BEING A BANANA

Am I a banana?

I'm a banana.

No.

I'm not a banana. Not true.

I'm pretending to be a banana because this is supposed to be a fiction blog.

So...

I'm a banana.

OK?

Ifya just let me be a banana for now that'll be gudd.

:)

I don't like to be eaten.

When people take a bite out of me it hurts like the dickens.

Ouch!

They've tried,

but I won't let 'em.

Even pretty ones like this one.

If they manage to eat me up then I'm

all gone.

Dead.

As a

doornail.

ONO!

People like that woman above like gobbling me up.

They just like to eat me.

They don't care. They just think I taste good.

The only reason I was created was to be eaten.

I was raised on a banana farm.

I didn't come from a forest or something.

Yaknow?

I think Chiquita owned the tree I was attached to--

my foster 'parent.'

What a life that was.

Just hanging around waiting to be picked,

stuffed into a box and crammed in with a bunch of other bananas,

sent to a store,

hurled around a loading dock

then shoved onto a shelf in a warehouse to eventually wind up

on a shelf

at Stop and Shop.

OMG!

Then finally sitting on a kitchen table watching other animals and fruit

getting cooked and eaten, while I await my brutal fate.

To be eaten by a beautiful maiden.

Uh oh!

Am I in trouble!

Phew!

What can I do?!

If that gal doesn't eat me then this guy with the red nose will try!

Everyone loves bananas!

We're mello

and we're

yello.

Donovan

wrote a great song called Mellow Yellow about bananas.

Here is the link:

I'm slippin' into non-fiction a bit.

But that's ok.

Donovan's song is real, not fiction.

But they didn't really call him Mellow Yellow I don't think until

he wrote the song.

Great song.

I'm still not sure to this day if the rumors are true that

there is some way to get high by smoking

banana peels some way somehow.

Not sure on that.

Here's more banana non-fiction.

Harry Chapin wrote a great banana song, too.

The first one ya listened to at the top of the page was

30,000 Pounds Of Bananas.

It's about a banana delivery truck that crashes, resulting in 30,000 lbs of

M A S H E D    B A N A N A S

! ! ! ! !

ONO

!

At Stop and Shop people even buy bananas to feed their pets.

Darned banana-eating Parrot!

ONO!

Help!

Sometimes I wish I wasn't even a banana.

Awwww.

What if he had to watch me eat HIS brother?

These are a ton of bananas.

Well, probably more.

They're all my brothers and sisters.

I love all those guys.

Aren't they cute.

And...

Verrrrrrrrry

Yello!

:)

I'm writing this story inspired by my facebook friend

Patty,

btw.

She luvs

bananas

and uses a facebook app

called "Food Fight"

and throws

facebook food at me all the time.

<3

Patty's cool and luvs

Thundersnowstorms.

Me 2!

:-D

I'm a banana

and sure am

PROUD OF IT!

So, please don't eat me or anymore bananas

if ya luv us.

OK?

Whatever ya do, please don't use me as a gun.

I'm a pacifist!

:)

I'm a vegan.

I don't like hurtin' anyone or anything.

So

please,

please

be peaceful.

Peace is the answer.

Not WAR!

Not eating animals.

Not abusing 'em by using 'em as lab experiments

so your bubble gum tastes better.

Or wearing their skin just because you like the way it looks.

OK?

Ifya do that, then go ahead and eat some bananas.

Not me tho?

OK?

Please?

You can use me as a phone ifya want.

This cute girl is welcome to buy me at Stop and Shop and use me as a phone.

That'd be a great way to be.

BEING A BANANA

could be gudd,

or it

could be

badd.

One more link to music, this ones by a group called the Monkees.

They were popular when I grew up.

Monkeys are supposed to eat bananas.

That's ok by me.

This one's called "Hey Hey We're The Monkees."

Sorry real music fans:

That's a fictional picture of the baby Jesus.

Isn't he cute?

Isn't Mother Mary cute too?

Doesn't Joseph look proud?

Cool pic, huh?

Jesus gave us the Earth and dominion over the whole

kit and caboodle,

animals included.

Oceans, land, atmosphere, plants, people and critters.

It says so in the book of Genesis.

That's where it all begins.

:)

The humble Christ was born in a critters' manger

cuz the hotel owner wouldn't even put them up inside

though Mary was 9 months pregnant.

Tough situation.

The wise men were shepherds who abandoned their flocks

'o

sheep to go visit the newly born savior.

:)

Christ is symbolically referred to as a shepherd and we Christians

as his flock.

