Good morning, it’s Tuesday.
I am a big fruit eater – especially in the summer when so much fresh produce is available. I feel, however, that fruit gets a bad rap these days, especially by influencers who argue (falsely) that if you want to lose weight you should avoid all forms of sugar – even fruit. (But somehow avocados are OK? If I could figure out how to insert a shrug emoji here, I would…let’s just pretend I did).
Of course, not all fruit is equal when it comes to sugar and carbohydrate content (and, in the case of the aforementioned avocados, “healthy” fat). Somehow, the humble banana came to be one of the most maligned and misunderstood fruits on the market.
I caveat that – I mean the traditional U.S. supermarket.
I am fairly certain that the average American shopper has no idea what durian is and wouldn’t know what to do when encountering a fruit that smells like rotting garbage and tastes like custard. Much of the rest of the world has a far broader palate – not to mention a far greater diversity of options – when it comes to fruit.
Why that is will be the subject of some other day’s brain dump.
Anyway, back to bananas, which, botanically speaking, are an elongated berry. Even though they are a perfect on-the-go food, neatly contained in their own natural package, which makes them a favorite of hikers, runners, and cyclists, they have been unfairly cast of being too high in carbs (or starch, depending on whether they’re yellow or green) to fit into a “healthy”, low-carb diet.
Of course, that is exactly WHY athletes love bananas, because not only are they easy to transport and go down smoothly without gums or goop or chemicals, but they are an excellent source of natural, readily available energy.
They’re also chock full of good things like potassium – necessary for optimal muscle and nerve function – Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6, just to name a few. They’re high in fiber, low in fat, and comparatively low in calories, can keep you full and stabilize your blood sugar, which, arguably, can HELP not HINDER weight loss.
Despite the bad rap, someone out there is buying bananas because they are the most sold item at grocery stores – particularly Wal-Mart. The big box store apparently sells more bananas than anything else, to the tune of more than 1.5 billion pounds in 2015.
The U.S. is one of the biggest importers of bananas, along with the EU, Japan and others, more than 90 percent of which originate from Central and South America and the Philippines. About half of the entire world production of bananas – about 50 million tons – are a variety called Cavendish, which, not to scare you or anything, but is reportedly threatened with extinction due to a fungal disease called Panama Disease TR4.
This fungus is not eradicable and can survive in the soil for decades without host plants. This is bad news for banana lovers, who, if you hadn’t already guessed, are celebrating their national day today.
Scientists are working to find a solution, but in the meantime this and other factors – like the overall warming of the climate, extreme weather events and so forth – are increasing the number of diseases bananas are exposed to, and prices are going up as a result. The best thing to do in the meantime would be to diversify the banana crop. Consumers also can do their part by purchasing a broader array of fruits (and veggies!) and buying local when possible.
Another not bad day is on tap with temperatures topping out in the mid-to-high 80s. Skies will be partly cloudy and, as per usual, a stray shower or thunderstorm is possible.
In the headlines…
Special counsel Jack Smith appealed Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump.
The prosecutor argued in a filing to the federal 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that his appointment by Attorney General Merrick Garland was legal, countering Cannon’s ruling that the special counsel law is unconstitutional.
Members of the newly formed House task force on the attempted assassination of Trump took one of their first investigative steps yesterday, traveling to the site of the shooting in Butler, Pa., to scrutinize the scene.
Trump wrapped himself in military imagery yesterday, attacking the Biden administration over its withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Observing the third anniversary of a deadly suicide bombing in Kabul, the Afghan capital, he visited Arlington National Cemetery, then later spoke in Detroit to a gathering of National Guard members.
Trump’s appearance at the Arlington National Cemetery comes days after military veterans took the stage at the Democratic National Convention to make the argument that Democrats are the patriotic way forward for the country.
More than 200 Republicans who previously worked for either former President George W. Bush, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., or Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in an open letter.
The Trump and Harris campaigns are sparring over whether to mute one of the microphones when it is the other person’s turn to speak during the pair’s scheduled debate next month.
The Harris campaign, it believes Trump’s and Harris’ microphones should be on throughout the debate. But Trump said his campaign agreed to the same rules regarding microphones in place for the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden.
The current dispute centers on the muting of microphones when a candidate isn’t speaking, a condition both Biden and Trump accepted for their June debate hosted by CNN. Both sides are accusing the other of gaming the system to protect their candidate.
Democrats sued the Georgia state election board yesterday, arguing that measures approved by the board this month seeking to alter the election certification process in the state were illegal and could create chaos on Election Day.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the Biden administration pressured Facebook to censor COVID-19 content and acknowledged it was wrong to stifle The NY Post’s coverage of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop.
A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked a Biden administration program that could offer a path to citizenship for up to half a million undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens, ruling in favor of 16 GOP-led states that sued over the issue.
