wish the Cheerios honey bee would die.  I never liked that guy.