I love sheep.

I luv petting 'em.

Ever pet one?

It's cool!

Let's treat animals gudd.

Let's treat the atmosphere gudd.

Let's treat the plants gudd.

Let's treat the land gudd.

Let's treat people gudd.

Peace at any cost.

Peace in Egypt and in the world, please.

Look at my blogs on MomCat's Vegan Project, a series at a not-so

fictional blog 'o mine, it's a series of articles:

http://unabashedleft.blogspot.com/2010/11/blog-post.html

And don't forget to donate today to:

la-spca.org

:)

Medicinal Purposes and Side Effects of Noni Juice

As you may know, the fruit of the Noni is made of Morinda citrifolia. Noni fruit used by Pacific Islanders to help the disease. Noni juice has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes, although the validity of such statements can not be proven.

Parts of the noni fruit are turned into poultices, tonics and juice. Noni tea is also very popular. It is safe to use with other vitamins, herbs and minerals. The Noni fruit is said to prevent damage to the human system, related to health and performance of the body functions.

Noni juice is believed to have benefits for body aches and pain. Users believe it to help ease neck and back pain as well as headaches. It can also be used for itching and scalp skin problems.

Every medicinal product has side effects. The side effects of Noni are very limited compared to other natural remedies. Most side effects are not reported so the results and statistics cannot be properly recorded by researchers, doctors and users. It is also believe the immune system is improved with the use of Noni juice for medicinal purposes.

Researchers recommend taking one ounce daily without too many side effects. Drinking a good amount of water is also recommended. Lemon is also recommended. Water and lemon tastes good together to cleanse the systems. Taking one ounce of noni juice has been proven by research to be non-toxic and safe. Users experience no side effects when using small quantities of the Noni fruit juice.

When Noni juice was first introduced, people experienced mild discomforts such as indigestion and bloating. People now believe that noni juice can also work as a laxative. Keep in mind this is not the case in all individuals. Everyone’s system is different.

Taking an excess amount an be harmful, just like with any other medicines that you may find over the counter. As with any remedy take care not to use more than the recommend doses at the recommended frequency. Seek the advice of a physician before using Noni exclusively for health benefits.

The most severe side effects of Noni can include cough, gas, bad breath, heavy periods in women, headaches, joint aches, diarrhea, itching and rash, tiredness, pimples and boils.

All users, at one time or another, have experienced side effects from Noni. Research statistic show that less that one percent of people tested had an allergic reaction to Noni juice. Allergic reactions can also include trouble with breathing and oxygen intake.

Two percent of people tested had allergic side effects like belching and gas, nausea and vomiting, but these effects were quickly gone within a period of 24 hours. Some of the more serious side effects of Noni occur in individuals whose bodies reject the use of Noni.

Diabetic patients require care when drinking Noni juice. As with other fruit the Noni fruit it high in sugar and can increase the glucose levels.

About Yoghurt and How to Make It

Yoghurt is a milk product processed through the addition of a good interaction of organisms, one of which is lactic acid bacteria. Yoghurt in the market is divided into two types, the first is plain yoghurt which is no flavor  addition and drink yoghurt, which is plain yoghurt that have added fruit essence, such as flavor of strawberry, orange, grapefruit, lemon, etc.

Advantages of Yoghurt:

• Yoghurt is safe to be consumed by people who are sensitive to milk (causing diarrhea) because of lactose contained in raw milk (dairy) has simplified by the process of fermentation of yoghurt.
• When yoghurt consumed on a regular even able to inhibit the levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is because yoghurt contains lactobasillus. Lactobasillus function inhibits the formation of cholesterol in our blood that comes from the foods we eat such as offal or meat.
• Enhance our immune system because yoghurt contains a lot of good bacteria that can balance the bad bacteria found in our milk.

How to Make Good Yoghurt

Although it looks difficult, making yoghurt is actually very simple. The equipments we need to make yoghurt are easy to find, such as the pan sized of 40 cm, stirrer, glass jar with lid. All this equipment can be obtained easily in the market or shopping centers such as Carrefour. The main ingredient needed to manufacture yoghurt is just milk. This milk can be either liquid milk but to consider the dairy milk used must be white.