In suspending the initiative, Judge Barker said that the 67-page complaint filed by the coalition of states, led by AG Ken Paxton of Texas, raised legitimate questions about the authority of the executive branch to bypass Congress and set immigration policy.
The administration can continue to accept applications for the program, but can no longer approve them, according to the order. The suspension initially remains in place for 14 days while the parties submit arguments in the case; it could be extended.
New York State officials are conducting a review of college safety plans as pro-Palestinian protests start to resume at some campuses, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced.
The governor convened the State Police and Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services with the leaders of some 200 campuses, including the presidents of Columbia University and CUNY, where hundreds of students were arrested last spring.
“I will continue to ensure all campus leaders and public safety officials have the resources they need to keep students safe,” Hochul pledged.
A whopping 44% of college students and recent graduates said they “rarely” or “never” feel safe identifying as Jewish on campus as antisemitism soars, according to a new survey.
Anti-Israel vandals defaced a building at Cornell University on the first day of classes yesterday, smashing the glass of a doorway and scrawling hateful messages like “Blood is on your hands.”
A bill to regulate short-term rentals in New York, a billion-dollar industry in the state outside of New York City, is awaiting action from Hochul.
Hochul announced that 500 people have been selected to receive the New York State Health Care Workers for Our Future Scholarship, offering full tuition to students pursuing careers in key healthcare roles.
Hochul has signed legislation requiring public colleges and universities to provide access to free menstrual products, according to a press release.
The proposed Equal Rights Amendment that would change the state constitution has become a lightning rod for political controversy as Election Day approaches.
State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball is urging horse owners across New York to vaccinate their animals against eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus.
Most New York communities faced COVID-19 infections spreading at high levels in recent days as health officials pushed new vaccines targeting currently surging strains, such as KP.3.1.1, state data show.
The Empire State was ranked the fourth most fun state in America, according to WalletHub. While New York did not top the list overall, it did come in first for restaurants and performing arts theaters.
Mayor Eric Adams’ pick for the corporation counsel, Randy Mastro, is preparing to face what will likely be a barrage of tough questioning from City Council members at his first hearing today.
In addition to giving his first public address to Council members, Mastro is likely to face a barrage of questions from lawmakers at Tuesday’s hearing of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Elections.
A key City Hall ally, homeless rights advocate Shams DaBaron, said he’s backing Mastro, even though the two publicly fought three years ago during a high-profile legal battle over an Upper West Side shelter.
Queens Borough Donovan Richards told the Adams administration that he tentatively supports their controversial citywide rezoning plan, which was rejected by more than two-thirds of the borough’s community boards.
New Yorkers on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) could now qualify for an extra $500 monthly.
A record 1 million spectators are expected to descend on the US Open, organizers announced, as NYPD officials said that while there are no credible threats, the department will be out in full force to keep tennis lovers safe.
A Rikers officer accused of sexually assaulting at least two women while they were detained faces new allegations that he posed as a TV producer casting a show to lure a different woman into his home and rape her, according to the Queens DA’s office.
A funeral home chain popular among Spanish-speaking New Yorkers has agreed to pay more than $700,000 in restitution to customers and civil penalties after the city sued it for allegedly preying on grieving families, officials said.
Fare evasion is so rampant on city buses that almost half of all riders aren’t paying – as scrambling transit officials deploy a new crew of enforcers to catch the freeloaders.
New Yorkers enjoying cold beers and nutcrackers this summer were smacked with $25 fines in the city’s latest crackdown on low-level crimes: public drinking.
A Brooklyn man identified as the suspect in a violent anti-Muslim attack on Fifth Ave. earlier this month was indicted on hate crime charges in Manhattan.
Philip F. Calderone, CEO of the Albany International Airport, said the Airport Authority Board has misrepresented its interactions with him and falsely claimed that it had “legitimate business reasons” not to renew his five-year contract that’s set to expire Dec. 1.
Town of Colonie police charged a 19-year-old with multiple felonies after a father and son were allegedly assaulted in Dick’s House of Sport in Latham on Saturday morning by five people who armed themselves with baseball bats from the store.
A Troy after-school education center was set to close this month — until a private donation came in to keep the organization’s lights on through next spring.
The Environmental Protection Agency is looking at removing the site of a former mercury recovery plant on Railroad Avenue in Colonie from its National Priorities List.
A Herkimer County judge faces removal from the bench after the state Commission on Judicial Conduct found the kept a Confederate flag in chambers and posted racist memes and partisan material on Facebook, among other misconduct charges.
Alison Carey, the estranged sister of Grammy Award-winning singer Mariah Carey, died over the weekend at her home in Greene County, according to her friend and advocate David Baker. She was 63.
The singer’s mother, Patricia Carey, also died on the same weekend. Mariah Carey issued a statement saying she feels “blessed that I was able to spend the last week with my mom before she passed.”
Photo credit: George Fazio.
