the longest thread, thread - Occasionally NSFW

[strike wolf]

What the hell? No posts for over 18 hours. Pick up the pace.

[strike wolf]

Well, anyways I'm feeling pretty good other than the fact that no one's posting in here today. We have a game called Police Ball that we play during 5th period lunch. It's primarily based on baseball with several rules that are unique to the sport. But anyways I've been doing really well lately. Im 6 for my last 8 at bats with 3 HRs and 6 RBIs, batting over 600 in my last 20, and just earlier today I made a nice one handed snag to rob a guy of what might have been turned into a homerun.

[jonesthecurl]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

[diddle]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

QFT

Although, to be honest, I've never seen a real wolf, and certainly not been close enough to suffer an allergic reaction.

But thats for those who are into being pedantic.

[jonesthecurl]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

QFT

Although, to be honest, I've never seen a real wolf, and certainly not been close enough to suffer an allergic reaction.

But thats for those who are into being pedantic.

I'm assuming that dogs, especially hairy ones, especially huskies, are close enough. Although, to be boringly exact, I am just a bit allergic to anything furry - it only seems to be domestic cats that really trouble me (note I'm not implying anything about wild cats - I have never been closer than a few feet, and that outdoors).

[strike wolf]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

I'd kind of had to, no one else was posting.

[strike wolf]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

QFT

Although, to be honest, I've never seen a real wolf, and certainly not been close enough to suffer an allergic reaction.

But thats for those who are into being pedantic.

I'm assuming that dogs, especially hairy ones, especially huskies, are close enough. Although, to be boringly exact, I am just a bit allergic to anything furry - it only seems to be domestic cats that really trouble me (note I'm not implying anything about wild cats - I have never been closer than a few feet, and that outdoors).

I'm lucky really, between my parents you can find almost every allergy there is except for peanuts and shellfish but I don't have a single allergy.

[jonesthecurl]

Other way round with me - none of my family are allergic to anything, with me its pollen, dust, & cats.

[strike wolf]

Poor you. I bet you would do a lot of things to be allergy free like me.

[jonesthecurl]

Well, I take a lot of pills which helps.

Some years ago, the best pills were the ones you couldn't drink alcohol with.

Now, for me, that was hell.

[diddle]

Well, I take a lot of pills which helps.

Some years ago, the best pills were the ones you couldn't drink alcohol with.

Now, for me, that was hell.

Wow, Sophies choice eat your heart out!

[jonesthecurl]

All those long summer days without a beer - Bad Old Days.

And even without a drink, the old anti-allergens left you real sleepy.

Hurrah for modern medicine, Pfizer, and Zirtec!

[AndyDufresne]

As I am sure some of you know, the beloved Banana is currently going through a difficult and trying time.

http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cf ... F464B293E9

Steve: Tell us about that disease and about how it's kind of resurfacing today.

Koeppel: Sure. That disease is a fungus and it is called Panama disease, which is named after the country where it first began. The Gros Michel was introduced, it was the first Banana introduced to Americans a little over 100 years ago and almost immediately these banana plantations began to succumb to this mysterious disease and this began a cycle. As soon as the Banana plantations succumbed, banana companies began to plant new plantations; they began a cycle of plantation building, abandonment, and replanting all across Central America. It was a race, hopscotch race against these diseases. Finally around 1950, they ran out of room. The banana companies were almost bankrupt and at the very last minute, they adopted this Cavendish banana, which they had resisted. They felt it was an inferior banana, such a bad banana that they really resisted. They didn't want to use it and they, sort of, were forced into it. And for 50 years, more or less, they've, sort of, lively ran along, and didn't do much to preserve this banana—they thought it was immune to Panama disease. But about 10 years ago they planted some Cavendish bananas in Asia and lo behold the new strain of Panama disease emerged and it started afflicting the Cavendish. And from those small plantations in Malaysia, where that first new strain of Panama disease emerged, that Panama disease has now spread even faster than the old one did. It is now in India, in Pakistan, in China. It has spread all the way through the Pacific to Australia and it is coming to our hemisphere. It has not hit yet, but I have said often and it is absolutely true that it is coming. No banana scientists, no plant pathologist denies that. The question is when. And it is probably five or 10 years away. And as of now there is no cure, and when it comes it will go fast and it will go very devastatingly, will probably wipe out the entire banana crop, unless something is done about it, unless some kind of cure is found or unless we diversify our banana crop before that.

Steve: One of the big dangers with any kind of monoculture agriculture is if one of them is going to get it, they're all going to get it because they are clones of each other.

Koeppel: Right. And that's what makes the banana so wonderful: In a way that banana was the first fast food, you know? Every single banana is exactly the same as every other one. They are totally reliable, they ripen at the same rate; they taste the same. This is what made the banana so practical. I mean, if you think about it, bananas are cheaper than apples, yet they come from thousands of miles away; and the reason for that is that bananas have these tremendous economies of scale because they are all the same and they require the same shipping methods. They don't require six different kinds of techniques, the way the six different apples we eat do. So a banana is just the, sort of, perfect thing for cheapness. And, you know, but because each banana is identical, each banana is susceptible to the same disease. This Cavendish banana in Pakistan is susceptible to the same disease as this Cavendish banana in Guatemala. And so once the disease hits, it spreads very quickly, and that's what's happening with Panama disease right now.

Bananas, you are in my thoughts and prayers.


--Andy

[strike wolf]

Bananas will bounce back. They always do.