Instructions:

1. Prepare the milk that was diluted with 1 liter of boiled water and add the milk cream as much as 15%.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring continued for 30 minutes but do not boil. It is only intended to evaporate the water so that later will form lumps or solid yoghurt.
3. If it is done, solid yoghurt then removed and cooled approximately until lukewarm then add the yoghurt seed as much as 2-5% of the amount of yoghurt that has been thickened earlier. Seeds of yoghurt is not sold in the market freely but you can find it in a specific store. Or for simply we can use the plain yoghurt (no flavor added, no sugar and no aroma) as the seeds of yoghurt.
4. Let stand for 24 hours in a closed container to produce a sour taste and a condensed form.
5. The higher the total solid, the remaining clear liquid the less, and yoghurt produced the better. Solid yoghurt that has not been given this extra flavor can also be used as seeds for further manufacture.
6. After the yoghurt is done, then it can be added with syrup or sugar to reduce strong sour flavor. Even you can add flavorings (food essence) such as orange flavor, strawberries and lychees that we can get in pharmacies. Yoghurt can be served not only as a beverage, but also with fruit salad as a dressing or as a mixture of frutty ice.
7. Yoghurt that has been made can be placed in a plastic container or glass. If we want to use plastic containers should be a bit thick, but if you want to save the yoghurt for a longer time it should use a glass container.

The Utilizes Of Noni Juice

Noni is characterized as a a fruit of small tree or grove that is known to grow in wilds forests and sandy or rocky shores. Noni juice, a noni products are thought to have beneficial healing agents that are believed to contain fever, to help treat certain types of skin problems and eye and throat diseases and gums and even constipation. In addition, the noni juice is considered by many to help relieve stomach pain and respiratory problems.

Noni is featured big, dark green leaves and is a plant that blooms throughout the year. The flowers are available in small white noni, while fruit is cross and has a strong odor. In addition, a noni plant has many seeds, which are often dispersed by bats that smell is known to attract.

In some parts of the world, the noni juice is utilized to treat gout, a painful disease that affects the body's joints and muscles. It is important to note that neither itself noni or noni juice has been evaluated by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) for safety, or possible benefits. In 2005, the European Food Safety Authority did an assessment of noni products and their possible association with hepatitis caused by ingesting noni.

Noni is a plant which is noni juice from, is most often utilized internationally and is not as widely utilized in American medicine. Much of this is due to the absence of its potential and the lack of studies that indicate that the potential risks and / or side effects. As with any medicine or anecdote, it is important that their potential is fully realized, before being prescribed to patients suffering from certain diseases or before being marketed as a treatment method counter all kinds of disease. People often are not familiar with the side effects associated with drugs, which explains why they often develop serious reactions after utilize.

Although there is little knowledge about the full effects of noni and / or noni juice, the healing effects or side, studies around the world continue to study the effects of this mysterious bush.

This article is intended to be utilized for informational purposes only. Not be utilized in place of or in conjunction with professional medical advice or a recommendation of a physician on the utilize of noni juice. Before beginning any treatment program, including that noni juice is, people should consult a physician for diagnosis or treatment.

Investment Environment of the Agriculture in Mongolia

Government of Mongolia has launched several efforts to get foreign investments and priorities in such areas as construction, information and information technology (IT), where agriculture is at the bottom of the priority list.

With the 2002 amendment to the Act on Direct Investment, Government of Mongolia is seeking to create a more favorable investment environment for investors. Investment and Foreign Trade Agency (TIFF), which was established in 1996, is primarily responsible for direct investments under the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Law recognizes companies and foreign invested company, where foreigners account for 25 percent or more of the investment.

To attract more foreign investment, investment in social infrastructure such as roads, electricity, telecommunication facilities are 100 per cent tax-free within 10 years of profits and 50 percent for exempt next five years. For other sectors, where more than 50 percent of products exported, there will be tax exemption on profits for three years, and 50 percent for the exemption of the next three years.

Since early 1990, the inflow of FDI has increased steadily, and recently, the rate is increasing. China is the largest investor in Mongolia, in terms of amount of investment with 40 percent of total FDI, followed by Canada (14 percent), United States (10 percent), Korea (7 percent) Japan (5 percent) and Russia (3 percent). The mining sector has the most investment flows, while the sectors of food and beverages, and agriculture received 16 million and 10 million between 1990 and 2004, taking up only 2 percent of total investment.

With the exception of land, all companies can invest 100 percent foreign-owned and operated without a partner of Mongolia.

Indeed in 2005, the Government of Mongolia passed the Law for the Free Trade Zone and other relevant regulations to construct complex near the free economic zones bordering Russia and China, for example. Altanbulag, Zamyn-Uud and Tsagaan Nuur.