In other news, today marks the 3rd day in a row that I tried to get Indiana Jones tickets in advance and failed.

[jonesthecurl]

As I am sure some of you know, the beloved Banana is currently going through a difficult and trying time.

http://www.sciam.com/podcast/episode.cf ... F464B293E9

Steve: Tell us about that disease and about how it's kind of resurfacing today.

Koeppel: Sure. That disease is a fungus and it is called Panama disease, which is named after the country where it first began. The Gros Michel was introduced, it was the first Banana introduced to Americans a little over 100 years ago and almost immediately these banana plantations began to succumb to this mysterious disease and this began a cycle. As soon as the Banana plantations succumbed, banana companies began to plant new plantations; they began a cycle of plantation building, abandonment, and replanting all across Central America. It was a race, hopscotch race against these diseases. Finally around 1950, they ran out of room. The banana companies were almost bankrupt and at the very last minute, they adopted this Cavendish banana, which they had resisted. They felt it was an inferior banana, such a bad banana that they really resisted. They didn't want to use it and they, sort of, were forced into it. And for 50 years, more or less, they've, sort of, lively ran along, and didn't do much to preserve this banana—they thought it was immune to Panama disease. But about 10 years ago they planted some Cavendish bananas in Asia and lo behold the new strain of Panama disease emerged and it started afflicting the Cavendish. And from those small plantations in Malaysia, where that first new strain of Panama disease emerged, that Panama disease has now spread even faster than the old one did. It is now in India, in Pakistan, in China. It has spread all the way through the Pacific to Australia and it is coming to our hemisphere. It has not hit yet, but I have said often and it is absolutely true that it is coming. No banana scientists, no plant pathologist denies that. The question is when. And it is probably five or 10 years away. And as of now there is no cure, and when it comes it will go fast and it will go very devastatingly, will probably wipe out the entire banana crop, unless something is done about it, unless some kind of cure is found or unless we diversify our banana crop before that.

Steve: One of the big dangers with any kind of monoculture agriculture is if one of them is going to get it, they're all going to get it because they are clones of each other.

Koeppel: Right. And that's what makes the banana so wonderful: In a way that banana was the first fast food, you know? Every single banana is exactly the same as every other one. They are totally reliable, they ripen at the same rate; they taste the same. This is what made the banana so practical. I mean, if you think about it, bananas are cheaper than apples, yet they come from thousands of miles away; and the reason for that is that bananas have these tremendous economies of scale because they are all the same and they require the same shipping methods. They don't require six different kinds of techniques, the way the six different apples we eat do. So a banana is just the, sort of, perfect thing for cheapness. And, you know, but because each banana is identical, each banana is susceptible to the same disease. This Cavendish banana in Pakistan is susceptible to the same disease as this Cavendish banana in Guatemala. And so once the disease hits, it spreads very quickly, and that's what's happening with Panama disease right now.

Bananas, you are in my thoughts and prayers.


--Andy

I'm surprised the disease can spread so easily: there appear to me to be a number of different types of banana. Relying on one type is a classic bad idea - see the Irish Potato Famine (and why Jersey , the brit one that is, should diversify - alll jersey potatoes are, exactly, clones)
And what does he mean , "six" apples? There are hundreds. Maybe the US uses only six.
Does anyone know what other banana types there are, and what would be a viable alternative? And will this disease infect plantains?

[gloryordeath]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

I'd kind of had to, no one else was posting.

sorry about that i took a few days off from the forum to spend time with my kids and go out side. it is so nice the roses are going wild and air smells of grass and lilacs, i'm just so happy to be out in the sun, i'm sick of cold and snow. yard work yeppy i'm glad to see you guy again i kind of left this part of the forum for dead. i got tired of people telling me "i did not get this thread" i just liked chating with you guys but anyway it's good to see you both again.

[jonesthecurl]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

I'd kind of had to, no one else was posting.

sorry about that i took a few days off from the forum to spend time with my kids and go out side. it is so nice the roses are going wild and air smells of grass and lilacs, i'm just so happy to be out in the sun, i'm sick of cold and snow. yard work yeppy i'm glad to see you guy again i kind of left this part of the forum for dead. i got tired of people telling me "i did not get this thread" i just liked chating with you guys but anyway it's good to see you both again.[/quote}

Welcome back.
I'm not gonna be about myself much after the middle of this week - my parents are coming over from Welsh Wales to see me in Noo Joisey, to check that their grandchildren aren't growing up mobsters (or to claim a percentage of the takings if they are), and to make sure I'm wearing their birthday present. hopefully it'll stop raining while they're here - I don't fancy being indoors with them the whole time.

[diddle]

It's a good job I'm allergic to cats, not wolves else I'd be sneezing right now - three in a row!

I'd kind of had to, no one else was posting.

sorry about that i took a few days off from the forum to spend time with my kids and go out side.

What?! You mean theres more to life than just a computer?!!!

[jonesthecurl]

What?! You mean theres more to life than just a computer?!!!

Just a rumour.

[johnnyrotten]

Mmmm... cockfest.

[strike wolf]

I wanted to reply a couple times here, but you guys had the perfect responses both times. Quit making me feel useless.

[gloryordeath]

lol yes there is a big firey ball in the sky that demands fresh blood and beer lots of beer.

[strike wolf]

I got beer, but I'm fresh out of blood. sorry.

[gloryordeath]

a t-bone works nicely

[AndyDufresne]

Logic dictates that because this thread got pushed down, I will post banana.

Banana.


--Andy