Waste Water Management on the Textile Industry

Abstract: A treatability study of textile wastewater using coagulation by adding polyelectrolytes ((1-2 ppm) at pH (6.7-7.5) and primary sedimentation followed by aeration and final settling gave a good results. COD decreased from 1835 to 120 ppm, SS decreased from 960 to 120 ppm and sulphate from 1350 to 125 ppm. In the full-scale treatment plant filtration is used to improved results by decreasing COD, from 263 to 55 and SS from 295 to 10 and Sulphate from 158 to 100 ppm respectively.

Keywords: Textile Industrial wastewater, (TIWW) Chemical precipitation, Coagulation, Chemical oxidation, Activated Carbon

Title: Textile Wastewater Treatment

By: Hamdy Seif* and Moheb Malak**
* Lecturer, Sanitary Eng. Dept., Faculty of Eng., Alexandria University, Egypt
** M.Sc. Student, Faculty of Eng., Alexandria University, Egypt

Sixth International Water Technology Conference, IWTC 2001, Alexandria, Egypt.

an EGGcellent idea...

if you don't already read and love jordan ferney, then you most definitely should. she is a party loving, fun having, decorating genius (who is also living in paris right now which makes me envy her even more!). anyways, she's always full of AMAZING ideas and is a great resource for inspiration.

her latest easter post, on how her friend made confetti eggs sent me into a daydream about a massive egg-hunting extravaganza...

the dream goes a little something like this...
clever invitations have been sent to your closest family and friends inviting them to meet you at the lushest greenest park of your choice for an easter egg hunt and celebration of the grandest kind.

easter is a gorgeous and sunny day and everyone arrives, in their most dapper easter outfits, to see a large circle of blankets, one for each family. on each blanket are baskets for each family member and a larger basket filled with perfect picnicky food and drink. every family finds their homebase and settles in to hear the rules...

rules are simple.
eggs have been hidden. find them. collect as many as you can and return to your blanket when done.

music plays and everyone breaks into hippity-hoppity-hysteria scooping up eggs as fast as they can.

once everyone is back at their blankets...the real fun begins. everyone takes their egg collection, steps into the center of the circle, and the egg smashing begins.

yep... eggs meet heads.

confetti flies...contagious laughter fills the air..and everyone is living in the moment...their only care in the world is to smash and avoid being smashed on. pure delight ensues... and then slowly, as eggs run out, the game comes to an end.

and since, we'd be playing with a golden glitter egg... after the confetti settles, one person will be adorned in gold glitter and be given their prize. in my dream... the prize is a bottle (or two) of champagne for an adult and perhaps a most heavenly basket of treats for a kid.

from there, the music continues to play... blankets break out of the circle and start congregating together into one big happy picnic in the park.

then...there might be bocce, there might be horseshoes, but there will for sure be a blissful group of friends enjoying the sun & enjoying easter as one big happy family.

**photos via: oh happy day

Business Environment of the Agro-Industry Sector in Uzbekistan

SMEs are expanding in Uzbekistan partly because of the support from the government. The number of active SMEs in 2004 was 237.5 thousand, which is much higher compared with 177.7 thousand in 2001. The SME's share of GDP was 35.6 percent of nominal GDP in 2004 and is projected to be 45 percent in 2007. This governmental supports to SMEs will facilitate the agro-industry development, and many entrepreneurs are by and large optimistic about the possibilities for business growth.

The speed of privatization is slow in Uzbekistan. According to the World Bank estimates, Uzbekistan agricultural reform to market-oriented economy is still a long way to go. In terms of privatization of agro-processing and input supply industry, spontaneous privatization and mass privatization are just in the early implementation stage.1 Rural banking systems and governmental and public institutional frameworks are also in the modest restructuring stages.

The Uzbekistan government has formally declared its pro-foreign investment policy. In 1993, the foreign investment comprises only 0.8 percent of total capital investment, but in 2003, it increased to over 20 percent. Foreign investors have had more interests in manufacturing sectors including oil and gas industries.

The largest share of foreign direct investment in 2002 comes from Russia (15.7 percent), Korea (9.8 percent), and the U.S. (8.7 percent). The data on the amount of foreign investment by sector are not easily available, but in view of the number of investment, manufacturing sector has received the largest portion of FDI with 58 percent, while the agricultural sector takes only 2.7 percent.

Table 1. Foreign Investment as of June 2004

Investment		Number of company	Percentage (%)
Manufacturing	Consumer goods	602	26.3
	Others	733	32.0
	Total	1,335	58.3
Trade, restaurant		472	20.6
Agriculture		61	2.7
Transportation & communication		96	4.2
Construction		85	3.7
Health & sports		55	2.4
Culture & others		185	8.1
Total		2,289	100.0

Source: Korea EXIM Bank, 2005

In 2005, the government of Uzbekistan declared a new unified tax system. Under the system, venture companies jointly invested by foreign investors are exempted from profit tax for seven years. Here, the foreign joint venture means the company with foreign capital of at least 150 thousand US$ or over 30 percent of its capital. The conditions get better in remote areas. Assets of foreign investors are protected through the “Laws on Property of Foreign Direct Investment”.

Those companies producing agricultural products are exempted from asset tax; for individual agricultural production unit, tax rate is decided based upon yield, geographical characteristics, accessibility to irrigated water, and so on.

It is problematic in terms of development of agricultural and agro-industry sectors that most joint ventures are in the manufacturing sector. And many SMEs, in spite of government’s efforts to stimulate domestic and foreign investment, are not active in reinvesting their earnings.

Internal turbulences, as envisaged in May 2005, have negatively affected the investment intention of both home and abroad. Slow privatization is also a major factor hindering the investment promotion.

Investment Environment of the Agro-Industry Sector in Kazakhstan

In 2003, Kazakhstan newly enacted the Act for New Foreign Investment after abolition of the Act for Foreign Investment and the Law on State Support for Direct Investment. Under the new law, there is no discrimination between domestic and foreign investors. Investment favors are provided in priority sectors, which include following sectors: industrial infrastructure, processing industry, agriculture, agro-industry, housing, the social sector and tourism infrastructure. The incentives for direct investments in the priority sectors are: property tax and income tax exemptions for up to five years respectively, and exemptions or reductions in customs duty on materials necessary for completion of the investment project.

In 2002, the new law on taxation was enacted. Taxation system of Kazakhstan generally seems to be coincident with international standards. However, there are so many taxes imposed on enterprises, which may distort profit structure of enterprises. The maximum tax rates are different across according to sources of taxes: 30 percent for corporate tax, 15 percent for value added tax, 21 percent for social security tax. It is estimated that 32-35 percent of total revenue accounts for taxes paid by enterprises, implying that the tax burden is high.

Table 1. Selected Tax Rates in Kazakhstan

Types	Tax Rate
Corporate Tax Value Added Tax Land Tax Property Tax Social Security Tax Commodity Tax Transportation Tax Auction Tax	Up to 30% Up to 15% varies by use 1% Up to 21% varies by commodities varies by transportation types 3%

Source: Korea EXIM Bank, 2005

Kazakhstan has tried to improve the investment climate to attract FDI to more sectors including oil industry since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. For this purpose, Kazakhstan enacted four major legislations relating to foreign investment, such as the Act for Foreign Investment in 1999, the Act for State Support for Direct Investment in 1997, the Act for Government Procurement in 1997 and the Tax Code in 2001.

As a result, Kazakhstan has been fairly successful in attracting FDI, which supported economic recovery. During the period from 1993 to 2003, gross FDI inflows to Kazakhstan totaled USD 23.4billion. As of 2003, crude oil and natural gas extraction accounted for 51.8 percent of gross FDI, while agriculture, forestry and fishery accounted for 0.04 percent. Food industry, which is based on agriculture, is predominantly domestic market oriented and not lucrative due to low market demand for the local food products, implying that it is less attractive to foreign investors.

Table 2. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Kazakhstan by Sector
Unit: million USD, ( %)

	1993-2000	2001	2002	Jan.–Jun.2003
Agriculture etc. Mining Manufacturing Transport, etc Finance Real estate Electric power Others	7.4(0.1) 7,841.2(62.4) 1,766.4(14.1) 160.0(1.3) 206.4(1.6) 1,432.8(11.4) 433.0(3.4) 715.0(5.7)	5.0(0.1) 3078.1(67.7) 641.4(0.7) 161.1(161.1) 44.4(1.0) 456.5(10.0) 33.8(0.7) 124.3(2.7)	2.5(0.1) 2107.7(51.7) 829.5(20.4) 95.2(2.3.) 11.8(0.3) 841.4(20.7) 17.5(0.4) 167.9(4.1)	1.1(0.04) 1148.4(51.8) 433.3(19.5) 45.0(2.0) 7.8(0.4) 433.6(19.6) 58.4(2.6) 91.2(4.1)
Total	12,562.2(100.0)	4,544.6(100.0)	4073.5(100.0)	2218.8(100.0)

Source: National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan